Lousy trade to Chicago

At first, I was going to write about the retirement of US-born player Eric Weinrich but I was pretty tired last night and let it go until this morning. Then I see the news on my EPSN widget first thing about Michal Handzus being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. This has now pushed me over into the “Fire Bobby Clarke” Camp. I would agree with the Philadelphia Inquirer staff about the Flyers being crowded at Center. However, Keith Primeau remains a maybe with his last concussion and I predict he will retire by training camp to free up the money on the salary cap Philly is pushing on thanks to Gagne holding out for more than $5 million/season. I would also take Handzus over veteran (translation, rapidly aging) Centers Petr Nedved (has-been) and Peter Forsberg, the Swedish Eric Lindros (or Bill Walton for NBA fans). Handzus was a crowd favorite and as pitiful as last season was, he brought his A game to the Flyers more often than Forsberg or Nedved did. This is how Bobby Clarke rewards him? Thanks Mr. Number 16. I really doubt Marty Murray can step up to Third Line since he’s under six feet tall and the younger guys Richards and Carter are put to better use scoring as they demonstrated on the Phantoms’ Calder Trophy Winning Season. What did my Flyers get in exchange from Chicago? Why another player who won’t live up to his press and be sent down to the Phantoms by training camp. Obviously nothing was learned from the Zhamnov or Ellison acquisitions. The Left Wing we got for Handzus is Kyle Calder and Chicago probably dealt him because the Blackhawks’ cheap-ass owner lost the arbitration hearing. So Clarke went ahead and took him for more money than Handzus which puts the Flyers closer to the salary cap and the guy only has a one-year contract. Already I’m predicting a repeat of Alexi Zhamnov. Once again, I predict, the Flyers will be eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs by a team with more speed, grit and knows that opening faceoff is at 7 pm, not five minutes into the second period. 
 
On to a nicer paragraph, the retirement of Eric Weinrich. Although his career as a player doesn’t end on such a high, glorious note as Chris Chelios (a more famous US-born Defenseman), I am still very happy for him and applaud his contributions to US hockey through his 17 pro seasons, 3 in the NCAA with the University of Maine and the 1988 US Olympic Team. You couldn’t tell that from his NHL career since he played for eight teams. Trades aside, he was a strong, reliable Defenseman who handled the puck pretty well from the games I saw during his tenure with the Flyers. Weinrich is also the 190th player to make it past the 1000-games-played milestone during his 15th NHL season (one would have to play 12.2 consecutive seasons without an injury to do this). I know that doesn’t sound too impressive yet keep in mind the NHL has been around 90 years and US-born players are in the minority of this league. I was pretty irked when Philly traded him to the Blues during the 2003-04 season. Weinrich had little choice though because Hitchcock wasn’t playing him, it was go to the Blues or sit on the sidelines. I recall an ESPN story saying he contemplated retiring instead of being traded (to the Blues) but his wife and children convinced him to keep going because they supported his career and wherever that would take him. Thankfully, his hockey days aren’t completely over, it just enters a new chapter this Fall as an assistant coach for the Portland Pirates (the AHL affiliate for the Ducks in Maine). I think he’s going to do very well and I hope to see him on the coaching staff of an NHL franchise in the near future.