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[Son of Sam99]

Entry: December 3rd, 2013

I haven’t yet spoken with Doug Armstrong (Blues GM) regarding Taresenko. They’re going to want a lot in order to give him up as they know better than anyone what a high ceiling that guys has.

Last night the staff and I came to a consensus that we would have to send Jimmy Howard over in order to get the Blues to move off Vlad. They need goaltending help plus with Howard’s skill up to this season and his long term deal we can probably get them to send over another net minder to take his place for us.

I am concerned about the backlash of trading away a guy that everyone in and around the franchise loves. I think if Taresenko can hit the ground running the fan base and media pundits may change their tune in a hurry but if the deal doesn’t work out I’m sure I’ll be the butt of many jokes going forward.

If I had my preference I’d obviously keep Jimmy & add some sort of scoring power but frankly our premier net minder isn’t getting the job done at the moment. No matter anyone’s personal feelings in the end though this is a business, I spoke with Illich & Ken and they both told me they trusted my judgment.

--

After a lot of back and forth I decided to pursue the deal. The rest of the staff says we should propose Howard and an agreed upon AHLer for Taresenko, Brian Elliot, and two draft picks. I think the deal will help the team both in the long and short term. Now I just have to hope Brian Elliot doesn’t turn out to be a sieve.

[Son of Sam99]

December 4 2013

Howard Delt to St. Louis

Detroit, MI- In a shocking player for player trade on Tuesday the Red Wings sent longtime net minder Jimmy Howard to St. Louis in exchange for winger Vladmir Taresenko, goalie Brian Elliot, and a first round draft pick.
Although regular season player for player trades are not uncommon in the NHL it is rare to see franchise players switching teams as happened Tuesday.
With his team struggling to stay above the .500 mark at 16-14 and treading water in the middle of the Atlantic Division, interim general manager Rick Watkins decided it was time to shake up the roster.

“We were looking for someone to strengthen our wing that could put the puck in the net as well.” Watkins said after the trade was made public. “We were able to find that in a younger player with high upside as well in Valdmir (Taresenko)… We knew we had to look at making the move.”
Howard has spent his entire career in Detroit since coming up through their farm system in Grand Rapids. The Detroit front office is excited for Taresenko’s upside as a young player but the reaction to trading away a fan favorite has not been positive.
“Its never an easy decision when you’re looking to move a guy whose an all star that has been through your system but the upside outweighed the negatives.” Watkins said on the deal.

“It’s tough to say goodbye to Jimmy but we wish him all the luck in the world.” Head Coach Mike Babcock said about the trade. “We’re comfortable with (Brian) Elliot handling the duties between the pipes primarily and are excited to see what Vlad can bring to the lineup.”

Taresenko and Elliot are expected to meet the Wings in New Jersey for Frinday night’s matchup with the Devils.


Full trade details below:

To St. Louis:
G Jimmy Howard
D Mike Fontenot

To Detroit:
RW Valdmir Taresenko
G Brian Elliot
STL 2014 1st round pick

[Son of Sam99]

Entry: January 1st, 2014

No time for partying when the season is on… December was a fine month for this club. The team went 9-4 including a six game winning streak which launched us to third in the conference. Vlad Taresenko took just a game to get settled on the first line and has been pouring the puck into the net since then. He scored a hat trick in just his third game with the franchise!
On the flip side Elliot has been solid if serviceable between the pipes. Not a flashy guy he just comes to work and gets the job done. Babs confirmed my suspicion that there was a little unrest in the locker room after the trade but a six game winning streak will brighten anyone’s mood.
The injury bug finally caught up with the squad as both Justin Abdelkader and Kyle Quincey went down with separated shoulders nearly back to back. We’ve got Tomas Tatar and Dan Cleary to step up a line in Abdelkader’s place and Drew Miller to step onto the left side 4th line. Defensively we’ll have Brian Lashoff up from Grand Rapids to pair with Dekeyser. Everyone has been playing so fluidly together that making the needed adjustments didn’t seem to have a huge effect on the team’s on ice chemistry.
Though it’s only January the staff is beginning preparations for this off season. There may be a lot of turnover among our bottom six forwards with Bertuzzi, Legwand, and Cleary unrestricted, but that’s part of the business.

[Son of Sam99]

Detroit Red Wings December 2013-14 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Dec 1	at Ottawa Senators	Won, 3-2
Dec 4	vs Philadelphia Flyers	Lost, 4-3
Dec 6	at New Jersey Devils	Won, 5-2
Dec 7	vs Florida Panthers	Won, 4-3
Dec 10	at Florida Panthers	Won, 5-2
Dec 12	at Tampa Bay Lightning	Won, 6-4
Dec 14	vs Pittsburgh Penguins	Won, 4-3
Dec 15	vs Tampa Bay Lightning	Won, 5-4
Dec 17	vs Anaheim Ducks	Lost, 5-3
Dec 19	vs Calgary Flames	Won, 3-1
Dec 21	at Toronto Maple Leafs	Lost, 6-4
Dec 23	vs New York Islanders	Won, 2-1
Dec 28	at Florida Panthers	Lost, 5-1
Dec 30	at Nashville Predators	Won, 2-0

[Son of Sam99]

Entry: February 1st, 2014

Beggars can’t be choosers I guess. January was another fantastic month; the team went 9-4 with a seven game wining streak stretching back to the end of December. It would have been nice to keep the winning going and end the month stop the conference but in a league with so much parity a month five games over .500 is a success.

I think we’re in a solid position for the playoffs but there’s a lot of hockey to be played of course. February includes the two week Olympic break before a total blitz through March of 14 games.

From the executive’s point of view I absolutely hate the Olympic break. It’s basically sending our best players out to play intense, playoff style hockey right before the push for the playoffs. Injury, fatigue, and losing team chemistry are all risks when these guys go over to Sochi.

That all being said it’s a fantastic spectacle from a fan’s perspective. I wish I could get over there to take in some of the games but it’ll be all hands on deck in the front office throughout those two weeks. Not to mention the Griffins still have four games in that span.
Below is a list of guys headed to Sochi….

- Pavel Datsyuk (Russia)
- Vlad Taresenko (Russia)
- Henrik Zetterberg (Sweden)
- Niklas Kronwall (Sweden)
- Johan Franzen (Sweden)
- Jonas Gustavsson (Sweden)
- Jonathan Ericsson (Sweden)
- Tomas Tatar (Slovakia)
- Tomas Jurco (Slovakia)

[Son of Sam99]

Detroit Red Wings January 2013-14 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Jan 1	vs Toronto Maple Leafs	Won, 1-0
Jan 4	at Dallas Stars	Won, 3-0
Jan 9	at San Jose Sharks	Won, 5-2
Jan 11	at LA Kings	Won, 5-4
Jan 12	at Anaheim Ducks	Won, 4-3
Jan 16	at New York Rangers	Won, 3-2
Jan 18	vs LA Kings	Lost, 3-2
Jan 20	vs St. Louis Blues	Lost, 4-2
Jan 22	vs Chicago Blackhawks	Won, 5-1
Jan 24	vs Montreal Canadiens	Lost, 5-3
Jan 26	vs Florida Panthers	Won, 2-1
Jan 28	at Philadelphia Flyers	Won, 3-0
Jan 31	vs Washington Capitals	Lost, 5-3

[OliDegu2008]

A very impressive month of January!

Keep it up and bring the cup back to Hockeytown!

[Son of Sam99]

Quote: Originally Posted by OliDegu2008

A very impressive month of January! Keep it up and bring the cup back to Hockeytown!

Thank for following man! glad to know I finally have someone reading along!