Trade Rumors and Free Agent TalkTrade rumors, transactions, and free agent talk. Rumors must contain the word RUMOR in post title. Proposals must contain the word PROPOSAL in post title.
He would need a pretty good jump in his development to end up being a decent bottom 6 skater in the NHL, hope I'm wrong but I'm just not seeing anything special in him. With the Blues forward depth, he probably won't get his shot here.
SDR is fiesty. Plays with a ton if heart, is solid defensively, and plays physically. That said, he needs to takes strides to make the NHL. Could be a Kyle Chipchura type player who is a useful but smaller fourth liner, but with Sobotka, Nichol, Peluso, Reaves, McRae, Nigro and other above him who'd likely get fourth line minutes over him, he isn't likely to make it on the Blues roster anytime soon.
I think some of you have been rewatching those classic WJHC games and overestimating SDR's value.
When a player in his 3rd year of pro hockey starts off the year by being demoted to the ECHL, that's not a warning sign, it's a damned wailing siren! SDR looked like a great drafting with the way he played for Canada, and then a steal of a trade by St. Louis (I remember their being a lot of angry Caps fans when he was dealt for D.J. King, and a lot of "What is McPhee thinking?!"), but he just has not panned out in any way, shape or form. I now wonder if there was something to those comments someone from the Capitals brass made just before that trade where they said something to the effect of him not being in the proper shape for a pro hockey player.
as a caps fan, i can tell you that some were disappointed that a player of his type was traded. more so when king never played when dressed and rarely dressed. on the other hand there were several signs that he was having locker room and off ice issues.
he got into a questionable and dirty fight as i recall during developement camp and was reportedly dispised in his own locker room. i read a short note out of st louis that he immediately got off on the wrong foot in the blue camp locker room. this is i think what mcphee was thinking.
history shows that mcphee rarely trades players that stick after they leave.
(without the cool name)
