The Clash once posed the question: Should I stay or should I go now? We take a look at the big names surrounding the NHL trade deadline and whether they'll be staying in place or going to finish the season in another city.
It's no secret that the New York Islanders are going to be sellers at the trade deadline. They've already shipped out Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli and, one would assume, they would be trying to send more veterans packing between now and March 4th in the hopes of bringing back draft picks or youth. Among those veterans is captain Bill Guerin and, as the Islanders have been decimated by injuries, he may be one of their only veteran bargaining chips left.
The other remaining veterans on the roster that would be of any value are Mike Sillinger, Doug Weight and Brendan Witt. However, none are prime candidates as trade bait. The first two are injured and Witt still has two years remaining on his contract, teams seeking a rental may not be keen about taking on.
All of that leaves Guerin as the obvious choice to be traded. But here's where things get tricky. Not only does he have the final say on any deal involving him, he's also the team's captain and due to family ties would likely not want to be traded outside of the Northeastern US.
So what's Garth Snow to do?
A veteran like Guerin could be a great locker room influence on a team that's desperate to develop a lot of youngsters. He's also the captain and has produced on a team seriously lacking talent (16-19-35 in 59). However, Guerin can walk for nothing on July 1. For a team like the Islanders, losing one of their bigger assets for nothing is a huge concern.
Sports
Contract Status: UFA in the summer, 20 games of service requires $1.1 million in cap space, has a no-trade clause.
Teams that he may have interest in: Rangers, Bruins, Devils
Where he'll end up: Staying on Long Island
Even if Guerin would be open to a trade, it's almost a foregone conclusion that it won't be anywhere far. That really narrows the scope of it and makes getting a deal done much harder. The good news for Garth Snow is that the Devils, Rangers and Bruins are all in the playoff hunt.
However, given that Weight, Sillinger and Guerin could all walk this summer the team is going to need some veterans. Snow will likely hold onto Guerin and tender a nice offer between now and July 1, as Guerin has stated that he would still like to play a few more years.
Staying or Going: Bill Guerin originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
