An abundance of players...trades & releases soon?
 

We have soooooo many vets that can be cut from this team to make room and we need to either trade them or release them, cheaper to buy Dykhuis and Traverse out than to pay a full season salary in Hamilton, right?

Plus with Dany Heatly now having a torn ACL/MCL, broken jaw and some shoulder problems and the condition poor Snyder (get well soon Syder!) is in the Thrashers maybe looking for some forwards....and we have an abundance of them that we would probably trade for nothing and maybe pick up the tab a little too.

Thrashers could be interested in Dackell, Juneau or Perreault for the right price because of their unfortunate circumstance.

A lot of teams are evaluating themselves big time right now (the Habs are too) with the regular season starting in a matter of days some maybe questioning their depth at forward or even defensively...we may have a partner or two out there believe it or not.

Anyone know of other teams lacking some defensive depth or even some vet leadership?

Patience, a lot of the guys you mentionned have contracts that will expire at the end of the season (right?). And don't forget that we NEED depth if we have injured players.

I do have patience and the depth we have is young and should be used ahead of players like Traverse, Dykhuis and others...I would rather see Hainsey and Bouillion in Montreal over those two in call ups...wouldn't you?

Plus with emergence of Higgins, Plekanec and Ryder one would think they are ready now and we have players in Hamilton like Gratton, Balej, Dagenais, Perezhogin, Beauchemin and Ferland and with Langdon and Begin that gives us that much more not to mention the development of Milroy and Shasby this season and who knows if Katys, Korneev, Locke and Urquhart (if old enough) aren't all in Hamilton next season?

The time is now to get rid of some older and high priced vets, I would rather aqcuire some vets at the deadline if needed than to hang onto these guys when the opportuntiy to trade them or release them is now.

I agree with you when you say we have to get rid of some vets. But not NOW! If we trade them= other vets (if we don't trade them for nothing). And Plekanec, Higgins and Perezhogin are not NHL ready by this season IMO.

I agree with you when you say Higgins and Perezhogin aren't NHL ready, but Plekanec maybe ready to play in a 4th line roll much like Riberio use to do and Higgins could be a good call up in the 2nd half after some Pro seasoning in the AHL much like Komisarek.

Sweden Rulz, did Plekanec play so badly that he doesn't look like an NHL-ready player? I thought he showed he was nearly NHL-ready in the early preseason games against Boston and Ottawa, and he sustained this good impression in the following games. Assuming all the other lines are held intact, Plekanec seems like the logical player to fill in for Koivu in the event of injury.