Red Wings deal for Calder
Kyle Calder landed in Detroit on Monday night as the Red Wings pulled off a three-way trade with the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers first sent Calder, an unrestricted free agent July 1, to Chicago for a 2007 third-round draft pick and Lasse Kukkonen. The Hawks then flipped Calder to the Wings for winger Jason Williams.
Williams and Calder have both struggled this season with their respective teams, and are quite different players. The Red Wings are obviously hoping this move can help jumpstart Calder's career, and the Detroit brass would no doubt be familiar with his skillset given all of his successful years as one of the Blackhawks top scorers.
Calder's an extremely hardworking, checking type who has decent hands and doesn't shy away from the front of the next. Williams, meanwhile, struggled last season in the playoffs and is a much more inconsistent and finesse type than Calder.
The Red Wings have been talking about adding jam for the postseason all year long, and this move helps in that regard. (The word is also that Detroit is closing in on getting Bill Guerin.)
Philadelphia sneaks out quietly with another decent young defensive prospect in Kukkonen for a player who was a pending unrestricted free agent. Combined with Joni Pitkanen, Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent, GM Paul Holmgren has really setup his blueline nicely for the future.
I think the Flyers will be in playoff contention next season.
Labels: Blackhawks, Calder, Flyers, Jason Williams, Kukkonen, Red Wings, Trades
by James Mirtle @ 8:10 PM
Trackbacks
| Permalink |
7 comments
7 Comments:
The whole Calder thing has been a mystery to me. He has been a terrific player all of his career before this season.
If I were a GM I would try and pick him up next season for cheap if I could.
I like the deal for the Flyers. Anyone know how long Kukkonen is signed?
NHLPA.com has him at $675,000 but doesn't list the years.
Kukkonen's a restricted free agent and will be due a modest raise this summer.
I can dig it.
Thanks!
good trade by philly, this guy has 14 points this year, 5 of them goals, on a 3rd line blackhawks team. I think thats pretty good. I hope he sticks in philly for a while.
- Everyone check out my new hockey news/rumor site - www.thehockeyjournal.blogspot.com
As a Wings' fan, I like this a lot. Williams' season is only disappointing if you thought that his best season ever represented his true level, rather than being a fluke. I don't think he has underperformed at all, so much as people had unrealistic expectations.
Calder, on the other hand, really has underperformed. He's not a point per game guy, but he's better than this. If you are hoping that your guy will be better for the rest of the year than he has been so far, it's a good idea to be counting on a guy who really is better than he's played.
What Chicago gets out of this deal eludes me.
This is great, now if the Wings can somehow make Kronwall part of a Guerin deal, I'll be ecstatic
Post a Comment
<< Home