Rabbit Traded to Vancouver.

[GBG BLEED BLUE]

Press Release from:www.saskatoonblades.com


Rabbit Hops Off To Vancouver In Trade

Saskatoon, SK: The Saskatoon Blades announced this afternoon that they traded 20 year old centre Wacey Rabbit to the Vancouver Giants in exchange the Giants ship 18 year old right winger Kenton Dulle to the Blades along with a 2nd round 2008 WHL Bantam Draft Pick.

Rabbit, who was the team’s captain and WHL Humanitarian of the Year last season had spent most of the season with Boston Bruins farm team in Providence, Rhode Island. Last season with the Blades, Rabbit collected 28 goals and 28 assists for 56 points and was returned to junior hockey by the Bruins earlier today. In Dulle, a 170lb 5’10 Craik Saskatchewan native the Blades receive a 2nd year WHLer who has appeared in 28 games this season for the Giants registering 4 assists.

Blades Head Coach and General Manager Lorne Molleken commented on today’s move “With the return of Wacey to junior hockey we were asked by the Boston Bruins and Wacey’s agent to provide Wacey with the opportunity to compete for a championship with a legitimate contender and with Vancouver hosting the Memorial Cup we could not find a much better fit. This deal also allows our hockey club to benefit in this year of transition by adding a roster player in Kenton and a high draft choice.”

Kenton Dulle

April, 23, 1988

Craik, SK

5’11, 170lbs

Year Team GP G A PTS PIM

06/07 Giants 28 0 4 4 24

05/06 Giants 16 1 2 3 12


I like this deal,it helps both teams and the Blades get a roster player,as well as 2nd round pick. I do not think he will be in the line-up tommorow against Seattle,but probably Saturday.

[Tidball]

We get a 2nd round draft pick and a weak right winger for Rabbit who is an exceptional centre, all star, top prospect WHLer. Lorne lost his mind on this one. :dead:

[SectionNDeserter]

Actually he didn't really give up anything in Rabbit. There is zero chance that the Bruins would send him back to a rebuilding, basement-dwelling team in a weak conference. I think he did well, and it must have taken a good number of phone calls on his part to make it happen. They got a serviceable player, who has a few years experience on a successful team, and probably the key to this deal, a second round draft pick.

[Trav]

Nobody expected this to even happen. Nobody should've been expecting a top prospect and a high pick for Rabbit like the Blades got for Setoguchi. Give Dulle a chance here, Tidball and others that may be critical of this trade.

[Dwight Schrute]

i am just very suprised that the brodsky connection didnt come together on this one. and reunite rabbit and seto. blades basicly get something for a player who will play 1/2 a year who wouldnt be playing for them anyway.

[ProStaff]

I agree we should be thankful for something for a player that will be here for 1/2 the season, but Rabbit is what we are missing, someone we can rely on for scoring, this would have been the key to get us into the play-offs for sure! and ride Holtby to the finals!

[howley]

Well, I am feeling pretty proud of myself. "Is it possible if a 20 did return they would be traded....say to Vancouver. Say Rabbit, Barnes, whoever. "

Anyways, I don't know how anyone can be upset about this trade at all. We pick up a roster player and a 2nd rounder for a guy no one even expected to return. He is going to play 30 more regular season games and then through the playoffs and memorial cup which is a ton more then he was going to play for the Blades. We get a guy who is going to play at least 102 more games if not 174 and a pick that could play potentially over 200. Sacrifice having a solid goal scorer for 30 games and get upwards of 300-400 games. Maybe I am grasping at straws here but IMO this is a great trade for the Blades. Remember...the Blades making the playoffs this year would be a surprise...sure Rabbit may have helped them get there but how would that help us the next two years when the Blades are going to be gunning for it? Great Trade.

[Trav]

RABBIT would not have come here. The Bruins and his agent wanted him on a contending team so ur wasting ur time talking bout how Rabbit would've been good for the Blades. Sure he would've been good but it wasnt going to happen.

[Big Ern]

We get a 2nd round draft pick and a weak right winger for Rabbit who is an exceptional centre, all star, top prospect WHLer. Lorne lost his mind on this one. :dead:


I'm not gonna say anything regarding this trade, but I'm going to reply to your post. If you say Lorne lost his mind this time around, (I'm not saying he did...no comments) I'm a bit critical of him....if your assumption is correct. This is the wrong time of year for GM/Coaches to lose their mind! LOL I know for a fact, he completely lost it last year with the Swift Current trade. Look at Crowley!! WOW!!! I know Lorne is very intelligent, but does he get a bit nervous when the deadline comes around, and jumps the gun?...perhaps?? What do you think?

[old_time_hockey]

Don't be too critical of Kenton Dulle. Yeah, he has had a view from the press box a few times cause he is role player in Vancouver. But he has been coming on of late.

Last night against Red Deer he got an assist, threw some nice hits, won a few face offs and he is a pretty quick skater. Don Hay had the Hunt-Dulle line out there in a critical situation towards the end of the game with the Red Deer goalie pulled. If Hayzer had faith in them at that point of the game, that says something of his play of late.

Given a chance to maybe move up and get a few more minutes I think he will surprise some of his critics.

[Tidball]

i am just very suprised that the brodsky connection did come together on this one. and reunite rabbit and seto. blades basicly get something for a player who will play 1/2 a year who wouldnt be playing for them anyway.
Rabbit is going to Vancouver Giants. Setoguchi is with PG. The PG Brodsky had nothing to do with the Rabbit trade.

[Tidball]

I'm not gonna say anything regarding this trade, but I'm going to reply to your post. If you say Lorne lost his mind this time around, (I'm not saying he did...no comments) I'm a bit critical of him....if your assumption is correct. This is the wrong time of year for GM/Coaches to lose their mind! LOL I know for a fact, he completely lost it last year with the Swift Current trade. Look at Crowley!! WOW!!! I know Lorne is very intelligent, but does he get a bit nervous when the deadline comes around, and jumps the gun?...perhaps?? What do you think?

How could Lorne release someone like crowley for price and hengen, let alone giving up tidball too. that trade with Swift was terrible. You guys got lucky on that one. You know..... Swift should be nice and give Crowley back to us :thumb:

[Goblades26]

We would not have got Rabbit back anyhow, both the Bruins and Rabbits agent requested that he be dealt to a contender. He was assigned to the ECHL yesterday as they figured that no deal was going to happen. This is the difference between Rabbit and Cole, Cole wants to be here and does not want to be traded to a contender, Rabbit did.

I like how our team has shaped up, and think that adding Rabbit would actually do more harm than good. This was a good move as Lorne got something out of nothing. Our young team are starting to really gel together and are very entertaining, so why add someone that has not been here for the better part of the season? Keeping our team together will only go farther towards making us a stronger team next year....

Look what the Jaw did.... barely made the playoffs one year, the next WHL finals... And they were a good YOUNG team the year they squeaked in.

[Big Ern]

How could Lorne release someone like crowley for price and hengen, let alone giving up tidball too. that trade with Swift was terrible. You guys got lucky on that one. You know..... Swift should be nice and give Crowley back to us :thumb:

LOL LOL I don't think "LUCKY" was a factor. I think that rascal Dean Chynoweth is one of the coolest guys under pressure...waits until the other guy jumps. He pulled it with Shultz to Spokane for Lukacevic too, last year. Same trick. What a rip!!! I don't think much is gonna happen this year trades-wise here in Swifty...Dean is building his own team, and fans are seeing well what eyes he has for young talent...we'll see...maybe a trade will happen. BUT H*LL no! You're never getting "CROW" back! He's ours! Got himself drafted too, that tough buggar! LOL In fact, he's completely ours!! LOL LOL LOL

[Dwight Schrute]

Rabbit is going to Vancouver Giants. Setoguchi is with PG. The PG Brodsky had nothing to do with the Rabbit trade.
sorry i meant to say "didnt come together" i edited it. does it make more sense now ?

[dondo]

Kenton's a hard worker and great team guy. He's a Sask kid.. and probably had his best game of the season last night.

He'll slot in where-ever you need him. You could never accuse him of being a sniper, but he's a guy who will show up every shift and his growth over the season has been good, better every night and could flourish a bit with a different opportunity.

I think he could be one of those great 19 yr olds (go-to guys who elevate their game) for you next year as well. Frankly considering that the Bruins (Boston) weren't going to let Rabbit play on the Blades, and he's a 20 yr old. I think the price was a bit steep (as 20 yr olds -- even stars usually don't garner much) -- but that's me.

We couldn't be happier to welcome Wacey into the fold though and hope you guys will enjoy cheering him on vicariously through the G-Men. Part of me is kind of sad to lose Kenton as he's a good team player and fun to watch at times, but of course I am over-joyed to get Rabbit for the Giants.

[Shortys]

Great deal IMO. I don't know how anyone can complain about something that might not have even been. We should be glad we got something out of this deal. If no one was going to give us anything in a trade for Rabbit or if Molleken asked too much for him, then he would have just went to the ECHL, and we would have nothing. Its not like if we didn't get what we wanted for him he would just come and play for us, the bruins and rabbit wanted to be with a legitimate contender.

Plus as was stated before about 20 year olds, they usually dont get much in trade even if they are stars, especially 1/2 way through the season.

I can't wait to see what Dulle brings to the table.

[old_time_hockey]

Too bad the game between the Blades and Giants has already happened.