Due to popular demand (as of today a 3 to 1 vote differential) I will be continuing on with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Trade deadline edition. This time I will be looking at the blockbuster trade between the ever-present Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Toronto sent longtime defenseman Tomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospect Joe Colborne, a first round pick in 2011 and a conditional second round pick 2012.

The Good

No more stories on TSN about Tomas Kaberle and where he will be traded! Or that he is thinking about waiving his no trade clause; or about Brian Burke talking to him about waiving his no trade clause; or Kaberle thinking about Brian Burke talking to him about waiving his no trade clause. Seriously. It seemed like a decade of stories about the possibility of Kaberle getting traded as if he was the corner stone of all hockey-ness. I will enjoy never hearing anything about him again unless I am at a Boston Sports Pub. Don't get me wrong he is a fine defensemen and probably a nice guy and I have nothing against him but I was getting sick of hearing about him and where he would end up.

The Bad

Joe Colborne. Its not so much thats its he is bad, its just that he is not meeting the potential that was expected of him when he was drafted. I remember that year a lot of Oiler fans were gung-ho on the possibility of drafting him. Which was understandable at the time; he had size and skill which is what we have always wanted. But unfortunately he was not available at our draft position and we ended up drafting some kid named Eberle. All in, Colborne looked good in college but so far that hasn't translated into success at pro level. He is still young, mind you, and this would be what you would expect in return for a trade that was very similar to the Penner trade. But if I were a Toronto fan I would not invest too much hope in Colborne turning out to be more than another Jeff Taffe.

The Ugly

This trade could have happened two years ago! TSN The potential deal was Kaberle and the 7th Overall pick for Kessel. Instead this deal has essentially taken 2 years to complete and has now cost Toronto the following: Kaberle, 2 first rounders (one being the 2nd overall), and a 2nd rounder in 2010. For Kessel, Colbourne, a mid-low first rounder and a conditional 2nd rounder. Why didn't Burke just make this deal 2 years ago? According to Bob McKenzie it fell apart over the 1st rounder. Doesn't make sense then and this doesn't make sense now. What was Burke thinking? Not rebuild thats for sure. Does it make a difference? Maybe. Probably won't know till we see what becomes of the picks in few years. All in all a very very bizarre affair.

A couple of new additions

I finally won a couple of ebay auctions this weekend, I know how lame that sounds, how hard is it to win an online auction. Please keep in mind my budget is fairly low budget on account of a new baby on the way so it is a challenge to get the hards you want in the price you are willing to pay. Nonetheless I have couple of new additions to be adding to my collection.

First is a Magnus Paajarvi SPX Rookie Materials Jersey card. I love the look of these 2010-11 SPX cards, they are pretty simple in design and they just look sharp. Wish the patch was a little more exciting but that doesn't mean I won't be excited to check the mail this coming week;

The other card was a Ryan Smyth 2006-2007 Ultimate Collection Signatures. I got this for sentimental purposes. Ryan Smyth was always a warrior for the Oilers and he has been missed ever since he was traded the same year as this card. Again the design of this card is nice and simple, a very clean look to it. The only change I would make to it is have the signature on plain white background, the greyish background and blue pen doesn't make the autograph pop out as much as much as a white background would.

I am going to be looking forward to get these in the mail. Also I'm going to put up some cards for trade so keep your eyes peeled for and if you are interested in any them let me know what you are willing to exchange for them.

Trade Deadline Edition

Continuing in the series looking at the good, the bad and the ugly of some of the key trades at the 2011 Trade Deadline. Today we are looking at the Dustin Penner trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angles Kings. In return for Penner the Oilers received LA's first round pick, former first round pick Colton Teubert and a conditional pick.

The Good

Los Angles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi, for a GM to pick up a 6-4 30 goal scorer for his team who is still under contract without having to give up a roster player or a key prospect has to be doing something right. Don't get me wrong, the return is about right for a player like Dustin Penner, a first round pick, a prospect with pedigree and another pick. I would have liked as an Oilers fan to see a roster player coming back as well, someone like Kyle Clifford, but thats what I want. For Lombardi, this was a very strong acquisition for his team that is trying to make an impact in the playoffs. Plus when you factor in that Penner is signed for another season next year there is a lot of value in what they got for what they gave up. Clear win for Lombardi.

The Bad

Colten Teubert, to start off let me say that this kid's story is not fully written, he is still young and he is still developing. But. He is a long way off from being an NHL defender, he has the size that every team is looking for in a defenseman, he is mean which fits well with that size but the one thing that keeps popping up is his lack of hockey IQ which is a big concern. A few quotes from Lombardi last year highlight this;

“[Teubert has] made a lot of progress, but he still has a lot to learn,” said Lombardi. “The whole thing about his physical game still has to be channelled in the right direction. You can’t play like the Flyers of the Seventies, so you have to channel that type of aggression. You can’t get away with just running around being physical.”

“Then, he’s got to get smarter with the puck,” added Lombardi. “Sometimes these guys try to add to their game too much, thinking they should be rushing pucks. Whoa. You were drafted to be that physical, make the first pass guy.”

“I think he had his ups and downs last year,” Lombardi noted. “The World Junior team wanted him because of that [toughness] element, just like why we drafted him. But he got a big wake-up call when we sent him to the [Ontario Reign of the] ECHL [late last year]. He wasn’t ready for [the AHL].”

Not to take too much away from Teubert, but I do hope expectation are tempered and that Oiler fans shouldn't expect to see him as regular for a few more years.

The Ugly

The Edmonton Oilers roster. For a team so short on real NHLers, to give up a player like Dustin Penner without getting a roster player in return is pretty poor. Currently the Oilers roster boasts 8 rookies on the active roster last game, 10 of the players either played in Europe, the AHL or Junior hockey last season. This team desperately needs some veteran talent especially with a team so young. They need some one to mentor these great young talents because right now its getting scary to watch 3 or 4 players out there at once on the ice who have so little experience. They need some one to guide them and help them develop. Was Penner that guy, sometimes, did LA have someone on their roster that filled that, not necessaryily but that should have been consideration in making a move like this. I don't see this team being competitive for few more years until they start adding the pieces to build around these young stars.