Duck Doug (Goose)

Well, Doug Weight has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks. I must say that this reeks of betrayal, especially after reading his comments in the paper. As a weird side note, I was actually wearing his sweater when he was traded. Talk about freaky.

Weight's production was down, and it's been a self-admittedly an 'unlucky' year for him. But at the same time, he wasn't being put on the power-play with near as much frequency as a player like him should. You cant produce if you aren't give the opportunity.

I think these few lines explain it all:

When asked how the deal unfolded and why he waived his no-trade clause, Weight said: "I just don't feel like I want to comment on that. It is what it is ... Over the last 15 years, I've developed a pretty good reputation and I'm an honest person. I have no need to leave this city throwing mud, you know. I'm not going to comment on how it went down. If somebody asks me, I'll tell them ... and I guarantee my teammates and friends will know exactly what happen."

Blues President John Davidson said: "Dougie is a proud guy. He didn't bail on his teammates. He didn't waive his no-trade clause because he didn't want to be here. He waived it for the right reasons, to go to Anaheim and get a lot of ice time. There's no way in the world that Doug would leave his teammates with that feeling. This was a hockey decision that we went to him with and he eventually wound up accepting."

It appears as though Doug was being threatened with the LeClair treatment--"let us trade you or we'll send you to Peoria"--effectively ending a 4-time All-Star and 7th leading active player in assists. It's treatment players like Recchi, LeClaire, and Weight don't deserve.

Brian Burke seems to be pretty stoked about getting a player with the leadership and passing abilities Doug can bring. Hopefully, being welcomed with open arms, despite an a-typical season, will ease his transition into getting his game back on track.

Good luck in Anaheim, Dougie. I was getting attached to the Blues, but after the way this appears to be handled, there's no residual love.