The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and we've seen which teams were willing to go all-in by making a move, which teams made moves looking ahead to next season, and who thinks they're better off by simply standing pat. It's obviously something that gets talked about at the trade deadline in every sport in every season, and few teams end up being right. But sometimes they do. And the guy they get not only helps them make a championship run, but becomes an integral part of the team for years to come.
Florida really got everything started by getting Jaromir Jagr from the Devils. I think I finally figured out why Jagr wears No. 68 (yes, I do know the actual reason). It's because he's going to play until he's 68. And we've now reached the point that Jagr's been in the NHL longer than the team he plays for. As he continues in his quest to play for every team in the Eastern Conference, it's clear that the Devils realize they don't have any chance at competing for a playoff spot this season. That doesn't really have much to do with Jagr. They had very little use for him, which is one of the reasons why they traded him. But trading Marek Zidlicky, who's probably their best player, to Detroit is a clear waiving of the white flag.
Another team that seems to be retooling for next season is Columbus. The Blue Jackets were a playoff team last season, and they gave the Penguins all they could handle in the first round. But Columbus is out of the running this season, mired in sixth place in the tough Metropolitan Division. So the Blue Jackets traded some of their many good, young pieces (mainly defenseman Jordan Leopold) and got plenty in return. They'll be back. Probably as soon as next year. Some shrewd moves made by JD as he builds a potential future powerhouse in Columbus.
Then there's the Coyotes. By trading its best player, defenseman Keith Yandle, to the Rangers, Arizona is clearly retooling for the future. That was made even more evident by the fact that the Rangers were willing to swap Anthony Duclair to complete the deal. Arizona, who's also taking on some of the money owed to Yandle, gets a good prospect with a very high ceiling. They also got John Moore in the deal, making the John Moore/Dominic Moore thing a lot less confusing.
At last year's trade deadline, the Rangers were the big winners, trading Ryan Callahan to Tampa Bay for Martin St. Louis and being rewarded with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. I'm not saying that's going to happen again, but the Rangers definitely upgraded in an area of need and they didn't really have to give up much to do it. Of course, when Henrik Lundqvist returns and how healthy he is when he does are the big questions. But how well Cam Talbot has played in Lundqvist's absence is probably one of the big reasons why they didn't go out and add a goalie at the deadline.
One team that did pick up a goalie was the Rangers' archrival and the team they've been battling for first place for the last several weeks. The Islanders swapped Chad Johnson for the Sabres' Michal Neuvirth. Ultimately, that doesn't mean much. Because Jaroslav Halak is the reason the Islanders are as good as they are. But is Neuvirth a better guy to have as Halak's backup just in case something happens? Probably.
Over in the Western Conference, the two best teams took opposite strategies at the trade deadline. Nashville did nothing, while Anaheim made all kinds of minor moves. I don't think anything they did helps or hurts the Ducks that much, and my big concern with them in the playoffs is still goaltending. Especially since they're probably going to face at least one team with a better goalie than Frederic Anderson in the playoffs. It might even be in the first round if the Kings straighten themselves out. For their part, LA upgraded on the defensive end by getting Andrej Sekera from Carolina.
Two other Western Conference teams that made moves were St. Louis and Chicago. And they both made big ones. The Blues made a big upgrade up front by getting Olli Jokinen from Toronto. You knew Jokinen was probably gone after that whole incident with the Leafs fans, and it's a smart trade for a St. Louis team that needed another scorer for the playoffs.
But I think the big winners of this season's trade deadline might've been the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have become the NHL's model franchise over the past five years. They legitimately think they have a chance to win the Cup every year. Except this year things hit a little bit of a snag when Patrick Kane got hurt. He's out until the end of May at the earliest, which means the Conference Finals.
It's not good to lose arguably your best player for the first two rounds of the playoffs. But did the Blackhawks panic? Of course not. Instead they went out and got one of the best forwards available at the deadline--Arizona's Antoine Vermette. Vermette wasn't even the biggest coup Chicago pulled, though. They got Philadelphia's Kimmo Timonen. It's just unfair how many ridiculous defensemen the Blackhawks have now.
Even with Patrick Kane on the shelf, I'd have to say that their trade deadline moves have made the Chicago Blackhawks the favorites in the Western Conference, and probably to win the Cup. In the East, I think it's going to be almost as big of a crapshoot as it was already shaping up to be. Detroit and the Rangers got incrementally better. Montreal, Pittsburgh and Islanders didn't do much and didn't really need to. Florida made big moves hoping to go from out to in. And Boston, perhaps the most dangerous team out there, sat back and let everyone else do stuff while they just circle like sharks in the water. I know the top teams in the East are sure hoping Florida gets in. Because no one wants to face the Bruins in the playoffs.
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