Here at the Hoser, we're glad to see newly minted Anaheim general manager Brian Burke hasn't lost his gift of gab during the long winter's night that was the lockout. Asked about the possibility of trading the Mighty Ducks' No. 2 pick on Saturday's draft, Burke said he "would be happy to trade up or down in this draft." That's nice stuff.

As for the reality of a deal, there are quite a few studs out there being obscured by the shadow of Sidney Crosby. Vancouver's Gilbert Brule and Sudbury's Benoit Pouliot have been trading spots in the rankings, and Bobby Ryan (Owen Sound) and Marc Staal (Sudbury and younger brother of current Hurricane Eric) are right up there also. Here's a thought -- how about the Blues, who for some stupid reason have decided to pay both Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight this year, swapping Chris Pronger to the Ducks for the No. 2? It makes sense for both teams, as Anaheim can absorb the contract and use the experience, while St. Louis could either then look to move down a bit and land Staal (No. 4-6) or just go nuts, get the best available talent and market the hell out of it.

Given the track of the Blues, however, it seems unlikely. With the Lauries looking to unload the franchise, they are unwilling to eat any contracts. Mark Sauer and the rest of the Laurie flunkies are mouting about "flexibility", so St. Louis fans can look forward to another year of overpriced, mediocre talent surrounded by mediocre prospects.

At least one person knows what end is up, and that's Pronger himself. Here's his take on the Blues being unsure of whether he will stay or go:

"It's frustrating that they have had 15 months to put a game plan together. They had an idea of what (the CBA) was going to look like. It's very frustrating not knowing where you're going to be. That's the thing ... it's not that they're giving you good news or bad news. They're not giving you anything." -- quote from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and its fine reporter, Jeremy Rutherford.

In other words, the Blues don't know their CBAss from a hole in the ground.