Last night while we were watching the Islanders lose a game they just about deserved to win, the rest of the NHL was in gossip-frenzy mode because two Canadian franchises were exchanging baggage in inexplicable ways.

Because he spoke out of turn, Mike Cammalleri was traded by the Montreal Canadiens with a 5th and KHL goalie Karri Ramo for Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland and a 2nd-round pick. I know, right? Cammalleri is signed for two more seasons at a $6 million cap hit. Bourque is for four more at $3.3 million. It's an awful trade for Pierre "but at least he speaks French" Gauthier, but the cap commitment doesn't really make sense for Flames GM Jay Feaster either.

It's the rare trade where both teams' fans are appalled. It's wonderful. And now Cammalleri only has to face Nino Niederreiter once per year.

Islanders Links

Start with me now: Everyone feel bad for Maxim Talbot.

• Broadstreet Hockey saw clear evidence of Rule 48 violations and was hurt that Steve Staios was caught smirking on the bench some time after his hit on Maxime Talbot. (Can one rally blame anyone for smirking at Maxime Talbot, Jedi master of the smirk-and-turtle move that has served his career so well?)
  
• Puck Daddy was not anywhere near as certain whether a crime had gone unpenalized. IPB called it "hard to tell." The Score thought it was suspension city.
  
• BSH also recapped the game. So did the Post. And Newsday (Streit says the penalty shot might've changed things.) And The Checking Line calls it a curse. And for your innuendo moment with Jagr: Puck Daddy.
  
• The official site focused on Andrew MacDonald's nice night.
• And John Tavares on doing the All-Star thing. Plus, Islanders All-Stars in history.
• Michael Grabner and the PR staff battle subtly.
• Something that was hinted at quite a bit over the summer: Discussions of Islanders preseason games at the new arena in Brooklyn: WFAN | Nets Daily | FanShot
• A little prospect update: The Prospect Park: Middle Of The Week Lessons (Kichton)

Hockey Links

• This is hilarious, because just about this entire article is wrong or misses the points it's trying to criticize and make: For NHL GMs, finding a great goalie should be top priority - The Globe and Mail
• The All-Star voting is wrong! [Puck Daddy] The All-Star voting is right! {SB Nation / Travis Flyers Hughes]
• Discusses lots of GMs and how long their terms shall last. A big point is each GM's relationship with his owner.
• Speaking of owners, here's my take on how new Stars owner Tom Gaglardi fits in the portfolio of NHL ownership (hint: rich fan with a clue).
• Speaking of GMs, Dean Lombardi has apologized for ripping the Oilers in the media over trading him corpses for Ryan Smyth. Which I guess means no GM will ever say anything interesting in the media again. (Well, Brian Burke will, but there's a lot of bluster to get through to reach the tootsie roll center.)
  
• So dress them all! - KuklasKorner : Video- Tough Guys Can Score Too
• Backups: 10 backups outperforming their team’s starters | Backhand Shelf
• And this from BOC was just too hilarious: Wikipeg - Five Awful Things about Winnipeg I Learned from Wikipedia - Battle of California

A final a.m. thought from that Tavares All-Star link. What he said about his own progress is what we've noticed, I think. But it's still wild to see it emerge game by game, week by week. He was once a major defensive liability with high-end offensive and power play skill. Now he's basically a driver and threat every single shift, and he's elusive either out of growing intelligence or growing respect from the opponents who fear him.

That constant drive to improve himself is serving him well:

"I've felt I've gotten better every year, every game," Tavares said. "I feel like I'm just getting to know the League a lot better. I feel my game is evolving -- just me as a person -- and I think it's all translating every day and coming together year, every day...."

Yeah, we notice.