If the Rangers were able to acquire Nik Antropov for nothing more than two draft picks, why is it they had to ridiculously overpay to rent Derek Morris?
It really doesn't seem logical.
So today is the big follow-up to the NHL Deadline Day post. The New York Rangers were in fact busy, trading for both defenseman Derek Morris (From the Coyotes) and forward Nik Antropov (From the Maple Leafs).
The price tag for Antropov (a 29 year old 6'6" Center and gifted "potential boy") was a mere 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft and a conditional pick in the 2010 draft. Antropov will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so basically, this trade is for roughly 4 months of his services before he's free to sign with any other team in the league.
Morris is a talented defenseman, more of the big stay-at-home type who's never scored more than 11 goals in a season, and hasn't tallied more than 30 points in a season since the 2002-2003 campaign. He also is an unrestricted free agent after the season, so the same "4-month rental" conditions apply. The cost to rent Morris? Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin along with forwards Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha...all of which come directly off of the Rangers' NHL roster.
That's a pretty big difference.
Exactly! Morris is a totally decent defenseman, but hardly a world-beater. He'll hold his own against any team in the NHL, but he's no Zdeno Chara, Chris Pronger, Dion Phaneuf, Maurice Tudot, or Drew Doughty. Personally, I think the Rangers got hosed on this deal.
That said, it wasn't the only lead-pipe job pulled by an NHL GM yesterday. Philly pulled Kyle McLaren from the Sharks for a mere 6th round draft pick. The Penguins scored Bill Guerin for only a conditional 2009 draft pick, and the biggest of all...the Carolina Hurricanes mercilessly schooled the Los Angeles GM, trading injured forward Justin Williams out west in exchange for the Kings' Patrick O'Sullivan AND a 2nd round draft pick. The only explanation for this trade is payback for the horrific fleecing the Hurricanes got back in 2006 when they traded away a young Jack Johnson for Tim Gleason and Eric Belanger.
(In light of Evil Jeremy's comment on yesterday's post, I made up one of the players' names in today's post...find it, and you win!)
4 comments:
Zdeno Chara got to be a made up name.
I'd say, but I believe as a fan of the NHL I am ineligible.
And yes, I was mystified at the O'Sullivan trade... WTF was that about? Unless it opens up some Boyle time...
Willie: Here's An Interesting Link you may find useful.
Jeremy: I don't think the trade has much to do with Boyle (who's actually somewhat fallen out of favour with the organeyezation). It probably means that Teddy Purcell now has a permanent spot on the team and Oscar Moller isn't going back to Juniors.
Sully probably p!$$ed off management by holding out in the preseason and by publicly complaning about being relegated to the 3rd line when he did come back. Williams is at least a 30 goal scorer when he's healthy (Akin to saying the same about Tim Connolly), but I think O'Sullivan has a higher upside. Both have a couple years left on their contracts, so it's not a rental, either.
Maurice Tudot. Complete total shot in the dark since I know it's not Chris Pronger. Come on...show me the Red Light!
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