Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Trader Doug is standing by for calls

Doug MacLean is keeping close to the phone these days. The Columbus Blue Jacket GM who is not content to stand still with his acquisition yesterday of Sergei Federov, is working the phones trying to make another deal. MacLean placed Centre Todd Marchant on waivers today, hoping to entice an offer or two to help produce some room on the salary cap window and strengthen his team.

Marchant has a no trade clause in his contract, so MacLean will have to work hard to find a location for him that will meet with his requirements and give the Blue Jackets full value for their asset.

The other stumbling block for a trade is the room that other teams have to maneuver around the salary cap as well. No longer is a trade a simple matter of picking up the phone and moving player A to Team B straight up with no extra negotiations. Now salaries have to be compared and numbers juggled to make things work. One begins to wonder if the players actual skill level and what can be brought to a new team, fit in on the depth chart anymore.

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