Habs For Breakfast - Crunch Time

Game 3 will be a pivotal one for the Canadiens, after having lost home ice advantage in the series against the Flyers. The Habs who have been good on the road this season, good enough for the league's third best road record, haven't fared as well in the playoffs.

In the 9 games played so far in two rounds, Montreal is 4-2 at home and 1-2 on the road.

Perhaps the Canadiens need a pair of road games to refocus their armour. While they may have created all kinds of scoring chances on Saturday, at times they tried too hard to razzle dazzle the Flyers, and it may have cost them the win and the momentum of the series.

A couple of games where the focus is to shoot first, crowd the net, and pounce on rebounds will do them good. The fancy dancing can come after Biron is off balance.

Tonight in Philadelphia, muscle will beat finesse. The Canadiens will need mental toughness as much as the physical kind to get through it and win.

War Of Words - Gazette

"One day after Philadelphia coach John Stevens complained of a cowardly act by a Montreal player, Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau issued his own retort, suggesting the Flyers lack class. "They're one team that shouldn't talk. Over 82 games, they had the most suspensions in the league," Carbonneau said, following an optional practice in LaSalle yesterday morning." - Herb Zurkowsky

Kostopoulos accepts blame for sucker punch - Globe Sports

"If Montreal Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau was hoping to exploit a late-game incident in which Tom Kostopoulos sucker-punched Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Kimmo Timonen, the guilty party threw cold water on his coach's ploy. Carbonneau defended the late-game behaviour of Kostopoulos. The Canadiens' coach also accused the Flyers of taunting his players after they scored the game's final goal with 2 minutes 21 seconds remaining in Philadelphia's 4-2 win to tie the second-round best-of-seven series 1-1." - Tim Wharnsby

Habs Land In Philly - Gazette

"Listen for Flyers fans to tongue-tie themselves as they derisively chant "Kos-to-pou-los." That will be in recognition of the winger's emerging from Game 2 as a prime Philly target for his late-game dustups with Kimmo Timonen and Scott Upshall." - Dave Stubbs

Biron Savours Time At Home - Gazette

"We fed off the energy from the crowd in the first series against Washington when we came back here for Games 3 and 4, and we have to keep doing that," Biron said. "We did what we had to do in Montreal and now we have to take care of business here." Biron has been feeding off the energy of seeing action in the playoffs. He has been in the NHL for nine seasons but this is the first time he's seen playoff action.




















A Test Of Character - The H Does Not Stand For Habs

"It's one thing to know you lost because you didn't play hard enough or because you took a bunch of stupid penalties. But to know you completely outplayed the opposition, yet they're the ones laughing at you in your own building (cheap bastard Flyers), is very difficult to accept." - J.T.

Une question de sang-froid - RDS

"La rivalité avec les Flyers a atteint un autre échelon samedi soir quand Tom Kostopoulos a frappé sournoisement Kimmo Timonen après le quatrième but des visiteurs marqué par R.J. Umberger. Personne dans le camp du Tricolore ne s'attend à ce que Kostopoulos soit puni pour ce geste gratuit." - Luc Gelinas

Markov doit être meilleur - RDS

"Parmi les joueurs qui doivent produire davantage, je songe immédiatement à Andrei Markov. En ce moment, il devrait être le général à la ligne bleue pour le Canadien, mais il est incapable de jouer à son niveau de la saison régulière. Il effectue quelques bonnes présences, mais ce n’est pas suffisant. Il doit être meilleur pour donner des chances au Canadien d’aspirer aux grands honneurs." - Bob Hartley




















CH: Qui écopera ce soir? - La Presse

"Guy Carbonneau n'a pas encore décidé quels changements il entend apporter en vue du match de ce soir à Philadelphie mais chose certaine, il y en aura. À l'attaque, le trio formé par Maxim Lapierre, Mathieu Dandenault et Mark Streit apparaît le plus vulnérable. "Ils passent beaucoup trop de temps dans notre territoire", a indiqué l'entraîneur, hier." - Marc Antoine Godin

Laissons donc Brière se faire huer en paix - La Presse

"Avez-vous bien regardé les yeux de Martin Biron? Jamais vu quelqu'un avoir l'air de venir autant d'ailleurs. On dirait E.T. On dirait un monsieur d'une autre planète tellement son regard un peu space indispose. Et Daniel Brière, lui? L'avez-vous bien examiné, celui-là? Sérieux, il a l'air de tout sauf d'un joueur de hockey. Avec sa voix haut perchée, son physique de petit vicaire, vous lui mettez un béret sur la tête, un bréviaire entre les mains et voilà que se dresse devant vous le nouveau curé de la paroisse." - Michel Blanchard

"Il faut tirer souvent et lui gêner la vision" - Le Journal

"Mine de rien, les Flyers totalisent sept buts après deux matchs contre le gardien recrue. C'est quatre de plus que Price n'en avait accordé aux Bruins après le même nombre de rencontres." - Marc De Foy

"Deux matchs pour commencer à les haïr..." - Le Journal

"Francis Bouillon ne trouve pas que les deux premiers matchs de la série Canadien-Flyers aient donné lieu à du jeu très rude, mais ça pourrait changer dans la Ville de l'amour fraternel. "C'était pas mal plus dur contre les Bruins de Boston, une équipe qu'on détestait déjà avant d'amorcer les séries puisqu'on les avait affrontés huit fois durant la saison", a-t-il fait remarquer. - Pierre Durocher

Price a perdu le trophée Calder et 500 000 $ - Le Journal

"Il y a une énorme différence entre passer le premier mois de la campagne dans les ligues mineures et y être renvoyé en plein milieu d'une saison, ce qui laisse suggérer qu'on ne le jugeait pas apte à aider l'équipe à ce moment-là." - Bertrand Raymond

More from Habs Inside Out, RDS, La Presse, and Le Journal.
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Philadelphia Scouting Report Gives Habs Slight Edge

Robert L Note: I came upon this piece at Philly.com in which Daily News sports scribe Ed Barkowitz gives his opinion on which team has the edge in 6 crucial categories. It's an interesting piece, but I don't really agree with most of his assessments. I think Barkowitz is being too kind to the Flyers in some areas and slighting the Habs in a couple of others. Where this series will be close, Barkowitz misses completely. After you read each of his points on forwards, defense, goaltending, special teams, coaching and intangibles, I'll weigh in with in with my added thoughts - where I agree and disagree with him.


Daily News sports writer Ed Barkowitz breaks down the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Flyers and Canadiens that begins tonight in Montreal:

History

For the Flyers, it ain't pretty. They lost all four games to Montreal this season and by an ugly combined score of 15-6. The Flyers are just 1-5 in Montreal over the last three seasons. In the playoffs, Montreal has won three of the four playoff series, the most recent occurring in 1989.
The one playoff series the Flyers won against the Canadiens was in the 1987 conference finals. The Game 6 clincher followed a wild pregame brawl that was ignited by Montreal's ritual of ending the warmup by firing a puck into the opponents' net. Philadelphia's Ed Hospodar wouldn't allow it and things escalated quickly. Players from both sides sprinted out of their respective locker rooms, several wearing just undergarments, for the free-for-all. Old-time hockey. Eddie Shore!

Forwards

Flyers: Danny Briere had a huge first round against Washington (NHL first- round highs of six goals, 11 points) and obviously will be heavily counted on again. But Briere has to be careful not to press. Briere, who hails from just outside Montreal, has been a target for Canadiens fans since turning down an offer to play for his hometown club during last season's free-agency period ... Joffrey Lupul scored the series clincher in overtime against the Caps. Let's see if it gives him a shot of confidence.

Canadiens: The resurrection of Alex Kovalev has been the primary reason the Habs earned the conference's top seed. Kovalev took a lot of the blame when Montreal failed to make the playoffs last year. He rededicated himself over the offseason and his 84 points were his best total since 2000-01. Last year, Kovalev was minus–19. This season, he was plus-18 ... Montreal's speed will give the Flyers fits. Tonight could be a problem depending on how weary Philadelphia is after playing and traveling both Monday and Tuesday night ... Steve Begin (pronounced Bay-Zhan) is the Canadiens forward most likely to draw Flyers fans' ire.

EDGE: Montreal. While both teams are pretty deep at forward, the Canadiens are healthier.

Robert L: I say very slight edge to Montreal here. Philly has as potent an offense as the Canadiens do. Their powerplay can be just as fearsome and it finished second to the Canadiens this season. I'm tempted to call this a draw, but where Montreal gains an edge is in it's third and fourth line depth, which helped them over Boston when the PP stuttered.















Defensemen

Flyers: The top four are solid, but Jason Smith's nagging shoulder injury caused his playing time to diminish and his effectiveness to be compromised as the Capitals series dragged on ... Kimmo Timonen runs the power play and shouldn't have to exert as much energy defensively as he had to against Washington's Alex Ovechkin.

Canadiens: The NHL's top power play is anchored by Andrei Markov, who tied for the league lead among defensemen with 10 power-play goals. Mike Komisarek is the thumper of the unit. He is a big hitter who also led the league in blocked shots.

EDGE: Montreal. More depth.

Robert L: Barkowitz is right. From the first to down to the third pairing, the Habs defenseman have it all over the Flyers top six. We even have the luxury of a seventh and eighth D-man if injuries become a factor. Also factoring in is the Habs backline is much more mobile. On one hand, the Flyers blueliners might seem a tougher bunch, but that's just a miscinception based on the view that after Timonen, toughness is all they have going for them.

Goaltender

Flyers: Martin Biron was in net for just one of the four losses to Montreal. (So what if he got shelled for five goals?) Biron is playing with a lot of confidence right now and was huge in the Washington series.

Canadiens: Carey Price, 20, became the youngest goalie to register 20 wins since Patrick Roy and Tom Barrasso did it 22 years ago. He helped Canada win the 2007 World Juniors and Hamilton, the Habs' AHL affiliate, the Calder Cup last spring. The Habs put all their pucks in one basket when they traded Cristobal Huet to the Capitals at the deadline, but Price has been right.

EDGE: Flyers. The Flyers need to create havoc in front of Price and get under the kid's skin. But watch it, he might be wearing Clearasil.

Robert L: Barkowitz makes no point on why the edge is given to Biron here, but all that I could see is the experience factor if looked in terms on NHL experience. Biron is a capable NHL goalie, but he has never displayed the consistency required to be considered among the game's best. In his eighth season he is appearing in his first NHL playoffs. He also has a reputation as being a goalie who tires when playing a string of game. I'll predict we'll see Nittymaki before the round is over.

Carey Price however, has greatness written all over him, but that doesn't amount to anything until he proves something. Twice this playoff he followed losses with shutouts. He has the experience of having won under great pressure twice before, and while that might make up for having played only 50 games in the NHL, there are still the odd question marks that only time can erase.

I'm tempted to hand Price the edge, but I'll be fair as I can and call this a draw for now. This could revisited by game 3.

















Special teams

Flyers: With Kimmo Timonen and sometimes Mike Richards up high, Danny Briere down near the goal line and Scott Hartnell in front, the Flyers had the league's second-best power play.

Canadiens: Couldn't get the power play cranking against Boston, but it's still a formidable unit. The penalty- killing unit was 15th during the season.

EDGE: Montreal. The Canadiens killed off 27 of 30 power plays against Boston in the first round.

Robert L: I don't dispute this, regardless of the Habs poor PP showing in round 1. The Canadiens PK gives them what I would say is just a small edge here. The big difference maker could be the Flyers tendency of making more trips to the box - something that may well decide the series along with golatending here.

Coaches

Flyers: John Stevens' primary concern is trying to figure out how to replace Mike Knuble, who is out indefinitely with a partially torn hamstring. He is soft-spoken, but can be stern and has done a nice job managing the locker room and relying on his leaders.

Canadiens: Guy Carbonneau is similar to Stevens in that he took over last year, but missed the playoffs. Carbonneau won two Stanley Cups as a player for the Canadiens and one with the Dallas Stars.

EDGE: Even. Since Stevens and Carbonneau are playoff rookies and each nearly blew a 3-1 lead in the first round, let 'em battle it out.

Robert L: I must have missed all those cries for John Stevens for coach of the year!

Carbonneau by a landslide here - not even close. Barkowitz places emphasis on the few similarities between the two to call it a draw. Last year might have been seen as disasters for both teams, but that is just a surface assessment. While the Flyers were the sinkhole of the NHL, Carbonneau's Habs missed the playoffs by one win and were feeled by illness, injury and feeble backup goaltending. I can't say Carbonneau did a whole lot different this year other than communicate better perhaps and get his star player Kovalev in line. The bottom line is what made the Flyers an improved team had everything to do with free agent signings and trades.

Coaching made a much bigger difference on the Canadiens.

And I haven't even factored Stanley Cups won into the argument.

Intangibles

Flyers: Even though both series went seven, the Flyers expended more energy to get to this point. Yet they summoned up the fortitude to win twice on the road, including in overtime of Game 7. They are playing with the house's money now.

Canadiens: Their inability to put away the Bruins was troubling, especially giving up four goals each in the third period of Games 5 and 6. All the pressure is on Montreal, the only Canadian team still playing. And here's to you, Mr. Price. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

EDGE: Flyers.

Robert L: Barkowitz is wrong again, I don't see a single intangible heading the Flyers way. They are less rested than Montreal for starters. They have an injury to a key player who will not be returning. The Canadiens have a goaltender they can rely on to win games when they are outshot. The pressure Montreal is under helps instead of hurting. They will be primed to Canada's last team alive. That the Flyers used more energy than Montreal to get to this point is his perception only. Even if the Flyers had, doesn't that go in that Habs favor as well.

Whatever went on in the teams prior series ends tonight at 7 p.m.



















Here are Barkowitz' 3 keys to the series for Philadelphia.

1. Stay out of the box. It's as obvious as making sure the Zamboni has gas, but the team that allows the fewer power plays is halfway home.
2. Keep them in front of you. The Canadiens can skate, and if they turn this into too much of a track meet with odd-man rushes, it will hurt the Flyers.
3. Get physical. The Flyers can't sag back and allow the Canadiens to gain the offensive zone with speed.

My view is:

1. Easier said than done against Montreal.
2. The Flyers defense is hardly mobile enough to consistantly contain Montreal over the course of the series.
3. Flyers can get as physical as they want to. It'll translate into a penalty parade that will suit the Canadiens assets perfectly. Besides, didn't the Bruins try that tact and still Montreal outhit them.

Barkowitz gives the edge to Montreal in 3 areas, to the Flyers in 2, and calls coaching a draw.

I give the edge to Habs in every department except for goaltending, which I suggest may only last two or three games in.

Having learned a lessons against the Bruins, I just don't see the Canadiens taking their foot off the accelorator in this one.

Only a fluke and some bad officiating could extend this round as far as seven games.

For a hard look at the Flyers merits, check out this post at Lions In Winter.
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Habs For Breakfast - Calling Habs In Five!

Maybe after 19 years, the Flyers will finally shake hands with the Canadiens?

In 1989, the last time these two teams met, the six game series that the Canadiens won ended without handshakes due to a game ending melee brought on by by Ron Hextall's mugging of Chris Chelios.

I'm not expecting anything different this time from the Flyers, whose game plans rarely include beating opponents by simply playing hockey.

Philadelphia can throw all the heat and physical beating they wish to at Montreal, it won't work.
It never has. It never will. It won't this time.

While the Flyers do have a decent offense, they have a slow footed defense, and a goalie who can only rise to it every second game.

What I'm saying here is, Habs in five, without a shred of overconfidence.

I don't even think I'm going out on a limb.

I've been wrong before, but I'm less worried by the Flyers than I was of a Bruins team the Habs ate all year long.

Canadiens Vow They Won't Repeat Mistake By Taking Flyers Lightly - CP

"It was only four games and they were so spread out," Higgins said Wednesday as the Canadiens returned to practice after a day off. "We might have just caught them at difficult stages of the season. They're a good team and they have good forwards. And with what happened the last series, I don't think we'll take anyone lightly from now on."

Habs Dominated Flyers During Regular Season - Globe Sports

"The Flyers not only lost all four regular-season meetings to the Canadiens, by a combined score of 15-6, but also Brière was abused by the Montreal faithful at the Bell Centre because he spurned a lucrative free-agent deal to sign with the Habs last summer. Brière had one measly assist in his two games in Montreal and only one more helper in the two defeats to the Canadiens in Philadelphia." - Tim Wharnsby























Price Ready For Traffic - Sun Media

"The traffic is just a logjam in front of the net. That's the way goals are going to be scored in the later rounds. There's going to be a lot of pushing and shoving and garbage around the net. It's not my job to be pushing guys around in front of the net. I don't concern myself at all. It doesn't bother me one bit." - Chris Stevenson

Demers: "Great Playoff Goalies Make Coaches Look Great" - USA Today

"Just look at Monday's Game 7 of the Montreal Canadiens-Boston Bruins series. The Bruins came out and bombarded 20-year-old Carey Price left, right and center and he just made the big saves and shut the door. Then the Canadiens got a break and boom, they're on their way to a win." - Jacques Demers

Flyer's Briere Replaces Chara As Public Enemy Number 1 - Gazette

"There's a very good reason for Canadiens fans to loathe Daniel Brière - and it's not because he spurned Montreal's courtship last July and signed an eight-year, $52-million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. It's because Brière blithely flipped the final puck used during Carey Price's first NHL shutout into the Bell Centre stands on Feb. 16. Even for a non-collector like Price, the vulcanized souvenir from this milestone is a keeper. And even if Brière didn't realize the significance of the Canadien rookie's 34-save effort that night, he did a very bad thing." - ave Stubbs

Being Only Canadian Team Left In Playoffs Great Motivation For Habs - Gazette

"What the Canadiens also have going for them is that following the elimination of the Calgary Flames, they're the only Canadian team still alive chasing the Stanley Cup. Know something? It's easy to imagine Carbo (when does this guy get his contract extension?) using that fact as a rallying cry for his team." - Red Fisher

Pulling Your Leg - Gazette

"Carey Price was the last player to face the media after practice Wednesday, but the rookie goaltender had a good excuse. "I was getting treatment on my broken leg," Price explained with a smile. "But it's okay, it's just a hairline (fracture)." - Pat Hickey


















Get Your Hate On - The H Does Not Stand For Habs

"I'm not a Daniel Briere fan, and I didn't want Gainey to sign him in Montreal for outrageous sums of money. In fact, I was very worried that the offer was on the table and very relieved when he went to Philly instead. I think that worked out just fine for Montreal, which finished in a better position than the Flyers and still has that money in the bank as well. However, I hate that Briere said he chose Philly because he had a better chance of winning with them. Come on...there is such a thing as diplomacy." - J.T.

Universal Inspiration - The H Does Not Stand For Habs

"Remember when you were a kid, and you thought you could really influence whether the Habs won or not? If you wore your special sweater for every game without exception or wished on your birthday candles, the Habs would do well. And everything reminded you of them." - J.T.

Bring On The Broad Street Broads - Dennis Kane's Excellent Montreal Canadiens Blog

"Daniel Briere didn’t want the pressure that goes with being a Montreal Canadien, so he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers instead. This young French Canadian star would have been a huge hero in Quebec. He would have been a star in the kingdome of hockey, Montreal. If he had a great seven years or so with the Habs, he’d be treated as royalty there for the rest of his life." - Dennis Kane

Le CH prêt à jouer robuste - RDS

"La saison régulière ne veut plus rien dire, a rappelé Saku Koivu. Les équipes sont bien différentes en séries. Le niveau d'intensité est plus élevé. On l'a bien vu dans la série Washington-Philadelphie." Le capitaine est convaincu que les Flyers aborderont la série dans le même état d'esprit. "On connait tous leur style. Ils sont robustes et ils terminent leurs mises en échec. On sait très bien à quoi s'attendre. Mais on sera prêts", a-t-il promis."

Gros Défi Pour Les Flyers - RDS

"J'ai joué quelques fois contre les frères Kostitsyn et ils sont très habiles, a dit Carter. Ils contrôlent très bien la rondelle et ils savent quoi faire avec. Ils tournent, tournent et essaient de fabriquer des jeux. Nous devrons les suivre de près et leur enlever le plus d'espace possible. La série contre les Capitals a été un grand défi pour moi et ça va m'aider pour les prochaines séries."



















Biron: "J'ai vraiment hâte!" - La Presse

"Hier soir, en revenant de Washington, des partisans nous attendaient à la gare. Ils fêtaient notre victoire comme j'allais fêter les retours des Nordiques à l'aéroport après les victoires contre le Canadien." - François Gagnon

Brière: "J'espère qu'ils me hueront" - La Presse

"Ça n'a rien à voir. J'ai croisé le Canadien alors que je me trouvais au milieu d'un gros creux de vague. Un creux de deux mois au cours duquel je jouais du mauvais hockey. Je suis le premier à l'admettre quand je ne joue pas bien. Cette période particulièrement difficile a coïncidé avec deux ou trois matchs contre Montréal." - François Gagnon

Brière: la vraie histoire - La Presse

"Que s'est-il passé pendant cette demi-heure où tout a basculé? Mon confrère Mathias Brunet a soutenu que c'était une ultime demande de Brière de jouer comme premier centre de l'équipe qui avait fait changer sa décision en faveur de Philadelphie. Affirmation qui a fait bondir Pierre Boivin à l'époque et provoqué une véritable tempête dans l'organisation et dans les médias." - Réjean Tremblay

"Plus dur que contre les Capitals" - Le Journal

"Ce ne sera pas facile, a concédé Brière. Par contre, nous sommes sur une lancée et en confiance. Quand on gagne un septième match (3 à 2, lundi) en prolongation, tout le monde est excité. On espère que cette poussée d'adrénaline va nous permettre de passer au travers de ce premier match." - François Foisy

"Le jeu sera encore plus rude": Komisarek - Le Journal

"Il sera important d'être bien positionnés en zone défensive pour contrer les efforts de leurs attaquants, a-t-il ajouté. Il faudra leur compliquer la tâche, tout en évitant de se retrouver au banc des pénalités. Il sera important aussi de s'assurer que Carey (Price) puisse bien voir bien les rondelles." - Pierre Durocher

Retrouvailles 19 ans plus tard - Le Journal

"Ça fait 19 ans que le Canadien et les Flyers ne se sont pas retrouvés dans les séries éliminatoires. En 1989, Guy Carbonneau avait aidé le Tricolore à battre les Flyers en six matchs. Le jeu avait été très rude et la série s'était terminée par une mêlée générale." - Pierre Durocher

More from Habs Inside Out, RDS, La Presse, and Le Journal.
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Rating The Trade Deadline Deals

Here's a breakdown of the deadline deals from today and my take on each. Most of the 25 trades made were frivolous in nature. Other than the "why even bother" variety, I estimate that possibly only 5 of these deals might impact a Cup champion. Half of the 44 names included are unknown quantities. Several of the draft choices traded are so far back in the rounds they will be inconsequential, with an odd exception. First round picks are the prized wild cards of these deals. In roughly 100 days, many of the GM's who pulled off these deals will likely wonder why they got caught in the frenzy.

Anaheim Ducks acquired LW Brad May from Colorado Avalanche in exchange for G Michael Wall.

May is a decent checking winger, Wall brings depth in goal for a team who badly needs it.

Atlanta Thrashers claimed F Jason Krog off waivers from the New York Rangers.

Krog can light it up at the AHL level, it cost the Thrashers nothing to bring him back.

Buffalo Sabres traded G Martin Biron to Philadelphia Flyers for 2nd rd 2007 draft pick.

Biron could have fetched a better return earlier. Why the Sabres even bothered with this one baffles me. Was it cost related? A Cup contender now has no backup goaltending. A brain scratcher for sure!

Buffalo Sabres acquired G Ty Conklin from Columbus Blue Jackets for 5th rd 2007 draft pick.

Conklin is a rattled cage - dumb move!

Buffalo Sabres acquired F Dainius Zubrus and D Timo Helbling from Washington Captials in exchange for F Jiri Novotny and first-round 2007 draft pick.

Zubrus will fit in nicely with the Sabres style up front. Novotny had some upside for the Caps.

Buffalo Sabres acquired D Mikko Lehtonen from Nashville Predators in exchange for 4th rd 2007 draft pick.

A depth defenseman for the Sabres fearing a repeat of last seasons injuries pilaging their D.

Calgary Flames acquired D David Hale and 5th rd 2007 draft pick from New Jersey Devils in exchange for 3rd rd 2007 draft pick.

Good depth pick up for the Flames.

Colorado Avalanche acquired RW Scott Parker from San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 6th rd 2008 draft pick.

Parker should put the Avs over the top...Oh nevermind! A pointless deal.

Columbus Blue Jackets claimed G Brian Boucher off waivers from Chicago Blackhawks.

Perfectly replaces the uselessness of Conklin.

Detroit Red Wings acquired RW Todd Bertuzzi from Florida Panthers in exchange for C Shawn Matthias and two conditional draft picks.

A chemistry killer. The thought of this thug hoisting a mug in this sacred jersey makes me want to retch. For one post season anyway, I'll be cheering against the Wings for this one.

Edmonton Oilers traded F Ryan Smyth to New York Islanders for prospects Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra and a first-round 2007 draft pick.

The biggest deal of the day! While the hallucinogenic Isles will be dreaming of a fifth Stanley with this one, Kevin Lowe has fleeced Garth Snow big time.

Los Angeles Kings traded D Mattias Norstrom, F Konstatin Pushkarev and 3rd and 4th picks in 2007 toDallas Stars in exchange for D Jaroslav Modry, the rights to D Johan Fransson, 2nd and 3rd rd 2007 draft picks and 1st rd 2008 draft pick.

Norstrom makes the Stars a contender of sorts. All the bit pieces of this deal are dust in the wind other than the Kings getting a first round pick.

New York Rangers trade D Aaron Ward to Boston Bruins in exchange for D Paul Mara.

A slight upgrade for the Bruins, Mara moves closer to the journeyman tag without much resume

Montreal Canadiens claimed G Michael Leighton off waivers from Philadelphia Flyers.

Leighton could be the next "Red Light Racicot!" A pickup for the Hamilton Bulldogs only.

Nashville Predators acquire C Dominic Moore from Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for 3rd rd 2007 draft pick.

Moore, as a Ranger, was a Habs killer. Too bad the teams won't meet for another three years.

Ottawa Senators acquired F Oleg Saprykin and a second-round 2007 draft pick from Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for 2nd rd 2008 draft pick.

With the Sens farm system virtually depleted, why deal a 2nd rd pick for a 4th round has-been?

Philadelphia Flyers claimed F Denis Hamel off waivers from Atlanta.

The Thrashers will never replace Hamel!

Pittsburgh Penguins acquired F Gary Roberts from Florida Panthers for D Noah Welch.

Roberts is used down to the bones. He'll be long gone once the Penguins win a Cup. Welch will become a top 4 D-man one day. An odd move at the price.

Pittsburgh Penguins acquired F Georges Laraque from Phoenix in exchange for F Daniel Carcillo and 3rd rd 2007 draft pick.

Sidney's new bodyguard isn't as eager to drop them as he once was. Has 2 years remaining on current deal. A smart move with little risk.

Pittsburgh Penguins acquired D Joel Kwiatkowski from Florida Panthers in exchange for 4th rd 2007 draft pick.

Helps the Penguins depth at the position.

Pittsburgh Penguins acquired G Nolan Schaefer from San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 7th rd 2007 draft pick.

Insurance for Wilkes-Barre.Phoenix Coyotes claimed F Niko Kapanen off waivers from Atlanta Thrashers.

Replenishes losses from recent trades, nothing else.

San Jose Sharks acquired F Bill Guerin from St. Louis Blues for 1st rd 2007 draft pick, LW Ville Nieminen and F Jay Barriball.

A big move! Combined with the aquisition of Rivet days earlier, Guerin adds veteran presence to the Sharks hopes. Might be one of the deals that actually turns into something.

Tampa Bay Lightning acquired RW Jason Ward from Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 5th rd 2007 draft pick.

Ward is better than average PK man, a Lightening liability.

Tampa Bay Lightening acquired RW Karl Stewart from Chicago in exchange for RW Nikita Alexeev and 6th rd 2008 draft pick.

More promise on the the Chicago side of this one.

Tampa bay Lightening acquired D Joe Rullier from Anaheim in exchange for D Doug O'Brien.

Unknown quanity for unknown quantity. Somebody knows who these guys are!

Toronto Maple Leafs acquired C Yanic Perreault and 5th rd 2007 draft pick from Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for D Brendan Bell and 2nd rd 2007 draft pick.

A smart move by GM Ferguson should the Leafs make the playoffs. Bell is easily surrendered and replacable.