maritimehabfan

Wait the Leafs just traded Gill to Pittsburgh for Staal. Or wait, maybe not Staal, as the Leafs fans would expect, but for something huge I am sure.

If Pittsburgh gets Hossa and gives up Staal, I will be fine with that because I would rather they ridiculously overpaid for a rental than us. That said if Someone gets Hossa for a bag of pucks, I won't be fine with it

With all this waiting it is hard to believe that in just five hours I'll be watching Montreal (on tv) play the Thrashers. With or without Hossa is the question I will surely know by then.

Given that I don't think that Gainey is stupid, I personally think he is one of the most astute GM's in the league, I can only think of one scenario that makes this trade make sense. We will soon hear that Montreal has not only traded for Hossa, but has signed him to a long term deal. WIth that deal signed Gainey knows that he will not be able to afford Huet under the cap for next year, and wants to keep the remainder of the team (minus who goes back for Hossa) intact. So knowing that he will lose Huet anyway, he shopped him for the best he could get for an UFA goalie with no playoff record to speak of. I too am disappointed with the 2nd round pick but I can't imagine Gainey did not explore all options. This means that Gainey is not only thinking of this year, but thinking more about the next five years for the team, which would now include Hossa.

95 Points and 7th in the conference

There has never been a season that I have wanted to see the Leafs fail like this year. Surprisingly they are not doing that bad. But I started thinking, is it really such a surprise. Lindros, when healthy is a very good hockey player, as is Allison & O'Neil. When I originally pegged them at around 70 points, that was assuming that Lindros & Allison would play around 30 games each. The loss of Sundin makes their 3 win 3 loss record a fair one. I still believe that Lindros & Allison will miss at least half of the season, but the Leafs may do allright until the concussions come, and they will. Then I will be able to enjoy seeing the Leafs destroyed on a regular basis. What I really don't understand is TSN ranking the Leafs #2 in the NHL in their Power Rankings behind Ottawa. That is ridiculous. They say this is based on formulas, but come on. That is unbelievable.

What is the latest on Perreault? Are the Canadiens considering re-signing him? His face off skills should be worth something?