Interesting Take On Antropov

Interesting piece over on TSN.ca from Darren Dreger on Nik Antropov:

There's a new sheriff in town and Leafs general manager Brian Burke has publicly made it clear the immunity Toronto Maple Leafs players have been protected by in the past no longer exists.
This week Nik Antropov is his target, to the point we shouldn't be surprised if Antropov soon becomes a healthy scratch in an effort to get him motivated, get him playing better and get him out of Toronto.
So, why now?
Why is Antropov, deemed at the start of the season by Cliff Fletcher to be Toronto's only top 6 forward, now considered by Burke unworthy of a contract extension?
The answer...timing.
Brian Burke is trying to get Nik Antropov going so he can ship him out.
The trade deadline is three weeks away and at the moment Burke has little or no outside interest in Antropov, once believed to be a player who could command a first or high second draft round pick via trade.
It would be foolish for Burke to criticize a player he deemed valuable, so instead he's publicly calling Antropov out in hopes the veteran forward finds his game; a game where goal scoring disappeared for 16 straight this season and glaringly shows Antropov was -10 in December and -5 in January.
Rival gm's haven't reached the panic stage yet and Burke is positioning for that moment to arrive.
When it does, on March 4th, or perhaps earlier, Burke wants to make sure Nik Antropov is a player teams are willing to pay for.

So, it appears that we have at least tacit confirmation that Antropov is indeed on the block. Also interesting to hear that there has been "little or no outside interest". The heat is starting to be turned up!

The Flu Bug and Other Ramblings

Lots of random stuff today, so here goes:

Glad you're well, now go away -- after recovering from his recent injury, star prospect Nikita Filatov was victimized by the flu. His present for recovering? A trip to Syracuse . . . Ahh, it's a brutal business. Seriously, this has long been expected, and hopefully Nik will get some more seasoning and bulk up a bit.

More Flu--Kristian Huselius missed practice with the flu, and Mark Methot will not make the trip to Pittsburgh, also courtesy of the flu bug, according to Puck-Rakers.

Let The Trade Speculation Begin -- The Dispatch kicked off the final month countdown to the trade deadline, with it's morning piece on who might be on Howson's radar. Some expected names (Antropov, Weight, Tkachuk), some intriguing inclusions (Lombardi, Kelly, Reasoner), and some curious omissions (Vermette, Kubina). I still think a deal is going to happen sooner than later, and suspect that tomorrow night is Wade Dubielewicz's first and last audition as a backup. If he does well, he stays and we focus on a forward and maybe right hand shot defenseman. If he gets smoked, expect a goalie play, such as Curtis Sandford from Vancouver, in addition to a forward.

God Bless Games In Hand -- The standings are pretty bizarre to contemplate right now, with 4 points separating 5th from 11th. While the CBJ give up a game each to Edmonton and Minnesota, and 2 to Dallas, they hold 2 in hand over Phoenix, and after tonight will hold 4 big games in hand over Anaheim. Visnovsky for the Oilers has just gone on the IR, the Canucks are struggling, and everyone except Dallas seems to be hurting to one extent or another right now. It will be a wild rush to the finish.

Tomorrow we'll do a preview of the Penguins game and do a little more on the trade front.

Go Jackets!!

The Road Ahead

Although today was a relatively quiet day in CBJ land in terms of news, there is anticipation in the air.

--As Puck-Rakers reported, the Jackets had 25 players on the ice in practice today, enough for 5 forward lines. Nash is iffy for Friday, but Torres will go. Mackenzie has already made his way back to Syracuse, and MacDonald is probably not far behind. Novotny, Chimera and Klesla a ways off. Who stays, who goes? Don't rush Nash back too early . . .

--With Jason Williams in the fold, the focus now turns to the next deal. (We fans are insatiable -- blood in the water makes us look for more!) The news from Ottawa is that they really want Rostislav Klesla, even with his injury history. Klesla (+/- a draft pick) for Vermette?? Could happen. Brian Burke's trigger finger in Toronto also has to be getting itchy. Antropov for draft choices? Also feasible. Then, what is LeClaire's status and what do we do for backup there? Sandford cleared waivers in Vancouver and is headed for AHL. He should be had for 7th round pick. Martin Gerber has accepted AHL reconditioning assignment for Ottawa, but his contract is awfully rich. We can't play Mason every game, and La Costa is not the answer right now.

-- Four tough games before the All Star break -- New Jersey at home, followed by the NW Canada trip to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. 3 - 1 would be outstanding. We then come back to10 our of 13 at home, and the chance to put some distance between us and the pack of other contenders. While Minnesota leaped over us tonight by a point with their win over Edmonton, keep in mind that we are only 3 points out of the 5th slot, and have two games in hand over both Vancouver and Anaheim.

Cause for hope: Luongo has surrendered 2 goals on 11 shots in the 1st period vs. the Coyotes. Hopefully he stays rusty through our visit!!!

Lots of things to be optimistic about right now!

Go Jackets!!

Detroit Preview and Other Ramblings

As we head into the Motor City with our band of walking wounded, it is tempting to abandon all hope. However, from this seat, I see a recipe for success, even with the ranks depleted. Keys for tonight's game:

1. Strength in our own zone -- from Mason on out, we need to disrupt Detroit's flow, get in passing lanes and not let them create space. A little rest should have recharged the batteries, and though we will miss Klesla, Methot will be itching to make an impact. No room for careless clearing passes or sloppy rebounds in the slot. Keep Holmstrom out of the blue paint!!

2. No penalties -- In St. Louis we saw what happens when we get sloppy against a good power play team. Well this team is better than the Blues, so we better stay out of the box. Plenty of hitting, but no stupid hooking or holding penalties.

3. Opportunistic Offense -- Not sure how the lines will break out, but would not be horribly surprised to see Nash, Malhotra and either Voracek or Mayorov on the top line. A skill player with puck possession ability makes a good pairing for Nash and Malhotra. The blue liners -- Commodore, Russell, Tyutin and Methot, will need to get pucks to the net. Detroit has surrendered more goals per game this season than the Jackets, so there is room to take advantage. This needs to be a 3 -1 type of game, not 6 -5.

On the rumor/trade front, Puck-Rakers reports that ownership has given Howson the green light to increase the payroll to bring some new talent in the door. Primary trading partners still are viewed as Toronto (Kubina, Antropov), Ottawa (Vermette most likely), Pittsburgh (Staal), or some combination. Others have been mentioned, but these seem the most likely, given what Howson is likely to be willing to pay.

I have been touting the Kubina/Antropov deal for awhile, but the prospect of Staal is very intriguing for a lot of reasons. Puck-Rakers describes the situation as follows:

The Blue Jackets would love to get Jordan Staal from the Penguins. And Staal might like to get away from the Penguins, if only because of coach Michel Therien. The two do not get along. But the Pens won't part with Staal for a second-round draft pick. They want a scoring winger, which is something the Blue Jackets can't part with.

First, I think Columbus would be of interest to Staal. It is only three hours away from where he is now, so his disruption is minimal. Bluejackets are a young, dynamic team, and right now are within 1 game of the same record as Pittsburgh. Staal could come here and be a star, not live in the shadow of Crosby/Malkin. We could easily put together a package of Mayorov and draft picks, which would have to be intriguing to Pittsburgh. Then, turn around, take some draft picks, or maybe a Sestito, and get Kubina, who still has a yar left on his contract.

Finally, congratulations to Nikita Filatov for another great World Juniors tournament. Somewhat surprised not to see him in Detroit tonight, but I have a hunch we will see him in Washington if a deal is not done before then.

Update for tonight: Novotny to IR, Tollefson activated, Torres skates with no pain, Chimera had a twinge and will likely be out awhile longer.

Fascinating stuff. More will be revealed . . . Your thoughts?

With Injuries Mounting, Time To Pull The Trigger???

With this morning's Dispatch reporting that Huselius is out for at least Tuesday with concussion-like symptoms and Novotny is also down, it seems like time to make some important personnel decisions.

With the rumors flying about a Toronto deal for Antropov and Kubina, or an Ottawa deal of some sort, now would seem like a perfect time to pull the trigger, particularly if the Toronto potenital involves only draft picks.

Alternatively, or in addition to any trade moves, Russia completes it's run at the World Juniors today. It will not take Filatov any more time to get to Detroit than it would to get to Syracuse, and with Huselius out, we really need skill, not grinding.

So, let's hope that Howson has some announcements to make today. Your thoughts???

Rumor Mill

Interesting discussion at Light The Lamp over trade possibilities, including interest in Spezza. However, most intriguing for me is the tidbit contributed by Hitch Rules concerning a possible Toronto deal. The original source of that item is actually today's Toronto Sun, which you can view here.

I am never one to put a lot of stock in media reports of impending trades, but my ear is closer to the tracks on this one. The Sun has a way of being more in the know than most, since the nerve center is there, and for the reasons stated over at LTL, this deal makes all kinds of sense from both team's perspectives.

Fascinating, if true. More to follow . . .