Out with the old...

Brahmas trade Deitsch to Allen for "future considerations"

Well, this one's been in the making for some time now. It's an unfortunate situation and from a PR standpoint, it looks terrible having your team captain go to the team with which you have the biggest rivalry with. Suffice it to say, what's done is done.

I never touched one of the original issues that contributed to the trade and won't go into it here, but as Greg Rajan said today:

This trade culminates a messy divorce between Deitsch and the Brahmas. Expect him to be jeered lustily when Allen plays at the Shoebox this year. If Deitsch learned anything this summer, it'd be this: Be careful what you and/or your significant other post about your employer on a social networking site, and also be careful when you accept friends on said sites (or at least learn how to use the privacy settings).

Despite the overall situation that led to the trade,which has more to do than an errant Facebook post, there's no forgetting the contributions Jason Deitsch made to the purple and black, which includes 164 points (54 G, 110 A, +25) and 222 penalty minutes in 149 regular season games. This also includes 58 points (19 G, 39 A) on the power play and 13 game winning goals. Deitsch added 37 points (17 G, 20 A, +10) and 61 PIM in 28 post-season contests and of course, contributed to the Brahmas' 2009 Ray Miron President's Cup win.

"I enjoyed my time with the Brahmas and definitely enjoyed winning a championship there." Deitsch said in the Americans' press release. "I'm looking forward to turning that page in my life and hockey career. I'm excited about playing for the Allen Americans and will do all I can to help bring a CHL cup to Allen."

OK, well good luck with that. As he is now a member of the Americans, I can hardly say good luck (I mean that in the nicest of ways). I have known Jason for a few years now and he's a good fellow and a talented hockey player, so I guess I can say I wish him all the best in his future pursuits, both on and off the ice. 'Nuff said.

Keeping Deitsch on the protected list prevented him from going off on his own and the trade will give the Brahmas a player at a later date - who and when? We'll just have to wait and see. From what I understand, there was an idea that Deitsch would be going to the Americans and at the very least, we'll get something in return.

From a player standpoint, having Deitsch on the Americans' squad will be detrimental to the Brahmas as the intense rivalry between the two clubs moves forward. Deitsch remains an effective top line forward and there's no doubt Brahmas fans will be concerned when he heads for the goal.

From an intelligence standpoint, Deitsch will be able to provide the enemy a lot of insight on his former team - something Fonger will no doubt keep in mind. At the same time, there's a lot known about Deitsch that can and will be used against him. All I can say is enjoy your visits to "The Shoebox" Jason!

The move now opens up the debate on who will wear the "C" on their sweater this season. Personally, I can see it going to Chad Woollard - and I've already taken some jabs from a few people on that choice, but I'll stick with it. Woolly's experience and leadership on the ice as well as the work he's done with some of the younger players make him a righteous candidate in my book.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith