For newbie GM Steve Yzerman and owner Jeff Vinik, the word was patience. Yet when teams just give away a top line player for what's tantamount to a bag of hockey pucks, well, patience may not be in the Lightning's vocabulary when they hit the ice in October.
Vincent Lecavalier finally has a winger capable of putting the puck in the net, as Steve Yzerman traded defenseman Matt Walker and a draft pick to the Flyers for superstar winger Simon Gagne.
Yes, the same Simon Gagne who was drafted the same year as Lecavalier and is second only to Vinny in goal scoring from that draft class.
The same Gagne had 524 points in 664 regular season games in 10 seasons for the Flyers.
The same Gagne who has scored dramatic OT playoff goals for the Flyers, including Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Lightning in 2004.
Walker's a decent defenseman, who should be able to compete for one of the top six spots on the Flyers' roster. He would likely have been relegated to number five or six in Tampa Bay, a team that isn't known for its defensive prowess.
But a clincher in a deal for the likes of Simon Gagne? Wow.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by JC De La Torre
Steve Yzerman Fleeces Philly For Scoring Winger Simon Gagne
July 19th, 2010 by JC De La Torre Leave a reply »
Advertisement