Friday: Michal the Islander

TGIF

Two words do describe Halifax at the moment...sporadic weather. Oh well, that's expected!

Trade Deadline went very well for most teams! There were no deals that really made me say "Oh what was the GM thinking!?" That being said there were clear winners and losers, which as you guessed, I am going to list those.

Top 5 list, go!

1. New York Islanders getting Michal Neuvirth!

photo from ca.sports.yahoo.com

I'll say it as many times as I can, but I was so wrong about the Islanders. i thought this team was going for McDavid and then would get better, and was very skeptical of Leddy & Boychuk making this team a competitor....HOLY CRAP WAS I WRONG. The Isles had one flaw...Chad Johnson, who, I won't say was awful for them, but was not a suitable back up to All Star Jaroslav Halak, who has had to stand on his head. Neuvirth is the exact opposite of Johnson, playing for an awful team, but playing well. Now, Neuvirth has a chance to make a cup run, while Johnson can help the Sabres tank and start over next year.

2. Detroit Adds Depth on Defence

photo from nydailynews.com

Marek Zidlicky is not a star defenceman, but is one who plays well! He was on a team that did not need him and goes to one that has surpassed my expectations by far. I could see the Wings making a solid playoff run and a top Eastern conference rank, despite goalie injuries and an unproven cast of former Griffins. Zidlicky adds to an already strong Red Wings defence, and experience.

3. Jagr & Heatley move to Florida

photo from thehockeynews.com

The Panthers are having an amazing season, given having the #1 pick last season, and taking advantage of a weak Bruins team, only 2 points out of a playoff spot. If the Red Wings had unproven players, the Florida had double. This team is so young the only position with multiple players over 30 appears to goaltending. Jagr is still productive, even for being 90 in hockey years, and can give players like Huberdeau, Barkov and such. Heatley can do the same, and maybe be productive in the short term. In either case, I may buy a Panthers jersey!

4. Watch out for the Wild...

photo from o.canada.com

Devin Dubnyk needs no introduction, he has Vezina numbers this season and is a possible award winner, yes, the same Dubnyk the Oilers gave up on. That being said, Chris Stewart, and Jordan Leopold are solid pick ups for a team most thought was done a month and a half ago. The Wild could make a charge, and these two players only help that case.

5. The Leafs somehow got rid of David Clarkson & Olli Jokinen

Photo from rantsports.com

Yes, the Leafs had to take Nathan Horton, who's career is sadly likely over, but trading David Clarkson was no easy task. This guy ate up a lot of cap space and was not a productive member, even experience wise on a team who gave up a lot to get him. The Leafs also had to now deal with Olli Jokinen, who while can be a decent rental player on occasion, did not mesh well in Nashville and played washed up. The Leafs dumped him on a competitive team in the Blues (who didn't need Chris Stewart and were willing to walk away from him) and got a decent AHLer back and a draft pick.

Any deadline trades you like? Mention them in the comments!

COTW voting ends tonight, don't forget to send that it!
Also ending tonight, the Stadium Series Comp. voting phase.


On to the concepts!

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Stadium Series Concept (By: Dallas O.)

This match up is bound to happen outdoors at some point (maybe when both teams are competitive again like they were 15 years ago), and the possibilities of what the teams could wear range. The Sens jersey has a fauxback feel to it, combing both the original and modern sense. I would have chosen one era however, since there is far too much vintage white and chest striping compared to the one modern element, the logo. The Leafs jersey is too...simple for anything other than a fan jersey. The striping looks great, but the lack of any logo really hurts it, especially since this is a Stadium Series game. Execution not, the numbers are far too big, and the white outline looks awkward on the Sens jersey. If you're doing a single numbers on the arms, divide it in half, otherwise it'll look like 99. (5.75/10)

Stadium Series Concept (By: Jamie R.)

This game would have been incredible in 1996, but even now, this is going to be a hell of a game! The Red Wings jersey looks incredible! It's hard to think the Wings wearing anything "Stadium Seriesy" but this would satisfy both modern lovers and throwback purists. The Avs jersey look scent, but I'd like something different from last year's template. Watch the white outline on the Avs logo. (7.5/10)

Indiana Hoosiers NCAA Concepts (By: David P.)

Indiana is more well known for Basketball, but their hockey program exists, even though their jerseys have ranged from Leafs ripoffs to Coyotes copies. The first set looks very similar to the Black Hawks/Sabres/Leafs, but it also looks like their basketball jerseys, a nice connection. The other set is beautiful, and would be great for inter B10 games. Great execution! (9/10)

Stadium Series Concept (By: John E.)

Another game that would have been great in the late 90's, both teams had pretty decent looks fans are becoming slowly nostalgic before. Not sure if this qualifies as a fauxback, but both jerseys have their ups and downs. The Caps jersey looks great, with bronze used perfectly to compliment the black & blue, looks simple and fits any era. The Weagle logo looks solid! The Sabres jersey also looks good, but the Buff-a-slug logo confuses me. The Goathead logo wasn't great, but how awesome would it be to see the crossed swords logo again? Nice touch with the knit hats! (8.5/10)

Team USA Concept (By: Daniel L.)

I think Daniel L. is a huge soccer fan, since most of his concepts involve crossing over soccer & hockey, line in this design for the World Cup of Hockey. The altered logo is from USA soccer, and looks pretty solid in hockey form. The real beauty on this concept lies in the sublimated striping, it looks absolutely amazing, especially on the white jersey's hem! The red arms have too visible sublimated stripes, and would look better if they were subtle. (8.25/10)

Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Concepts (By: Zach W.)

Zach W. has made some improvements to his concepts since joining the HJC community, and now he's switched to a new template. Anytime you switch templates, it's going to take time to adjust, so I won't rip Zach on the execution too much. The jerseys are simple and would looks pretty decent, again being the execution.  The white jersey would look better with blue stripes and red accents, but keep the numbers red to match the bird. the blue jersey would also look better with red as the main colour or making the numbers red, one or the other. The numbers on the back are far too big, and the hem strip looks like a pair of underwear. Either choose a curved stripe of straight, not both. The concept could also benefit from a shoulder patch and some gear to take up the empty space on the concept. (5/10)

Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Concept (By: Zach W.)

I agree 100% Kansas should have a basketball inspired jersey, since the school is most years a powerhouse and has a proud history. The jersey itself is very simple, but the section errors from the previous jerseys continue over with the hem stripe and numbers, though on this concept, there are no tv numbers. When making a cross over like this, numbers on the front would help a lot of a little something else. Shoulder patches? (5/10)

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That's the post!

Don't forget to get your votes in before midnight!

Have an awesome weekend.

Go Jets go!