The Anaheim Ducks are going to happy to hear this news.
The Kingston Frontenacs, as reported by Kinger on K-Rock 105.7 just now, have given up on this season by trading their leading goal scorer, Josh Brittain, to the Barrie Colts. Two weeks after trotting out Doug Gilmour as the saviour of the franchise, they trade the one player who does the most for their playoff hopes, and don't do anything for the future.
The Fronts also threw in the tough guy with the hands of stone and the heart of gold, Peter Stevens. In return are apparently getting wingers Colton Kennedy and Mitch Lebar and defenceman Brian Lashoff, who's probably the best player coming back, even though he's never lived up to his billing as a first-round pick. (And Kingston is going to save him how?)
It is a head-scratcher, in pure hockey terms. The Frontenacs can't score goals, so they trade the one big-time goal scorer in their lineup and trade him within the Eastern Conference, to a team they still have to play four times this season. As for Stevens, the Frontenacs don't play with a lot of jam, so why dump a heart-and-soul grinder, especially since the only other grinder the team had, overager Kyle Bochek, was dumped just before the season?
Kennedy and Lebar, according to a journo friend who covers the league, are mid-range players at best, and both are on the small side. Kingston has that kind of player in abundance. Remember Justin Levac? He's not bad, but he's not great.
The Brittain situation was been one part soap opera, one part Tall Poppy Syndrome all season long, at least that's how it looks to an ass-talker here in Ottawa (oh, and they would have to trade him when said ass-talker was planning to take in Sunday's Frontenacs vs. Soixante-Septs game at the Civic Centre). GM-for-life Larry Mavety, before stepping aside for the Manchurian candidate, Dougie!, stripped Brittain of the alternate captain's "A" a few weeks ago. Brittain has been bypassed a couple times in penalty shootouts, in one case for a defenceman.
The Ducks, though, are no doubt happy to have this go down, since it gets their 2008 fourth-round draft choice out of a bad situation.
Stevens was also the most popular player on the team. The Fronts certainly don't have a lot of goodwill built up where they can afford to make odd trades. This all comes back to needing to fire GM-for-life Larry Mavety like yesterday -- by the way, it was on the first Wednesday in December of last year that Cory Emmerton was traded to Brampton. Maybe there was a full moon both times.
Meantime, that cheery Doug Gilmour story from a couple weeks ago is fast becoming a dreary Doug Springer story, which anyone with a head could have expected.
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10 comments:
Justin Levac hasn't even been that great with the Voyageurs this season.
What's the over/under on goals against tonight in Belleville?
To be fair, I didn't report it on K-Rock. Big Kris did. I just called in to request the new Burton Cummings single and mentioned it.
Props to Burton Cummings.
"We Just Came From The USA" is an awesome song.
We might as well turn this into the "Tyler still hasn't seen Almost Famous" thread.
"Jim Morrison?"
"I like The Doors."
"He's a drunken buffoon passing himself off as a poet. Give me The Guess Who. They've got the courage to be drunken buffoons, which makes them poetic."
Will anyone credit Larry Mavety for having the courage to trade his best goal-scorer and his team's most popular player for sweet F-all?
Two weeks into the Dougie Gilmour Experiment and the Fronts run up the white flag.
This is a truly unbelievable move. Can't see this going over too well with the few fans the Fronts still have left, although I will miss Pete trying to play forward this season.
Would it be cruel to report the Bulls/Fronts score from tonight?
Duane,
Myself and Kinger follow the Leafs and the Fronts with equal parts fervour and iroic detachment.
You can hit us each in the head with a 2-by-4 and it doesn't knock a tear out of us.
The Bellevilles beat the Kingstons 7-1 tonight. For those scoring at home, the Bulls' Bryan Cameron has 10 goals this season against Kingston; Kingston has eight vs. Belleville. True story.
All told, Cameron's got 38 points this season and 16 have come against the Frontenacs. They should get part of his signing bonus.
I read this article, and for the guy to say that kennedy and lebar are on the small side, id like to have what that guy is smoking!!! he needs to watch them play!!!
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