If you'll remember, we were discussing the formula required for Ottawa to initiate a trade with Florida for Roberto Luongo. The Driver's suggestion was Martin Havlat, Anton Volchenkov and a first-round pick.
Well, according to Boo Boo today, we weren't far off. He says to swap out Volchenkov and include Chris Phillips instead.
If Havlat is looking for a one-year-deal (as reports indicate), it's obvious that he will be on the move. But to ask for Phillips would be too much, at least one would assume.
But maybe it wouldn't have been, if the Senators had drafted Marc Staal last year instead of Brian Lee in the first-round.
And that, Cynics, will be the subject of this week's upcoming column -- the error made by the Sens when they passed on Marc Staal at last year's draft. See, it's all coming full circle.
Staal is a big, stay-at-home defenceman with a) the ability to make the team (he's expected to make the Rangers this year) and b) possesses a name that now carries a lot of weight in this league.
Ottawa could've taken him at No. 9, but they passed and took Brian Lee instead. Lee is considered to be a carbon-copy of Redden and likely will require some culivation in the farm system before he arrives.
Could Staal do everything that Phillips did in the playoffs (be extremely effective, but unnoticeable)? Maybe not right away, but if the team was able to make that sacrifice to nail down Luongo, would it matter?
But we'll never know, because Ottawa doesn't have Marc Staal to turn to. And the really upsetting thing is, they could have, but chose not to. I knew they'd regret that decision. I just didn't realize it would begin so soon.
UPDATE: Luongo is off the market. The Canucks have shipped Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alexander Auld to the Panthers in exchange for Roberto Luongo and Lukas Krajicek.
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Chara and Redden aren't going anywhere. The longer the silence is maintained from both camps, the more I'm convinced of that fact.
Phillips would've been expendable under the scenario I presented -- if the Senators had drafted Staal instead of Brian Lee. I'm not saying I would want to lose Phillips, but for those that are looking for Luongo, it would have been completely feasible.
Havlat has obviously proven that it's all about him -- and the cash. He's not that important to retain if he's going to maintain that type of attitude. It's also important to remember that he's never been consistent. He's the epitome of ebb and flow, and usually, he tends to dry up at the most inopportune times.
The Universal Cynic
7:21 p.m.
You're missing the point. This has nothing to do with Chara and Redden -- no one would've expected Staal to replace them if he was here. But he could've replaced Phillips, who, for the record, is a UFA himself next year.
The Universal Cynic
3:13 a.m.