Shea Weber's Fill-in: Zach Bogosian to NSH

July 19, 2011 Update:
Weber’s agent, Jarrett Bousquet: “We’ve had long talks; we seem to be coming to a bit of a stalemate. We still have time to work before the system kicks in.” (His arbitration hearing is scheduled for August 2 which will result in a mandatory one or two year deal.)

July 26, 2011 Update: 
Shea Weber at Kelowna Rockets Alumni Hockey Game this past weekend.
He also played in the charity golf match during Alumni Week with other former Rockets program grads, including Luke Schenn. (Picture from event on right side.)

July 27, 2011 Update:
Preds GM David Poile: “Nothing new. We reached out to his agent yesterday and haven’t heard anything back yet today. We are preparing to go to Toronto (for arbitration). Would I like to sign Shea to a longer-term contract vs. going to arbitration? Absolutely.”

Original Article continued:


Shea Weber wants a short-term deal while NSH obviously wants to ink their franchise player to a long-term deal. That was the rumor back in June. These whispers now seem to have been confirmed by a member of the mainstream media, Andy Strickland in his July 5th tweet.

There are also whispers that Weber ideal destination is Vancouver. Perhaps this rumor will soon also be confirmed by a brand name source. Assuming that happens, and considering the other big name RFAs still on the market, I'm wondering if a potential VAN-NSH deal might not be expanded to include a third team in order to facilitate a trade that much more conveniently fills holes for all parties concerned.

The team I'm thinking of is the NHL's newest, the Winnipeg Jets v.2.0. And the unsigned RFA I have in mind is blueliner, Zach Bogosian. As I explained last month in a previous blog post, I don't foresee NSH being able to get a star player in return for Weber from VAN considering the circumstances. 

I do believe though, NSH has the leverage to demand one or two young players with star potential. The players VAN has on its roster that fit the bill include Cody Hodgson and Cory Schneider. However, VAN doesn't possess a blueline prospect/young player in that mold. That's where Bogosian comes in.

The former third overall pick from 2008 is still unsigned by WPG. Considering Bogosian's up and down development, I'm fairly confident WPG could be swayed into dealing the tarnished bluechipper for a player with similar credentials but that fills a more gaping need up front, among the current group of forwards. And that's where the tank-like Cody Hodgson comes in.

Hodgson would bring some power to the center position in WPG where currently the to two top centers are the relatively little, Bryan Little, and the slight Alex Burmistrov. Giant pivot Nik Antropov shouldn't be forgotten, but he's a bit of wild card because of a poor season coming of hip surgery last year. He has a couple years left on his deal but he doesn't strike me as a long-term Jet.

Bogosian's trade value is a little difficult to pin down. It all depends on if NHL GMs view him as a star awaiting the right circumstances or a broken prospect that does not have the hockey sense to achieve what his physical gifts would otherwise suggest. My guess is that the general consensus is sitting on the fence. Bogosian showed great promise in his rookie year but then all of that development stalled. Hodgson has a similar type of asterisk by his name because of back problems that required surgery a couple seasons ago.

If Bogosian is in the fold, GM Mike Gillis may have himself the ideal center piece, as part of a VAN package to obtain Shea Weber. Bogosian and Weber are both 6'3"+, 215lbs+, right handed shooting defensemen. Obviously Weber already knows how to play the game defensively, while Bogosian has a long way to go in that department. If part of the blueliner factory that is the Nashville Predators, perhaps Bogo may just find a way to reach his potential.