RALEIGH -- For the second-straight day at the 2004 Entry Draft, the Ottawa Senators stole some of the thunder of the acquisition of young, unproven players by jettisoning another veteran, established player.
Sunday, the St. Louis Blues were the beneficiaries of Ottawa's largesse, receiving No. 1 goalie Patrick Lalime in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick from the Blues. Saturday, Ottawa traded Czech center Radek Bonk to the Los Angeles Kings for a third-round pick, 77th overall. Bonk was later dealt by the Kings to Montreal, along with backup goalie Cristobal Huet, in exchange for Mathieu Garon and a third-round pick.
"This market's not an easy place to make a deal," said John Muckler, the Ottawa general manager. "We got rid of two salaries we couldn't keep. ... I think we did the smart thing."
Lalime, who led Ottawa to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals just two seasons ago, was deemed expendable after he struggled throughout the 2003-04 season. Lalime went 25-23-7 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage during the past regular season. Then, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Senators dropped a seven-game series to bitter rival Toronto in the
first round. Lalime allowed two questionable goals to Joe Nieuwendyk early in that deciding game to seemingly seal his fate with the Ottawa
franchise.
More Entry Draft coverage:
|
"I think we owed it to Patrick," said Muckler of the trade, stressing
that Lalime would be able to start anew with a different franchise. "Maybe some people won't understand that, but he's a good character guy."
Plus, Ottawa was extremely happy with the play of backup goalie Martin Prusek last season. Minor-league goalie Ray Emery also has been deemed ready to assume major-league duties. Although Muckler refused to confirm it, there has also been rampant speculation that Ottawa is a primary bidder for the services of star goalie Dominik Hasek.
While the Senators are happy with the goaltending picture in their
franchise, the Blues were actively looking to upgrade their netminders.
St. Louis GM Larry Pleau knew that starting goalie Chris Osgood would likely not be back. He was due an option that Pleau had little interest in picking up that part of the contract.
Osgood went 31-25-8 with a 2.24 GAA, but was 1-4 in the playoffs with a 2.51 GAA.
Therefore, it was time to look elsewhere.
First, the team traded with Dallas Friday to land minor-league goalie
Jason Bacashihua. Then, Saturday, the Blues drafted highly rated goaltending prospect Marek Schwarz of the Czech Republic in the first round with the 17th overall pick. Then, Sunday, they landed a proven commodity in Lalime.
He will join backups Reinhard Divis and Curtis Sanford, who both played well in limited roles with the parent club.
"We felt that (goaltending) was something that if we could change, we would," said Pleau. "We have a number of good young goalies and I'd love one of those guys to jump up and be No. 1 for 12 or 13 years, but they are young goalies and might be a few years away. We think Patrick can do that right now."
 |
|
In 41 playoff games, Patrick Lalime has a 1.77 GAA, registering a 21-20 record with five shutouts.
|
Lalime, a sixth-round pick in 1993 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, certainly has the pedigree. He has been with Ottawa since 1999, compiling a 146-100-30 record. Lalime, 30 in July, also played 39 NHL games with Pittsburgh. He has a 1.77 GAA in 41 playoff games, registering a 21-20 record with five shutouts.
Pleau looks at those numbers and sees a potential that overwhelms the goalie's recent struggles.
"I think he's a goaltender that has something to prove," said Pleau. "I like his size. He's played in situations where you know he's going to get better from those experiences. Everybody's probably down on him now and he's got a lot to prove. If I'm him, I look at this as a tremendous opportunity."
In the only other trade announced during Sunday's proceedings, the
Montreal Canadiens traded veteran defenseman Stephan Quintal to the Los Angeles Kings, receiving future considerations in return.
Quintal, an unrestricted free agent come July 1, had three goals and five assists in 73 games last season for the Canadiens. He was injured in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series against Boston and appeared in just four playoff games before the Canadiens were eliminated in the second round by eventual Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay.
Quintal, 33, was Boston's first-round choice, 14th overall, in the 1987 Entry Draft. He played with Boston, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Montreal, the New York Rangers and Chicago before rejoining the Canadiens for the 2001-02 season.
