The Flyers need to look a little more to their locker room right now. As much as I think Dan Carcillo can play the game, the trading of Scottie Upshall was more damaging to that team's balance than any has probably ever openly stated. He was one of the boys in the band. It was always Hartnell, Carter, Richards, Lupul, and Upshall. He was a dynamic and fun person that kept a lot of the other young stars somewhat honest. I was in the room after he got traded and it was like someone had died. The Flyers were destroyed the next game by Calgary.
Upshall will never be a big scorer and on a playoff team, he's a third line player. But he adds character and energy to his team. He's also the kind of force in the locker room that Don Maloney referenced when he talked about changing the chemistry of the Coyotes at the trade deadline. Some deals are evident by what you see on the ice; other require deeper study. Carcillo for Upshall was one of those deals that's easy to judge. And Upshall is a certainty to be qualified by Don Maloney and signed to a new contract.
As for Danny, I loved his pure energy but he really doesn't have a role on a good team. He's not skilled enough to be a top six forward and he doesn't check well enough to be on a shutdown line. This is one trade where just about everyone agrees that the Coyotes got the best of the bargain.
And in the next few days, we'll be talking about possible additions to the Coyotes roster this summer. One of the names in that conversation will be Joffrey Lupul.
I've always liked Upshall, just one of many players to score their first career goal against the Rangers, on Garden Ice no less...grr.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a good pickup for the 'Yotes. He's a good energy guy, solid young role player. Good move by Maloney.
Keep up the good work, Bob.