With the NHL Trade Deadline now expired, teams are left playing with the cards they have been dealt. Although the ultimate winner is yet to be determined, it is fun to examine all the transactions and discuss the possible outcomes for the wheelers and dealers. Trades happen for a variety of reasons and are deep rooted. Some of those objectives that General Managers are desperate to achieve include: filling holes in the club’s lineup; adding a missing piece to a well established roster; acquiring players and draft picks to help a rebuilding process; or simply shedding salary. This season, there were franchises looking to improve their respective teams and those that were already pondering next season. Thus, most of the moves made on Monday were not seen as blockbusters, but rather the type that can offer a team a prolonged run at the Stanley Cup. Because several General Managers jumped the gun and produced a flurry of trades in the vicinity of Deadline Monday, I have included them in the discussion. With that in mind, here is my list of those who made the grade and for those who will have plenty of time reassessing their downfalls while in summer school.
WINNERS
- Boston Bruins: Credit must be given to GM Peter Chiarelli. While he may have overpaid for Tomas Kaberle, there is no doubt what a defenseman of his magnitude will bring to the club. He can quarterback the power play, take some minutes off of Zdeno Chara’s ice time log, and play with that calming effect that seems to take over a game whenever he has the puck on his stick. Also not to be overlooked are the acquisitions of Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly who will firm up what already was a deep lineup. Peverley will settle in nicely as the third line center and Kelly will provide grit and determination along with the 12 goals he has scored for the season. The Bruins have not only closed the gap between the themselves and Philadelphia, but they may have swung the pendulum in their favor as the playoffs approach.
- Los Angeles Kings: The Kings already had a team built around size, grit, and nastiness. Yet, the team struggled on the power play and have been underachieving as a unit for most of the season. On deadline day, the club acquired Dustin Penner from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for assets that it had at its disposal, thus not subtracting anyone off the current roster. A previous Stanley Cup Winner, Penner brings with him his enormous size (6’4” and 245 lbs) and a pair of goal scoring hands. He will instantly inject some life to the Kings power play and may be able to catapult the club above the Phoenix Coyotes for 4th place in the Western Conference, which would give them home ice advantage in the first round.
- St. Louis Blues: Yes, the team will most likely be playing golf when the playoffs begin. However, the team made strides in improving its chances moving forward. While trading former first overall pick Erik Johnson may prove costly (especially if he develops into the complete defenseman scouts envisioned), the Blues certainly scored in the cache. Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk will provide the team with key components to build with its existing collection of young prospects. The Blues bright future now radiates with optimism.
- Tampa Bay Lightning: GM Steve Yzerman plugged holes in his otherwise impressive lineup with the deals that brought goalie Dwayne Roloson and defensemen Marc-Andre Bergeron and Eric Brewer. Despite one of the best offensive attacks in the NHL, the Lightning now represent a well balanced team, which can rely on defense to win hockey games, if need be.
- Vancouver Canucks: The team with the most points in the President’s Trophy race added two veterans to its arsenal. Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins will be counted on to provide leadership and grit and position the Canucks even closer to the club’s first Stanley Cup in its history.
- Washington Capitals: With incredible regular season records the past two years and their unfathomable collapses in the playoffs, the Capitals knew they could not sit still and let the deadline past without at least kicking the tires on available players. GM George McPhee addressed all the issues that have been hounding his team. Desperately needing a second line center, the Capitals focused on Jason Arnott and his intangibles. A Stanley Cup winner, Arnott will help Mike Knuble in providing the necessary leadership that this team lacked. He will also spark life into a struggling power play, which has been in the bottom half of the league for most of the season. With defensemen Tom Poti and more recently, Mike Green out of the lineup, the team had a serious void on the blue line. Brought in to help with his puck moving potential, Dennis Wideman will log substantial ice time. Lastly, the unheralded claim of Marco Sturm from waivers will give coach Bruce Boudreau another player who is flexible enough to perform in any role.
LOSERS
- Detroit Red WIngs: It is difficult to put the Wings on this end of the spectrum. The team certainly does not need to tinker with things, but it does place much hope in the pads of Jimmy Howard. With Chris Osgood still working his way back from injury, the club is optimistic (perhaps a little too much) that he can come back and serve as a capable backup. Even if he does assume the role, will he have had enough time between the pipes to shake some of the rust off before the playoffs begin? With Ty Conklin on waivers, the Red Wings could have claimed him as an insurance policy just in case Howard should falter.
- Dallas Stars: Not moving Brad Richards could prove to be a double edged sword. In retaining his services, the club should forge into the playoffs, ending a two year absence. Yet, it is likely that Richards will leave in the offseason, as turmoil surrounds the club at its highest level, ownership. With an unknown direction, the Stars may have its hands tied as other franchises start surfacing with offers to Richards. So this is a high risk, high reward situation. Unless the team pulls off an unlikely run to capture the Stanley Cup, or the ownership troubles are solved prior to the free agent market opening, the Stars will be left with a huge hole in its lineup and cause dissension in its fan base.
- Montreal Canadiens: A couple of years ago, the Habs made an organizational change in philosophy. Management decided to comply with its rabid fan base to challenge for the Stanley Cup. To ignite the process, high priced veterans were brought to town. While that certainly aided the cause in last year’s playoffs, this year is much different. While the team will most likely make the playoffs, it is essentially a sitting duck. There were simply too many holes to patch and too many injuries for management to overcome. On the blue line, the club is without Andrei Markov, Josh Georges, and Jaroslav Spacek. It would be one thing if the team realistically had a fighter’s chance to win the Cup, but the Canadiens are moving in the wrong direction.
INCOMPLETE GRADES
- New York Rangers: The acquisition of Bryan McCabe would normally have put the Rangers on the Winners’ list, however, the club failed to address its back up goalie situation, as Martin Biron suffered a broken collarbone in practice on Monday. Not having a reliable stopper may prove to be an Achilles heel if anything should happen to Henrik Lundqvist.
- Philadelphia Flyers: On Valentine’s Day, the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference traded two draft picks to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Kris Versteeg. Since his arrival in the City of Brotherly Love, the 24 year old has just one goal and one assist in seven games played. While the Flyers have an embarrassment of riches in terms of scorers, the club needs Versteeg to play alongside Mike Richards and provide grit and fierceness, which he has inconsistently achieved. The forward may be enough to put the Flyers over the top if he can settle into his new surroundings and play every shift with tenacity.
- Phoenix Coyotes: The club realized that to achieve greatness in the Western Conference, it needed a shut down defenseman, as the competition employs tough, hard nosed forwards. Without injured Ed Jovanovski, the Coyotes gambled that struggling Rostislav Klesla would be able to step in and be that player. Also an unknown result from the trade is who would account for the departed Scottie Upshall’s production? Internally, the club is hoping that youngster, Mikkel Boedker and veteran, Taylor Pyatt will be up for the challenge. While all those scenarios may indeed come to fruition, there may be too many variables along the way that derail those plans.
EXTRA CREDIT GOES TO
- Penguins GM Ray Shero: While the Penguins continue rolling along, the fact remains that Sidney Crosby is still out with post concussion symptoms and there is no time table for his return. It is a testament to Pittsburgh for maintaining its place in the standings for Evgeni Malkin is also absent from the line up due to a season ending injury. Instead of crying the blues, Shero traded defenseman Alex Goligoski for James Neal and Matt Niskanen. Not satisfied, he added veteran Alex Kovalev at the dead line. The acquisitions of Neal and Kovalev will hold the fort down offensively for the Penguins and if Crosby can return to his former self, the attack may be downright scary.
- Buffalo Sabres Owner Terry Pegula: The Pennsylvania billionaire just purchased the team on February 22nd, but vowed to produce a winner. Showing he was serious, the Sabres brought in former 40 goal scorer Brad Boyes from the St. Louis Blues. With the team on the playoff bubble, the owner may provide the spark that catapults Buffalo into the playoffs. Adding Boyes into the fold allows Pegula to put his money with his mouth is. It seems exciting times lie ahead for Buffalo Sabres fans.
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