If You Were the GM, 2010 Edition: Central Division
Written by Laura Astorian   
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 22:49

Just fillling in for James tonight while he's off doing bigger and better things or whatnot.  Here're the two clubs, St. Louis and Nashville, that we have reporting in so far on the what would you do senarios.

Brad Lee from St Louis Blues Game Time:

Hello there.

Hello to you too, Brad.  Was this what St. Louis's looking for?

If I was GM of the Blues, I would be shopping Paul Kariya like a mofo. No. 1 thing I'm looking for is a rugged, stay at home defenseman who can control the area in front of my crease. A lot of fans talk about getting a puck-moving defenseman or a power play quarterback. But then every team is looking for those guys and they don't grow on trees. So I do the next best thing and I try to control the puck more in my end and see how it goes from there. Dumping Kariya would free up a roster spot for Lars Eller, a first-round pick from a few seasons ago who was taken the same draft as David Perron. 

I would not trade Keith Tkachuk, a player who helped the team make a miraculous run at the playoffs -- something we hope happens twice in two years. Because of that, I can't trade the often disappointing Brad Boyes. But I'd be willing to listen to even moderate offers. 

Finally, I'd try to find a taker for Eric Brewer. It would open up the captaincy, clear some cap space and give Brewer a fresh start in a city where he's really not liked. I doubt I could actually do it unless I'm willing to take a horrible contract (Hello, I'd like the number for the New York Rangers).


The Forechecker from On the Forecheck

In Nashville, the Predator catches you!

Having already traded for Denis Grebeshkov, a trade pretty much has to be made to get some value for Dan Hamhuis, who is now even less likely to re-sign with the Preds as a free agent. Ideally, a winger like Ponikarovsky would come back the other way, but finding a trade partner that wants a rental Top-4 defenseman in exchange for a scoring forward could prove difficult. Might a 3-way trade be the solution to that problem? Possibly, but those are very, very tough to pull off.

As for the situation in goal, I keep Dan Ellis with the team through the end of the season. The remaining schedule allows for very little rest, so he'll play several key games, and could be leaned on in the playoffs as well. The Predators simply don't have another #2 ready to step in for him yet.
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