BY JASON MENKVELD – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
This past Friday was a very frantic, exciting day in the world of hockey. Many of the National Hockey League’s stars decided to leave their teams, sign big contracts and further develop their career within a new organization.
Some of the more familiar names include:
1. Daniel Alfredsson: signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
2. Vincent Lecavalier: Longest serving Captain signed with the Flyers.
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3. Danny Briere: Been the face of the Flyers but signed with the Montreal Canadians.
4. Nathan Horton: Stanley Cup winner with Boston signed a long term deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
5. David Clarkson: The Toronto native came home and signed a long term deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Those are my top five transactions that occurred this past week. But the question is which team won in the end?
This was a very tough decision that is still being debated by analysts and fans. I believe the Flyers and the Blue Jackets were the winners with their key signings.
Vincent Lecavalier is a great two-way player with exceptional puck handling skills, an accurate shot, and plenty of experience. He’ll be a great leader to the younger players in the dressing room as well. Lecavalier is a great replacement for Danny Briere, and will be a beautiful addition to one of Flyers younger lines. Having a player like Lecavalier allows the coaching staff more depth, and more ability to experiment. I mean there are so many options now. He could centre a line with Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds, or Jakub Voracek. The possibilities are all winners for the Flyers in my opinion.
The Columbus Blue Jackets took a big leap of faith in signing Nathan Horton long term, and I’m sure it’ll pay off. Horton is no Rick Nash, but with the past few seasons he’s been having, he’s pretty close. This guy has experience, a Stanley Cup to his name, speed, and exceptional puck handling skills. Plus, he’s still relatively young as well. And when you consider that he’s joining Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov, it’s hard not to get excited. Further having a Vezina trophy winner in Sergei Bobrovsky will help the Blue Jackets string together some more consistent wins as well.
All in all these two teams are the clear winners for me. I can’t wait to see which player has a bigger impact for their respective team. It certainly is going to be weird seeing Lecavalier in bright orange though.