The acquisition of Keith Tkachuk by the Thrashers was a ballsy move by Atlanta. They gave up alot of their future for Tkachuk: a 1st and a 3rd round pick in 2007, a 2nd round pick in 2008, and Glen Metropolit. If Tkachuk signs with the Thrashers in the summer, the Blues also get a 1st round pick in 2008.
This is a steep price to pay for Tkachuk. He is a good player no doubt, but I wouldn't piss away my futures on that guy. Not that much anyway. Blues GM John Davidson has just done a helluva job securing the Blues' future, getting more back for the potential rental of Tkachuk than most people thought possible. Tkachuk has only 43 points in 61 games this season. If anything, he's on a downturn.
But the Thrashers think otherwise I'm sure, and need some goal scoring and grit up front quick to stop the slide they are on. Tkachuk may help. But acquiring him, a left-winger, does not help their problem at center for chrissakes! Yeah yeah, sounds like a broken record.
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The Shark's acquisition of Craig Rivet from the Canadiens today is a good one. He has a bit of offensive upside (16 points in 54 games this season) and will top off a decent Shark's blueline. He will become a free agent in the summer.
The Sharks gave up Josh Gorges and a 1st round pick in 2007. (I should say that a 5th rounder in 2008 came to SJ as well) I don't blame the Habs for dropping Rivet, making him the Shark's problem in the offseason.

''We were looking for a Mike Grier-type player to play on a our back end,'' Sharks GM Doug Wilson said. ''Mike Grier has had a big impact up front and we look to get that from Craig on defence. He's obviously been well-coached coming from the Canadiens' organization.''