There’s been talk, there’s been posturing, and there’s been more hype than it deserves but Peter Forsberg was finally traded tonight from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Nashville Predators for… for…

Just plain, flat out, too friggin’ much.

Yes, you want your team in the best position to make a run at Lord Stanley’s Cup, but you do not compromise the long term viability of the franchise by going for one player who’s status in the league is always at question due to injuries, homesickness and the like.

I like Peter Forsberg, don’t get me wrong, but in the new NHL — Peter isn’t worth this much of an investment.

Alex and Vinny and Marty, oh my!

Alex and Vinny and Marty, oh my!

Game night at Times Palace and as Ski (he of Best Bucs Blog fame) so eloquently stated, it truly is go time in the southeast.

The one lick of credibility the division has lacked since it’s inception has been bonafide playoff contention by a number of teams at one point. Right now 3 are in the hunt and all are grouped near the top of the division. Probably not a first but it’s certainly an unexpected bonus for Bolts fan…

Scoreboard watching in February.

And while we’ll be paying close attention to things on ice with the Thrashers, Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, what we really have to look at is what Don Waddle, Jay Feaster and Jim Rutherford do to put their teams over the top… Waddle specifically is in a bind with the last two Stanley Cup champions on his teams heels riow.

Of course, this rambles past the main draw for tonights game, and I will leave you with exactly what I started this post with….

Alex and Vinny and Marty, oh my!

Alex and Vinny and Marty, oh my!

Thanks to Oiler at the Sportsfrog for bringing the Bolts recent run to my attention. The Bolts have won 13 of their past 16 games, and the only hotter team in the NHL are the Penguins (11-0-2). During this stretch the Bolts have moved past Stanley Cup Champion Carolina, and are only three points behind Atlanta for the division lead.

During their run, the Bolts have been led by Lecavalier, who also leads the NHL in goals scored (37). Not a whole lot of Bolts games are broadcast up here in Northern Virginia so I can’t tell what Vinny is doing different but it’s nice to see him live up to the high expectations that were placed on him when he was drafted. I’ve always believed Vinny to be the most talented scorer on the Bolts (even more so than St Louis) because of his unique blend of size, speed and puck handling.

The only other player I’ve watched in person who reminds me of Vinny is Alexander Ovechkin, who is the second leading goal scorer in the NHL (34) and draws little number eight people on his sticks. Which conveniently allows me to mention that Ovechkin and the Caps are coming to Tampa tonight.

Starting tonight the Bolts begin a four game stretch against division rivals, which ends in a week against division leading Atlanta. If the Bolts continue playing lights out they can take the division lead from Atlanta, and move up from the #6 seed in the East to the #3 seed. Which means it’s go time for the Bolts.