The NHL / Julie Cart : Froese Trade Brings Many Sighs of Relief

A major trade last week has left several teams and players around the league breathing easier.

The Philadelphia Flyers finally traded goaltender Bob Froese, to the New York Rangers in return for defenseman Kjell Samuelsson and New York’s second-round draft pick in 1989.

That one deal, long in the making, ended months of speculation. King players such as Bernie Nicholls, Mark Hardy and Jay Wells were often mentioned, as the Kings were shopping for a goaltender.

The trade was made Dec. 18, but, according to Ranger General Manager Phil Esposito, the dealing began in training camp when the Flyers offered Froese.

The 28-year-old goaltender has a record of 92-29-12. Last season, Froese was second in Vezina Trophy voting to Ranger goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.

Froese replaced the late Pelle Lindbergh for the Flyers and went on to lead the league in three statistical categories and tied for the lead in another: He led with a 2.55 goals-against average, .909% save average and 5 shutouts. Froese tied Vanbiesbrouck for most wins with 31.

So why did the Rangers trade away a top defenseman, a rare thing this season, to get another goaltender they really didn’t need?

For one thing, because he was offered. Esposito couldn’t pass up a deal that good, and a chance to rid his team of European players.

Why did the Flyers want to trade Froese? As good as Froese is, the Flyers wanted to see what rookie Ron Hextall could do this season. They found out that Hextall could win games and Froese sat. Froese has played in only three games this season, once since Oct. 27.

“I am happy this has worked out,” Froese said. “I’m just excited to be going to a team that wants me. The problem wasn’t that I was topped as the No. 1 guy. All I wanted to do was play.”

Esposito got the goaltender he wanted but said he doesn’t like a three-goaltender system. That appears to make Doug Soetaert the odd man out. He is 2-7-2 with a 5.03 goals-against average.

“It’s not going to help Soapy,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “Hey, it’s going to affect me, too, as far as playing time.”

Philadelphia got a good defenseman in the deal. The 6-foot-6 Samuelsson is a rugged player.

Esposito is happy enough with his work. “All I know is that Bob Froese has 15 wins (with no losses) against Pittsburgh. I also know that I would hate to see Bob Froese in Washington.”

The other trade that has not happened involves Bobby Carpenter of the Washington Capitals. Carpenter, a center, will not play for the Capitals and has been sitting around collecting on a $1.3-million contract.

The New Jersey Devils are the latest team to be interested, and Washington General Manager David Poile reportedly wants Kirk Muller or Greg Adams, or both, in return.

Poile has been offered draft picks in exchange for Carpenter, but he wants players--now. As far as the rest of the league is concerned, Poile wants too much.

Nothing will make followers of the Pittsburgh Penguins more angry than to suggest that the team lives and dies by the play of superstar center Mario Lemieux. He leads the team with 27 goals and is the league’s third-leading scorer.

Lemieux’s value to Pittsburgh will become clear, now that he’s out with strained ligaments in his right knee. It’s expected that Lemieux will miss three weeks--that’s nine games, six of them against Patrick Division opponents.

“I’m down and disappointed, but I’m not going to jump off a bridge,” Penguin Coach Bob Berry said. “It couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

Yes, but Craig Simpson scored a hat trick in the Penguins’ first game without Lemieux as Pittsburgh tied Montreal.

Lemieux had a similar injury two years ago, that to his left knee. Lemieux missed seven games--the Penguins went 1-5-1 without him. Three years ago, the Edmonton Oilers lost Wayne Gretzky for six games. The Oilers were 1-5 without Gretzky.

Pittsburgh defenseman Jim Johnson summed it up: “It’s a big blow, but we have to survive. Let’s put it this way--we have to survive.”

NHL Notes

Ranger Coach Tom Webster now has a medical explanation for his loss of balance and equilibrium. Webster is scheduled for inner ear surgery this week. The problem had affected Webster’s sense of balance. Webster will not be allowed to travel by air for several weeks. General Manager Phil Esposito will coach the games Webster misses. . . . Islander assistant coach Bob Nystrom has been suspended 10 games by the league after an incident in which he allegedly got a fan in a choke hold. Nystrom said the fan had dumped a beer on his head after a game at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Nystrom and a New Jersey Devil fan, James Smith, have a court date Jan. 7, where they both have filed charges of simple assault. . . . Former Boston Bruin Coach Butch Goring elicited snickers from some quarters when he announced, after being fired by the Bruins early this season, his intention to play professional hockey again. Who’s laughing now? Goring scored the game-winning goal Dec. 14 in Nova Scotia’s 4-2 win over Moncton. Goring got another measure of satisfaction because the goaltender he beat on the play was Pat Riggin, Goring’s goaltender in Boston. . . . Doug (Iron Man) Jarvis played in his 914th consecutive game Tuesday night as Hartford played in Boston. That ties Gary Unger’s record of most consecutive games played. If he stays healthy, and judging by the record that’s one thing Jarvis knows how to do, he’ll break the record in Montreal the day after Christmas.