The price of Pavel

Only a handful of teams could afford to trade for Bure

Florida's Pavel Bure might be on the trading block, but the fact remains that only a handful of teams are able to handle his $10 million annual salary.

Among them are the Dallas Stars, the focus of preliminary talks last week that didn't go far because the Panthers wanted young forwards Brenden Morrow and Jamie Langenbrunner and a first-round draft pick.

But don't rule out Dallas yet. Stars owner Tom Hicks is besotted by big names. His love affair with the splashy gesture is why he overpaid for shortstop Alex Rodriguez when his Texas Rangers needed pitching and why he had his heart set on free agent Jeremy Roenick for Dallas last summer.

Bure is not an obvious fit for the defense-oriented Stars, but he's a perfect match for a Hicks sports property.

Caps on lookout for center to complement Jagr

Jaromir Jagr has awakened from his brooding start with Washington, pushing the Capitals to the brink of the playoffs. But as good as the duo of Jagr and center Adam Oates has looked at times, it is a short-term solution.

The problem is that the 39-year-old Oates, the best passer since Wayne Gretzky in his prime, needs to play with the puck. Of course, so does the dangling Jagr, not the typical give-and-go winger.

The Capitals won't move at the trading deadline, but look for a summer deal that brings a center to Washington who better complements the moody Czech.

Overly generous GM makes a questionable move

Calgary general manager Craig Button took the dramatic, nearly overwrought, step of sending goalie Mike Vernon to the minors and recalling Kay Whitmore.

Neither will play as the Flames try to ride Roman Turek to the playoffs, but it seemed a shabby way to treat a future Hall of Famer in the final month of his career. While obviously chafing about not playing, the voluble Vernon remained professional about his reduced role.

Indeed, the onus in Calgary is on the GM, not the spare goalie. The problem: Button has been overly generous in a small market, this season spending $2.25 million for Vernon and $2.75 million for third-pair defenseman Igor Kravchuk.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.

 

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