Trade Madness: An AHL Fan's Perspective

One of the most exciting yet nerve-wracking times for NHL hockey fans is the time before the trade deadline. Take the nervousness that a fan might feel and multiply it by 10. This is the level of nervousness I experienced this year prior to the deadline. While I was extremely nervous about my favorite Pittsburgh Penguins potentially getting traded, I was also nervous about the effect that trades could have on my Wilkes Barre Penguins.

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As the trade deadline inched closer this year, Wilkes Barre Penguin fans began to wonder what would happen to the team if trades were made. Some were excited about the possibility of bringing in new faces to give our team a boost while others were worried about losing their favorite players. A few fans were relaxed, put their complete trust in Ray Shero and believed he would do what was best for the organization. Then there were a select few who, like me, were a complete nervous wreck. I was trying to put my faith in Shero and was eager to potentially acquire new player to help out the Baby Pen, but not at the expense of losing key players in Wilkes Barre.

Being an AHL hockey fan is really special, especially when you live close to your favorite team's city. You are given opportunity to meet the players and get to know them on some level. Whether it is at post game signings or at appearances away from the ice, fans get the chance to meet their favorite players multiple times throughout the season. Because of this, many fans get attached to certain players. This is one reason that the trade deadline is so stressful. No one wants to lose players that they have come to know and love.

The time before the trade deadline is also scary for some AHL fans because in the back of their minds they know their team may never be the same after trades take place. This is true for NHL hockey fans too, but sometimes it seems worse for AHL fans. This is because we know that the AHL is a developmental league; it was brought into existence to sculpt future NHL stars. That means, when it comes to trades, the general managers will do what is best for the NHL team, even if it costs the AHL team greatly.

This year my biggest concern was for the future of Ben Lovejoy in the Penguins organization. Rumors were forming all over the place that certain teams wanted a prospect like Ben. Even though they were only rumors, it did not sit well with me. Ben is my absolute favorite player and one of my favorite people as well. He also happens to be an amazingly talented player that in my opinion would be irreplaceable if he was traded. Luckily Ben did not get traded like the rumors suggested.

Luca Caputi was traded however. As most people already know, Luca was traded along with Martin Skoula for Alexei Ponikarovsky from the Toronto Maple Leafs. I do not know a single Wilkes Barre Penguins fan that was happy about this trade. Luca was one of our star players. In 54 games he had 23 goals and 47 assists. He always hustled on the ice and was not afraid to get banged up if it helped the team. Luca is a great player and a great guy; losing him to Toronto was quite a blow. It didn't help that losing Luca left a gap in our lineup and we did not gain anyone from the trade to replace him.

Not all trades made Wilkes Barre Penguin fans upset though. Nate Guenin was traded for Steve Wagner, who previously played for the AHL team associated with the St. Louis Blues. In my next post I will examine this trade in more detail and decide how great of an impact I believe it had on the Baby Pens and their attempt to turn around their season and fight for a playoff spot. Make sure you check it out!