Fallout From Deadline Day

For some players it was a fresh start and a chance to redeem themselves. For others, it was a vote of confidence given from their general manager. For some it was a surprise, and for others, it was expected. All in all, trade deadline day for this 2007-08 was an emotional roller coaster for the players, the general managers, and the fans alike. Simply put, deadline day certainly lived up to the expectations and did not disappoint.

Now that deadline day has passed and the players that were dealt have been given a chance to adjust, hockey experts around the continent will be putting in their two cents on the winners and losers of deadline day 2008. However, no 'expert' will know who the real winner is until the Stanley Cup playoffs have finished and only one team remains alongside Lord Stanley. Thus, I'd be wasting both my time and yours to pick out the apparent winners and losers of deadline.

Instead, we'll take a look at why certain deals happened, didn't happen, and what to expect in the future for each Canadian team.

Just to refresh everyones memory, it was the Anaheim Ducks that made a minor deal for Brad May last season that catapulted them to league supremacy.

The Montreal Canadiens

Without question, the biggest trade shocker of them all came at 11:49am when it was announced that the Montreal Canadiens dealt starting goaltender Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals for a 2nd round draft pick in 2009. The hotbed of hockey was in utter shock. Analysts, fans, and even the Canadiens' players themselves were surprised from the bold move by Habs GM Bob Gainey. Publicly stating that he was targeting an 'impact player', Bob Gainey turned the tables on Canadiens fans and opted instead to deal their starting netminder. And unfortunately for Canadiens fans, that 'impact player' never came by 4p.m. ET.
For a team that was battling for first place in the conference, putting all the pressure on 20-year old Carey Price in the hotbed of hockey didn't seem like the smartest move by Gainey.

So why did Gainey trade Huet?

The answer is simple, and when one thinks about it, rather obvious. With the 5th selection, the Montreal Canadiens (with Bob Gainey at the helm) selected Carey Price in the 2005 Entry Draft. Analysts and fans were once again left scratching their heads. Although Price was expected to go high, it didn't seem like the Montreal Canadiens were in need of a goalie. Already with Theodore, Halak and Denis, why would the Canadiens select another goaltender. Truth is, Gainey had a plan and it just took another step forward on deadline day. Knowing full well that Carey Price was the future backbone of the Canadiens, and Huet was an unrestricted free agent, Bob Gainey handed the ball to Price and told him to run with it. Thus far, that is exactly what Carey Price is doing. Cristobal Huet's numbers have been stellar with the Canadiens, but Gainey must have known by the midway mark of the season that Cristobal would no longer be with the Canadiens come July 1st. Rather than letting Huet go for nothing, Gainey traded Huet to a Washington club in desperate need of a fresh face between the pipes; especially since the aging Olaf Kolzig was wearing down.

Some have argued that Gainey should have kept Huet on the team to serve as a veteran backup, and allow Price to take the lead. But with Gainey knowing that Carbonneau wasn't about to let Price carry the team into the post-season, he made Carbonneau's decision for him by crossing Huet's name off the lineup. If Price is the future, he better get some experience. And that was Bob Gainey's plan all along.

Time will tell if Price can become the Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy and lead the Habs to the Stanley Cup. Possessing excellent poise and solid positional skills, Price is no stranger to pressure having won both the World Juniors Championship and AHL Calder Cup... but playing in the hockey-mad city of Montreal come playoff time may rattle the young backstop.

The bottom line is that if Price fails, Gainey will be taking all of the heat. But if Price can lead the Canadiens to a long playoff run, then Gainey will be viewed as a genius and true visionary.

The Toronto Maple Leafs

The media circled Cliff Fletcher like a pack of wolves at 4pm ET and peppered the interim general manager with questions regarding Fletcher's deadline moves... or lack of moves. Fletcher dealt Chad Kilger, Wade Belak and Hal Gill in exchange for a 3rd round, a 5th round, and two 2nd round draft picks. Hardly what Leafs fans were hoping for in the post-Ferguson era.

However, it was a reality check for most Leafs' fans, reiterating that fact that 'The Frozen Five' (Sundin, McCabe, Kaberle, Tucker and Kubina) weren't about to go anywhere. In his press conference, Fletcher was emotional and promised that the Leafs of next season would be different from this year's version. To what extent remains to be seen, but Fletcher certainly wasn't beating around the bush. Fletcher made little headway at this year's deadline, but certainly did try. Entering the picture in January, Fletcher walked into a problem where there weren't many solutions. The players who had value all had no-trade clauses, and the ones who did not had low market value.

Nonetheless, this is a step in the right direction. A little step, maybe even a crawl, but nonetheless a step forward. Losing Belak, Kilger and Gill won't hurt the Leafs' future, and with all due respect, won't impact the Florida Panthers or Boston Bruins' organizations much either.

Perhaps what is hurting the Leafs most as of late is that they are winning games. They are winning games that they 'should' be losing. Mats Sundin is leading the team as always, and they are finally getting excellent goaltending (albeit, a little too late). If the Leafs' had any hopes of landing Steve Stamkos at the entry draft this June, 'The Frozen Five' may have even shattered Toronto's long term plan in acquiring the first overall pick by playing some of their best hockey this late in the season. They may once again finish slightly out of the playoff picture, and lose out on the Stamkos sweepstakes. Currently sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, Leafs' fans can either cheer for the team to barely sneak into the playoffs this season, or hope they tumble further down the standings in hopes of landing that number one draft pick. Most likely, Toronto will once again find themselves with a mediocre draft pick in the 11-15 range, and will once again have to settle for mediocrity.

The Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are spiraling out of control lately. After acquiring Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore weeks before the trade deadline, GM Bryan Murray made one more deal and brought in veteran winger Martin Lapointe. Lapointe, along with Stillman and Commodore with add physical toughness to Ottawa's roster and will provide character in the dressing room. Come playoff time, the Ottawa Senators will be more gritty than the Senators of 2007 where they lost in the Stanley Cup finals.

However, Stanley Cup is one word that can't easily be associated with the Senators these days. Going 7-7-0 in January and 4-7-2 in February is not Stanley Cup material, and with the recent firing of head coach John Paddock and the shenanigans of Ray Emery, the Senators are now battling for their division. It has been rumored that GM Bryan Murray actively shopped both Ray Emery and Martin Gerber on deadline day, only to find no takers. He even offered both Gerber and Emery to Chicago in exchange for ex-Senator Patrick Lalime and Nikolai Khabibulin.
Murray can only sit back and hope that his team starts looking like the Senators that began the season 15-2-0. And with only one month remaining in the season, the Senators better kick it into high gear... or the first playoff upset could very well come against the defending Eastern Conference champions.

The Edmonton Oilers

General manager Kevin Lowe made a smart move on deadline day; he didn't make one. With a young team that has battled a tremendous amount of injuries (241 man games lost), it was expected that Lowe would neither be a seller nor a buyer.

With the Oilers out of playoff contention in the Western Conference and up against the US$50.3-million salary cap, it made no sense for Lowe to deal young away young assets for proven veterans to make a long shot push for the playoffs. The only player Lowe may have wanted to deal was struggling goaltender Dwayne Roloson. However, that is easier said than done.

Young players such as Gagner, Cogliano, Hemsky and Horcoff are all getting better by the game, and if given time to develop, Lowe may once again not have to trade for that 'superstar' come next year's deadline. He'll already have four rising stars in his own backyard.

The Calgary Flames

Along with Kevin Lowe, Calgary GM Darryl Sutter also stood pat with his team. "We didn't want to disrupt any of our core group. We've got a good club", he said at his press conference. The Flames GM gave full confidence to his team and believe that they have what it takes to make it out of the wild Western Conference.

Other teams in the Western Conference were busy. Colorado signed Peter Forsberg and then traded for Adam Foote. San Jose nabbed Brian Campbell, while Dallas beefed up by getting Brad Richards from Tampa Bay. Despite those moves, Sutter said he didn't feel pressure to have to match what other teams were doing.

But like many deals, only time will tell if Sutter's decision was the right one.


The Vancouver Canucks

Canucks fans had to be disappointed after the clock ticked past 4pm ET. The Canucks were rumored to have been making a pitch for Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the second big disappointment came when he was traded to a conference rival, the Dallas Stars. Vancouver, who are in a three-way tie for 7th place in the conference made a minor deal in acquiring Matt Pettinger in exchange for fan favorite Matt Cooke.

But with younger and more affordable Canucks now stepping up and filling his role, Cooke wasn't expected to get a new contract offer from the Canucks during the offseason. Pettinger is a physical winger with good speed and soft hands, coming off a 20-goal season. He will provide some grit come playoff time if Vancouver can whether the Western Conference storm and dash into the playoff picture. However, with Roberto Luongo in net Canucks fans shouldn't have to worry too much about missing the playoffs.


To reach Christos, send an email to christos10@gmail.com