24

It’s getting close to 24 hours until the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday at 3 Eastern. Unfortunately the only news right now for the Coyotes is selling some veterans. Some hot rumors about Jokinen and Morris possibly moving together in a trade have been recently reported. The Coyotes are going to be on their way to a long Eastern road trip in a few days. There is no doubt the team will have a different look before the pregame skate against the Bruins on Thursday.
The Coyotes seem to be working hard at shipping off Morris to an acceptable place. This is going to be tougher than expected. Morris, a native of Alberta, would like to stay in the West for the remainder of this season. Unfortunately the hot takers are coming from the Eastern Conference. I am sure right now the Coyotes are juggling convincing Morris to accept the East, while making the right deal for themselves. This is going to be a sensitive situation considering the Coyotes do not want to irritate Morris before attempting to sign him in the off season. Personally, I think Morris needs to man up here and either help his team from stopping the inevitable plunge out of the playoff race, or agree to go to the East for a mater of three or four months. I think that the possibility of packaging Morris and Jokinen could bring back more talent then trading the two separately, but at this point I think the better fit for Morris is not the best fit for Jokinen. The Coyotes should wait until deadline day and see if the interested teams become desperate. Morris sitting out right now puts the Coyotes in a situation where the Morris suitors have all the cards. Waiting longer might also give them an opportunity to either convince Morris to head East, or to create a deal with a more desperate Western team such as Columbus or even Vancouver depending on trades they make in the mean time. Both teams have stated that they are buyers and are going hard for the playoffs this year.
Now for a little talk from around the league. With the league hosting only one game this evening, I am sure all the general managers phones will be busy. I would anticipate a trade or two this evening. Even as I am writing this blog, the Devils have just completed a deal with Atlanta for Havelid. I think that Ryan Smyth might be heading back to Alberta as soon as…tonight. If a trade were to happen tonight, my money is on Mr. Burke in Toronto shipping someone out. One interesting thing in tonight’s game, besides the fact Guerin is sitting out again, is that the Islanders called up a prospect who they have said in the past is not ready for the NHL. Joensuu is a very promising young prospect for the Islanders. He’s a nice power forward, who needs to fill out a bit before any consistent NHL time. Joensuu is in his first pro year with the Isles and got off to a hot start in Bridgeport of the AHL. He is at least a year away, and with just less than 20 games left in the season I am sure the Islanders could have found a different Bridgeport player to replace Guerin. I know from inside sources with the Islanders that they think a lot of Joensuu, and if he is up it is an audition for another team. This being said, if he is up for an audition, the Islanders must be getting something good coming back. My last hit from around the NHL is that with Sean Avery possibly returning to the Rangers this week, look for some movement from them. They most likely will be trading a useful forward to bring in a skill forward combining with the “grit” of Sean Avery. Good luck with that Mr. Sather.
I am off to the Islanders game, keep checking for updates after the game. I am sure there will be some news to talk about aside from a win or loss.