THN.com Blog: Peerless Price on our cover

Carey Price is 15-9 with a 2.67 GAA and .914 SP with Montreal this season.

Brian Costello
2008-03-02 10:51:24

Our popular Future Watch issue is now in the hands of The Hockey News subscribers and the first thing the reader sees is our terrific sense of timing.
 
With Cristobal Huet off to Washington and goalie Carey Price now gracing the Montreal Canadiens crease, it’s only fitting Price is gracing our cover.
 
Not that we planned it that way. We fully expected Price to be on a shuttle between Montreal and Hamilton of the American League for the rest of this season and that’s why we had him categorized as a prospect rather than an NHLer. And what a prospect he was.

Sixteen of the 21 scouts we canvassed called him the No. 1 NHL-affiliated prospect in the game.
 
It almost didn’t turn out that way. We start the Future Watch project in early January after scouts have had a chance to poke around most of the primary development ranks and see the top teenagers at the world juniors.
 
Prospects with more than 50 NHL games or those who have clearly made the big leagues – Patrick Kane, Sam Gagner – aren’t part of the top 50 ranking.

In fact, we considered leaving Price off the list because he had played 19 games with the Canadiens and was having an impact. Then they sent him to Hamilton for what looked to be the rest of the season, thus making him a prospect again.
 
So it was no surprise he was at the top of the list of prospects in the eyes of NHL scouts. Phoenix prospect Kyle Turris was a distant second followed by Philadelphia prospect James van Riemsdyk.
 
Even though we were blessed with excellent timing on Price’s ascension into an NHL starter, we were cursed when it came time to showcase him on our pages.

Regrettably, we erred on a couple of Price action shots, putting in his ex-teammate Yann Danis instead. Four other photos of Price in the issue are the real deal, though.
 
LATE TRADE
Hot off the email inbox Friday morning was a trade notice from Ryan Mulcrone of the Columbus Blue Jackets, dated Feb. 28, two full days after the trade deadline.
 
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS ACQUIRE FORWARD NATE DiCASMIRRO FROM PHOENIX COYOTES FOR STEVE GOERTZEN.
 
It’s a deal that’s not going to get either team into the playoffs, but we couldn’t help but wonder how the trade was executed after the deadline. It turns out the explanation is logical.
 
From Ryan Mulcrone: Dear Brian, The trade deadline for AHL players was Feb. 28. Both players are not allowed to be called up to the NHL the rest of this season. Let me know if you have any other questions. All the best, Ryan.
 
I have lots of questions Ryan. Why do people throw their cigarette butts in snow banks? Do they expect them to disappear with the snow? Why do people spit out gum on sidewalks? Don’t they realize it makes a mess?

Brian Costello is The Hockey News’s senior special editions editor and a regular contributor to THN.com. You can read his Top 10 list on Wednesdays and his blog each weekend.

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