Welcome back to “Silly Season”.
The NHL trade deadline is 27 days away.
Many NHL sellers have shined up their available players and have put them on display for the motivated buyers to inspect .
Many NHL clubs are still on hiatus post NHL All Star break. There were only two games in the NHL on Monday with Winnipeg at Philadelphia and New Jersey at Pittsburgh. On Tuesday night, Buffalo played in Columbus, Winnipeg was at Boston and Philly was at the NY Rangers. There are only two games scheduled for tonight. Buffalo travels to Dallas and Tampa Bay will invade Pittsburgh.
It’s imperative for NHL scouts to drive vehicles with four-wheel drive and chains on their snow tires.
To the trade deadline madness, toss in a polar vortex snowstorm that has a head lock on the northeastern and mid-Western United States and Canada, and you have a recipe for a perfect storm of swapping and transactions just in time for the February 25th trade deadline.
Trade partners are shadow dancing before our very eyes. Trades will be finalized soon.Why wait until February 25th? On Monday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded to the Los Angeles Kings a 2019 first rounder and two prospect forwards in exchange for veteran left shot defenseman Jake Muzzin. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas didn’t want to wait. He identified his man in Muzzin and moved swiftly to snap him up before another suitor could steal him away. There’s something to be said for trading for a player weeks in advance of the NHL trade deadline. Let the guy and his family move to their new city to get acclimated to the new organization and the freshly foreign surroundings.
On Monday night, the Buffalo Sabres dispatched a scout to Pittsburgh.
On Tuesday night, the Penguins were scouting the Sabres in Columbus.
In a curious move, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford called up Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins leading scorer Teddy Blueger on Tuesday night.
Hmmmmm.
Is Botterill interested in acquiring Blueger?
Botterill certainly knows the player. If so, Blueger is a center who plays the 200 by 85 game. He’s a playmaker and a finisher. Blueger is the 14th leading scorer in the AHL this season.
Botterill, the former GM of the WBS Penguins, assisted Rutherford in drafting Blueger with pick #52 at the 2012 NHL Draft.
Blueger, 24, is a native of Riga, Latvia, has scored 21 goals and 18 assists in 45 games this season. Blueger has scored 6 PPG and 1 SHG this season. Last season, Blueger scored 21G,24A in 70 games. In 2016-17, Blueger scored 7G, 24A in his first pro season. Blueger played four seasons for Minnesota State University (Mankato).
Blueger, whose surname is Teodors Bļugers, helped lead the Mavericks to three consecutive NCAA National Tournament appearances for the first time in program history.
Blueger represented Latvia on the international stage at two IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships (2012, 2013). Blueger is a product of prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep hockey program. In two seasons at Shattuck, he accumulated 48 goals and 106 assists for 154 points in 108 games and captured back-to-back USA Hockey National U18 Titles. Blueger moved from his home country of Latvia to Minnesota at age 14.
Blueger won't be a top six center in Pittsburgh until Sidney Crosby and Geno Malkin step aside. Good luck with that. Blueger will be 30 when that finally happens. The best opportunity for him to be a top six center is to leave Pittsburgh and pursue greener pastures elsewhere.
Brassard (6’1”, 205 lbs.) is a 31 year old pending UFA. Botterill has said he is not looking for a rental. Or is he? Botterill has stated that he wants add young, skilled, cost-controlled forward or defenseman. However, Botterill and Phil Housley have been desperately seeking a veteran second unit center to drive offense and produce consistent secondary scoring.
Perhaps Brassard is the short term answer for the Sabres .
In 756 career NHL games, Brassard has scored 171 goals and 272 assists for 443 points. In 90 career playoff games, 23G and 36A for 59 points. He’s a career 48% FO man.
Brassard is the owner of of modified no trade list. He has submitted a list of eight teams he would not be willing to accept a trade to. One wonders if Buffalo on his no trade list.
Brassard is $3M AAV this season. Botterill can get Rutherford to eat 50% of remaining dollars.
Brassard is a trade target for several contending teams including Winnipeg, Washington, Las Vegas, and Carolina.
Suffice to say, Botterill is shopping for a center ice man. He is motivated. He has assets . He is ready to make a deal.
Will it be for Brassard, Blueger, Sean Couturier, Tyler Toffoli, Joel Ericksson Ek, Adrian Kempe, Charlie Coyle, Alex Kerfoot, Tyson Jost, Nick Bjugstad?
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