By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: February 22, 2012
As every member of every clique learned in high school, rumours aren’t cool. This applies to NHL trade rumours, as well. However, it’s pretty apparent from the current standings in the NHL that for a few key teams (cough, Columbus, cough) some trading is going to happen. Where will Nash end up? Will the Oilers be willing to part with one of their young forwards in order to finally find someone who can skate backwards well enough to play defence? We’d ask ourselves if Luongo is going to be traded, but it’s so obvious that he’s the only problem facing the Canucks that it’s not even worth questioning – clearly he’s going to be offloaded in exchange for a feckless nobody. It’s obvious that some trades are going to happen, that much is true. However, the perpetual rumour mill surrounding said trades should really stop, and here’s why.
First, there’s absolutely no way to substantiate them. The trading game in the NHL is tricky: as we learned from a certain bitter eastern-dwelling general manager, it’s easy to ruin a player’s trading prospects with a few well-placed rumours. So, in reality, even if a couple puck bunnies take up residence under the bed and desk of every general manager in the NHL, fans won’t necessarily learn anything that’s actually true. Also, bunnies have a way of reproducing, and screeching is obnoxious come game-time, so it’s probably not a great idea to encourage this.
Second, the focus should be what’s happening on ice; this is an interesting point in the season. There’s plenty to focus on – can’t we all just get along and rag on the speedily sinking ship that is the Chicago Blackhawks? Whoops, guess they’re currently being exposed for what they really are. See? Isn’t that more fun than bringing up the idea that Patrick Kane will ever be traded for Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller? Thought so.
Third, none of it really matters. It’s even possible that a team’s general manager could be dismissed, their arch nemesis could be hired in his stead, a newly-traded player could take over as team captain and proceed to “flail” in every sense of the word, and the previous captain could be traded away. Then, birds could sing, double rainbows could shoot out of the ice, and the captain could return just three years later. Oh, wait… that already happened, didn’t it? Exactly. It may take a few seasons, but anything major that happens could be reversed. Eventually.
