The NY Rangers have made their annual deadline day splash, by acquiring Nik Antropov and Defenseman Derek Morris minutes apart just prior to the 3PM deadline.
First, the Rangers sent a 2nd round pick (plus a conditional choice) to Toronto for Antropov and then the Blueshirts turned around and dealt little used forward Petr Prucha, Forward Nigel Dawes and Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin to Phoenix for Defender Derek Morris.
Fantasy wise, these are interesting deals. The Rangers are CRAZY center heavy and will have to move Antropov to the right wing. Antropov has tallied 21 goals plus 25 assists in 63 games with Toronto this season and the 230 pounder is the kind of player new Rangers Coach John Tortorella likes. Antropov's value rises slightly and he should have a respectable stretch run.
Morris is a former offensive defender who will clean up the garbage in front of Henrik Lundqvist's crease. Besides PIMS, Morris doesn't have much fantasy value unless he lands on the PP, but his glory days from the point are long past.
Prucha will get a fresh start in Phoenix, which has completely revamped its roster today. A speedy winger, Prucha's fantasy value rises just because he'll actually get regular playing time instead of being a regular scratch. Keep an eye on Prucha for next year as I expect him to rebound from this season in a big way if given a chance. A player doesn't score 52 goals over two seasons and just forget how to score. Unless they are named Cheechoo. As for Dawes and Kalinin, neither has any real fantasy value for the rest of this season. Dawes could bear future fruit, so remember his name next season
Canadiens Fire Head Coach Guy Carbonneau, G.M. Bob Gainey takes the reigns
After jumping out to a decent first half, but stumbling miserably in recent weeks and facing fan pressure in this Centennial Season, the Montreal Canadiens finally decided to change bus drivers, firing Head Coach Guy Carbonneau today. General Manager Bob Gainey will take over on an interim basis, likely for the remainder or the season. Assistant Coaches Kirk Muller, Rolie Melanson and Assosciate Coach Doug Jarvis will stay with the Habs.
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Posted by Rob Edwards on March 09, 2009 at 03:44 PM in Analysis, Commentary, Goaltenders, Montreal Canadiens | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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