Best of Who’s Left Part 2
Rem Murray. Edmonton (e1) It is really no wonder why Edmonton may bring back this guy. One of the stories that should have been written about the Oilers run was that Rem Murray was a huge “behind the scenes” factor. This is a player that other players love to be around. I spent a great deal of time watching the dynamic in the Oilers locker room during the finals and Rem’s stall was right next to Ryan Smyth’s. Smyth is as intense as any athlete I have ever been around. Rem kept him loose and I believe that played a huge part in Ryan being able to reel in his emotions and allow him to play to his potential. Rem was a leader in that room despite the fact that he came to the team mid-season. The other amazing thing about Rem is you may remember that he had a very serious injury that was determined by doctors to be the end of his career. As is customary with players, Rem had an insurance policy that he collected on. In order for Rem to play now, he has to pay his salary back to the insurance company for every year he can play. Talk about a guy who wants to play hockey!
Petr Sykora. There is a great deal of debate out there as to what Petr has left in the tank. The Rangers don’t think much, but some other teams are thinking he can still put the puck in the net. Avs (e1), Dallas (e1), Philadelphia (e1)
Anson Carter. I’ve said it before, but the longer this goes the more likely the Canucks will get their killer second line together. However, the Red Wings (e3) are still trying to get another top six forward so that they could turn around and move a player to get either Biron and Guigere. It is also very possible that should it go long enough and Primeau’s comeback fall short the Flyers would have the extra 500,000 to make this deal happen.
Mark Recchi: Last night I got a voice mail saying, “watch for the Wings to make a play for Rex in the next three days.” Recchi talk has been very hard to come by this off-season with only one thing for certain. He’s not going back to Pittsburgh. It is hard to imagine Rex on a team captained by Crosby. By the way for you Penguins fans, I talked to a source last night that put the chances of the team staying in Pit at “almost 100%.” That certainly is great news for the great fans of the Penguins. One thing that surprises me is that I actually have more readers in Pittsburgh than I do in Philadelphia. Teams that also may get into the Recchi sweeps, and this is just speculation, Montreal, Columbus, and Vancouver.
Victor Kozlov. A true talent, but one of the Russians that get tabbed as a “paycheck grabbing Russian who has all the talent in the world, dominates on the world stage at the Olympics, and then returns to the NHL and scores enough on talent to get big enough numbers.” This may be an unfair claim, but it is a strong general feeling. Stats-wise Kozlov deserves the numbers, but there are many guys who can never put up these numbers that if Vic worked half as hard as he’d be a star. The Capitals (e3) are the leading candidate for Victor. The Caps may try and bring some of the Russian players together and try to re-create what the Rangers did by bringing the Czechs together last year. The feeling is that playing with Ovechkin who has the talent and all the heart may push the older guys to their Olympic levels. I can see the headlines now, “Russia Invades Washington.” Oh the irony.
Radek Dvorak. OK here’s another guy. Too much talent for his production. I think Radek is the most talented guy not signed, but he does tend to play some shifts and vanish some games. There was one shift, in game five of the finals, where Radek just looked like Ovechkin. He took the puck end to end was stopped, made two great passes, broke up a play and almost scored twice more. He immediately became the best player on the ice and then “poof.” The Blues (e2) and the Islanders (e1), and the Sharks (e1) are the teams that I have heard associated with Radek.
Stay Tuned for Part 3.
An update on yesterday's retraction.
I got alot of emails from Sun reporters who were very thankful for all the letters to editors that you sent yesterday regarding them covering their teams on the road. As was written yesterday we were wrong in reporting that the policy had been determined. However, the story came from people who work for the Sun and long before Tim had written it, the rumor was spreading through the writers and had them nervous. They were happy to not only hear clarification that the rumors were NOT true and the policy had not been determined, but they were also thrilled that so many of you made it known that it was not what you wanted.
I wasn't thrilled with us putting out something that wasn't true. It is hard to build up your reputation in the hockey world, and I spent the whole day trying to get it right and make sure the fans were served. I really have to say that dealing with Pat Grier, Sports Editor of the Toronto Sun, was a pleasure given the circumstances. Very pro, and a very good passionate editor who obviously feels very strongly about the sport of hockey. I also have to say I was once again amazed by how passionate you all are and how so many of you made your voice known. I was hearing reports of thousands of requests that this not be the policy.
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