Leaving Town

From TSN.ca this morning (hat-tip to Mirtle):

The Vancouver Canucks are one of three teams in the running for veteran defenseman, Dan Boyle.

Sources tell TSN the Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers are the three teams Boyle is considering, however he has yet to waive his no-trade clause to clear the way for a trade.

The belief is Boyle will consent to trade at some point today and will select the team of his choice, however until he officially waives his no-trade, there is always a chance the Lightning's efforts to move him may be scuttled.

The New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators were also heavily involved in trade discussions with Tampa management, however sources say financially, Boyle's 6 year, 40 million dollar contract extension was too much for the Senators to take on.

The asking price for Boyle is said to include a young NHL roster player, a prospect and a 1st round draft pick.

Boyle, seen above playing the tough minutes against noted scorer J-F Jacques, is a really nice offensive defenseman who has the following short-comings:

a) He doesn't play tough minutes
b) He is small
c) He is coming off serious injury
d) His contract pays him boatloads of money for a long, long time

Plus, if you throw Vancouver in the mix, there's two more:

e) He doesn't really address a major team need
f) If he's in, Kevin Bieksa is likely out

Therefore, as a fan of the Edmonton Oilers, one of the things that would make me absolutely ecstatic would be to see the Canucks trade Tampa Bay a package consisting of something like Bieksa, 1st rounder/Raymond/Schneider, junk prospect/4th round pick.

Sincerely, the best of luck to Mike Gillis in his pursuit of Dan Boyle.

Near-instant Update: TSN says that San Jose has acquired Boyle and Brad Lukowich for Matt Carle, 1st and 4th round picks, and an unnamed prospect. Stupid San Jose, wrecking my plans for Vancouver…

Anyways, the above caveats still apply, but this is a better deal for the Sharks than the Canucks. It goes without saying that it’s a really good deal for Tampa Bay, although the whole "sign a guy, four months later quash rumours he’s going to be dealt by assuring him he’s a big part of the team, one week later ask him nicely to waive his NTC and move to the west coast" thing is yet one more reason to view the new ownership group with incredulity. Dance for us, Jay Feaster, dance!