Have you heard the rumors? Have you heard the facts? Have you heard the completely crazy? You will hear it all before April 3rd. The trade deadline is merely a few days away as the rumors, speculation and desperation picks up speed. Who will make the big moves? Who will make the small but very important move to improve their roster? Who will stand pat? Which teams will be buyers? Which teams will be sellers? Will some of your favourite players find a new home before playoffs? April 3rd will undoubtedly be the busiest day with most teams making their moves in the final hours permitted. Oh how I love and hate the trade deadline. More and more waves of trades and rumors will come to pass in the next two days as this deadline saga draws to an end.

Speaking of rumors and facts, Jarome Iginla’s fate has been decided. Well by now, everyone knows that Jarome Iginla is now a Pittsburgh Penguin and he made his debut today. The Flames did indeed trade their long time captain on Thursday. There were some misleading reports that Iginla had been traded to the Boston Bruins[met with many mixed reviews] but as we all know, those reports were false. Boston apparently was quite put out by the news as they believed that they had won the Jarome Iginla lottery, they even had a press conference to talk about it. Back to Jarome, I am happy that Iginla is getting the much deserved chance to play for a contending team, but I am slightly mystified as to the way Calgary dealt with the matter. Instead of allowing him one last chance to play for the home fans when they knew they were getting close to a deal, they made him a healthy scratch and sent him home. He was not even in the arena to hear the raucous crowd chanting IGGY and hoping for at least one glance of their captain. That is extremely unsettling considering he played in Calgary for 16 years and was a huge part of that community. The fans deserved better from team management. I understand they wanted to protect their asset prior to moving him, but they should have allowed him one last time to be part of the team. Jarome Iginla is one of the most stand up guys in the league, so it is no surprise that he was very classy in addressing the media when this roller coaster finally came to a stop. Iginla after clearing up some immigration issues[getting a working visa for the US] he officially made his debut with the Penguins on Saturday[Mar.30]. Unfortunately in Iggy’s first game as a Penguin Sid the kid broke his jaw and will out of the line-up indefinitely, so it will be at least a few games before they can test their on ice chemistry. Best of luck in your new city IGGY! The Penguins have made some great additions to their team in the last week as they are preparing for a LONG playoff run. They finished the month of March undefeated, a perfect 15-0-0 [in the NHL NO team, I repeat: NO TEAM has ever registered an entire month completely undefeated!].

All teams have questions they will address with the impending deadline ever so closely approaching. Will the Sharks move Ryane Clowe? What happens now in Buffalo, does Ryan Miller stay or go? Will Tampa and Florida become sellers or buyers to bulk up for next year? What happens in Ottawa when Craig Anderson returns, do they move Bishop or Lehner? Will Chicago bulk up on defense? With Perry and Getzlaff now locked in, do the Ducks look to fill other holes? Will the Rangers actually trade Marian Gaborik? What oh what will the struggling Philadelphia Flyers do? What happens with Columbus, now that they are in the top 8, do they make a splash to help secure playoff positioning?

As for my Canucks in regards to the trade deadline, anything could happen. Like I said earlier I both love and hate the trade deadline. I loved it when we added Higgins & Lappy two years ago BUT I HATED when we traded COHO last year! I will be absolutely 100% heart broken if Luongo does indeed get moved, but I will always cheer for him no matter what jersey he wears. I would prefer that if Luongo gets traded that it happen in the summer because as the Canucks move down this playoff drive stretch, it would be ideal to have not one but TWO great goalies for their entire playoff run. As we have seen this season when one struggles the other has stepped up and it would be an absolute shame to have no one to turn to in the playoffs if Cory struggles to find consistency. As I have also said many many times, Luongo deserves A LOT more respect than this city gives him. It seems like if he is going to be traded it should have happened before the season or at the end of the season but not this week[at least, I hope not!]. Personally I think we need BOTH, Lou & Schneids this season. We will have to wait and see what moves Mike Gillis has up his sleeve this year!

In other news the Canucks had their 6 game win streak snapped by the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and will be looking to get back in the win column when they take on the San Jose Sharks Monday evening. The Canucks are also hoping to learn good news when Ryan Kesler goes in for a CT scan, if all goes well he could be cleared to play later in the week BUT we will have to wait before getting too excited [but perhaps we could all cross our fingers? The Canucks are desperately missing #17 in the face off dot and the powerplay!]. NICKLAS JENSEN has been recalled from the Chicago Wolves and will make his NHL debut with the team in SAN JOSE!!!!!!! Keep your eye on the kid tomorrow night, hopefully he will be another honey badger like fellow Dane, Jannik Hansen!

April 3rd is right around  the corner, for some people its like Christmas, for others it is torture waiting to learn the fate of their team. Some trades will surprise us and some will be expected. Decisions will be made and there will be no turning back. All teams will hope that whatever decisions they make at the deadline will ultimately make them a better team.

We will know more once Wednesday comes and goes. As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.