Havelid Gone, Perrin Clinging to His Leg Screaming "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

Wow. Havelid for Anssi Salmela. What, exactly do we know about Anssi Salmela?

- According to Hockey's Future, he's the Devils' 18th ranked prospect.
- He's 25, 5'-11", 190lbs, offensive defenseman.
- He's from Finland.
- We didn't originally sign him, Sweet Lou did. That makes me like him a little more.
- SM-liiga's highest scoring defenseman in 07-08
- He may (or may not) have a Facebok page.

This one smacks of wait-and-see.

Double wow. Perrin wants out, and he's not shy about it. Comments like this really only work in your favor if you've got a stellar resume to back it up. Sure, he's a hard worker - a fighter, just like he says. But he's easily pushed around because if his small stature, and he doesn't even have the speed a lot of the smaller guys have. He's insurance for someone else, and now he's probably made it more difficult in the dressing room for himself. Get him gone for whatever you can get for him, Don.


Don?

Should I Stay or Should I Go, Part 4

#9 LW Erik Christensen

Pros: Great stickhandling with the puck; Shootout stud; Plenty of offensive potential

Cons: "Crusher" tends to separate his shoulder delivering checks; hasn't really found a role in the lineup

Crusher's a funny one. It looked as if he was beginning to live up to his potential in Pittsburgh, only to be traded to Atlanta at the deadline last year. It seemed to unsettle him, and it looks as if he hasn't found his groove yet. He excels at the shootout, but it would be nice if he had the confidence to pull some of that stuff in-game.

Verdict: He's not a special teams pro or a banger/energy guy, but plays on those lines. He's got offensive potential, but hasn't hit his stride here. As much as I like him, I think he'd be better playing somewhere else. Go.

#19 C Marty Reasoner

Pros: Penalty kill; defensively responsible, Solid human being.

Cons: Not much.

Verdict: I think this is a rare example of a Thrasher being paid to do exactly what he does on the ice. $1 mil this year, UFA next year. Let's make every effort to get him to Stay.


#11 C Eric Perrin

Pros: Hardworking French-Canadian hockey player; 40pt/year potential; Small & speedy

Cons: Getting older (34); Points pace has slowed considerably this year

Verdict: Eric Perrin seems to be tailored to HC Johnny A's mongoosing system. I'd pass on him if he started looking for a significant raise this off-season. If his point prodcution picks back up, Stay.

Notes on the Carolina Game

- Feels great to be wrong.

- Is it just me, or does Dan Kamal kind of give off a Uecker-type vibe? Not that that's a bad thing - I've always felt spoiled with Kamal. I don't think I'd rather have anyone else (other than Rick Jennaret or Mike Lang, maybe). Especially not the guy from Carolina... or the Islanders Guy... or the Detroit guy... or the Sharks guy...

Anyway, back to the subject at hand: Dan needs a colorman. Bad. I think the strain is getting to him. Witness the following from last nights broadcast:

On Enstrom's 1st period minor:
"'How was your trip, sir?'
'Pretty costly, now I'm in the box.'"

On a shot in the 2nd being deflected into the mesh:
"The shot deflects into the mesh... It's a fine mesh you've gotten us into..."

Dan, if you're reading this, I kid because I love. Don't change a thing. I mean it.


- OK guys, let's split up into groups, go door to door, and see if any of the other 29 teams have some PK we can borrow. Seems we're a little low.


- Nice goal by Perrin. I really hope he finds the back of the net some more; the man has MAJOR work ethic, and I always like to see those guys succeed. They're the backbone of the league.


- Boulton. +1A. Scoring machine.


- The third line looks like big, chippy guys with good hands. They'll come on soon enough and provide a little ancillary scoring. A little jobbing in the corner goes a long way.


- Boomer Gordon from XM204 says we're rolling two solid scoring lines - not faint praise from a man who knows hockey.


- Slava Kozlov: I may not agree with Rawhide's call to give Kozzy the 'C', but I don't think you could ask for a better player at this point. Experience, humility, and ability all in the shape of one Russian Professor. Gamer.


- I seem to remember reading Slava said something about this new system being similar to one they ran in Detroit. That's gotta be better than the dump-and-no-chase system from last year (cue rimshot).


- Is Hainsey worth the $4.5 mil? Yup.