Shit’s about to get really wacky, if it hasn’t already.
- The big news of the day is that the Ducks traded for Ryan Kesler, sending the 24th overall pick to Vancouver along with Luca Sbisa and Nick Bonino. After it was rumored that rookie Nucks GM Jim Benning wanted Saad and/or Teuvo in the deal, that probably quickly left him with only Red Ass Uncle Bob Murray to turn to, and he appropriately housed him in this deal. Rumor was that the Hawks were concerned with the second year of a $5.0 hit for a soon-to-be-30 and injury prone Kesler, which they can’t really be blamed for. It makes the Ducks even douchier, but they still have to get through the Kings for them to even be a realistic concern of the Hawks in the WCF.
- The Hawks also locked up all of their restricted free agents in Antti Raanta, Ben Smith, and even the ersatz Jeremy Morin for just a curly over $3 million (Raanta $750 K, Morin $800K, Smith $1.5 million), all for two years. Smith’s number raises some questions regarding just what relative value the organization places on people, considering that Marcus Kruger makes less than Ben Smith as a center with the most punishing assignments in the league, and barely more than Bollig who does…well, not much. Morin’s salary can be buried in The Rock, but he’s no longer waiver exempt, so it would stand to reason that whenever he arrives here, he’s here to stay.
- There’s a growing belief that the cap will be at or right around $68 million for this year, which screws the Hawks big time, considering they’re already over it. If that’s the case, Patrick Sharp is as good as gone, any other hearsay be damned. However, it is so hilariously appropriate and backwater of the NHL to not have their fixed cap ready to go for the biggest transaction days of the year.
- Feel free to discuss any of the goings on here, and if something major happens, it will be covered with an appropriate dedicated post.
