Ohio Jones
Game on...
On the heels of last night's announcement of a trade with Dallas which saw Columbus acquire winger Scottie Upshall and defenceman Roman Hamrlik, Blue Jackets GM Doug Emerson announced follow-up trade with his former club, the Washington Capitals.
Washington receives Hamrlik, forward John Mitchell, and prospect centerman Adam Henrique. Columbus receives defenceman Trevor Daley and its own 1st round pick in 2010.
Henrique was originally sent from Washington to Columbus as part of a package that included Kirill Petrov in incoming GM Josh Howell's first major move (where he acquired veterans Martin St. Louis and Scott Hannan). That deal was partly reversed when the Jackets sent Petrov back to Washington as part of the package for Ed Jovanovski. Henrique is now another piece Howell has re-acquired for his farm system.
Columbus' first-round pick was sent to Philadelphia at the Entry Draft in a swap for their 2009 first-rounder, which netted the Jackets defenceman C-O Roussel. It's unclear what happened to the pick at that point (anyone?), but it eventually landed in Washington, where Emerson was happy to re-acquire it.
"(Henrique) is developing into a well-rounded prospect", Emerson acknowledged. "We hate to part with him. Add in (Derek) Stepan, (Brendan) Smith and (Maxime) Sauve, and we've taken a huge bite out of our prospect depth this season. Hopefully the picks we've acquired can help us recoup some of that depth."
In the process, Emerson shaves off nearly $3 million in salary -- an urgent priority for a team hovering on the edge of receivership.
"Our revenues haven't been what we'd expected when we started the season," Emerson admitted. "We've got a winning team, we're close to a sell-out every night, but it's hard in this league to support more than $45 million in salaries. Endorsements will help keep us in the black, and hopefully so will a long playoff run, but at the end of the day we have to make responsible financial decisions, and we believe this trade reflects that."
Daley's youth and speed will be a welcome addition to the Blue Jackets blueline, where youngsters Mark Giordano, Ladislav Smid and Carl Gunnarsson are offset by veterans Ed Jovanovski, Marek Zidlicky and uber-greybeard Rob Blake. However, it's unclear whether Daley will be staying for long, as rumours suggest Emerson is already in talks to flip the defender, as he did with Hamrlik just 24 hours before.
"Boy you guys just love to make stuff up, don't you?" Emerson quipped. "He's a talented young player with great wheels and good puck movement, on a terrific contract. I'd have to receive a tremendous offer to part with him."
All that may be true, however Emerson -- or "Trader Doug" as he has come to be known by Jackets fans this season -- seems to have taken on the mantle of the HFNHL's most prolific horse-trader.
"Well, that sounds ignominious," Emerson chuckled at the suggestion. "Fans and the media seem to love the excitement of trades, but I can tell you the players, the coaches, they prefer some stability. Working on systems, getting chemistry with your linemates, building friendships... look at how Mike Fisher, David Booth and Manny Malhotra have struggled since we acquired them earlier this year. Changes take a while to process - eventually you have to go with what you've got and give the guys time to gel. Fortunately, I think we're very close to the team we'll be seeing in Columbus for the next couple of seasons."
None of which, to this reporter's ear, is a denial that Daley is on the block. We'll see what develops the next day or two before we decide if "Trader Doug" truly is turning over a new leaf.
Washington receives Hamrlik, forward John Mitchell, and prospect centerman Adam Henrique. Columbus receives defenceman Trevor Daley and its own 1st round pick in 2010.
Henrique was originally sent from Washington to Columbus as part of a package that included Kirill Petrov in incoming GM Josh Howell's first major move (where he acquired veterans Martin St. Louis and Scott Hannan). That deal was partly reversed when the Jackets sent Petrov back to Washington as part of the package for Ed Jovanovski. Henrique is now another piece Howell has re-acquired for his farm system.
Columbus' first-round pick was sent to Philadelphia at the Entry Draft in a swap for their 2009 first-rounder, which netted the Jackets defenceman C-O Roussel. It's unclear what happened to the pick at that point (anyone?), but it eventually landed in Washington, where Emerson was happy to re-acquire it.
"(Henrique) is developing into a well-rounded prospect", Emerson acknowledged. "We hate to part with him. Add in (Derek) Stepan, (Brendan) Smith and (Maxime) Sauve, and we've taken a huge bite out of our prospect depth this season. Hopefully the picks we've acquired can help us recoup some of that depth."
In the process, Emerson shaves off nearly $3 million in salary -- an urgent priority for a team hovering on the edge of receivership.
"Our revenues haven't been what we'd expected when we started the season," Emerson admitted. "We've got a winning team, we're close to a sell-out every night, but it's hard in this league to support more than $45 million in salaries. Endorsements will help keep us in the black, and hopefully so will a long playoff run, but at the end of the day we have to make responsible financial decisions, and we believe this trade reflects that."
Daley's youth and speed will be a welcome addition to the Blue Jackets blueline, where youngsters Mark Giordano, Ladislav Smid and Carl Gunnarsson are offset by veterans Ed Jovanovski, Marek Zidlicky and uber-greybeard Rob Blake. However, it's unclear whether Daley will be staying for long, as rumours suggest Emerson is already in talks to flip the defender, as he did with Hamrlik just 24 hours before.
"Boy you guys just love to make stuff up, don't you?" Emerson quipped. "He's a talented young player with great wheels and good puck movement, on a terrific contract. I'd have to receive a tremendous offer to part with him."
All that may be true, however Emerson -- or "Trader Doug" as he has come to be known by Jackets fans this season -- seems to have taken on the mantle of the HFNHL's most prolific horse-trader.
"Well, that sounds ignominious," Emerson chuckled at the suggestion. "Fans and the media seem to love the excitement of trades, but I can tell you the players, the coaches, they prefer some stability. Working on systems, getting chemistry with your linemates, building friendships... look at how Mike Fisher, David Booth and Manny Malhotra have struggled since we acquired them earlier this year. Changes take a while to process - eventually you have to go with what you've got and give the guys time to gel. Fortunately, I think we're very close to the team we'll be seeing in Columbus for the next couple of seasons."
None of which, to this reporter's ear, is a denial that Daley is on the block. We'll see what develops the next day or two before we decide if "Trader Doug" truly is turning over a new leaf.
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