By JIMMY D / Price is right: Jimmy grabs Habs goalie | Jimmy's archive

What a difference a day makes.

Last Tuesday morning, neither Carey Price nor Mike Smith were owned in Jimmy’s admittedly shallow NHL head-to-head league.

By Tuesday afternoon, Jimmy had scooped both of them off waivers.
That’s the sudden fantasy impact that comes when NHL trade deadline day hits each year.

Price, whom Jimmy had watched stone his Flyers in Montreal two weeks back, got the starter’s job when the Habs strangely peddled Cristobal Huet to the Capitals.

Strange because it leaves the Habs with no veteran presence in net, just as they rise to the top of the Eastern Conference standings and strange because the Caps have Olaf Kolzig manning the pipes.

It would be different if the Habs got a nice return on the Huet trade, a veteran to help the playoff push or a prospect for the farm. But just a second rounder? Isn’t it worth a second rounder to have a proven starter for the stretch run?

And what a mess it creates in Washington with two veteran keepers, both starters and both unrestricted free agents on July 1.

Regardless, these decisions are made by folks supposedly much smarter than Jimmy D, so we have to presume there is a method to the madness.
It was a different sort of trade that moved Smith, long regarded as starter material but long buried behind Marty Turco in Big D, to Tampa Bay.

As we all know, Brad Richards and his huge salary went west along with erratic keeper Johan Holmqvist (trust me, he was on Jimmy’s roster most of the season) in exchange for Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern and a pick.

Smith quickly got into three games last week, winning once. You have to think he’s the guy long-term there if he was the centerpiece in a deal for Richards.
There were other moves that affected Jimmy’s roster last Tuesday. Vinny Prospal going back to Philly was a mixed blessing. He no longer rides shotgun with Vinny Lecavalier but hopped immediately on the top line with the depleted Flyers.

After picking up Price and Smith and with an empty defenceman slot on his roster, Jimmy dropped Huet – where he was quickly snapped up by a hungry Cape Breton Cougar. And Huet proceeded to earn a road shutout in his first game.

Deadline Day is not a day to sit back and watch. You have to be managing the trades and making roster moves before your competitors catch on. You snooze, you lose.

Playoff predictions

Jimmy is already on record from months ago predicting the Ducks will fly to a second straight Cup. But what about the playoff hunt?

With so many teams on the cusp of the post-season, something’s gotta give. Among the playoff teams as of Monday, Jimmy predicts neither the Canucks nor Bruins will be there in April.

Vancouver has been struggling and Roberto Luongo doesn’t seem to be snapping out of his funk. The Canucks visit Colorado tonight in what could be Peter Forsberg’s first game back in an Avs jersey. Jimmy had been ready to predict the Blue Jackets would make it in, but losing the steadying influence of Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov on Deadline Day will keep them out.

I would be fading any Blue Jacket players on your roster. Among their next eight games, they play surging Calgary twice and reviving Detroit three times.
Expect Chicago to make a late charge, nudging Phoenix, Vancouver and Nashville for the final spot.

In the East, we’re still not sure how the Bruins have sustained a playoff spot, but don’t expect it to sustain itself much longer. The Beantowners have won six in a row and enjoy a soft schedule this week, but that blueline won’t hold up and Tim Thomas can’t keep stopping every shot every game.

The Islanders have hit the skids after an impressive surge and we don’t see the Sabres sneaking in either. The Flyers will hang onto one of the final spots and aforementioned Washington is going to grab the eighth spot.

Apologies to all the delusional Leaf fans who point to their impressive post-trade-deadline week and proclaim them playoff-bound.

Leaf dudes – look at your roster.

Leaf dudes – you should be playing for a lottery pick, not a chance to get swept in the first round.

Happy Birthday, JimmyD

Jimmy D’s column turns four today. For fun, he has posted up his very first column from March 2, 2004 up on the front page here. Check it out while you stay busy watching spring training.

jpoole@herald.ca