I was listening to the live feed on TSN’s trade center with the likes of Darren Pang, Barry Melrose and a couple other guys. Melrose has been on the Ducks all year, saying they would win no problem. Right before the broadcast ended, the guys were asking about their picks now that the deadline was over. Melrose still went with Anaheim, but I think it was more because he didn’t want to turn his back on his pre-season pick, because they still have a very good team. He is right, they do, but so does San Jose and Dallas.
Monster deals, they are both on par with Anaheim. San Jose can now throw out multiple lines without having to see the shut down line on Thornton.
Line matchups will become a key part of the games played between the two teams, I really hope they meet in the playoffs, that would be like clashing titans. Dallas will still struggle to score, but with Nordstrom, they have a similar combo to Anaheim on the blue line, just not as good. Detroit is another story for me, because I don’t think Bertuzzi is all that big of a deal. A couple leans on the back, some cross checks and the Red Wings are going to need some WD-40 on their wheels of steel.
The Anaheim Ducks have gone through a roller coaster this year. They kicked ass at the start, they got injured in the middle and have faltered since then, even with everyone healthy. The good news is, it is not the goalies that are playing badly. They are probably the most consistent players on the roster and everyone knows they can steal you a series. It seems like the media has turned on the Ducks and looks at them as almost a “what could have been”. All I can say is, wait until the playoffs. Of all the high profile players traded to make their new teams so much better, which ones can say they are playoff tested? Forsberg for sure, Guerin and who else? Tkachuk hasn’t had a good run since 2001. Bertuzzi? Choked with the rest of the Canucks. Norstrom? Miracle on ice 2 against the Red Wings a few years ago and some first round knockouts.
Give me a break, the Ducks’ game breakers are all seasoned playoff veterans and the goalie has a Conn Smythe trophy. I can’t wait to see Dan Wood of the OC Register jump on Burke for not signing a dominator.
So, that is why Brian Burke traded Shane O’Brien! He needed Gerald Coleman so he could trade away Michael Wall and still have a goalie in the minors to go after…Brad May? It all makes sense to me now, because with San Jose and Dallas getting minor upgrades, we needed more grit. Brad May better have 20 goals in him over the next 20+ games. Because the Ducks already are the toughest team, even without O’Brien. I don’t think the Ducks needed to do much, but some kind of depth forward would have been nice. Where the hell do you put Brad May? The shutdown line is already set, so do you put him with Shawn Thorton and Todd Marchant when he gets back? That wouldn’t be that bad actually. I still would have liked someone else who can score.
Since I am still stricken by this deal, I figured I would follow up on it a little. So I went out and grabbed some articles related to Shane O’Brien in Tampa Bay, 
