The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

February 27, 2007 is the NHL trade deadline. Past seasons usually had a floodgate of trading activity to buyers & sellers who are looking to rebuild for the future or compete now for the Stanley Cup. But last year, the trades trickled in, and no blockbusters were done. The salary cap era has made it more & more difficult for teams to do player exchanges, and this year I don't think will be much different.

The Senators acquired Mike Comrie after the loss of Spezza & Fisher due to injury, and it may very well be their last transaction of the season. The Sens have a solid roster and they should do fine without any more moves, but many have proposed that one piece of the puzzle remains, and that piece is Gary Roberts.

Roberts was a major reason why the Sens were unable to overcome the Toronto Maple Leafs in past playoff encounters, as his solid work ethic, grit and leadership rubbed off on his teammates and brought them victory. He has experience too, playing in about 20 seasons in the NHL and winning a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames. No team looks forward to playing against him, so why not put him on your roster and make your opponents feel a little more nervous?

GM John Muckler will have to adjust his philosophy of "adding without subtraction" because there will be many bidders for his services. A young player like Patrick Eaves, Chris Kelly or Antoine Vermette packaged with a draft pick and/or prospect Brian Lee will likely be the cost. Seem high? Maybe. But do you want to win Lord Stanley or not? The Sens only have one Cup winner on their team, that being backup goalie Martin Gerber. A player with proven leadership like Roberts could fill that void. It would be an excellent way of management telling the Senators' players they believe they have a winner and they are giving them the tools they need to win it all. The energy he could bring to the locker room would be off the charts.

I'll tell you another thing: Acquiring Roberts would plunge a dagger into the heart of every Leafs fan out there. And maybe for that reason alone, it would be worth it.