Monday, June 04, 2007

Bosom Buddies

How awkward do they look here? Not only did Backstrom play better than Manny this year (injuries aside), he's a much snappier dresser. Only a finnish goalie (or maybe Pavol) could look good in a purple tie.

Word has it Wild management is stepping up negotiations with Niklas Backstrom, signalling the beginning of the end for Manny Fernandez. Where Manny will end up is anyone's guess, but here's hoping they're able to land a player (preferably someone with some size) instead of just a high draft pick. In Eklund-like fashion here are my chances where I'm hearing Manny ends up:

Phoenix -- 30%
Tampa -- 30%
Minny -- 15%
Montreal -- 10%
Los Angeles -- 10%
Moose Jaw -- 5%

Personally I hope they sign Backstrom to a 2 year contract for around $3m per year, trade Fernandez for a banger and have Josh Harding take over as the No. 1 goalie 2 years from now. While Harding hasn't been tested much, I've liked what I've seen so far.

1 comment:

slinger said...

Interesting take, I can't really disagree with your thinking. They've signed a couple of physical players from what I can tell. A trade for another physical established player, would be outstanding.