THE HYPE IS BETTER THAN THE TRADES THEMSELVES

Psst……I heard a rumor……

Well, today is the day hockey fans perk up and play GM in anticipation that their team will pick up the missing piece of the puzzle to put them over the top. The excitement and buzz on Trade Deadline Day is traditionally better than the deals themselves. The speculation of big names involved in movement chew up a ton of time while big media places “name” analysts to hype it up for hours until trades slowly start to trickle in. Granted some big names do move on Deadline Day but for the most part it is the minor acquisitions that ultimately have the most impact. There are always one or two trades that seem to come from left field and catch us all off guard, but predicting where players will go is the fun part. And that is the part that makes us all pay attention and listen intently to the big media hype while wiping the drool as they mention our favorite team.

Will Hossa practice today? Will the Leafs move anyone? Will the Habs swing for the fences? Will the Bruins stand pat even though they need a scoring winger? Will Dallas find help for the Modano line? Will the Panthers actually move Jokinen? Do the Ducks tinker at all? Will the Wings get tougher? Will the Rangers move anyone to get defensive help? Where in the world will Brad Richards land this afternoon? The buzz engulfs us all – and the buzz itself is better for the game than the answers to the questions. Anytime hockey talk takes center stage it’s a good thing all around. I guess what I’m driving at here is enjoy the day, get fooled by the hype and dream big my friends, because today is the day for hockey talk.

As for myself, I’m not expecting too much as the months leading up have been anemic as far as trades are concerned. And to me that is a telling sign that too many teams are on the fence and reluctant to trade away the future for rental help. Parity is what the league wanted and is just what they have accomplished. Because of that and cap space, major trades have diminished drastically. Of course there will still be headline moves and that is why I’ll be here at the computer all day, as will most of you.