Where Are They Now? Post-Deadline Edition

by PPP on Mar 16, 2009 12:03 PM EDT

The trade deadline did not exactly result in the massive firesale that we had hoped for but a couple of players did move on to greener pastures. It goes without saying that the bigger move of the two was Nik Antropov heading to Broadway. He has taken to Madison Square Garden like a fish to water with three goals on 13 shots and two assists in six games. He's also been involved in one controversial incident:

Naturally I've recommended the death penalty for Braydon Coburn for being a little bitch and trying to injure the one part of Antropov that has escaped damage throughout his career. And some other guy was traded as well...

Dominic Moore

Ok, so I understand the need for players to make as much money as they can while they are playing because they are dumb and have no other useful skills and they can't all be fan favourites that sell lumber or Cadillacs or have restaurants (Maurice Richard was so loved that his restaurant went broke). But Moore went to Harvard. I am sure he's either not that dumb or he can tap into that network rather than try to hold the Leafs' ransom after that not only took a flyer on him but gave him the opportunity to showcase his previously hidden skills.

Well, all of the good work and interest that his previoushard work and his 41 points had garnered are getting washed down the drain as he has produced zero goals and zero assists in five games. Good luck getting $3M per year this summer.

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so much

for Moore being the one who elevated Blake’s game….

by Karina on Mar 16, 2009 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

I was looking at Moore’s game log last night, it’s not that he’s not getting ice time. He’s been in the 15-18 minute range every game.

It’s Buffalo. That city just brings you down.

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by eyebleaf on Mar 16, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah

That’s the biggest surprise. And to be honest, it’s not like there are any pluggers on the Sabres.

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by PPP on Mar 16, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions

it just strikes me as incredible that it wasn’t really that difficult to get a 2nd for Moore, but to get anything more than a 2nd for Antropov seemed difficult. And from how they’re playing since the trade, Antropov has pretty much prove he’s head and shoulders above Moore….

by Karina on Mar 16, 2009 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Moore has other qualities though, Antro defensively speaking has been horrible for the Rangers thus far. Teams are willing to pay out for a good two-way player, and Moore has all of the qualities that teams looking to add depth want at the deadline.

Antropov’s stats while literally playing on the top line all season are pretty underwhelming for a scoring forward, his skating and injury history also make his value take a hit.

Old Guys in Blue and White

by koopa kid on Mar 16, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

At least Antro punches up the offence even though alledgedly one goal against was his fault. I call bullshit.

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by PPP on Mar 16, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Or it exposes you for what you really are, which is a glorified checking centre with a glimmer of soft hands every few games.

That said, Moore took some time in getting his motor running this season, maybe after he adjusts things will go back to normal. Of course, it’s a moot point if the Sabres miss the postseason.

Old Guys in Blue and White

by koopa kid on Mar 16, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s just a shame that we have Carolina’s 2nd, not Buffalo’s.

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by article1 on Mar 16, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

that is about what he was getting here

40 years we've stayed loyal, waited, and pained. That is the honor of being a Leafs' fan.

by Kriv on Mar 16, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Larry Brooks called Antropov the Rangers “best pure shooter” on the weekend.

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by Down Goes Brown on Mar 16, 2009 1:05 PM EDT reply actions

wow

and to think they had Jagr last year….

by Karina on Mar 16, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

No sense of irony?

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into Iraq"
- Major Mike Shearer

by article1 on Mar 16, 2009 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Well

The guy does have a good shot. His career shooting percentage is 13.5. With the Rangers it’s been 23.1. This year’s with the Leafs was 12.3 and he’s only been in single digits twice and only once when he’s played more than 11 games in a season.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Mar 16, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s not a comment aimed at Nik, more the deficiencies of the Rangers.

Nik has a role, but if that’s the state the Rangers are in, then we’re not getting that conditional pick.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into Iraq"
- Major Mike Shearer

by article1 on Mar 16, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh, sure we are. The Rangers are 4-2 since Antropov and some other guy joined the team.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Mar 16, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

The Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist, and assuming that he doesn’t melt down and their (mediocre) defense keeps doing what it’s doing, the Rangers will have a shot at getting us our pick.

Old Guys in Blue and White

by koopa kid on Mar 16, 2009 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t think it’s quite understood how challenged the Rangers actually are for scoring, either. Zherdev, Gomez, Drury, these guys are not exactly snipers. The closest thing they had before Antropov was a 35 year old Markus Naslund, who hasn’t broken 30 goals since 06. Naslund was also the only person on the Rangers to break 20 goals, and him and Antro are still the only players on that team to do so.

Old Guys in Blue and White

by koopa kid on Mar 16, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Bingo

Antropov IS the best sniper on the Rangers just like he was the best for the Leafs.

To quote the crazy Liverpool fan from Saturday’s Fan zone: THAT IS A FACT!

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Mar 16, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions

It doesn’t help the fact that the Rangers had been playing a much more rigid defense/forechecking scheme which eliminate much in regards to offensive freedom for it’s players. But truth be told, they are mostly passers and pluggers, scoring goals for that talent pool is always going to be a struggle. It would help if they had defensemen that could pass too, start a play instead of dump and chip off the boards.

Running over terribleness in search for something positive about the Leafs. Anything? Anyone?!

by blindfolded tank driver on Mar 16, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions