The local reaction. First, hockey guru Kevin Paul Dupont. Sounds like KPD has been bunking with Shaughnessy. You can feel the breeze of the hatchet flying downwards as you read. "Is that what we call Bruins?" Come on, that crap reads like Yankee media. I've compared Bananaman to Drew Bledsoe more than once, but why harp on it like this? What good comes from attacking the guy on his way out? Sure, the excess of criticism reminds the fans that the guy had serious problems, but it can be done a little more diplomatically, especially when the guy is, from all indications, a decent guy off the ice. Unnecessary, says I. (Also of note: at the time of Bledsoe's departure, he was Brady's equal, whereas there is no suitable replacement in place for Thornton. Alex Zhamnov has none of Thornton's presence, and Patrice Bergeron is best served as a complement while he gets used to the top two lines.)
Then there's my preferred point of view, from the always-excellent Jackie MacMullan. She says pretty much what I thought the deal was... nice guy, but something was missing, and the B's decided he wasn't worth the cash... without turning it into an attack. See how easy that is? And you'll still sell papers.
After a day to ponder, I would really rather not take sides. I could see the trade working out, and I could also see it collapsing on itself. One thing I'm sure of is that I was a little rash in calling Jeremy Jacobs a douche bag for creating cap room when he had absolutely zero previously. Maybe the plan is to spend the rest of 2005-06 creating cap room so that they can replace Bananaman in free agency. Then again, El Douchobaggo would sooner guzzle two vats of Mooninite urine than buy a major free agent. YOU DOUCHE BAG!
On a more serious note, look what I discovered during a stroll through the Postgame Spread Nostalgia File:
Yes, that's right... I predicted this trade! Holla. That doesn't mean I'm happy, necessarily. The bottom line, for now, is that if you give up a franchise scorer you gotta get one back. I'm really high on Brad Stuart; he's instantly their best defender. But they didn't need a defenseman more than they needed the best player on the team, did they? Between David Tanabe and Stuart, the defense is definitely shored up, but they're left with only one 30-goal threat (Glen Murray, who's more of a finisher than a creator). So they've robbed Peter (Thornton) to pay Paul (Stuart).
They have lots of work to do.
Then there's my preferred point of view, from the always-excellent Jackie MacMullan. She says pretty much what I thought the deal was... nice guy, but something was missing, and the B's decided he wasn't worth the cash... without turning it into an attack. See how easy that is? And you'll still sell papers.
After a day to ponder, I would really rather not take sides. I could see the trade working out, and I could also see it collapsing on itself. One thing I'm sure of is that I was a little rash in calling Jeremy Jacobs a douche bag for creating cap room when he had absolutely zero previously. Maybe the plan is to spend the rest of 2005-06 creating cap room so that they can replace Bananaman in free agency. Then again, El Douchobaggo would sooner guzzle two vats of Mooninite urine than buy a major free agent. YOU DOUCHE BAG!
On a more serious note, look what I discovered during a stroll through the Postgame Spread Nostalgia File:
The best news here is that the contract is short, so he's tradeable. This ain't over... but in the meantime, it's good news.
Yes, that's right... I predicted this trade! Holla. That doesn't mean I'm happy, necessarily. The bottom line, for now, is that if you give up a franchise scorer you gotta get one back. I'm really high on Brad Stuart; he's instantly their best defender. But they didn't need a defenseman more than they needed the best player on the team, did they? Between David Tanabe and Stuart, the defense is definitely shored up, but they're left with only one 30-goal threat (Glen Murray, who's more of a finisher than a creator). So they've robbed Peter (Thornton) to pay Paul (Stuart).
They have lots of work to do.
posted by Jeff at
5:20 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home