Trades! Trades! Trades!

If you've elected to take the smart route and try not to let Trade Deadline '07 consume your life Mirtle's Globe Blog and 2 Man Advantage both have very excellent Trade round-ups for you.

All I have to say about the Senators inaction is said at my blog. Other than that I don't know whether or not to feel sorry for my dear Marty Biron. Finally able to paint his mask and be a starter somewhere, but banished to Philly.

As for the Trade Deadline Network Battle? I'm going to say it's a Toss-Up between the Score and TSN. I think Sportsnet just gave up.

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Rent-A-Cup Victory?

So I've been trying to pull together some sort of post about this for about a week now, and the Forsberg trade yesterday and the subsequent talks about the Wings and who they're looking at to counter that move sealed it. Trade season is upon us (and nearly over and done with already!), teams are sorting out if they're going to be buyers or sellers at the deadline, and with that come all the terrifying rumors about our teams shipping out our favorite players to our sworn enemies and sleepless nights that come with them (what, it's only me?).

And trading is good, obviously, even if it makes us cry - it gives everyone a chance to improve their rosters, better their playoff chances or help rebuild for next year. But the thing that gets me is this concept of the playoff rental players that's coming up so often lately. Need a star center? A puck moving defenseman (I'm looking at you, Edmonton)? The new favorite solution seems to be picking up someone who's going to be a free agent next summer from a team whose playoff dreams have already been dashed, giving said team a couple prospects or draft picks that you don't need anyway because you're a Big Bad Cup Contender, and leaving that player free to sign back with their own team come summer. Sounds good for everyone, no?

But does it sort of feel like it's cheapening something? I mean sure, in a way, it's got to be nice for players like Peter Forsberg, Bill Guerin, Mats Sundin (though hey, no discounting the Leafs yet, this year! And besides, I can't see him ever agreeing to any colors that aren't blue and white.) to get chances to play for Cup contenders, the chance to play on a team that they might be able to help lead to victory. I mean who doesn't want to hoist that cup? And then of course they're benefitting their original team too - selling them off brings in new blood that can help pull the team together for a run next year.

Except what happens to that new blood that gets traded off? I mean sure, when we're considering prospects and draft picks it's not such a big deal...but how would you like to be the guy who helped your team get as far as you did only to be told this month, "Hey, we're sorry, but we're trading for this guy we think will be a huge asset to us in the playoffs - and you're actually unnecessary right now and we don't actually think we'll need you next season either, so best of luck and hope you enjoy the early vacation!" That sort of mentality just doesn't seem like what the sport is all about - those guys earned their spots on the team somehow too, and if they're going to be part of a decent trade then sure, movement is key in a sport like this, but when they're getting sold off for a rental player who agrees to help out for two months or so just to give a team some extra firepower when they need it most, something seems off.

So I don't know - as with anything there are good and bad points, and mostly I'm just curious on everyone else's opinions, so have at it!

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