Rumor has it that Mt. Vernon Blades GM Chet Merola has an audition lined up with the hit CBS daytime Soap, The Bold and The Beautiful.
Okay, he doesn't, but one thing is for sure - Merola isn't shy about making a bold move if he thinks it will help his team. Earlier this month, Chet was involved in each of the first two trades of the season. One move saw Mount Vernon deal the highly-touted David Perron and veteran Fedor Tyutin to the Brooklyn Cyclones for Kimmo Timonen and grinder Colby Armstrong.
"Timonen was a no brainer", said Merola at a recent press confrence. "He gives me six solid two-way d-men. Armstrong gives a little grit that I may have been missing."
With a D corps of Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Kimmo Timonen, Alex Goligoski, Paul Martin, and Joe Corvo, it comes as no surprise that the Blades are in the top percentile for point production from the back end.
The second swap was a bit of a jaw-dropper. Merola sent Wojtek Wolski and Fernando Pisani packing to West Palm Beach in exchange for Bowling Green Alum, Dan Sexton. A mere five days after the trade, Sexton suffered a broken nose when WHL free agent Ruslan Salei reportedly hurled a puck from the stands that struck Sexton right on the button. Sexton was dropped two days a later, a surprising move considering that Sexton is only expected to miss two weeks.
"Sometimes deals that look odd at the time turn out to be great, and other times just don't work out the way you would like", continued Merola.
In a separate, yet equally startling situation, West Palm Beach GM, Bob Guarasciso decided to part ways with left wing Rene Bourque on October 16th. Bourque, who was dealing with a head injury at the time, returned via waivers to Beantown, where he spent the 2009-2010 season, and has amassed over 16 fantasy points through three games as of Oct. 26.
At least Guarasciso has Wolski to fall back on. As for Merola, he surely has another trick or ten up his sleeve.
"I like to keep two or three steps ahead when it comes to roster mangement. I have a few Ideas in mind, we'll see, it's all part of the fun."
Sunday, November 7, 2010
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