Thursday, February 15, 2007

Foraging for Forsberg

His name is probably the marquee name up for grabs as the February 27th trade deadline approaches. Peter Forsberg, currently of the Philadelphia Flyers seems to be the discussion boy around the NHL table these days.

No less than five teams have been mentioned as being possibly interested in his services, from Nashville to Anaheim, San Jose to Detroit and on the outside lane possibly even Vancouver.

The Vancouver captain Markus Naslund is said to have him on his wish list, though when push comes to shove and shaking the cushions for change time comes around it will be GM Dave Nonis that makes the call, not Naslund.

The Ducks are said to be thinking he may be that missing link that sets them over the top on their way to a Stanley Cup final. And one only needs to look at their line up as it is and realize what the offensive output of a Forsberg might do for them in the tough Western division.

Nashville suddenly on everyone’s dance card must surely be thinking that this is the year to make some noise; they may never get there again. Not to mention the PR value of landing such a huge name in hockey, in a market that is still warming up to the game, adding Forsberg to the line up and extending the playoff run might be the difference in next years season ticket sales.

Detroit never willing to admit that the playoffs are not their domain anymore, would make good use of his talents, as the Wings once again ponder their options in a part of the season that they used to own.

San Jose seems like an outside chance, they already have more than enough offensive weapons, but if offered the chance to add some more scoring punch and if able to fit it all into the cap, he could very well send them to the finals.

Then there is his current team the Flyers, it’s said that his team mates are putting the push on him to stick it out in Philly and wait for the good times to return. However, Paul Holmgren might be thinking that the future might be moved along a little quicker if he can parlay Forsberg into some quality players or picks at the upcoming draft.

In less than two weeks we’ll all have an answer, but for now Forsberg is the most talked about asset, the player that everyone seems to want but few know how to manage the financials required to make it happen.

They’ll be sharpening their pencils in the next twelve days, in order to make the numbers work and also to add him to a spot on the daily lineup. Whether he is a rental or long term addition, Forsberg stands to be the main attraction as the deadline comes up fast.

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