Friday, February 16, 2007

Forsberg joins the litter


The Peter Forsberg sweepstakes have come to an end, the Flyers traded the injury prone Forsberg to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, sending him from the ahem doghouse, to the cathouse.

Forsberg will bolster the scoring touch of the Preds who seem quite serious on making this the year of the Cat in the NHL. Nashville is entering uncharted territory for their franchise, a serious contender and perhaps a favorite to come out of the West in the quest for the Stanley Cup.

Forsberg trades addresses with two players, winger Scottie Upshall and defenseman Ryan Parent, while the Preds also gave up a first-round pick and a third-round pick. The Swede will join a Predator team that has been playing some very successful and entertaining hockey of late, holding down first place in the Western Conference, seven points ahead of their nearest rival the Anaheim Ducks.

Acquiring Forsberg provided two benefits for the Predators, they of course gain some more scoring touch for their own team and more importantly kept him away from the three teams that could give them the most trouble in the playoffs.

For Forsberg it will be a chance to return to form and make the most of the rest of the season, he played out the year in Philly occasionally on the sidelines suffering a foot problem, just the latest of injuries in his star crossed NHL career. If there’s a malady to be had by a hockey player, ask Peter he’ll probably be able to tell the tale from diagnosis to treatment.

If he remains healthy he will provide the Nashville collective with some added punch to their offence, he will also add some zip to his status as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. However, he has mentioned from time to time this season that he may just retire at the end of the year, so this may be last shot at a final Stanley Cup in the NHL.

For now he’s a rental player, a hired gun brought in just before the February 27th trading deadline, one of the most recognized of names in the game at the moment. He might be the BIG NAME of the trading season, arriving a week and a half before the deadline.

His arrival in Nashville may move a few dominoes in the West as the GM”s of the other would be contenders reassess their plans and try to find that one piece to the puzzle that will push them towards Stanley as well.

No comments: