Last night the New Jersey Devils visited the Vancouver Canucks.
While most fans in Vancouver are accustomed to seeing one of Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider in nets. Tuesday night, they were able to see both at the same time.
During the NHL entry draft last season, each team made a splash. The Devils dealt the 9th overall selection to Vancouver in exchange for Cory Schneider. Many speculated that Luongo would be the one shipped out. He was admittedly surprised when his name was not the one called to leave town.
Never the less, the NHL is still a business and managers must act accordingly in what they believe is in the best interest of their clubs.
For the Devils, they acquired the heir to the Hall of Fame bound Brodeur. And the Canucks...they acquired a top ten selection and drafted center Bo Horvat.
For many years fans of each franchise will wonder what could have been.
On the Vancouver side, will Luongo remain on top of his game and help the Canucks make the most of their seemingly closing window of opportunity to win a Stanley cup? Will Horvat become a top-6 forward for them worthy of trading away their "goaltender of the future"?
As for the Devils, they have their heir apparent now, but wil Schneider fill in the void that will be left when Brodeur decides to hang up the skates? Or should they have drafted a blue chip prospect to help bolster an aging roster, currently the oldest in the league?
Right now, it is impossible to gauge who won the deal.
For Montreal Canadiens fans, this scenario can be compared to the Eller/Halak trade with St-Louis. A forward prospect in exchange for a goalie who had just gotten his team to a conference final. Right now, Montreal is quite content with how Eller is playing, and St-Louis is also happy with Halak, despite his inability to remain healthy. It would appear as though it was a win-win using hindsight.
Although many deals in the NHL typically favor one side. It would be nice to see another deal work out in each clubs best interest. This particular deal does have the pieces to make that a possibility.
(Photo Courtesy of Vancouver Sun)
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