Schafer to Boston for Sean Donovan ?

[Ginker]

Team 1200 reporting that nhl.com shows Schafer as a Bruin on there roster and Donovan as a Senator.

[LBH]

Just checked - Donovan is not listed as a Bruin but Schaefer is still a Sen

[Ginker]

Hmm.. They are talking to Spezza now on the team.. he hasn't heard anything.

[rezadue]

From Eklund's hockeybuzz.com:

There is a rumour swirling around this morning that Ottawa Senator Peter Schaefer has been traded to Boston for Shean Donovan and a prospect/pick. I am looking into getting confirmation now...

[Sensgirl]

Done Deal, it has now been confirmed.

[3Jack]

I like it.

[Bullet]

Not sure I like that deal....must read up about Donovan to find out more. I know that he's a decent player but I liked Schaefer

[Ginker]

Donovan is solid! and a lot cheaper.. Frees up over a million in cap space.. Maybe if they could have got this done sooner Emery would be signed..

Donovan is live on the team1200 right now.

[3Jack]

I liked Schaefer too, but, he didn't have a great year, and wasn't great in the playoffs. Donovan was great with Calgary when they went to game seven of the cup final against Tampa. I think Donovan makes us a better playoff team, and he frees up some cap room.

[spackler]

Donovan is pretty fast, will be good on the PK. Schaeffer had a pretty fat contract and was a chronic underachiever. That's not to say that he wasn't a decent player, just not getting the most out of what he has. They really have to bolster that second line though, Donovan sure won't play there.

[Golfer_Gofer]

donovan is fighting knee problems from last season and he's 2 years older...donovan has probably already had his best season with the flames where a lot say schaeffer is still looking for his best fit.... we shall see how the season unfolds...but in the grande scheme of things this is a nothing trade... 1 puck bag for a roll of tape if u ask me.

[davevandyk]

From Eklund's hockeybuzz.com:

There is a rumour swirling around this morning that Ottawa Senator Peter Schaefer has been traded to Boston for Shean Donovan and a prospect/pick. I am looking into getting confirmation now...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOO!

Donovan is a UFA next year and makes just under a million, while Schaefer is signed til 09/10 and making about 2.1 million. Schaefer is about a 1/2point per game player, while Donovan is a 1/4point per game player and is 2years older than Schaefer. Gotta say i HATE this trade, Donovan has only had more than 40points once in his career.

The only way i will admit this is a decent trade, is if this is simply a move to make cash to either sign Heatley now for long-term, or to have the extra 2 million next summer to sign him, although Murray is smart enough to do everything in his power to sign him NOW!

[Indio]

Murray is no idiot, he knows what he is doing..... I don't think letting Shaffer go is a big deal, yes he was a grinder but he was also an underachiever. He may do better in Boston out of the limelight. If Murray picked up someone who is a UFA next year, then he is just setting things up to better his team by dumping the overpriced players that just aren't contributing at key times. I am convinced you will see Gerber move somewhere, even if they have to eat some of his salary.

[Txxxxxxx]

Not a very good "improvement" move if you ask me. Schaefer was probably the best Sen at grinding along the boards. He may not have had 50 goals, but he created A LOT of chances by winning the battles in the corners and along the boards.

[davevandyk]

Not a very good "improvement" move if you ask me. Schaefer was probably the best Sen at grinding along the boards. He may not have had 50 goals, but he created A LOT of chances by winning the battles in the corners and along the boards.

i agree!

[Shivas Irons]

Not a very good "improvement" move if you ask me.

It is an improvement from a payroll standpoint, and will free up some cap space to sign Emery. You also have to think that Murray is looking forward to next year when he needs to do something with Heatley & Spezza.
Schafer was not worth the money he was being paid & was one of the least popular players among his teammates. I like this trade.

[Txxxxxxx]

It is an improvement from a payroll standpoint, and will free up some cap space to sign Emery. You also have to think that Murray is looking forward to next year when he needs to do something with Heatley & Spezza.
Schafer was not worth the money he was being paid & was one of the least popular players among his teammates. I like this trade.

I could think of about 5 other players that I'd let go to free cap space before Schaefer.

[Txxxxxxx]

OR...Why did they not go after Matt Cullen? He's A LOT better player than Donovan and the Hurricanes just got him for a bag of pucks basically.

[Shivas Irons]

I could think of about 5 other players that I'd let go to free cap space before Schaefer.

Such as?

[Txxxxxxx]

Such as?

Such as Redden, Gerber, Corvo, Eaves, Meszaros, Kelly.

Gerber and Redden alone are taking up a huge chunk of the salary cap, and it's obvious this was a cap move, or that Schaefer really didn't want to play in Ottawa.

Corvo and Meszaros are decent offensively, but they are a liability when it comes to defensive play.

The Redden and Meszaros tandem can be faulted for almost all the playoff losses this year, along with many regular season losses. It's a team game, but when you are on the ice on defense for as many goals the two of them were in the playoffs, that last line of defense is just about as good as two pilons.

Kelly played decent this year with Alfredsson, but you have to think about this, he never looked good until he played with a top notch player. You have to realize that top players make average and even below average players look good.

Eaves is a fourth line player at best, but he does not have the size to be. He has grit, but he'd be better off in the AHL.

Eaves and Kelly are not paid a whole lot of money, but neither was Schaefer to tell you the truth for what he brought to the team. He was never, and never expected to be a goal scorer. I'd say 50 and 47 points in the last two seasons is pretty decent considering most of the scoring came from the first line, not to mention, it's not like he was playing alongside goal scorers in the first place.

[sensfan63]

Such as Redden, Gerber, Corvo, Eaves, Meszaros, Kelly.

The Redden and Meszaros tandem can be faulted for almost all the playoff losses this year, along with many regular season losses. It's a team game, but when you are on the ice on defense for as many goals the two of them were in the playoffs, that last line of defense is just about as good as two pilons.
.

Redden and Meszaros played NINE STRAIGHT games in the playoffs without allowing a goal...sure they looked bad against Anaheim, but so did everybody else.

As far as Schaefer goes, he never hit the net with his shots because of the dumbass curve on his stick...and yeah he did good board work, but this frees up Vermette to move into the top 6, and you have to agree that that's a good move.

If you don't like Chris Kelly on this team...well, you're just not very smart.

[davevandyk]

Such as Redden, Gerber, Corvo, Eaves, Meszaros, Kelly.

Gerber and Redden alone are taking up a huge chunk of the salary cap, and it's obvious this was a cap move, or that Schaefer really didn't want to play in Ottawa.

Corvo and Meszaros are decent offensively, but they are a liability when it comes to defensive play.

The Redden and Meszaros tandem can be faulted for almost all the playoff losses this year, along with many regular season losses. It's a team game, but when you are on the ice on defense for as many goals the two of them were in the playoffs, that last line of defense is just about as good as two pilons.

Kelly played decent this year with Alfredsson, but you have to think about this, he never looked good until he played with a top notch player. You have to realize that top players make average and even below average players look good.

Eaves is a fourth line player at best, but he does not have the size to be. He has grit, but he'd be better off in the AHL.

Eaves and Kelly are not paid a whole lot of money, but neither was Schaefer to tell you the truth for what he brought to the team. He was never, and never expected to be a goal scorer. I'd say 50 and 47 points in the last two seasons is pretty decent considering most of the scoring came from the first line, not to mention, it's not like he was playing alongside goal scorers in the first place.

I think its pretty easy to look at Redden/Mes and say they lost them the games if you simply look at the numbers. But if you actually think about it, they had to face Crosby's line in the 1st round, Gomez's line in the 2nd round, Briere's line in the 3rd round, then finally Selanne's line in the finals. You tell me one defensive pair that would have good numbers against those 4 lines? If you say that are responsible for almost all of the playoff loses, then i would say they are responsible for all of the wins, as they shut down some great lines in the first 3 rounds for 12 of 15 games.

[Txxxxxxx]

Redden and Meszaros played NINE STRAIGHT games in the playoffs without allowing a goal...sure they looked bad against Anaheim, but so did everybody else.

As far as Schaefer goes, he never hit the net with his shots because of the dumbass curve on his stick...and yeah he did good board work, but this frees up Vermette to move into the top 6, and you have to agree that that's a good move.

If you don't like Chris Kelly on this team...well, you're just not very smart.

Redden and Meszaros are both defensive liabilites. They looked like tools out there in the Playoffs. There's no way anyone is going to tell me that they only looked bad in the Anaheim series. Even if that's your opinion, Redden is the top paid player on the team, and if Meszaros could play during the regular season, what happened when it counts?

The Sens are trying to win a Cup. Finishing on top in the East or having a great season doesn't mean very much if you can't make it happen in the playoffs.

Trading Schaefer for Donovan is not going to make the team any better. In my opinion, they are losing a player who can create offensive chances and keep the play alive, much like he has done in the past two seasons. 97 points in two seasons is pretty damn good if you ask me.

[Txxxxxxx]

I think its pretty easy to look at Redden/Mes and say they lost them the games if you simply look at the numbers. But if you actually think about it, they had to face Crosby's line in the 1st round, Gomez's line in the 2nd round, Briere's line in the 3rd round, then finally Selanne's line in the finals. You tell me one defensive pair that would have good numbers against those 4 lines? If you say that are responsible for almost all of the playoff loses, then i would say they are responsible for all of the wins, as they shut down some great lines in the first 3 rounds for 12 of 15 games.

Why were the Edmonton Oilers able to shut down Anaheim the year before then? They didn't change much as far as players go with the exception of Pronger, who was out one of the 4 games Anaheim beat Ottawa.

The fact that Edmonton shut down top scoring teams in the West to make it to the Finals last season just goes to show you that without defensive liabilities in your last line of defense, makes a huge difference even when you're not scoring a ton of goals. Roloson played well, but the Edmonton defense blocked more shots than what actually made it to Roloson.

When your guys on the point are defensive liabilities like Redden, Meszaros, and Corvo, you're not going to win the Cup. Sure those guys might be great on the power play or able to move the puck, but that doesn't do you any good when you're letting guys walk around you.

As for Selanne's line in the Finals....Moen and Perry were not on the top line and they were the ones who scored most of the goals in that series.

[Hacker]

Let's not forget that Donovan has played for Team Canada and he's a local boy to boot.........I like this move.

[davevandyk]

Why were the Edmonton Oilers able to shut down Anaheim the year before then? They didn't change much as far as players go with the exception of Pronger, who was out one of the 4 games Anaheim beat Ottawa.

The fact that Edmonton shut down top scoring teams in the West to make it to the Finals last season just goes to show you that without defensive liabilities in your last line of defense, makes a huge difference even when you're not scoring a ton of goals. Roloson played well, but the Edmonton defense blocked more shots than what actually made it to Roloson.

When your guys on the point are defensive liabilities like Redden, Meszaros, and Corvo, you're not going to win the Cup. Sure those guys might be great on the power play or able to move the puck, but that doesn't do you any good when you're letting guys walk around you.

As for Selanne's line in the Finals....Moen and Perry were not on the top line and they were the ones who scored most of the goals in that series.

You just answered the question, the Oilers had Pronger. That's like saying the only difference between the Lakers from one year to the next is having/not having Shaq! Pronger is a beast. I just don't understand how you can say that half of the team's defensive line-up was a liability and yet they made it to the final and had a play-off record of 13-7. How do you say a team can win 3 rounds with 1/2 their defense being a liability.

Look at stats, which i know can be misleading but to say that they were liabilities, Redden was a +6, Corvo a +4, Mes a +5 in the playoffs. Conversely, Neidermayer was a +2, Pronger a +10, and Beauchemin was +2. Not a huge difference, Ottawa's 3 were +15, Anaheim's were +14. All 3 of these guys were in the top 12 of playoff +/- for defensemen.

[3Jack]

Bottom line here is the Edmonton Golfer doesn't like any move the Sens make, and doen't hold Redden and Mezaros in high regard. Nothing we counterpoint to his opinions will make him think otherwise.

[larry]

Schaefer wanted out of Ottawa and asked to be traded a couple of times last year. He didn't see himself as a third line player. He was a valuable player to have on the team (even if he couldn't hit the net) and the Sens are going to be weaker without him. In the end, it was a move to save money. The Sens are going to have to find a truck load of money to hold on to their big names.

[jeffc]

Such as Redden, Gerber, Corvo, Eaves, Meszaros, Kelly.

you think Murray isn't trying to move Redden, Gerver and Corvo? He is but it isn't that simple.

Eaves Mezaros and Kelly are staying put. they make way less that Schaefer and are decent young talent. Mezaros will be a 1-2 defenceman in a few years.

[harbacostal]

Schaefer never recovered from the crippling hit he put on Conolly. Something about that hit took the edge off of Schaefer's game. He used to be a fearsome open ice hitter...those days are gone for sure.

Donovan is a fairly big guy with more speed than most everyone in the league. He seems like a great guy and a real team player. He kills penalties, and will never be a distraction in the room.