NHL Trade Deadline: Who Won!

By Zig Fracassi

Another NHL trade deadline has come and gone. Some 22 trades with 59 players involved capped the final day of furious wheeling and dealing, with the usual suspects gearing up for a Stanley Cup run, while franchises like Pittsburgh and Chicago unloaded salary like it was the bubonic plague. (The Penguins traded 12 players since the all-star break!) Let’s take a look at the teams who I thought did particularly well in helping their position for the postseason.

The Ottawa Senators have a Sabre feel to them, with the addition of long-time tough guys Rob Ray and Vaclav Varada. Former Buffalo g.m. and current Sens boss John Muckler thought the grit was lacking on an otherwise highly skilled club. He accomplished his goal of getting tougher. The addition of solid forward Bryan Smolinski from Los Angeles gives Ottawa yet another option to add to Daniel Alfredsson, Marian Hossa and company. The Sens look to be the team to beat in an otherwise up-for-grabs Eastern Conference.

As much as they are reviled in WNY, the Toronto Maple Leafs earn full marks adding grit, a proven winner and a puck mover for their blueline with the addition of Owen Nolan, Doug Gilmour and Phil Housley. Much like his former team the San Jose Sharks, Nolan struggled this season, thus a move was imminent. As for the "40'ish" crowd of Gilmour and Housley (ex-Sabres, by the way) they are sure to be revived by getting out of non-winning situations in Montreal and Chicago and into the electric atmosphere of Toronto. Give the Leafs full marks for not standing pat, as they have in past years.

Dallas has had the best record in the Western Conference for most of the season. Despite a run of injuries that has had free agent winger Bill Guerin and goalie Marty Turco out for significant time, the Stars haven't missed a beat. With the addition of ex-Sabres captain Stu Barnes and defenseman Lyle Odelein, Dallas has added proven commodities needed to maintain their lofty standing and preserve home-ice advantage for the upcoming playoffs.

For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, Detroit dealt for a defenseman at the deadline. The defending champions were looking Buffalo's way for Alexei Zhitnik, but a deal couldn't be worked out. The Wings looked westward towards L.A., who they had beaten the night before the deadline. Detroit lands veteran Mathieu Schneider from the Kings. Detroit did pay a rather steep price in forward Sean Avery, defenseman Maxim Kuznetsov, number one pick this year, and a second rounder in 2004. Seemingly every year, Detroit's window is to win now and give g.m. Ken Holland and company credit for going for it. This trade looks good for both teams, as the Kings look to the future with a very talented team that has been decimated by injuries.

As for individual trades, the Oilers/Rangers swap was curious. Edmonton dealt their leading scorer Anson Carter to New York for forward Radek Dvorak and defenseman Cory Cross. One would have to look at this as a salary dump on the Oilers part, but Carter has had stretches of inconsistent play through the year and throughout his career. The Rangers are still on the outside looking in, in the East. The Oilers also moved defenseman Janne Niinimaa and a second round pick to the Islanders for Edmonton native Brad Isbister and youngster Raffi Torres. The gamble on New York's part is that Isbister doesn't become another Todd Bertuzzi, who has emerged as a dominant forward in Vancouver after struggling with the Islanders. Philadelphia obtains forward Tony Amonte from Phoenix, reuniting him with Jeremy Roenick from their days in Chicago. Amonte struggled big time in the desert and his better days are behind him. Did St. Louis add the missing piece in goalie Chris Osgood from the Islanders? Osgood has tons of playoff experience, but has the knock of underachieving and not making clutch saves when his team needs them. The Blues felt that Brent Johnson simply wasn't the answer.

Man, I'm exhausted from writing this piece. Can you imagine how the g.m.'s must have felt burning up the phone lines in making deals to better their clubs, like the Senators, Leafs, Stars and Red Wings? Or make a separate deal to enhance their chances like St. Louis, or make a swap or two that raised eyebrows like Edmonton. There's nothing like it...the NHL trade deadline!

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