Bronco Trade Talk

Keep in mind the following is just me jotting down my thoughts and ideas.... :) There are two perspectives below.


Trade deadline anyone?

It's been rather quiet in Swift Current on the issue. The date in question, January 10, is looming. The Broncos have been involved in big deals at the deadline the past few years. That seemed to be a trademark of then GM Dean Chynoweth's, literally.

There are a couple rumours floating around. One has Justin Dowling going to Saskatoon, and the other has Cody Eakin going to Brandon. Personally I would be very surprised if those two players went anywhere. Clubs seldom trade away players they're building around (Eakin) or steady offensive catalysts (Dowling) in that 18-19 range. When it has happened in recent years, the price has been absolutely huge. The Broncos probably won't move either of those two guys because both of them are more than likely to return next season to help the team do some damage. Also teams like Brandon, Saskatoon and Calgary are separating themselves from the pack right now and playing extremely well. Why would they want to sell the farm to gain some offense they might not need? These teams are fine offensively. The Blades might look for a forward to add a couple goals, but they're not going to pay a big price. They'll want to keep winning next year. A team like Brandon will be out for a solid defenseman and the Broncos have none to trade away. You can bet they're fielding a few calls regarding Derek Claffey, but they need him in the worst way.

From another standpoint, some of the above seems possible. This year really isn't the Broncos' year to go a long way in playoffs. They've been fairly inconsistent and young guys are getting a lot of ice time especially on the back end due to the lack of veteran defensemen. The goal is probably to slip into the playoffs as the fifth or sixth seed and see what happens from there. Given those circumstances......Cody Eakin would still be very unlikely to get traded. In order not to be here next year, he has to play in the NHL. Justin Dowling might play pro next season though, so that may open the door for him to get moved at a slightly reduced price. Remember when we thought Dale Weise and Zack Smith were surely coming back as 20 year-olds? The 19 year-old Euro Stepan Novotny could also be a candidate for a Saskatoon or a Spokane depending on the asking price.

Look for the Broncos to make a minor move or two, one perhaps involving one of their two 19 year-old goaltenders.

I guess we'll sit back and see what unfolds!

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There are all kinds of rumblings about Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert being traded. I have no comment. About a month ago, it appeared like Brent Parker was going for it again with all the future they gave up in a few trades. Who knows now? The Pats are 1-9 in their last 10 games. Will they jump ship and start dumping?