So many people fall into the trap of evaluating a trade based solely on which team got the best player. A perfect example of this faulty logic is anyone thinking Vancouver got the best of the trade for Roberto Luongo.
Luongo is undoubtedly the prize catch, but look at what the Canucks gave up. Todd Bertuzzi, who had a "bad" 70-point season in 2005-06, brings a power forward to Florida for the first time in ... well ... ever. And the best part seems to be what people are overlooking with this guy. When he's playing well, he's going to be a mentor for guys like Nathan Horton and Anthony Stewart. If there's one thing Mike Keenan understands, it's the development of kids ... especially power forwards. He did a great job with Bertuzzi the first time and that guy named Thornton in Boston once upon a time. Bryan Allen is a top-four defenseman that seems to be getting overlooked by a lot of analysts, but he's a key piece of the puzzle for the Cats. Alex Auld isn't proven yet, but he sure looked good last season.
This is all well and good, but we haven't even gotten to the potential X-factor: Ed Jovanovski. Yes, that's right. By bringing in Bertuzzi, the Panthers have significantly strengthened their case for landing the former Florida defenseman. When this all shakes out, Jovanovski might be the most important part of the deal ... even though you never saw his name on the transaction wire.
Posted by Brandon Thomas at 6/26/2006 9:45:00 PM |
