Daily Rumour Analysis: The CBA as a Chilling Force on Trades

Following a Tuesday that had plenty of rumours and action, Wednesday is slow. Spector has noted that the Red Wings don’t have interest in Mathieu Schneider for salary reasons, but past this tidbit, there is precious little else to talk about.

The Flyers are not going to acquire Minnesota backup Josh Harding, the Blues don’t want to trade their young guys and Tomas Kaberle MIGHT get moved this summer. In other words; same old, same old.

I keep hearing from the papers and other sources that it is just too hard to make trades these days. Despite the fact that trades do occur, it seems to me that the CBA has become both a hindrance and a convenient excuse for GM’s not to make a deal. In much the same way the that neutral-zone trap allowed coaches to control scoring and thus remain employed, is the CBA also giving GM’s a comfort zone from which they can safely collect a paycheque?

I don’t have any evidence that this is the case, but the fact that I keep hearing this same excuse over and over. Granted, I can imagine teams are reluctant to take on salary and most teams realize that trades are just an exchange of guys the other team can’t use any more. However, there is ample evidence to suggest that trades can and do help both teams and players. They can be a wakeup call to underachieving players, and the change in chemistry sometimes provides a much needed spark.

The old saying tells us “nothing ventured, nothing gained”. That may be true, but the new one should say “don’t make waves and maybe I will keep my job for one more season”. There have been some awful trades made in hockey history, and some GM’s deservedly lost their jobs. Mike Milbury alone has traded away a veritable all-star team’s worth of talent. Most of those trades couldn’t be made today, as the minor salary dumps and swapping of AHL’ers rarely catches anyone’s attention, and certainly doesn’t do much to attract the wrath of upper management.

The CBA’s cooling effect has created a crop of GM’s who are more secure in their positions than a French civil servant. As an owner, do you not want to employ someone bold enough to recognize team weaknesses and make moves to counter them? Scott Howson and George McPhee, citing the most recent example, saw an opportunity and seized it. It might turn out to be a bad move for one or both of them, but at least they tried. No one ever got ahead by sitting on their hands, and this column applauds them for making a move.

Let’s hear your thoughts about the no-trade zone in the comments.