NHL Trade Deadline

So the deadline has passed and teams now have a clearer picture of their rosters going into the playoffs (or for next year for those that are going to miss the postseason).  As predicted, the blockbuster deal in the deadline was not made by a bubble team trying to get a huge first line guy to push them into the playoffs, but by a division leader.  In fact, there were two blockbuster deals made by the team I'm talking about: the Calgary Flames.

Calgary acquired Olli Jokinen from the Phoenix Coyotes for Matthew Lombardi, an AHL prospect, and a first round draft pick.
Calgary acquired Jordan Leopold for a prospect, Lawrence Nycholat, and a second round draft pick.

These trades pretty much mean one thing for Calgary: they want to win the cup now.  Coming into Wednesday, they were 10 points behind the other two Western Conference division leaders Detroit and San Jose, and weren't even considered a threat to take the conference title, let alone the Stanley Cup.  Olli Jokinen gets reunited with his old GM he had good relations with in Florida while Leopold returns to his old team where he had the best year of his career thus far.  Jokinen will add center depth to a team stacked with offensive wingers from the first to third line.  Because Jokinen is a scorer, odds are he won't be lining on the first line with Jarome Iginlia.  Lombardi wasn't too bad offensively himself, but they needed a centerman more than a winger.
Leopold adds the much needed depth on defense, and will presumably skate on the third line (and may be promoted to the second depending on how he plays in the last month of the season).  The fact that the Flames gave up their first and second round draft picks as well as 2 prospects means the Flames really aren't looking down the road.  If they are going to win the cup it will be this season, and they have put themselves right at the top if their two new additions can transition with the new system smoothly.

The Boston Bruins, although in not as flashy of a manner as Calgary, also came out as big winners at the deadline.
Boston acquired Steve Montador from the Anaheim Ducks for Petteri Nokelainen (currently out with an injury).
Boston acquired Mark Recchi and a second round draft pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for two prospects.

Mark Recchi is a big name guy, but Boston is using him more for his experience and leadership to a team that has just transitioned out of the rebuilding phase (very nicely, I might add) than his offensive abilities.  But that's not to say Recchi can't score anymore; he has 45 points on the season.  Steve Montador adds defensive depth and will probably take a third line role on the defensive roster, but he also brings Stanley Cup experience.  Boston had plenty of young prospects to deal away, so they're virtually losing nothing from either deal, and they even get a second rounder.

Other noticeably beneficial trades include:
Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Antoine Vermette for Pascal Leclaire and a second round draft pick.  Columbus finally picked up a centerman they desperately needed for offensive help, and Vermette is a great faceoff man.  Presumably, he'll go right to the top line in between Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius, and he is a great penalty killer as well.  Dumping Leclaire also frees up a lot of cap space for next year, and the Blue Jackets did not need to have two #1 goaltenders and clearly this move means the future of the franchise, for now, is with Steve Mason.  Ottawa has been missing goaltending for quite a while, even before Ray Emery (he was not that good, even when they went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2006).  Leclaire has a history with injuries, but if he can stay healthy, Ottawa could be in the playoffs next year.  And the most important thing is the Senators were able to keep their top line together despite heavy trade rumors involving the three.

Buffalo Sabres acquire Mikael Tellqvist from Phoenix for a fourth round draft pick.  The Sabres needed a decent starting goaltender to take over the void Ryan Miller left with injury for a final push at a late playoff spot.  The fact that the Coyotes gave up Olli Jokinen for prospects means they are still trying to rebuild, so the draft pick will help them next year assuming it is not wasted.

New York Rangers acquire Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second round draft pick and a conditional draft pick.  The Rangers have finally gotten some size and physicality on their forward lines, and Antropov has been on a scoring tear the past month.  The question is where Antropov will fit in on a roster that already has a couple of quality centers, but he has also been known to play wing as well.  Toronto's goal of the deadline for the past month was to dump players for draft picks, and they've accomplished that rather nicely with this deal.  Antropov was pretty much not going to play for Toronto next year, regardless of what happened.

San Jose Sharks acquire Travis Moen and Kent Huskins from the Anaheim Ducks for two prospects and a conditional draft pick.  The big name here is Travis Moen.  Although he isn't a big name in general, the recently injury-filled third and fourth line for the Sharks necessitated this need, especially after their performance against Dallas.  Moen also adds more Stanley Cup experience to a locker room that was already filled heavily with it during the offseason.  Kent Huskins is a defenseman who only looks to get a shot if a San Jose blue-liner gets injured down the stretch, but his style of play is a lot safer than some of the AHL guys the Sharks have been bringing up this year, such as Semenov and Staubitz.  Anaheim is clearly thinking about next year, so two prospects and a draft pick is a winning situation for them.

Three way trade here: Patrick O'Sullivan from the Los Angeles Kings gets sent to the Edmonton Oilers.  Erik Cole of the Oilers gets sent to the Carolina Hurricanes.  Justin Williams of Carolina gets shipped to Los Angeles.  Erik Cole was pretty much a guarantee to go back to the Hurricanes.  The big loser here is Los Angeles, who lose a key centerman in their development of a playoff team these past three years.  They get Justin Williams, who can provide second or third line scoring, but he has a very bad history of injury.

Interesting/Bad Trades:
Philedelphia Flyers acquire Daniel Carcillo from Phoenix for Scotty Upshall and a second round draft pick.  Everyone in the hockey world is wondering what the heck the Flyers just did to themselves.  Upshall was a great personality and a fan favorite in Philly, and had some offense going as well.  Daniel Carcillo is an agitator who hasn't lived up to the offensive potential he had (some blame Gretzky for that), and has spent most of his time in the penalty box or the injured reserve for Phoenix.  Very risky trade for Flyers, who were either intoxicated when they made this trade, or are gambling that Carcillo lives up to expectations soon.

San Jose Sharks acquire a sixth round pick from Philedelphia for Kyle McLaren.  This is a huge head scratcher for San Jose, especially given the fact that this happened at the deadline.  Kyle McLaren is a veteran defenseman who is still only 31 years old and plays the physical game.  The only reason he has been playing in the AHL this entire year was to make cap room for Rob Blake and Dan Boyle.  McLaren hasn't publicly come out and showed disdain for the move, so there is no reason why the front office would get rid of him for that.  If the Sharks wanted to clear cap room that badly, San Jose probably should've waited until summer to see what their future was like.  Blake and Jeremy Roenick probably would retire if the Sharks win the cup this year, in which case San Jose can keep McLaren (who they'll need if Blake leaves).  Losing McLaren now means San Jose is either going to rely on Semenov, Staubitz, or newly acquired Huskins to take over the void when Blake is gone.  The most frustrating thing for Sharks fans (me) is the fact that McLaren is easily worth more than a sixth round pick.  Philedelphia is seemingly building up on big, physical guys, nabbing McLaren and Carcillo.

Side note trades:
Chicago Blackhawks get Samuel Pahlsson for James Wishniewski.  Pahlsson brings age and experience to a young Blackhawk team looking for a playoff run this year (similar situation as Boston), while Wishniewski is another defenseman brought in by Anaheim to fill the impending void that will be left behind by Pronger and Niedermayer after this year.

Buffalo acquired Dominic Moore for a second round pick.  Toronto wanted to trade Moore, and Buffalo needed a forward to take over some holes left by injuries.  Buffalo is currently the winner in this trade, as Moore has a huge offensive upside.

Pittsburgh Penguins get Bill Guerin for a conditional draft pick.  The Islanders obviously thought Guerin had no more value and was too old for a team that is already looking at the draft.  The Penguins wanted more playoff experience, but that experiment failed with Guerin when he was traded to San Jose two years ago, and he is only getting older.

Edmonton Oilers get Ales Kotalik for a second round draft pick.  Strange that Buffalo would trade Kotalik when they've had offensive inconsistancies, but the Oilers now get some much needed scoring help for their late playoff push.

Niklas Backstrom was resigned by the Minnesota Wild, which means Marion Gaborik will most likely be gone this summer.  Jonathan Cheechoo stays in San Jose for now.  The Detroit Red Wings did not do a single thing, which isn't surprising given how much depth they have in all four lines and down into the AHL.  The Washington Capitals also didn't make a move, which comes as a surprise given how Boston solidified their team and New Jersey got a free goaltender last week in Martin Brodeur.  Speaking of the Devils, the front office wanted to trade Clemmensen because they felt he deserved a starting role for the rest of the season instead of wasting away in the AHL, but that didn't happen.

Other trades were more about cap space, including Tampa Bay sending 3 players and a draft pick to Toronto for one guy.  Big names not traded are Chris Pronger and Jay Bouwmeester, and Florida obviously went into this deadline hoping they'll maintain their playoff spot and they are going to build their franchise around their star defenseman.  The Anaheim Ducks made a lot of small deals with third and fourth line guys, most of which involved prospects and draft picks.  Good news for the Ducks future, as they have a wide variety of options to work with in the coming years.  Calgary is now one of the scariest teams in the NHL, although the favorites to win the Cup are still Detroit and San Jose.  Speaking of San Jose, I still can't get over the McLaren deal.  I really want to know what Doug Wilson was thinking when he got a sixth round pick for him.  Is there some guy he is specifically looking to draft late in the sixth round?