NHL Trade Deadline Recap
Yesterday was the NHL trade deadline and with lots of teams buying and selling there was lots of action from plenty of teams.
Two teams made blockbuster deals on “Trade Deadline Day”. Much to the disappointment of the Montreal Canadiens, Marian Hossa was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in what seemed like an 11th hour deal. Pittsburgh looks to be gearing up for a big playoff run with Evgeni Malkin firing on all cylinders and Sidney Crosby returning from injury.
The other big deal was in Dallas. They won the Brad Richards sweepstakes by acquiring the high-priced forward from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Richards will solidify the Stars offence looking for that extra punch up front.
Another interesting story was in Colorado, where the Avalanche was going for a more retro look for this year playoff push. On Monday the Avs signed often injured star Peter Foresberg for the remainder of the season. Yesterday, general manager Francois Giguere acquired defenseman Adam Foote from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both players won cups in Colorado earlier in their career.
The San Jose Sharks also made a big splash when they traded former Moncton Wildcats forward Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick to Buffalo for coveted puck-moving defenseman Brian Campbell. This is a great move for the Sharks since they were on the market for a defenseman to run the power play.
I also believe this is a good trade for Buffalo in the long term. Bernier offensive abilities mixed with his crash & bang style looks like a good fit for the Sabres.
Washington loaded up by acquiring a few veteran players. The Capitols and Canadiens made the most surprising move of the day when Montreal goaltender Christobal Huet was sent to the Capitols for a 2nd round pick in 2009. They also acquired Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke.
The Leafs we’re fairly quiet dealing defenseman Hal Gill and forwards Chad Kilger & Wade Belak for draft picks.
The Wings and the Ducks as they fight for first place in the West did only minor moves.
The Oilers and Flames were quiet on Tuesday with no transactions to report.
In Ottawa, after acquiring Corey Stillman and Mike Commodore earlier this month made only one deal at the deadline. Martin Lapointe leaves the Blackhawks for Ottawa to add experience and grit to the Senators.
After all the action of Tuesday who are the winners and losers?
First the winners …
I personally liked the way the Tampa Bay Lightning sold their assets such as Brad Richards and Vaclav Prospal (traded to Philadelphia) for good young players and draft picks. Moving theses big salaries allowed the team to keep defenseman Dan Boyle.
Anytime you get a big name player you’re considered a winner in most eyes. Therefore, the Sharks, Penguins and Stars fall in this category.
And the losers …
I didn’t like the moves the Blue Jackets made. What kind of message do you send to your fan base when you’ve never played a playoff game in franchise history by trading away Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov. They are still in the playoff hunt but I suppose that they chose to get something for theses players rather than loose them to unrestricted free agency.
In the end, the best moves are probably the ones most teams didn't make.
