HockeyBuzz: Jackets and Leafs Talking Kubina

As reported by Eklund this afternoon, the two teams are said to be discussing a trade that would bring Pavel Kubina to Columbus. No word on the potential pieces that would be headed to Toronto.

More to come.

Trade Rumours…Is it September Yet?

Summer is the time for big-market teams to spend their big-market money. To lure the power forwards, the flashy scorers and the all-star defenseman into donning new sweaters in exchange for larger bank accounts.

For big-market teams, it’s Christmas in July. For small-market teams, it’s time to start searching for a trading partner.

The Columbus Blue Jackets would fall under this category. While they have made a number of free-agent acquisitions, the impact of these players is uncertain at best. The only UFA signing made by Scott Howson that will have an impact is Jan Hejda. He is a very underrated defeseman and loves to play in tight, hard-checking games. He will help this team, more than many believe he can.

Kris Beech and Jiri Novotny are up in the air–they can easily make the team, and Novotny could very well be the 2nd line center on opening night. Training camp will dictate where these dominoes fall.

Now, to the point of the story. The Blue Jackets are known to have interest in a couple of scoring forwards. As much as I would like to see Patrick Marleau in Columbus, it really isn’t going to happen. First, he will be a free-agent in July, and he would need to consent to a new contract prior to the trade. Second, the Jackets can’t afford to give away the pieces of their roster that the Sharks would demand in return.

Second, and more realistic, would be RJ Umberger returning to Columbus for the first time since playing for Ohio State. The asking price wouldn’t be too great, seeing as the Flyers are more looking at a salary dump than anything else. A deal could be structured like:

To CBJ:

Umberger

To PHI:

Hainsey + draft pick

Now some may be alarmed when they see I’m so quick to trade Hainsey. Really, I’m not. I’m willing to give him part of this season. There will be many games before Christmas when the Jackets play hard, physical “playoff-type” games. Last year, these were the games he seemed to vanish. His offense will be replaceable, and opens a spot for Marc Methot to step into a role I think he’s earned.

Neither of these deals may happen, but it’s fun to speculate which ones are good and which are downright ridiculous.

The summertime rumours are fun…don’t get me wrong. They get the hockey juices going for September and October.

When training camp rolls around, though, the fun starts. The players will decide who makes this team, and who’s looking elsewhere.

Welcome!

This is my first post on WordPress, and I hope everyone enjoys the site!

 It may take me awhile to start updating regularly, but if you love the Jackets, this is the place to be.

 Feel free to post comments, leave feedback or send messages. I’ll always respond, and I appreciate the feedback.

I’ll finish getting this set-up, and we’ll start breaking down the 2007-2008 season soon!