What is this Hackett racket? Is he heading for TO?

[Cranky]

Unfortunatly ( ), CuJo has a broken finger that will keep him out for 6 to 8 weeks. ;D

Like every Hab fan on this planet, AS would never wish ill on any player  , HOWEVER, taking advantage of the situation is not beneath him, especially if it is TO. ;D

TO has no choice but to make a deal for a good goalie. The other thing that must weigh on Quinns mind, how good was CuJo at the Olympics? Was it really an off day? Can he win a cup with him? Will he have to pay him 10 million? What if he had Hack on top of his game? Can I ask any more annoying questions? As far as I can see, Quinn has to seriously consider Hack. Having said that, there are other choices out there for them Kevin Weekes, Trevor Kidd, Stephane Fiset. IMHO, they are not as good a Hack.

So, time to put on the Jack Nicholson smile  ;D and the really "concerned" voice Andre. Congratulate Quinn on the Olympics and then, well, does the word fleece mean anything? I tell you what he wont get, Hog'wash and Cross'eye.

What is in TO system that Andre can steal? Here are some names.

Miguel Delisle
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-1
Weight: 200 lbs
Birthdate: 1982-04-06
Hometown:
Acquired: Round 4 #100 overall 2000 NHL Entry Draft

History  <br>Big, abrasive and talented right winger actually left the 67’s for a short period this past season in a dispute over his place on the team. Everything seems to have been nicely patched up since then and Coach Kilrea now predicts 100+ points for this youngster in the 2000/2001 campaign. Products of the Ottawa junior program generally become very well rounded players and, given Miguel’s obvious natural gifts, this pick could represent a real steal for the Maple Leafs in Round 4.


Alex Ponikarovsky
Position: RW
Shoots:
Height: 6-4
Weight: 210 lbs
Birthdate: 2000-01-01
Hometown:
Acquired: Draft 1998

History  <br>Alexei was largely an unknown player when drafted by the Leafs in the 4th round, 87th overall, in the 1998 NHL entry draft. He has played and trained with the Moscow Dynamo program in Russia and also played with Krylja Sovetov in the Russian elite league in 98-99.  <br>
Talent Analysis  <br>Alexei has excellent size, strength and speed and has the potential to be a power-winger at the NHL level. "Alexei has the strength and reach to be very effective along the boards. He has the speed to burst past the defense to make the offensive play on the rush and he has the strength and skating balance to be able to get to the front of the net with the defense draped all over him and make the play", states Chris MacDonald, head of the Leafs' prospects. Alexei is a sleeper prospect in the Leafs' system, but may have the potential to be a power forward.


More comming....

[Cranky]

Jeff Farkas
Position: LW
Shoots:
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180 lbs
Birthdate: 1978-01-24
Hometown:
Acquired: (Draft 1997)

Talent Analysis  
Jeff is a silky smooth skater, who is developing a sniper's mentality. He is developing the instincts and ability to find the openings on the ice to get off his nicely-developing wrist shot. He finished his junior year at Boston College by helping lead his team to the Frozen Four. Jeff's goal-scoring production has gone up each year at BC and he finished in the top five in NCAA division I in goals scored this season. He finished the 98-99 season with 32 goals, 25 assists for 57 pts. in 43 games. He has excellent speed and skating ability as his game is more north-south as he drives hard to the net, both with and without the puck. He has increased his grittiness and physical play as well. The questionmark about Jeff is his lack of size although his off-season conditioning has seen him bulk up a bit over the past 3 seasons.
He went from 160 lbs. in his draft year in 1997 to his current weight of 180, but how will he hold up to the pounding he will take at the NHL level?

Although Jeff has not made a final decision, the Toronto Star reports that Jeff will most likely stay at Boston College for his senior season in 1999-2000. Due to NCAA rules, Jeff had to pay his way to the Leafs' prospects camp held in early July. Farkas reported to that camp at a beefed-up 190 lbs. and has not lost any speed. "If anything, he has picked up some speed even at the higher weight", said Craig MacDonald, who runs the camp for the Leafs. His speed through the neutral zone with the puck draws some heady comparisons to a young Pat Lafontaine. Jeff also draws some comparisons to a young Brett Hull because of the way he jumps into holes to get off a quick wrist shot. ETA in Toronto: Late in the 2000-2001 season.


Future  
Jeff is a very important player in the Leafs’ organization because he is a symbol of the club’s recent commitment to post-draft prospect development (these are player-specific programs designed to improve skills, skating speed / agility and increase strength)… in addition, though the Leafs have many interesting young players now percolating up to the top levels of their system, few of them possess the electric offensive weapons that Farkas does…most scouting reports on Jeff Farkas note that a lack of size will impede success in the professional ranks and, at one time, this was a true statement… today, at age 22, Jeff has grown to 6-1, 190 and is very strong following years of dedication to weight training… the added muscle has done nothing to detract from the gifts that attracted Leafs scouts to him in the first place – elite speed and puck handling skills, a powerful, quick and accurate shot and a confident swagger associated with many natural scorers… after scoring 32 times in each of his last 2 years at Boston College, Farkas inked a deal with Toronto during last year’s playoffs… following his signing, Jeff appeared in 3 playoff games for the Leafs and tallied his first NHL goal… the abundant depth on Toronto’s forward lines may force Farkas to start the current season in the minor leagues but don’t rule out a training camp performance so dynamic that the Leafs will have no option but to keep him with the big club… Jeff was taken by the Maple Leafs in the 3rd Round of the 1997 Entry Draft and seems destined to become an astute selection that will rival those of Perreault (3rd Round 1991), Berezin (10th Round 1994), Markov (9th Round 1995) and Kaberle (8th Round 1996)…


more comming....

[Cranky]

Petr Svoboda
Position: D
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-3
Weight: 194 lbs
Birthdate: 1980-06-20
Hometown: Jihlava, Czech Republic
Acquired: 1998 draft, 2nd round, 35th overall

History  <br>Petr played for the professional Dukla Jihlava team in the Czech. league during the 98-99 season. He was drafted by the Leafs in the 2nd round of the 1998 NHL draft, 35th overall. Petr played for his Czech. team in the World Juniors Championship in 98-99, and in 6 games, he had 9 shots on goal, but did not score a point. Petr scored 1 goal with 5 assists for Dukla Jihlava in 40 games in the Czech. league in 98-99. His team did not make the playoffs and in fact, finished in last place, despite Petr's good efforts.

Talent Analysis  <br>He has the passing and skating skills to make many scouts feel that he has powerplay potential and possibly the potential to be a top-3 defenseman at the NHL level in the next few years. He has the size to be a good two-way defenseman as well. Petr is a well-rounded defenseman who has excellent offensive skills despite a conservative playing style at the current time. He is strong positionally in the defensive zone, but must improve his strength and physical play.


Future  <br>Petr was signed to his first pro contract by the Leafs earlier this summer… this young Czech defender has recently become one of the most talked about players in the system… while it is doubtful that any rookie could single handedly transform the team’s powerplay from a weakness to a strength, impartial hockey people such as former National Team and Canuck boss Tom Renney have noted that Petr possesses “star” potential… Svoboda certainly has the size (6-3/200) and the mobility to become a solid top-4 rearguard in the NHL… he has also demonstrated the sort of intelligence and poise during league and international play that has drawn ready comparisons to current Leaf and fellow countryman Tomas Kaberle… it will be interesting to watch Svoboda’s performances early in the schedule in order to see if he can duplicate the pleasant surprise delivered by Kaberle 2 seasons back…  <br>

[GNick]

Hackett's value has certainly increased. However, at this point, it is hard to know what he will fetch. Some say Hackett is worthless but I do not believe so.

How about getting back part of the three draft picks we traded away in the Berezin deal. Maybe, a third round in '03 and a second round in '04??

The '02 draft drops off significantly after the first 8-10 picks. I cannot see the benefit of asking for a #2 in 2002.

[Maritimer]

Podernovsky or whatever his name is is a huge winger abut very slow...I think he could be a Modin type but I haven't seen the blistering shot

Farkas will always be a tweener....Picture Ribiero a tad bit quicker and much more of a panzy.  Farkas dissapears after being hit...thats why he will stay on the Rock for eternity or at least long stretchs IMO

Svoboda is allright but hasn't shown anything in the 4 or 5 games I have seen this year.

[Cranky]

Hi Maritimer,

I picked up this info on the net. I have never seen any of them play. Do you have any insight as to who is a good "steal" for AS?

[Maritimer]

To be honest I think there are a few decent prospects on that team.

That Pder whatever fella could look good on a small players wing.  I think he could be good in front of the net and along the boards but lacks serious foot speed to be an AS project.

Point of interest - funny thing happened to Pod/?? the other night as the horn went to end the period he stepped on the puck in front of the Leafs bench.  As he stepped on it about 4 ft. from the bench and as the horn went a Flame player creamed him....iit looked very painful... He wasn't impressed

Svoboda - I'm not sure of his age 20-22 area? I think he will be a decent 4,5 defensman in the NHL.  Kind of a Jiri Slegr.  Decent size decent skater decent shot. Enough to play on the 2nd pp and enough strength to tie the guy up in front.

Pilar - I think this guy could be great or a bust...offensively the guy has a cannon and makes great passes...actually now that I'm thinking about it he is a mirror image of Markov...ok don't want him.

Hmm after careful consideration there is nobody I would really want from St. John's except for Svoboda if he was given away and maybe Pod????sky

[BadCompany]

I'd take a flyer (not the Philly type) on one of Ponikorovsky, Farkas or Alyn MacCauley.

Poni could turn into a quasi power forward, but he might also turn into another Jason Ward.

Farkas has speed to burn, but can be easily knocked off, and out of a game. At worst, I could see him as a replacement for Jan Bulis on the 3rd line, but as Maritimer says, he could spend most of his career in the AHL. Or he could bust out.

McCauley has loads of talent, but is very small. I would describe him as a faster Mike Ribeiro. Not exactly what we need, but we have to consider what we are giving up too.

We can't just demand the moon, because Toronto does have other options, as pointed out by others. Toronto isn't in too much danger of missing the playoffs (yet), so they don't have to panic, and they can take a couple of weeks to see how well that Centonomo kid does. I was listening to a Cits game last week, and he was really stoning us, so who knows. If we plays well, or heck, even just average, they might tough it out and wait for CUJO to come back. If he doesn't, and they want to go cheap, I am sure the LA Kings would love to dump Stephane Fiset's multi-million contract, and they would probably do it for a low draft pick too. Tampa Bay loves big, USSR raised Europeans, I am sure they would love to get Antropov or Ponikorovsky for Weekes, Nashville would probably take Farkas for Dunham or Vokoun, and so on.

So we can't price Hackett out of the market. If the market even exists. Hack hasn't played much, and in the eyes of fellow GMs, he might be finished.

It will be interesting to see if Hackett gets the start tonight. All the conditions are there - back-to-back games, Theo gave up 5 last night, Hackett is well rested and healthy, its an away game, one other team is looking for a goalie...

Its showcasing time. Question is, does Therrien have enough confidence in Hackett to go with him?

[Doc Holliday]

Well, I am not convinced that TO will sell the farm to get a goalie just yet.  Cujo was not having a good season anyway and as such wasn't the team carrier that he's been before.  Shwab can be the average goalie that Cujo has been all year long and if he can't, well, as many said there are MUCH more interesting options then Hack available out there.  Fiset comes to mind very quickly, he wouldn't cost any prime proscpects, probably a mid pick.

[jerry_dog]

Is this not the opportune time to package up Hackett with Traverse or one of our other overabundant, redundant D and get someone back we will actually use in the stretch run.
You know, kind of like ... "would you like fries and a cherry pie with that dead thing on a bun?"  Seriously though, I hope this is really well thought throughas it's a great time to bundle up two or possibly three personnel changes now rather than waiting and seeing what bits and drabs may be left the morning of March 12th.
Greetings from North Vancouver!  

[MPLABBE]

YES! This is the big break AS needed to start the Hackett sweepstakes.


I would be happy with anyone one of those young players from their organization.But,Ponikarovsky is the guy I want.Power forward potential.Heck,with the Leafs needing a number 6 d-man(and maybe another one with the Yushkevich injury),I would consider adding a Rivet or a Souray to the mix.

[Uther_Pendragon]

Before Hackett go, he will start some more game with us...
Today, it's against Chicago, his former team, at Chicago..
With the 5-2 loss we got last night, we can speculate that maybe Therrien will start Hackett tonight..

If he do good, it will be the time to start the rumor machine...

[MPLABBE]

GNick said:

Hackett's value has certainly increased. However, at this point, it is hard to know what he will fetch. Some say Hackett is worthless but I do not believe so.

Hack,was worthless YESTERDAY,but not anymore! ;D come on AS,fleece the Leafs!


Not wishing any harm,but having another goalie go down would dearly help the bidding.

[MPLABBE]

Uther_Pendragon said:

Before Hackett go, he will start some more game with us...
Today, it's against Chicago, his former team, at Chicago..
With the 5-2 loss we got last night, we can speculate that maybe Therrien will start Hackett tonight..

If he do good, it will be the time to start the rumor machine...

Problem is,Hackett HAS to play awesome tonight to a:justify him playing a big game and b:to increase his value.I have little confidence he will.Especially against a great(on home ice) Hawks team.

[MPLABBE]

Other alternatives for the Leafs:


Mike Vernon:UFA after this year,has been a huge liability for the Flames this year.I think he is done.


Tom Barrasso:Another UFA after this year,it wouldn't surprise me at all if he is dealt somehwere.The Canes have 2 #1 goalies who simply can't be backups.

Steve Shields:Anaheim wants to deal him ASAP to make room for Ilya Bryzgalov,could be a decent #1 goalie in the league,but never the goalie alot thought he would be just 2 years ago.

Stéphane Fiset:Is injury prone,has a huge contract and the Kings want to get rid of him ASAP.I doubt TO would want him

Kevin Weekes:Could be a good #1 goalie in this league,but needs a chance soon and needs to play for a good team.He could be a nice insurance policy if Cujo doesn't re-sign with the Leafs.

Tomas Vokoun:Preds have Dunham as their #1 and 2 kids in Jan Lasac and Brian Finley down on the farm.Vokoun is expandable and is still young enough to be a solid backup for a long time.

[MPLABBE]

Holy cow! look at the leafs Sched before the trade deadline!


www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=4023&mode=threaded&order=0

[seventeen]

If AS can swing a deal with a divisonal rival like the Leafs, my minimum requirements would be a Carlo Colaiavacio or a Brad Boyes.  Forget these St. John's Leafs guys....I want someone who have some real ability and who can grow with Hainsey, Komisaurus, Perezhogin, Hossa, etc.  Either guy would be nice.  Quinn would absolutely HATE to part with either of those two, but shucks, them's the breaks.  

[MPLABBE]

seventeen said:

If AS can swing a deal with a divisonal rival like the Leafs, my minimum requirements would be a Carlo Colaiavacio or a Brad Boyes.  Forget these St. John's Leafs guys....I want someone who have some real ability and who can grow with Hainsey, Komisaurus, Perezhogin, Hossa, etc.  Either guy would be nice.  Quinn would absolutely HATE to part with either of those two, but
shucks, them's the breaks.  

We're trading Jeff Hacket here,not Mike Komisarek.Forget about Boyes or Colaiacovo.

[seventeen]

That's the joy of dealing with a desperate man.  Of course it's one-sided, but Quinn needs someone right now, not 3 years from now.  There's a shelf life to this Leafs team and it expires long before 2005.  A healthy Hackett is by far the best available guy out there.  Vokoun and Weekes are distant 2nd choices.  Weekes has never managed to satisfy an employer for very long and Vokoun seems a capable guy to throw in for stints, but never long enough to establish himself as a solid #1.  Like I said, Hack's the best available guy and he's ours...at our price.  I don't care what Quinn thinks.  If he's thirsty enough, a thimble of water is salvation.  

[habwest]

I agree with Bad Co and MPLABBE in that we can't expect the moon for Hackett. Having said that, here are the factors that come to mind when considering the matter:

1)by playing well tonight Hack has put himself back on the agenda. If the Habs were to play him and he played well he could establish himself as a front runner.

2)Joseph is due back in 4-5 weeks, according to the commentators, 6-8 weeks according to Joseph and his doctors, but who really knows. What if he doesn't heal that well or quickly? What if he comes back and reinjures his hand?The Leafs have to be considering the possibility that they may be playing the rest of the year and entering the playoffs without him. So they may be looking for more than a "stop gap" solution. Do you really want a Fiset for a Cup run?

3)Right about here we should follow MPLABBE's advice and look at the Leaf's schedule before the trade deadline
-Devils, Sabres, Caps, Wings, Habs, Flyers(2), Bruins, Stars, Islanders. That's 10 games, 7 against tough clubs. Doesn't look "stop-gap friendly" does it. After that they have
Sabres
Flyers
Tampa
NYI
Devils
Wings
Rangers
Florida
B Jackets
Rangers
Pens
Sens
12 games, half or more against tough teams, depending on how the Rangers are doing. Now they're not in any danger of sliding out of the playoffs but they probably do want to try and hold on to home ice advantage by finishing in the top half.

4)What if they want to actually upgrade on Joseph for the playoffs? He's having a mediocre year, why not go for someone who's playing better to improve their odds as much as possible in a run to the cup. The Olympic experience must be in the back of Quinn's mind.

5)The Leafs may also be looking at next year. Joseph is a free agent and what if he signs elsewhere or they don't want to bid high on him given his play this year. So they might be looking to sign someone now as not only a solution for the remainder of the regular schedule and possibly the playoffs, but also next year. Having a good solid netminder who is good enough to play on a regular basis signed for next year gives them a lot of flexibility. If Joseph goes, for whatever reason, the new guy fills in next year allowing the new guy from the farm time to develop or for them to get a top rated goalie the following year as an UFA (although I don't know who will be available).

6)As has been pointed out, TO has options to choose from so this would seem to preclude anybody really squeezing the Leafs to get somebody they consider to be one of their future crown jewels. On the other hand, for the reasons I've outlined above, I don't think that TO will just take whomever, based on the "cheapest" deal (talent wise) that they can make. And if they thought Hack was the guy for them I don't think that his salary would stop the trade.

So will the Habs be playing Hackett a lot in the hopes that he'll be really hot? Therrien has already publicly crawled down from the rotation sceme, saying he'll go mainly with the hot hand although the other guy will be needed as well. This was meant as Theo playing a lot but given Hack's play tonight this might be reversed for a short while.

In the end it will come down to how well Hack plays combined with Savard's judgement in just how far TO is willing to go and how "low" he is willing to go. If Hack shines and there's a convergence of our GMs' interests we might have a deal.

What I wonder about is whether Savard will stick with his "it's got to be an NHL player" approach or if he'd be willing to take a prospect if he looked good enough. I kind of think it will be the former myself, given that the Habs are still in the thick of it. Which means who? Rumour is TO has been trying to move Hoglund but I don't think Savard would go for that. As someone said, try packaging Hack and a dman for a scorer.

Anybody have any insights on who such a player might be?

[Pam]

All we've heard is Cujo will be out 6-8 weeks.

With Cujo being an UFA at the end of the season, given his below Cujo average this season, the fact Cujo may not come back at all from this injury, his demands for a $10M 4 year contract, at least we realistic fans realize what this means to the Team.

The Leafs have brought up Centomo to replace Cujo. I don't know anything about him other than what I've read from other Leafs fans posts, but I would not trust the remainder of the season, and maybe the Playoffs, to an unproven Rookie goalie. The realistic Leafs fans have realized even with Cujo, Almo and Yushkevick in the lineup, this Leafs team couldn't be a serious Cup contender. Now with Yushkie, Almo and Cujo out, it looks even worse.

I've been yelling for a better backup goalie in Toronto for quite a while. At least 3 years now. Before Cujo was injuried last night, the members of my Leafs Board have tossed around who the backup to Cujo could be and Hackett's name came up. With Cujo out, Hackett's and Vernon's name has come up, with them leaning to Hackett.

We all know Quinn's track record. Diduck, Hoglund, Manson, Green, Khristich, and on, and on. He has a track record for mediocre trades and not taking a chance on blockbuster trades. Right now, we all agree Quinn MUST make a blockbuster trade to even get the Leafs in the Playoffs.

I hear Quinn is very high on Poni, so I doubt he will trade him. If winning the Gold Medal on Sunday has made Quinn hungry for the Stanley Cup in Toronto, then we are hoping it has made him hungry enough for the Cup to finally make a couple of blockbuster trades by the deadline. We aren't holding our breath, but we hope he does.

If Quinn does go after Hackett, it can't strip the Leafs but it has to be good. You can't get quality for nothing. That seems to be a lesson Quinn hasn't learned to date. Lets hope the Gold Medal will finally get him there.

On Wednesday night's segement of ESPN's NHL 2 Night Hackett's name came up as a possibility to Toronto. Rumours don't always happen, but I've been hearing Hackett to Toronto from so many sources the last couple of weeks it makes me wonder if Quinn is pursuing Hackett. If he is, that doesn't mean he will get him. The price might be more than the overly conservative Quinn will want to pay. I guess only time will tell. Not much of that left though before the deadline. I think Quinn needs to act on a Goalie trade before the deadline.

[MPLABBE]

seventeen said:

That's the joy of dealing with a desperate man.  Of course it's one-sided, but Quinn needs someone right now, not 3 years from now.  There's a shelf life to this Leafs team and it expires long before 2005.  A healthy Hackett is by far the best available guy out there.  Vokoun and Weekes are distant 2nd choices.  Weekes has never managed to satisfy an employer for very long and Vokoun seems a capable guy to throw in for stints, but never long enough to establish himself as a solid #1.  Like I said, Hack's the best available guy and he's ours...at our price.  I don't care what Quinn thinks.  If he's thirsty enough, a thimble of water is salvation.  

True,but is Quinn thirsty enough to give up his future #2 center or #2 d-man...2 kids who happen to be from the T.O. area?

Like I said before,the Leafs won't wait for us to complete a Hackett deal.They can't wait very long,asking for a Boyes or a Colaiacovo would basically end any potential talks.

[MPLABBE]

HabWest said:

I agree with Bad Co and MPLABBE in that we can't expect the moon for Hackett. Having said that, here are the factors that come to mind when considering the matter:

1)by playing well tonight Hack has put himself back on the agenda. If the Habs were to play him and he played well he could establish himself as a front runner.

2)Joseph is due back in 4-5 weeks, according to the commentators, 6-8 weeks according to Joseph and his doctors, but who really knows. What if he doesn't heal that well or quickly? What if he comes back and reinjures his hand?The Leafs have to be considering the possibility that they may be playing the rest of the year and entering the playoffs without him. So they may be looking for more than a "stop gap" solution. Do you really want a Fiset for a Cup run?

3)Right about here we should follow MPLABBE's advice and look at the Leaf's schedule before the trade deadline
-Devils, Sabres, Caps, Wings, Habs, Flyers(2), Bruins, Stars, Islanders. That's 10 games, 7 against tough clubs. Doesn't look "stop-gap friendly" does it. After that they have
Sabres
Flyers
Tampa
NYI
Devils
Wings
Rangers
Florida
B Jackets
Rangers
Pens
Sens
12 games, half or more against tough teams, depending on how the Rangers are doing. Now they're not in any danger of sliding out of the playoffs but they probably do want to try and hold on to home ice advantage by finishing in the top half.

4)What if they want to actually upgrade on Joseph for the playoffs? He's having a mediocre year, why not go for someone who's playing better to improve their odds as much as possible in a run to the cup. The Olympic experience must be in the back of Quinn's mind.

5)The Leafs may also be looking at next year. Joseph is a free agent and what if he signs elsewhere or they don't want to bid high on him given his play this year. So they might be looking to sign someone now as not only a solution for the remainder of the regular schedule and possibly the playoffs, but also next year. Having a good solid netminder who is good enough to play on a regular basis signed for next year gives them a lot of flexibility. If Joseph goes, for whatever reason, the new guy fills in next year allowing the new guy from the farm time to develop or for them to get a top rated goalie the following year as an UFA (although I don't know who will be available).

6)As has been pointed out, TO has options to choose from so this would seem to preclude anybody really squeezing the Leafs to get somebody they consider to be one of their future crown jewels. On the other hand, for the reasons I've outlined above, I don't think that TO will just take whomever, based on the "cheapest" deal (talent wise) that they can make. And if they thought Hack was the guy for them I don't think that his salary would stop the trade.

So will the Habs be playing Hackett a lot in the hopes that he'll be really hot? Therrien has already publicly crawled down from the rotation sceme, saying he'll go mainly with the hot hand although the other guy will be needed as well. This was meant as Theo playing a lot but given Hack's play tonight this might be reversed for a short while.

In the end it will come down to how well Hack plays combined with Savard's judgement in just how far TO is willing to go and how "low" he is willing to go. If Hack shines and there's a convergence of our GMs' interests we might have a deal.

What I wonder about is whether Savard will stick with his "it's got to be an NHL player" approach or if he'd be willing to take a prospect if he looked good enough. I kind of think it will be the former myself, given that the Habs are still in the thick of it. Which means who? Rumour is TO has been trying to move Hoglund but I don't think Savard would go for that. As someone said, try packaging Hack and a dman for a scorer.

Anybody have any insights on who such a player might be?

Let's remember this about Cujo's injury:remember last year when Hackett broke his hand??? he was out for close to 2 months and his hand was so bad he had to go back on the IL for a very long time after playing a handful of games! So I doubt Cujo will be 100% in 5 weeks from now.

LaPresse,mentionned Travis Green.Mentionning the fact he scored 25 goals 2 years ago with Phoenix when he had a big role.I don't know what to think.On one hand,Green is a right handed shot,can play center,is pretty big and can score 20 goals for us IMO.On the other hand,he is 31-32 years old,signed a long term deal last summer(I believe 3 years) and seems to have 1 good year every 3 years.

Problem with dealing with the Leafs,they have no Bulis' who are young,expandable and haven't busted out yet.Only guy like this is McCauley and he is a small and a concussion risk.

[MPLABBE]

3-0 NJ after 1.Schwab gets beat by 2 long shots from close to the blueline.Although Sykora and Elias shot those pucks,a good goalie stops at least one of those.


Let's hope it continues!

[The New Guy]

Not to mention Schwab with a stunning 0.750 SV%.  Right now I'd bet that Jeff is looking pretty good to Quinn.  Hope Savard makes him pay dearly...

Later

[Vichab]

DON'T DO IT!!!

Hack can not go to T.O. unless we get something great in return. Boyes is the only name I would consider. None of the present leafs interest me. Aside from the fact they don't offer what we need they are all over paid because the Leafs don't have the same budget concerns we have.

The other side of the deal is that we all know how well Hack can play and I don't think it is smart to give such a player especially a goalie to a rival. Hack will burn us for years to come. The leafs have enough ex-Habs who I have no interest in regaining but nonetheless play well against us. We can't give them a goalie like Hack unless we get something great back.

I would rather see Hack retire and get nothing for him than trade him to the Leafs unless we get a great return. If Quinn doesn't like that he can do his shopping elsewhere. The fact is none of the names mentioned offer Quinn what he needs now which is someone who can take them far in the playoffs if not the Cup. With players like Corson, Roberts, and Mogilny the time is now. That is why they spent so much money the last two years to build this team. This was the year and now that Cujo is down they know if they had any chance ( which was debatable ) it is toast unless they get a bona fide goalie who can still play. Hack is the only one on that list. While i concede that it's possible that Hack is washed up I don't think so. He's a competitor and not a flake like the others available ( Weekes- give me a break, the biggest flake in the league. Remember why Van. traded him - was late to a game because of some robbery that led him all over the city. burke dealt him within a week.).

Quinn will be on his knees in a few weeks. And if he's not then let him go elsewhere. He needs us alot more than we need him. If he doesn't want to recognize that then he can have a first round exit and start dealing with Cujo's agent. What will Cujo be asking for then? On the other hand if Quinn gets a goalie who plays well for him it puts him in the driver's seat when negotiating with Cujo. Cujo's injury is Quinn's worst nightmare and I say we make him pay dearly for a remedy. If he doesn't want it then we can keep Hack. I'm happy with that.

[MPLABBE]

Come on,Hack won't burn us for years to come.He is already 34-35 years old.He is already on the decline and will probably be out of the NHL in 3 years.And the Leafs will probably pickup another goalie during the summer to be #1 if Cujo leaves...


Hackett would be a short term solution for this year for the Leafs IMO.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Please........
There is nothing wrong with Hackett. He is a great goalie with more than a few good games left in him.
Hab's have a history of getting injured and so can Theo. We need Hack as a backup.
Theo has had several bad years and one very good one. I hope he continues his very good one, but I'm not ready to anoint him Saint Patrick #2. Even the Lord gets a day of rest once a week.
I've seen Petr Svaboda play. He is not a rookie with upside potential. We are not short of Defensemen with "skating ability, lateral movement, can break out of their own zone with a good pass, and can't hit or clear power forwards from the front of our net!!!"
A proven NHL star who can steal games is worth more than a flyer on a second round draft choice who might one day become a player in the NHL.
I'm not too anxious to give any more money back to Gillett either. The only good thing he's ever done for us was to get Molson's out of hockey and soon off the top of the building. They want to sell beer in Toronto without a connection to the Hab's and Montreal. Let them go!!!

[GNick]

I agree with VicHab. No sense in helping a divisional rival and possible playoff matchup in dealing Hackett to Toronto.  Unless we get blown away by the return. The same can be said between Carolina and Toronto. As I doubt Barasso would be traded there.

We may need Hackett's depth down the stretch and he will be gone at the waiver draft(Osgood) anyway. So, we will not be stuck with his contract next season.

Hockey Night in Canada has the Leafs calling about Tugnutt

[MPLABBE]

What is wrong with you people.We need help IN ALL AREAS and you guys don't want to trade a backup goalie?? Come on guys.We need help up front,on defence,eveywhere(aside from goal!!!) You can't operate a franchise by thinking "what IF my #1 goalie gets injured" well,if Theo gets injured,we will be in the **** just like Colorado would be in the **** withouth Roy,just like NJ would be in the **** withouth Brodeur.


Right now,in order to make it to the playoffs,we need help up front and on defence.I am pretty sure a physical d-man or a big forward would be more valuable than Jeff Hackett making 2-3 starts down the stretch.We have one great goalie and a good one.You can't have 2 goalies play at the same time,so why not deal one of them to improve your team elsewhere?