Former Philadelphia Flyer Daniel Briere has signed a two year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, reportedly paying the 35-year-old forward an average of 4 million per season. Generously listed as 5'10 and 179 pounds on NHL.com, Briere doesn't bring the size that the Canadiens desperately crave in their system. Already featuring pint sized players such as Brian Gionta, David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher, Montreal would be far better suited to a Free Agent more along the lines of Ryane Clowe or David Clarkson, rather than the diminutive Briere. Daniel brings valuable production and offensive skill to the power play, but can't be trusted to handle heavy minutes in all situations. The Briere signing seems redundant to me. The Habs are in need of young burgeoning power forwards with size and scoring prowess, not small, defensively unreliable players in their mid 30's. Briere is a character guy and a respected voice in the dressing room. He hails from the nearby city of Gatineau, Quebec, so the crowd will cheer him on as a home town hero no matter what. By no means is Briere a bad addition for Montreal, there were simply better fits on the open market for a player of his style.
Today fans of the NHL were rocked by a massive trade between the Eastern and Western conferences. The Stanley Cup finalist Boston Bruins shipped former second overall pick Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars with Rich Peverley and defensive prospect Ryan Button in exchange for the underrated Loui Eriksson, forwards Matt Fraser and Reilly Smith and rearguard Joe Morrow. Dallas gains a gifted, explosive offensive player in Seguin, who has been called out recently on his immaturities. While this can be a red flag sometimes, most young players do experience bumps along the road as they mature. Just look at Patrick Kane; he's turning out just fine. The versatile Rich Peverley adds to the Stars centre depth and Ryan Button is a long shot to make the NHL. I've been fond of Button's skill set for a while, and I can see him turning out well for the Stars all though he will have to work hard to prove himself. Loui Eriksson gives the Bruins a big bodied, responsible, perennial 70+ point producer in the prime of his career, and arguably the best player in this deal at the moment. Eriksson could put up career numbers on a line with either the intelligent Patrice Bergeron or the shifty David Krejci. Reilly Smith has a shot at making the big club this fall, and could surprise some critics. Smith is speedy and works hard, the production will come once he has the chance to adjust to the big league game and get more comfortable with his play. Smith is definitely a potentially rewarding sleeper. Fraser could turn out to be a second line power forward or an AHL lifer, we'll just have to wait and see. The well travelled Joe Morrow is loaded with potential as a puck moving D, and could have a large impact on Boston's blue line a year or two down the road. All in all, I love this trade for both teams. Deals like this one bring excitement to the fans in the off season, and everyone loves to see star players moved. It should be great to see how this one plays out down the road.
Edmonton Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish finally found a taker for the maligned Shawn Horcoff. The suddenly active Dallas Stars further added to their depth at centre by taking on Horcoff and his large contract in exchange for blue liner Philip Larsen and a 7th round pick in 2016. Oilers fans should be jumping up and down in excitement just for being rid of Horcoff's awful contract, and yet somehow MacTavish managed to receive a respectable return for Shawn. Philip Larsen is still young and could be an excellent puck mover for the third defensive pair, but meanwhile he adds depth to the Oilers pipeline of D. This is a great move from an Oilers perspective, and a questionable move from the Stars side. I understand Dallas wanting experienced help for their young stars but that contract is painful to even think about. As of now I call this one a win for Edmonton.
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