Newsworthy: The Islanders-Sabres (Questionable) Trade

2012-13 Score – Matt Moulson

2012-13 Score – Thomas Vanek

So, today, the New York Islanders made a very questionable trade.  They traded a soon-to-be 30-year-old scoring winger who wears number 26 who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year to the Buffalo Sabres for a soon-to-be 30-year-old scoring winger who wears number 26 who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

The scoring winger that they traded has 118 goals in 304 games since the start of the 2009-10 season.  The one that they are getting back has 110 goals in 280 games since the start of the 2009-10 season.

The main difference in the trade is that the New York Islanders also traded a first-round pick in 2014 and a second-round pick in 2015 along with Matt Moulson to acquire Thomas Vanek.  Vanek wasn’t going to stay in Buffalo, but I’d argue that there’s no way he’s going to stay on Long Island, either.  Or Brooklyn, in the non-hockey arena they’re going to be playing in soon.

To me, there is no way this trade makes sense for the Islanders.  In honour of this, I’d like to remind you that the New York Islanders have had some of the worst uniforms in NHL history.  See Miroslav Satan and Lubomir Visnovsky looking just absolutely ridiculous in the images below.  Yes, I’ve talked about this before.  I like picking on them.  They look stupid.  I’m not sorry.

 

2007-08 Upper Deck Artifacts – Miroslav Satan

2013-14 Score – Lubomir Visnovsky

 

Things I Read on the Back of Cards – 1990-91 Pro Set, Alexander Mogilny

1990-91 Pro Set - Alexander Mogilny (Front)

1990-91 Pro Set - Alexander Mogilny (Back)

I learned a hell of a lot about Alexander Mogilny from the back of his 1990-91 Pro Set card.

1. His nickname was “Magic.”  I never heard this one again.
2. He had a roller-coaster rookie season in Buffalo after scoring on his first shift.
3. He had to miss several games because of a fear of flying.  You might have picked the wrong business, kid.
4. He won a gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
5. He loves the North American lifestyle, especially fast cars.  Shocking.

That’s a lot to digest all at once.  I could have completely skipped school that year and just read hockey cards.  Well done, Pro Set.

This remains one of my all-time favourite, albeit completely worthless, sets.