The Road to the Cup ~ Wattys 2015

I've Got a Little Trade Deadline in My Eye

The next few weeks passed quickly. We were on a winning streak and looking good for the playoffs. Sidney had been scoring almost every night and tallying assists as well. It was March and the weather had started warming up in Pittsburgh. My mom and Julia told me that Michigan was pretty warm, too.

I was sitting in my apartment flipping through the mail when I got a call from Johnston. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Erin. Can you meet me at the arena? There are a few things we need to talk about," he sounded stressed and upset. Had people found out about Sid and I being together? We had tried to be discreet. Only Geno and Julia knew, or so we had thought.

"Sure, Mike, I'll be right there," I replied, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. What if someone had found out? Was I being fired? What would I do then? 'Shut up, you don't know if you're being fired yet,' my subconscious told me. I took a deep breath; it wasn't for sure yet, so I really shouldn't freak out. Mike could want to talk about anything.

I drove to the arena, nervous as hell, but willing to face the consequences of my actions. I walked up to Johnston's office and knocked. "Come in," he said, but I couldn't gather any information from his tone. I stepped inside and shut the door.

"What's going on?" I asked, going for nonchalant, but probably coming off as panicked and guilty.

"The higher-ups called," he began. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Someone had found out that Sidney and I were together and now I was being fired. "Erin?"

"Hmm? What?" I jumped, I had gotten lost in thought.

"The higher-ups called, and by that I mean the general manager and the owners. They want to make some trades, but weren't sure who should go. They have a few that they're looking at though."

I relaxed. I wasn't getting fired. I flipped my panic off and sat down in front of his desk, ready to work. "Who are they looking at?"

"There are a few. They are considering trying to get Neal back, but they're afraid Nashville will ask for too much and they like Crosby with Perron. They also like the new goalie in Detroit, but Babcock and the management there have said he's off limits."

"Mrazek?" I asked, trying to confirm my suspicions. That kid was good, like, really good. He had played in place of Jimmy Howard when Jimmy had gotten injured. He was probably one of the better rookie goalies I'd seen in my entire life, but there was no way he'd replace Fleury.

"That's the one. Babcock won't let him go. He's got plans for him."

"Babcock always has plans," I chuckled, "The man has visions like no other. That's why we like him. Not that I don't like you, or anything, I'm just saying, as the Detroit fan I was raised to be, he's-"

"It's fine, Erin, I understand," Mike shook his head, grinning.

"So who else are they looking at?"

"Tyler Johnson, Ian Cole, and some west coast kids."

"What are they specifically looking for? A forward? A defenseman? Special teams?"

"Anything. Everything. They sent us all of their stuff and they want us to make the decision because we have the best view of how everyone works together," Johnston handed me a folder with scouting reports and stats.

"Well, it looks like we've got our work cut out for us," I commented as I flipped through. There were definitely guys that would be good additions to the team, but who could we afford to lose? "Do you know who they're willing to give up? Or any draft spots they'd give up?"

"Two draft picks per year, at most is what they told me. They said 'keep the big three' which means Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury are staying here. Perron we just got, so he will stay, too. Everyone else is fair game. Some of them will become free agents this summer, as well, so if we trade them now, we won't have to worry about resigning them."