Win, Lose, or Draw: A Look at the Aftermath of the Deadline

Another trade deadline has passed us by. First of all, I would like to thank our readers for the thousands of page views we got during the hectic times that encompassed the 2007 trade deadline. Secondly, does anyone remember a deadline where first round picks were tossed around like candy? I remember deadlines where second round draft picks were seemingly a part of every deal, but never firsts. By my quick count, 11 first round draft picks, conditional or otherwise were thrown around starting within two weeks around the deadline (the Nagy deal or the Ference/Stuart deal are deadline starters for me and for many). I'll be handling the 43 trades since February 10th (the first true "rental" trade), and just for the record, the trade deadline got busy in the afternoon:, 25 trades in all and by my count 72 assets (players, picks or prospects). So let's get on with it, this years winners and losers and those that on their proverbial hands.

[Key:
(ML) = minor leaguer
(Mpr.) = low to mid-level prospect
(Tpr.) = top prospect
(rent) = rental
(cond.) = conditional draft pick ]

Anaheim Ducks: Draw technically, but gained nothing for the Cup run.
Gained:
1st round pick (TB - 2007)
Brad May
Gerald Coleman (Mpr.)
Doug O'Brien (ML)
Future Considerations (Dallas)

Lost:
Shane O'Brien
3rd round pick (2007)
Michael Wall (Mpr.)
Joe Rullier (ML)
Shane Endicott (ML)

Well if GM Brian Burke didn't spend ten minutes talking to James Duthie on TSN in the early afternoon maybe he would have had time to complete a deal with the New York Islanders that sent a first round pick and a prospect to the Isles for Jason Blake, but the paperwork was not filed in time at the deal fell through. Burke missed out on Bertuzzi, missed out on Smyth (rumor had it he would go within the conference) and didn't add anything he wanted to add. He was very open about the fact that the first round pick he acquired from Tampa was solely for tradebait purposes. He did not lose much, a couple minor leaguers, a mid-level goalie prospect and a 3rd pairing defenseman. He didn't gain much either, Coleman will end being worse than Wall, May Day's "tough guy" days are over and I doubt Burke will even hold onto to the mid-range first round pick he acquired. I'll call it a draw technically because they didn't lose or gain too much but the Ducks did not acquire any critical pieces for their Cup run.

Atlanta Thrashers: Lose, the future was plundered away in a flurry of panic.
Gained:
Keith Tkachuk (rent)
Alexei Zhitnik
Pascal Dupuis (rent)
Eric Belanger (rent)
3rd round pick (NYR - 2007)

Lost:
Braydon Coburn (Tpr.)
1st round pick (Atl - 2008) (cond.)
Alex Bourret (Tpr.)
1st round pick (Atl - 2007)
Vitaly Vishnevski
2nd round pick (Atl - 2008)
Glen Metropolit (rent)
3rd round pick (Atl - 2007)

If we pause just for a moment, I think we can still hear the Atlanta Thrashers fans from all over the country asking a long and drawn-out "why." Now before we take GM Don Waddell to the gallows let's first make sure Atlanta doesn't win the Stanley Cup this season. [Insert the obligatory "ah, come on!" from the reader]. I have a lot of faith in Kari Lehtonen; maybe Keith Tkachuk, who has been playing center recently despite being a natural winger, could spark Kovalchuk and/or Hossa into an MVP-like performance. If not, the Thrashers have a chasm where a promising future once lied. Braydon Coburn and Alex Bourret are two first round picks recently and two of their top prospects. A slew of high picks and a physical defenseman go by the boards. They add Tkachuk, yes, a puck-moving defenseman and they add some speed, but these were not exactly season-savers on a team that it's a virtual freefall. For Waddell's crazy moves, I'll give Atlanta a big loss.

Boston Bruins: Draw, losing Boyes and then Mara for Ward is a tough pill to swallow in the end.
Gained:
Chuck Kobasew
Andrew Ference
Dennis Wideman
Aaron Ward

Lost:
Brad Boyes
Brad Stuart (rent)
Paul Mara
Wayne Primeau (rent)
4th round pick (Bos - 2007) (cond.)

Some rather even dealings on the Bruins side, especially after some recent ill-fated dealings. Kobasew has tremendous upside, Ference is very under-rated. Wideman could be a solid NHL defenseman, Aaron Ward may have seen better days but he's still plenty serviceable. They misuse and then give up on Boyes in just his second NHL season, they give up Stuart and Mara's salaries but what they got back for Mara was an older downgrade. I'd say the Bruins were going to be on the win side for a while, but dealing Brad Boyes away really brings down their average, I'll give them a "draw."

Buffalo Sabres: Win, future pretty well intact and once players heal up the Cup is in sight.
Gained:
Dainius Zubrus (rent)
Ty Conklin (rent)
2nd round pick (Phi - 2007)
Mikko Lehtonen (ML)
Timo Helbling (ML)

Lost:
Jiri Novotny
Martin Biron (rent)
1st round pick (Buf - 2007)
4th round pick (Buf - 2007)
5th round pick (Buf - 2007)

If it wasn't for so many injuries the Sabres would be even more of an unstoppable force. They replenish their lineup by adding big forward Dainius Zubrus and they clear some space by losing backup goalie Biron, conversely, they are done for should Ryan Miller go down again. Novotny is a big prospect but he's replaceable in Buffalo's eyes, and by gaining Philadelphia's 2nd rounder they likely cancel out losing their first rounder. Buffalo advanced closer to a Cup without sacraficing their entire future, for that they get a win.

Calgary Flames: lose, but not by much, though they did lose more than they gained no matter which way you slice it.
Gained:
Brad Stuart (rent)
David Hale
Wayne Primeau (rent)
4th round pick (Bos - 2007) (cond.)
5th round pick (NJ - 2007)

Lost:
Chuck Kobasew
Andrew Ference
3rd round pick (Cgy - 2007)

Standing relatively pat at the deadline Flames GM Darryl Sutter may have sacraficed a little more future than he would have liked. Kobasew and Ference are pretty significant hits, especially if Stuart doesn't stay around. David Hale will fit the defensive system in Calgary well, but he's 3rd pairing and can't be used in every situation like Ference could. In the end, the Flames will always live and die with Miikka Kiprusoff, these trades just depict how much they need to rely on him. Some may think I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll give Calgary a loss but I'm looking strictly at deadline deals, not exactly the team as a whole...in other words, save your hate mail.

Carolina Hurricanes: lose, fun fact: Anson Carter doesn't boost you into the playoffs automatically.
Gained:
Anson Carter (rent)

Lost:
5th round pick (Car - 2008)

Apparently we are in the eye of the storm. Carolina management shows great confidence in the 9th place Hurricanes (as of Wednesday night). Anson Carter is nothing more than a glorified third liner, miscast as a top six forward as he joins his 10th different organization in 14 years. The Hurricanes will pencil in Carter to fill in for Erik Cole and then set him free in the offseason. I'll give the 'Canes a loss overall for not addressing the needs of a team that is one point out of the top 8.

Chicago Blackhawks: lose, not a ton of future gained, simply not impressed.
Gained:
Jason Williams
Nikita Alexeev
2nd round pick (Van - 2007) (cond.)

Lost:
Lasse Kukkonen
Bryan Smolinski (rent)
3rd round pick (Chi - 2007)
Karl Stewart
6th round pick (Chi - 2007)

The Blackhawks lose a bottom 4 d-man in Kukkonen and the center that was working well with superstar Martin Havlat, although he was a rental. They lose a couple of picks, they may gain one back from the Canucks, they also gained a project that Rick Dudley never finished in Alexeev. Jason Williams is putting up modest numbers this year and may be more of a bust than his career year last season may have indicated. I've always liked Alexeev but losing Kukkonen and those picks doesn't sit well with me. Jason Williams doesn't strike me as anything special, so I'll give the Blackhawks a loss.

Colorado Avalanche: draw, everything cancels perfectly.
Gained:
Scott Parker
Michael Wall (Mpr.)

Lost:
6th round pick (Col - 2008)
Brad May

Colorado had the chance to be big time sellers at the deadline for the first time ever, they passed. They'll keep their core of, a lot of free agents included, talent together. Wall adds a little organizational depth in net and they lost nothing at all. These trades skate to a tie.

Columbus Blue Jackets: win, because they didn't have much to lose.
Gained:
Brian Boucher (rent)
5th round pick (Buf - 2007)
5th round pick (Car - 2008)

Lost:
Anson Carter (rent)
Ty Conklin (rent)

They replaced Ty Conklin, Anson Carter doesn't serve much of a purpose anyway and they gained some late picks. The only free agent of note was Bryan Berard and he was waived with no takers. What more could the Blue Jackets do? Nothing. They win for all intents and purposes.

Dallas Stars: win, they gave up some future, but they aren't devastated and they got some key components to make a run.
Gained:
Ladislav Nagy (rent)
Mattias Norstrom (rent)
Konstantin Pushkarev
3rd round pick (LA - 2007)
4th round pick (LA - 2007)
Shane Endicott (ML)

Lost:
1st round pick (Dal - 2008)
1st round pick (Dal - 2007)
2nd round pick (Dal - 2007)
Jaroslav Modry (rent)
3rd round pick (Dal - 2007)
Johan Fransson (Mpr.)
Mathias Tjarnqvist
Future Considerations

The Stars gained Nagy and Norstrom to make a push for the Cup. Remarkably they even gained a decent prospect in Pushkarev. Modry was replaced with Norstrom, both rentals, Fransson won't be NHL-ready for a while still as far as I can tell. Tjarnqvist was placed on waivers so the fact that he was part of a deal to get Nagy is no big loss. They'll be without a first rounder for two years, that's bothersome, especially with goalie that struggles to get them out of the first round. The Stars were not robbed, based on these odd market values, and they made signifcant strides for a Cup run, I'll give them a win for now.

Detroit Red Wings: Win, both acquired players are wildcards, but the risk was calculated and the price was right.
Gained:
Todd Bertuzzi (rent)
Kyle Calder (rent)

Lost:
Jason Williams
Shawn Matthias (Mpr.)
2nd round pick (Det - 2008) (cond.)
1st/2nd round pick (Det - 2007) (cond.) [slide up two spots if 1st rounder]

GM Ken Holland just doing what he normally does at the deadline, adding veteran scorers. He avoided selling too much of the future in the process. Calder and Bertuzzi are both big time wildcards, who knows what a change of scenery will do for them. Williams was having an off-year, perhaps hinting that last year was a fluke. Detroit has a knack for finding gems in the late rounds (Datsyuk, Zetterberg, etc.) therefore the picks are not at all bothersome. Wings can come out of this looking good if both these players play close to their potential.

Edmonton Oilers: win, nothing wrong with stockpiling first rounders when you are going to miss the postseason.
Gained:
Robert Nilsson (Tpr.)
Ryan O'Marra (Tpr.)
1st round pick (NYI - 2007)
Denis Grebeshkov (Tpr.)

Lost:
Ryan Smyth (rent)
Marc Andre Bergeron
3rd round pick (Edm - 2008)

The Oilers gained some good future players. It did cost them franchise player Ryan Smyth (over $300K on a $5.5M+ contract). Losing Bergeron is addition by subtraction, Grebeshkov is already a better defenseman than Bergeron. Nilsson and O'Marra should be solid NHLers (both former first round picks) and another top pick to do as they please. The Oilers are hurting by losing Smyth but they have room to replace him this offseason. A team missing the playoffs and gathering in this much future gets a win in my book.

Florida Panthers: win, same ol' Panthers, rentals for picks, they didn't do anything wrong.
Gained:
Noah Welch (Tpr.)
Shawn Matthias (Mpr.)
2nd round pick (Det - 2008) (cond.)
1st/2nd round pick (Det - 2007) (cond.) [slide up two spots if 1st rounder]
4th round pick (Pit? - 2007)

Lost:
Todd Bertuzzi (rent)
Gary Roberts (rent)
Joel Kwiatkowski (rent)

Bertuzzi was a walking time bomb in terms of injuries: he went off at game 7 of the regular season. Roberts is 40+ and Kiwi wasn't offering much anyway. They had Noah Welch who will be a solid NHL contributer and a few draft picks. It must bother Florida that the main piece of the Luongo deal is gone leaving just 7 points in his wake, but maybe those condtional picks work out in their favor. Rentals for the future is Florida's game for 10 years, they win, for all intents and purposes.

Los Angeles Kings: win, look at all those high draft picks, they can strike gold with one of them for sure.
Gained:
1st round pick (Dal - 2008)
2nd round pick (Dal - 2007)
2nd round pick (Van? - 2007)
Jaroslav Modry (rent)
3rd round pick (Dal - 2007)
Jamie Heward (rent)
Johan Fransson (Mpr.)
4th round pick (Van - 2007)
5th round pick (TB - 2007)

Lost:
Mattias Norstrom (rent)
Konstantin Pushkarev
Brent Sopel (rent)
3rd round pick (LA - 2007)
4th round pick (LA - 2007)
Jason Ward (rent)
conditional draft pick (LA - 2008?)

Well, the Kings were certainly busy. They moved some rentals, lost a prospect, but gained a myriad of picks and old face in Modry. The Kings have some amazing talent on the way, the lean years are coming to an end, they made the best of this one with all these picks they got. I have no choice, even if it's by dumb luck, to say the Kings win.

Minnesota Wild: win, minor problem solved. The usual understated, under-the-radar Minnesota Wild.
Gained:
Dominic Moore

Lost:
3rd round pick (Min - 2007)

If a tree falls in the forest...well you know the rest, the Wild were anything but at this deadline. They fixed their problem at center depth for a smart price. That's it and that's all, it could be all they need to quietly steal a very close division.

Montreal Canadiens: draw, nothing to see here folks.
Gained:
1st round pick (SJ - 2007)
Josh Gorges
Michael Leighton (ML)

Lost:
Craig Rivet (rent)
5th round pick (Mtl - 2008)

The Canadiens are a difficult crossroads, no Huet and they are the cusp of a playoff berth. What to do? What to do? The answer, an astounding, not much. Gorges is a bottom pairing d-man at best, the first round pick could be extremely low. Rivet was a rental and they got back more than they would have any other year. Sad and confused, I'll give Les Habitants a draw.

Nashville Predators: win, wildcard-laden deals make it a tough call but the Preds did what a Cup contender should.
Gained:
Peter Forsberg (rent)
Vitaly Vishnevski (rent)
4th round pick (Buf - 2007)

Lost:
Scottie Upshall
1st round pick (Nsh - 2007)
Ryan Parent (Tpr.)
Eric Belanger (rent)
3rd round pick (Nsh - 2007)
Mikko Lehtonen (ML)

If Peter Forsberg pans out, and that's a huge "if," the Preds win. If not, Upshall is a young 2nd/3rd line energy guy, the 1st round pick could be potentially damaging. Ryan Parent is apparently a back problem away from a career-ending injury, if not he's a top 4 shutdown defenseman. Vishnevski adds a physical, veteran presence to a very young blueline. A number of wildcards in this deal, for now, I'm giving it to Nashville.

New Jersey Devils: draw, nothing to do, nothing could be done, and here we are.
Gained:
3rd round pick (Cgy - 2007)

Lost:
David Hale
5th round pick (NJ - 2007)

Not much breathing space for the Devils under the cap. They lose a last pairing defenseman who has shown little progression in his development recently. With Martin Brodeur back there, what difference does it make who the other 19 roster players are. Draw.

New York Islanders: lose, too much future gone, not a contender.
Gained:
Ryan Smyth (rent)
Richard Zednik (rent)
Marc Andre Bergeron
3rd round pick (Edm - 2008)

Lost:
Robert Nilsson (Tpr.)
Ryan O'Marra (Tpr.)
1st round pick (NYI - 2007)
Denis Grebeshkov (Tpr.)
2nd round pick (Wsh - 2007)

The Islanders are going to try make a run at the playoffs, but at what cost? The answer: a good chunk of their future. Five top prospects or top draft picks. Bergeron adds almost nothing, Zednik adds a small boost to the 2nd or 3rd line. Ryan Smyth was expensive for a rental player, there's no guarantee he plays with the passion that he did in Edmonton. The Isles also tried to contradict themselves but failed, they tried to trade Jason Blake to Anaheim but still acquired Ryan Smyth...GM Garth Snow would have looked like a fool if that sequence of deals went down, he dodges a bullet on technicalities. The Isles are not a Cup favorite but they made Cup favorite moves; the Isles gave up too much and I don't think they'll even make the playoffs, let alone win a Stanley Cup. I'll give them a surprise loss.

New York Rangers: win, nothing to complain about here, a blueline upgrade and a prospect added.
Gained:
Paul Mara
Alex Bourret (Tpr.)

Lost:
Pascal Dupuis (rent)
Aaron Ward
3rd round pick (Atl - 2007)

Rangers have a core that's intact from last year's division run. Dupuis was only in the Big Apple for six games, no big loss there and they gained a top prospect in the process. Mara is a younger and better upgrade on Aaron Ward. The Rangers didn't do much to help this season's run but they made two good moves out of two: winner.

Ottawa Senators: win, gaining an underrated scorer for not very much, looks alright to me.
Gained:
Oleg Saprykin
Lawrence Nycholat (ML) (rent)
7th round pick (Phx - 2007)

Lost:
2nd round pick (Ott - 2008)
Andy Hedlund (ML)
6th round pick (Ott - 2007)

The Senators didn't get tougher but after a recent brawl with Buffalo it seems like they are tough enough, from the crease out. Saprykin is the poor man's Maxim Afinogenov, very underrated. Nycholat is a 7th offensive d-man. The Sens gain without losing much, they lost out on Gary Roberts but they'll make an interesting playoff run on firepower alone. Sens win, Sens win.

Philadelphia Flyers: biggest winner, look at that "gained" list, it speaks for itself.
Gained:
Braydon Coburn
Martin Biron (rent)
Scottie Upshall
1st round pick (Nsh - 2007)
Ryan Parent (Tpr.)
Lasse Kukkonen
3rd round pick (Chi - 2007)
3rd round pick (Nsh - 2007)

Lost:
Peter Forsberg (rent)
Alexei Zhitnik
Kyle Calder (rent)
2nd round pick (Phi - 2007)

Coburn, top pairing, top four at worst in my eyes. Parent, 2nd pairing if he stays injury-free. Kukkonen solid bottom four defenseman. A few picks and an energy forward that could be a 2nd or 3rd liner, oh yeah, and a starting goalie Forsberg could return, Zhitnik hopefully won't (for Philly fans), Calder was a league worst -31. Paul Holmgren, winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Phoenix Coyotes: win, new song, old story: rentals for future.
Gained:
1st round pick (Dal - 2007)
Brendan Bell
2nd round pick (Tor - 2008)
2nd round pick (Ott - 2008)
3rd round pick (Pit - 2008)
Mathias Tjarnqvist
Daniel Carcillo (ML)

Lost:
Ladislav Nagy (rent)
Oleg Saprykin
Yanic Perreault (rent)
Georges Laraque (rent)
5th round pick (Phx - 2008)
7th round pick (Ott - 2007)

Nagy was on the outs anyway, they got a first round pick for him. Saprykin was a hit, but I don't think Phoenix management thought to highly of him anyway. Perreault and Laraque are expendable. They had a tough presence in Carcillo, a third liner in Tjarnqvist, some picks and a solid defensive prospect. Coyotes still have a ways to go in rebuilding but moving out some rentals for a brighter future was the right way to go.

Pittsburgh Penguins: draw, they aren't better, they aren't worse.
Gained:
Gary Roberts (rent)
Georges Laraque (rent)
Joel Kwiatkowski (rent)
Nolan Schaefer (ML)
3rd round pick (Min - 2007)

Lost:
Noah Welch (Tpr.)
Dominic Moore
3rd round pick (Pit - 2008)
4th round pick (Pit? - 2007)
Daniel Carcillo (ML)
7th round pick (Pit - 2007)

Pens added Roberts and Laraque, pieces to a puzzle, yes, but it seems like their some assembly required here. Roberts and Laraque scream "go for it!" Kwiatkowski and subtracting Moore scream, "we're not ready!" Instead of puzzle pieces, GL and GR just becomes undecipherable pieces of cardboard that may be lost under the couch or sucked up into the vacuum. The Pens are the worst faceoff team, they traded their best faceoff man. They needed a defensive defenseman, they got a Kiwi and lost Welch. They got Roberts' leadership, but how far will leadership alone take this team when no needs were addressed. I'll call it even, this team is no different than it was a week before.

San Jose Sharks: win, they escape with the win because they acquired former weaknesses, it cost some spare parts and some key picks, but they are a Cup favorite now more than ever.
Gained:
Bill Guerin (rent)
Craig Rivet (rent)
5th round pick (Mtl - 2008)
6th round pick (Col - 2008)
7th round pick (Pit - 2007)

Lost:
1st round pick (NJ - 2007)
1st round pick (SJ - 2007)
Josh Gorges
Jay Barriball (Mpr.)
Ville Nieminen (rent)
Nolan Schaefer (ML)
Scott Parker

Two first round picks (one acquired for essentially nothing) for two rentals. Guerin was a bargain based on the market values, Rivet was an overpayment but a big help to the Sharks inexperienced blueline. They kept Nabokov and Vlasic (offered to Philly) and Carle (reportedly offered to Montreal) those are key keepers for the Sharks success. They lose a 6/7th defenseman, a 3rd liner, a minor leaguer goaltender on a team that is a goaltending factory, and a future 2nd line center. A lot of spare parts in reality for a legitimate chances at a Cup, I would have outright handed it to them if they got Korolyuk too. They barely win, they did give up a lot of assets for not a great return, but a return that plays to the team's weaknesses and I suppose that's all that matters.

St. Louis Blues: win, doesn't get much better than this, 3 first round picks (2 guaranteed) and a 1st round roster player.
Gained:
Brad Boyes
1st round pick (Atl - 2008) (cond.)
1st round pick (Atl - 2007)
1st round pick (SJ - 2007)
2nd round pick (Atl - 2008)
Jay Barriball (Mpr.)
Glen Metropolit (rent)
3rd round pick (Atl - 2007)
Ville Nieminen (rent)

Lost:
Bill Guerin (rent)
Keith Tkachuk (rent)
Dennis Wideman

Benefitting greatly from the Bruins offer of a door prize in Brad Boyes and Don Waddell's going out of business sale, the Blues find themselves building greatly for the future. They lost nothing really and gained 3 first rounders and some decent roster players and a potential young star. They challenge Philadelphia greatly for the biggest winners of the deadline. Larry Pleau and John Davidson did one heck of a number on these desperate playoff teams...and Boston.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Lose, "why?" is a good place to start, 9th in the East may be a good place to finish.
Gained:
Shane O'Brien
3rd round pick (Ana - 2007)
Jason Ward (rent)
Karl Stewart
6th round pick (Chi - 2007)
Joe Rullier (ML)

Lost:
1st round pick (TB - 2007)
Nikita Alexeev
Gerald Coleman (Mpr.)
5th round pick (LA - 2007)
Doug O'Brien (ML)

Tampa Bay gave away a first round pick for a third pairing defenseman, that was curious. They gave away Alexeev (an 8th overall pick) for a guy who was on waivers at least twice this season. They acquire a couple of 3rd/4th liners. Well, I hope that top six of yours stays on fire or the lights go out on your season in mid-April.

Toronto Maple Leafs: lose, the move looks more of PR than it does of playoff push or surrender.
Gained:
Yanic Perreault (rent)
5th round pick (Phx - 2008)

Lost:
Brendan Bell
2nd round pick (Tor - 2008)

Perreault is back again, so they'll win faceoffs. Bell was another face in the crowd among their young, but not overly exciting, defense prospects. So, John Ferguson Jr., what are you trying to do? Three points out with two games at hand and this was the move. It's cautious at best, uncertain at worst. It's a loss to me.

Vancouver Canucks: win, 1. State mission. 2. Accomplish mission. 3. Watch Luongo.
Gained:
Brent Sopel (rent)
Bryan Smolinski (rent)

Lost:
2nd round pick (Van - 2008)
2nd round pick (Van? - 2007) (cond.)
4th round pick (Van - 2008)

GM Dave Nonis had a plan, use his 2nd round picks to acquire a defenseman and a depth center. He did just that and the price was right. He made his moves, he said he was done for the day. He can dust his hands and sit back and watch how far Roberto Luongo can take him.

Washington Capitals: draw, didn't have much to give and didn't get much for it, if I had to choose, I'd say they got the better end because of Zubrus, but it still leaves a little to be desired shortsightedly.
Gained:
Jiri Novotny
1st round pick (Buf - 2007)
2nd round pick (NYI - 2007)
Andy Hedlund (ML)
6th round pick (Ott - 2007)
Conditional draft pick (LA - 2008?)

Lost:
Dainius Zubrus (rent)
Richard Zednik (rent)
Jamie Heward (rent)
Lawrence Nycholat (rent)
Timo Helbling (ML)

They shed some rentals, footnote defenseman, a forgotten forward, a Lithuanian who priced himself right out of the nation's capital. Zuburs demanded double his $1.85 million salary and was shown the door. The Caps got a solid young player and a 1st round pick. They didn't gain too terribly much though, hopefully for their sake Nicklas Backstrom is on his way.

Well, there you have it, I'm hoping that this is the best look at and breakdown of the NHL trade deadline on the internet. Thanks for reading and for the record I think my teams went 16-7-7, pretty close to have half of the teams winning, not bad. Trade deadline day is always a fun one for hockey fans, and the only thing more fun is what follows this frantic day: the Stanley Cup playoffs.