Source: hockeytraderumors.com

According to nhlspot.blogspot.com, the Red Wings could send Pavel Datsyuk and Manny Legace to Washington. NHLSPOT (a site I learned about from this website) does have farfetched rumors, but some of them do actually happen. This trade would benefit both teams. Detroit would free up room at centre (the only forward position they have depth at, at right wing they're horribly shallow, just like Ottawa at left wing) and they would also get a Vezina winning (if I remember right) netminder in Olaf Kolzig as par of the package. Washington would get a decent veteran netminder for a cheaper price, and would get a Russian playmaker to help set up Alexander Ovechkin.

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If this were true and Brendan Witt and Dainius Zubrus were somehow thrown into the package to get back Jiri Fischer along with Datsyuk and Legace, this is almost a no-brainer of a deal.

For a veteran goaltender, a defenseman who wants out, and a guy whose status is in a most uncomfortable state of penultimate limbo, you get a serviceable goaltender who will split more time with Ouellet than his predecessor during the course of the season, more size and youth on defense, and a center who can hang with AO on the top line.

...if it were all true, of course.

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ANNIE
I’ve never even been to a hockey game.

EDWIN
Well you fit into this town perfectly.

That seems interesting, but I wouldn't want to see Zubrus gone.

The Caps would lose a leader in Kolzig, though. He's the boss. We can afford his salary this year. It's next year that we'll sign better free agents, according to Ted, so we could trade him at the trade deadline. Of course, he could lose value if we suck too much, but his numbers in 2003-04 were not that good, after all; he could gain value as well.

"Trade being talked about by some involves Datsyuk and Legace heading to Washington for a package including Kolzig."


Well, it's all in the "some." One might break this down into pieces. Kolzig for Legace . . . I'm not sure what's in this for Detroit. If this had been on the radar before the Wings re-obtained Osgood, this might have made sense in that Detroit needed a guy to shoulder a #1 minutes burden (Legace isn't generally thought of to be that guy, although he's been quite adequate as a backup). Plus, it's an additional $3.8 million in salary the Wings would have to assume in the exchange.

Then there is the Witt or Zubrus (who are not identified in the rumor) for Datsyuk piece. Gee . . . lemme think. OK. Of course, there is the matter of Witt being a UFA after this year, and although he's qualified at $1.7 million, that won't be enough to keep him after this year (or so Witt hopes). Zubrus for Datsyuk has real appeal for Caps fans, but if Ken Holland bit on this, he'd be run out of Detroit.

I think it'd take more than Witt or Zubrus, or both, added to this deal to spring Datsyuk out of Detroit.

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Play hard, shake hands, drink beer.

"LA needs two hockey teams like Switzerland needs two navies" -- Norman Chad (from "My 10-Point Plan to Save Gary Bettman from Himself")


If you've read this far, you probably could use a hobby

Wouldn't that break with tradition?*sarcasm*

7/11/01-1/23/03.
"This is America! And in America, if something sucks, you're supposed to be able to get your money back."-Stan Marsh
There is no Hockey God. I am proof.
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