This Swiss kid Sbisa better be worth losing RJ Umberger in exchange. I know the Flyers are hurting on D but GM Holmgren is doing Bizarro Clarke moves by trading good, younger vets for unproven rookies as opposed to getting borderline, washed-up “never weres” like Nedved or Baumgartner. Of course the excuse is the Salary Cap which my team is pressed pretty close against. Kapanen retiring and Prospal going to Tampa didn’t create enough room when re-signing Carter and Jones.
Head Coach Ken Hitchcock will be glad to have a familiar player on his pathetic Blue Jackets; I blame the market not the coaches or players since most of Ohio is just northern Kentucky due to its hateful, redneck mindset. But Hitch gains an experienced, solid forward who only was one of the top goal makers of the playoffs. Sure, I’m one of the first people to argue how the past isn’t destiny, especially in sports. It still stinks to reward a great player with a trade to a losing franchise. I feel he was the one always singled out to be ditched because he’s an American, not a Canadian and this whole team is being rebuilt around Carter and Richards. It’s a theory easily discredited by remembering Holmgren’s nationality…American. Maybe he has an old head injury from his days with the Johnston Jets (the actual team the Chiefs from Slapshot are based upon) has come back to impair his judgment.
As I thought when Briere was signed for $52 million over eight years, let’s wait and see how it goes on opening night next October before adding another 500 days on the Cheesesteak of Suffering.