Azaroth

As much as I do, honestly, intend this to be a games - or more specifically, MMO - blog, I’m also a big follower of hockey. In that, I love to follow hockey, watch hockey, play hockey. By no means am I a “fan”. There’s something about considering myself a fan of another man that I just find a little effeminate. When I was ten, it was fine. But now that I’m a little older, it just doesn’t seem so appealing.

No offense, but I’ll leave the fan thing to schoolgirls and little boys.

This doesn’t change the fact that, through the years, I’ve become a huge “supporter” and “follower” of both hockey, and more specifically, the Pittsburgh Penguins. That whole deal started when I was a young kid playing hockey in small town Canada, watching the Penguins win cups and dazzling the entire league with players like Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, etc. Had I been born ten years earlier, I suppose I would have been an Oilers fan. But having been a fair weather seven year old, I hate Wayne Gretzky and hope he gambles away all of his Ford Trucks.

But that’s a whole lot of back story.

The point of writing this is that there’s no way I was going to escape writing about the NHL or the trade deadline on this blog, so I figured I’d just go ahead and do it. Now you have a little back story for any other strange posts you come across in the future that have to do with hockey. And it’s my blog, damnit. I can post about this kind of crap if I want to.

Here’s the skinny:

The Penguins have a really strong team this year. Surprisingly strong. In fact, the kids we’ve drafted in the last five years (mostly first and second overall), have all really come on. Not that they were ever really off. Crosby was an instant superstar, Malkin was instant, even Staal was instant somehow, when he JUST barely skirted the age cutoff to be drafted this summer. Our young goaltender, Fleury, is kicking shit out from three miles away (even though he’s been bad the last few games, what the hell do you want..).

The point of THIS is that we have an incredibly solid young core, built from very high draft picks. In fact, last year we had the youngest player ever to score over 100 points. This year, we have the youngest player to ever score a hat trick and the first time three players under the age of 21 have scored 20 or more goals since the Oiler dynasty-the-making of the early 1980s.

We have a lot of chemistry in the dressing room, the guys laugh, get along, and most importantly - win.

Then comes Tuesday, February 27th. The NHL trade deadline.

Unlike the NBA, things actually happen tomorrow. In fact, things have been pretty happening for the last week in anticipation of it. Players are being swapped, crazy deals being made, it’s all over TV.

But those deals are crazy. The trade deadline is for desperate General Managers to pick up rental players who will leave in the summer and sign contracts elsewhere. The prices are high, and generally require you giving up draft picks and prospects. Essentially, this is the time that those who feel the need to do it, go ahead and mortgage the future for the present. Whether this has to do with the pressures of being in a shaky market with shaky fan support, or just an aging core that might break apart due to free agency soon and a need to win now now now. But I rarely see the “buyers” as winners. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been classic examples of buyers without anything to show with it over the past many years, at least in the pre-salary cap era.

Now, apparently, since they’ve pulled together and worked hard for some good wins this year, my beloved (uh, my… sort of liked.. I’m really not a “fan”) Penguins are apparently acting as “buyers”. So much so that they’re willing to insert several old veterans into the lineup, as is customary for teams who are buying during the deadline.

But is it smart for this team? And are the trades even smart, regardless of this team’s composition and chemistry.

No, and no.

For one, this IS a young team that’s gelled and become family. These guys like each other. It’s as plain as day - from on the ice, to watching them gather around to cheer for their respective countries in the World Junior Championships, to bringing pizza out to fans standing in line on a cold night and signing autographs.

But our new GM is apparently steadfast in his “buying” stance. It’s been said that if the Penguins don’t land 40 year old Gary Roberts for young defenseman prospect Noah Welch, they’re going to go after 36 year old Bill Guerin and 35 year old Brian Smolinski. Not only are both of these guys long in the tooth and old boys of the NHL that I believe will throw off the chemistry of the locker room, but Guerin is notorious for actually attacking teammates during practice.

Why the hell should we add these kinds of guys? Especially at the prices that they’re demanding?

An aged, broken down Peter Forsberg went for high picks and good prospects earlier this month. Fat old Keith Tkachuck went for first, second, and third round picks plus a prospect to Atlanta the other day. Talk about mortgaging up the future for two or three months of benefit. Not only are these guys going to walk in the offseason, but they’re OLD. Come on guys. It’s not 1998 anymore. These guys aren’t worth these prices, and everyone who makes these ridiculous deals finds that out sooner rather than later.

Look, if you absolutely must make a trade, especially in the case of the Penguins, package up the things you’d be giving for these old boys who will be gone before next season - and land something good, young, and under contract that fills the needs of your team. The Penguins should take Noah Welch, whatever they’re offering for Guerin, and whatever they’re offering for Smolinksi - and go out and get something that will actually become PART of the team - ie., that fills needs and will be here for the long haul. Not for two or three months.

There are a lot of rumours out there currently, and it’s hard to pick out what’s true and what’s baloney. But after seeing the Penguins slash Guerin or Penguins slash Smolinski or Roberts rumours proven true - I can definitively tell you which rumours are fake.

The ones that make sense.