“It’s a mixed up, mumbled up, shook up world…” Ok, enough about a song about a transvestite…

The Oilers grabbed Nedved from the Rangers. Edmonton can thank Sather for that favour. The Flames aquired Chris Simon today. The Canadiens added Kovalev. The Leafs added Leetch. Bondra went to Ottawa.

What are the small market, Canadian teams doing adding players when they are supposed to be poor, and unable to compete in this market? The coming labour war makes for strange bedfellows. Who would have figured the Rangers would dump $15 million in payroll in a week? Teams with bloated payrolls are cutting, and teams with room under the expected cap are adding.

Could this be a common trend in the new CBA world? Lets hope so. Allowing markets like Calgary, Edmonton and Nashville to improve themselves is only good for the NHL. When all teams can compete for players, the league as a whole benifits.

After last night’s stunning victory at Times Palace (which I happened to attend), the Lightning are currently in the middle of a 7 game winning streak. This goes on top of their 14-game point streak and monumental record since New Years.

Yet tonight is a real test from a real underdog team. After sinking to the Blues in Overtime and facing a scare vs. the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bolts travel south to Sunrise to face Roberto Luongo and ghosts of Tampa Bay’s past in the form of Rick Dudley and company with the Panthers. Luongo has own the Lightning (as has Dudley and co) for the most part this season and unless the Lightning get back to firing on all cylinders, the first loss in quite a while may come at the hands of one of the hottest talents in the NHL in the form of Luongo.

Solve Luongo and the streak continues. The Bolts were able to figure him out a few weeks ago… There’s little question if they could do it again. The true question is — will they?

Damian Cristordero reports in the Times today that the Lightning and Ducks aren’t going to be dealing unless Anaheim falters and is out of the race by Tuesday, and the Lightning either pick up a portion of Vaclav’s signing bonus from this off season along with trading an untouchable prospect…

Chalk that deal up as a big “thanks but no thanks.”

There is still rumblings among the fanbase that the Lightning will bring in top players on D or on O to bolster the team, but I write that speculation up as a form of panic button pushing. It’s the same type of panic-button-[ushing going on with other contending teams when they see the deals other contenders are making as of late.

Fact is, the Lightning have been scoring like gangbusters with the offensive unit they have as is — an upgrade is a luxury and shouldn’t be done at a high cost. The defense, while not full of marquee players, is formidable enough.

Expect minor moves if any from Feaster and a lot of bitching among certain members of the fanbase because — well, it’s a chronic thing they do with trades. They hate them, they thought another player would have been a better fit, they think Feaster is a fool, think Bill Davidson is cheap, the Times Palace is in a rotten location, etc, etc, etc… :rolleyes