Trade Period Winding Down
Another winter trade period is winding down, and really no surprise, the Lewiston MAINEiacs have made just one minor move. Par for the course.
MAINEiacs GM & Head Coach Ed Harding was on record in Saturday’s Lewiston Sun Journal that top goaltender Jonathan Bernier and top defenseman Kevin Marshall are going nowhere, which again, is not a huge shocker. The club continues to hang onto assets in hopes of some postseason magic. Heck, it worked last year, right?
This club is different this season, though, and to add in a potential Memorial Cup bid for 2009, no moves in this trade period will likely be the wrong move for the franchise looking ahead… for the rest of this season, and next.
Here’s a look at reality here. This season’s version of the Lewiston MAINEiacs have not lived up to their billing. The unforseen losses of Eric Castonguay, Sebastien Piche and the back-breaking loss of David Perron really put the screws into the season that was the defense of the President’s Cup. If it was known at the draft table in Drummondville that the club would have to endure those subtractions, one would guess that things would have been handled a little differently, but this is junior hockey and as the saying goes, “it happens”.
Knowing this, the team trudges through the year doing the best that Stefano Giliati and Stefan Chaput can carry it, and with the loss of Perron, the team lacks at forward depth in a big way, not only for this year, but next season as well. The Dynamic Duo that have dazzled us for the past three years will surely be gone, as age will take Giliati out and the likely possibility of the AHL is ahead for Chaput. Add to that, Bernier will certainly play for Manchester if not LA next season, and our 20 year olds look like defensemen Tom Michalik and Guillaume Durand. That is all. For a team that is serious about hosting the Holy Grail of junior hockey, which it should because it has a helluva shot at it, one would think that someone in the organization would be a bit concerned about that.
Think about it. May comes and QMJHL Commissioner Gilles Courteau announces that the Lewiston MAINEiacs will host the 2009 Memorial Cup, and the club has no bonafide cash-in forwards, two average defenseman as it’s only overagers, and a goaltender in Peter Delmas who has not lived up to expectations that he set himself last season in Bernier’s absence in the World Junior Championships. All these years of hanging on to players and not moving them could haunt this team in a big way at the draft in Sydney, NS this June. The cost of acquiring much needed bodies then will go through the roof as other teams GM’s lick their chops of the windfall that will come their way. For Lewiston to compete in the Memorial Cup, the club will likely pay for seasons to come.
The buzzword at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee Saturday night was that of, “Why don’t we trade Bernier?” Really, it this simple. Cost.
The deal that sent Brad Marchand to Halifax was the bell weather sign of what it was going to take. A couple bodies, a couple high picks. Add another body with strong upside and another high pick, and that is the likely cost for the services of Bernier. Inquiring GM’s hang up the phone and say “forget it”. Can’t blame them, as most teams can’t afford that. A stud that Bernier is with proven experience, any GM offering less that that could be tagged as being a pinhead.
But the thought of Delmas or a defenseman like Michael Ward being dangled in a deal is one that has intriguing from a couple angles. For one, both have an excellent upside, and could bring value that isn’t ridiculous for teams to afford. A deal involving an 18 and 19 year old forward that can put points on the board seems fair and reasonable, and would help the team this season and next. With forward Jakub Bundil in likely his last season in Lewiston, the chances of getting a good goaltender in the European draft (a la Jaroslav Halak) is a fair bet to fill the hole that Bernier and Delmas leave behind. From there it is a matter of adding veteran offensive depth as three lines worth of role players and grinders are already here.
Chances are though, nothing is going to happen, judging by Harding’s comments to Justin Pelletier of the Sun Journal on Saturday:
“If we’re going to go after a bona fide goal-scorer, what are we willing to give up?” Harding asked rhetorically. “Do we want to give up the young guys, do we want to give up the draft picks? We don’t want to do that. We’re looking at different options, and if there’s something we like, then we’ll make a move on it.”
All that is left to be said on that is better hope Lewiston doesn’t get the Memorial Cup bid with that kind of logic, or else the team might embarass itself on the biggest stage in the league. If your going to host the Memorial Cup, better be in it to win in. If this team is serious about hosting the 2009 tournament, then it should position itself accordingly now and address as many issues as it can before the cost goes years and years down the road.
