Deadline Dud

The NHL trade deadline came and went yesterday with a whimper.  This year very few deals were made, fewer still that were really impact deals.  In fact there were as many impact deals prior to the deadline this year as there were on deadline day.  Most deals involved minor players or AHL players moving teams, and there were a few marginal players and mid round draft picks moved as well.  There were only a few deals really that had any impact though on deadline day itself this year.

Two of them are good moves, but aren't blockbusters either.  Buffalo brought in Brad Boyes for a second round pick.  The addition of Boyes should be a boost for the Sabres offense.  The second such deal was Washington getting a second line center in Arnott for Steckell and a 2nd.  Arnott should provide a good presence on the second line and is one of few players with Cup experience on the Washington squad.

The only real blockbuster type deal of the day though belonged to the Kings and the Oilers.  The Kings get big forward Dustin Penner from the Oilers and in exchange shipped defensive prospect Colten Teubert, a first round pick, and next year's third round pick to Edmonton.  The Kings with their young squad give up pieces that don't immediately fit and are pieces they can afford to give up.  In return they get a player that could help add scoring to the team and is a piece they are hoping pushes them deep in the playoffs.  Edmonton gets pieces that will help with their rebuild.  Already they have a number of young, talented players and adding a high end defensive prospect and another first round pick in this year's draft will help them to continue to build up a young team that could be very good in a few years.

Overall though the trade deadline was largely unspectacular this year, more so than in years past, with few moves and even fewer being of the eye opener type.  This should be expected to some point though with so many teams still in contention and the NHL getting younger.  Fewer teams would be looking to be sellers with so many still in the playoff hunt at this time of the year so less players would be available.  Also the shift to younger talent seems to have placed less emphasis on that "veteran presence" than it used to.  All in all the trade deadline was much as I expected it to be this year...

As for the Avalanche, I'm glad they didn't become the losers in any more deals.  I still am not happy with the two deals they made leading up to the deadline and am glad to see none of the rumors of Stastny, Hejduk, or Foote being traded came true, not that I expected those to.  I am also very pleased, especially after losing Shattenkirk, that Liles went nowhere.  He is always a rumor topic around this time but always seems to remain, and given that he has been one of our best defensemen this year (and that Shattenkirk was the only one I would have wanted to see take his place and he is now gone) I am very pleased he didn't go anywhere.  There were some moves that wouldn't have bothered me for minor players, but who knows what would have been offered in return and in the end I'm pleased that the Avs stayed put after making two deals that weren't popular already in the weeks prior.