With the Jackets down south for the first of seven road games between now and January 13th, an interesting rumor broke on ESPN today.
Claiming that Scott Howson is looking to line up a “large deal” after the NHL’s holiday roster freeze expires, the natural impulse is to wonder what might happen.
Could he declare the Jeff Carter experiment a failure and ship the recent acquisition out to another interested buyer? (Preferably for a return of picks or prospects), or perhaps finally cut ties with Steve Mason?
Could Fedor Tyutin find himself on the move after signing a 6 year deal? Would Howson consider trading Rick Nash if he could get the power forward to agree to waive his no-trade clause?
What constitutes a “large” deal? Just moving Derick Brassard for some goaltending help or another strong d-man might be “large” enough to make a big impact on the ice. Or perhaps he finds a taker for Vinny Prospal to give the veteran a shot at a cup this season while giving the Jackets some help.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes to pass after December 27th.
Meanwhile, tonight, the Jackets have a chance to give their fans one last gift before they go home for the holidays – here’s hoping that Curtis Sanford can regain some of the stellar form he showed the last time he took the ice down in Bridgestone Arena.