Confirmed with Link: Alt and Boucher to Philly for Pither

[Oenatzu]

Things Jim Rutherford hates:
- Prospects
- Draft picks
- Back-up goalies
- Top 4 defensemen
- 1st line wingers
- Having four natural centers in the lineup at the same time
- Playoffs

Things Jim Rutherford loves:
- Chad LaRose
- Nice smiles
- Joe Corvo
- Players under 6'
- Chad LaRose
- Right-handed offensive defensemen
- NTCs
- The waiver wire
- the Plymouth Whalers
- Chad LaRose

Keep this in mind and every move will make sense.

 

[Novacane]

I guess the only real thing I can be glad about this is that we won't be trying to force Boucher into the lineup and Ellis should be Ward's back-up. Ellis, while not fantastic, should give Muller a little more flexibility in how much he uses him just because he doesn't have Peters' 3rd period collapses.

 

[Lazyking]

Could it be that the Canes gave up on Alt and figured with the D depth he was expendable? Maybe they could have got more for him tho.

 

[AhoLottaLove]

Pither should also help a bit in Charlotte as they apparently going to lose 6 or 7 players.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Pither should also help a bit in Charlotte as they apparently going to lose 6 or 7 players.

They do need bodies in Charlotte, that much is true.

 

[icesport]

Does trading Boucher open up a spot for Mike Murphy to return since he was released from his KHL contract?

 

[the halleJOKEL]

Does trading Boucher open up a spot for Mike Murphy to return since he was released from his KHL contract?

No thanks. He doesn't want to be a part of the prospect graveyard, anyway.

 

[What the Faulk]

Does trading Boucher open up a spot for Mike Murphy to return since he was released from his KHL contract?

Not really. Ward/Ellis in the NHL and Peters/Muse in the AHL. Muse can be sent back to the ECHL, but at this point Murphy probably deserves that treatment. May as well use him as a throw in.

 

[OldStyleCubFan]

This is 100% a trade about Dan Ellis. Don't forget, he's not signed to an NHL contract.

It frees up money to sign Ellis.

The Canes are better after this trade because they will have Ellis as a backup vs. Boucher who hasn't seen a puck in a year and is coming off shoulder surgery.

 

[bleedgreen]

Ugh. Jr has done this since the beginning. Including prospects or picks in trades that seem unneeded. It's a positive to improve the back up situation, and te checkers need a body that won't be called up. You would think something other than alt could've gotten this done though.

 

[Swag Surf Aho]

You know the guy is complete crap when his name is "pisser" with a lisp.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

Can't say that considering we signed possibly the most unfortunately named player in the NHL and he is a top line talent.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Oh boy...

I get we were doing Boosh a favor by sending him back home, but did we really need to get hosed to do it?

 

[FlyingSquirrels]

Really not sure on Alt. He's been having a bad season with Minnesota but the talent is there. He's always been a project pick that was going to need all 4 years in college and a couple in the AHL before he was ready. Only thing that makes sense is if Canes brass didn't think he could do anything for us with the logjam we have on D and that it was time to bail.

We had a logjam...not anymore...Alt, Dumo now gone.

Hope Biega turns out to be a stud.

 

[Vagrant]

This is typical JR. Instead of buying these guys out like most teams, we're pairing them with assets and letting another team have the pleasure. Not sure if Stewart ever plays a game for the Kings or Boucher ever plays a game for the Flyers. The Flyers will probably stash Boucher on the LTIR until he unceremoniously retires at the end of the season. Stewart will probably go through waivers on his way to Manchester.

Alt has hit the skids as a legit prospect this season, but he's not hopeless. I feel like the organization has made an evaluation on him that isn't favorable for his future and he was deemed expendable. Interesting though how we've gone from a position of strength with defense to now a position of potential weakness. Danny Biega and Ryan Murphy in the system now as perhaps the two remaining "prospects".

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

. Danny Biega and Ryan Murphy in the system now as perhaps the two remaining "prospects".

Maybe Levi also? I realize he is also raw, but he's probably on par with Alt in terms of chances of making it and type of game?

 

[Vagrant]

Maybe Levi also? I realize he is also raw, but he's probably on par with Alt in terms of chances of making it and type of game?

I am a big Levi fan, I just don't know what the organization plans to do with him. Sending him back to Plymouth for his overage season does not bode well for his chances of making a real impact here.

 

[w e l o s t b o y s]

Carrick too, he's been really good this year.

 

[DaveG]

We had a logjam...not anymore...Alt, Dumo now gone.

Hope Biega turns out to be a stud.

Still have a logjam long term.

Pitkanen: 29
Gleason: 29
McBain: 24
Faulk: 20
Harrison is here another 3 years.

And we still have Murphy, Biega, Lowe, Levi, Sanguinetti, and Carrick is having a breakout season.

I am a big Levi fan, I just don't know what the organization plans to do with him. Sending him back to Plymouth for his overage season does not bode well for his chances of making a real impact here.

With Charlotte looking as they did at the start of the season it was the only move that made sense. He just wasn't going to beat out any of the 6 regulars that were down there. Sucks for him now that the lockout is over since he'd probably be about the #5 guy on the team right now with Sangs and Faulk on the Canes. But better to have him eating half an hour of ice time a game with the Whalers then riding pine in Charlotte for half a season.

 

[Anton Babchuk]

Levi's inability to produce as a 20yr old in the OHL is concerning. Even Bellemore put up some points in that situation. Not that Levi is an offensive defenseman, but even defensive D need to have some sort of puck skill to make it at the NHL level.

 

[bleedgreen]

Levi is a bottom pairing guy at best right now, biega is probably no better either. We have Jordan as well who looks about the same.

We don't develop d well. Never have. Faulk and mcbain are first two in a long time. We did little development with either. As long as jr can keep pulling off trades for them we'll survive. He's actually always been good at getting solid d.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Interesting though how we've gone from a position of strength with defense to now a position of potential weakness.

I'm not sure we were ever to the point that it was a position of strength. We had a lot of guys in the pipeline and were hoping a couple would turn out. Now we just have a couple guys in the pipeline.

 

[La Huracanista]

Mark Alt had a shot to be on a third pairing. This trade doesn't matter, so please nobody freak out.

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Alt was one of the dozen or so PMDs that the Canes can't use. Rutherford could trade a couple more for all I care.

 

[faulkingdynamic]

My two cents worth is that we simply didnt trust Boucher to be healthy, Ellis earned the backup spot and will be counted on in a condensed schedule, and Alt has fallen off the map. Granted Ive only seen Alt three times this year but he was horrendous with the puck, He didnt struggle with poise, he was completely poiseless. Now to me he always looked like the goods without the puck but he was an automatic giveaway with any sort of pressure with the puck on his stick. I would have preferred to see if he could develop but Im not going to lose sleep over a guy that has had such a glaring issue this season.