The big name that was supposed to move in the NBA this year was Carmelo Anthony. He now sets up shop at Madison Square Garden. Will we be able to say the same about Brad Richards by tomorrow afternoon?
A lot of teams have already made their big moves before the deadline tomorrow, but here is a quick synopses of what each team needs to do at the deadline...
ATLANTIC
Philadelphia: With the Flyers playing as well as they are right now, you don't want to tweak things too much. Acquiring winger Kris Versteeg from Toronto a couple of weeks ago was their big move. They claimed D Nick Boynton off of waivers this weekend which gives them some veteran depth on the blueline. I wouldn't expect any other moves to happen.
Pittsburgh: They acquired LW James Neal and D Matt Niskanen from Dallas and winger Alexei Kovalev from Ottawa. They were all good moves, but it was all in an attempt to fill the production void left by the Sidney Crosby concussion. You can't replace his numbers, but they have some depth at forward. Losing D Alex Goligoski hurts, but they are deep enough on defense to overcome it. Maybe one more minor move, but they are probably done making moves.
NY Rangers: This is another team that should be done making moves. They acquired winger Wojtek Wolski a few weeks ago and picked up D Bryan McCabe yesterday. McCabe gives them the veteran/puck-moving rearguard they've been craving. The Marc Staal injury prompted GM Glen Sather to pull the trigger on acquiring McCabe asap. John Tortorella keeps saying he loves his team, let's see how they perform.
New Jersey: Lou Lamoriello is a master of making minor tinkers to his Devils to get them ready for a deep playoff run. This year is a bit different for him. Unless the Devils rattle off another eight game winning streak, they are probably going to miss the playoffs. Unless he can shed an old veteran (basically, Jason Arnott), he should leave the team as-is.
NY Islanders: The Isles are probably done with their annual sell-off. Maybe D Radek Martinek will attract some suitors, but they sold off their two attractive pieces months ago (G Dwayne Roloson, D James Wisniewski). They have acquired a 2nd, 5th, and 7th round pick, added D Ty Wishart (playing alright) and G Al Montoya (played well in limited action).
NORTHEAST
Boston: The Bruins have been very active traders this year and acquired the pieces they need to make a deep playoff run. Centers Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly were added and so were D Tomas Kaberle and Boris Valabik. Boston gave up a decent amount of draft picks, but G Tim Thomas isn't a spring chicken. This team is good enough to have a shot at a championship now. Pete Chiarelli should be done making moves.
Montreal: They could make another move, but I don't see it happening. They've acquired a bunch of defensemen (James Wisniewski, Paul Mara, Brett Festerling, Brent Sopel). They have good depth at forward, but adding one more wouldn't hurt.
Buffalo: How will new ownership handle it's first trade deadline two weeks in to it's new toy? The Sabres aren't far out of the playoffs, but the team isnt built for a playoff run. They've already waived D Craig Rivet but added RW Brad Boyes from the Blues. C Tim Connolly and LW Mike Grier have been names that have come up in trade rumors, but it appears Dary Reiger is making moves that would give this team a boost for a playoff push. I can't see them dealing away Connolly or Grier unless they received assets they could use immediately.
Toronto: Brian Burke has traded away all of the tradeable assets he can probably handle (Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Versteeg) and has gotten a lot of high draft picks in return. He also got winger Joffrey Lupul and D Jake Gardiner. While the Leafs are a rag-tag bunch that are kidding themselves in to thinking they can get in the playoffs right now, I wouldn't rule out one move for Burke tomorrow.
Ottawa: Another team that has traded away most of it's quality assets (Chris Kelly, Kovalev, Jarkko Ruutu, Mike Fisher) for a variety of draft picks. The only big name that would have moved on the roster was D Chris Phillips, but inking a 3 year-$9.25 million extension ends the chances of that. Getting Craig Anderson from Colorado is a HUGE upgrade between the pipes.
SOUTHEAST
Tampa Bay: GM Steve Yzerman has done a fantastic job in his first year running the team. He needed a goalie, he went out and got Dwayne Roloson. He needed some improvements on the blue-line, he traded for Eric Brewer and signed Marc-Andre Bergeron off the trash heap. He was even able to get rid of a bad contract in G Dan Ellis for a quality back-up in Curtis McElhinney. The Lightning are built for a deep run.
Washington: Will the Capitals finally stop kidding themselves and add the goalie they've wanted for years? They can say they're happy with the young duo they have now (Varlamov and Neuvirth), but they've become so focused on playing defense that they can't score anymore. Having a veteran presence in the crease will allow them to get back to their puck-rushing ways. The name that comes up on and off is Panthers G Tomas Vokoun. George McPhee has a lot to think about tonight.
Carolina: They added a veteran winger in Cory Stillman, but does the injury to Eric Staal make them add another forward? Jim Rutherford is not one to make impulse decisions, so if they do add a center, it won't be a huge addition (wouldn't it be something if they got Brad Richards though?)
Atlanta: The Thrashers played too well early in the season for Rick Dudley to give up on the season. He acquired the talented RW Blake Wheeler and young D Mark Stuart in the deal that sent Peverely and Valabik to Boston. Adding a center would help, but they aren't in the market to pay a lot. If Atlanta decides to sell, look for RW Niclas Berfors to be on the move.
Florida: The Panthers filled the space left by Bryan McCabe with former Predators D Alexander Sulzer. They dealt Stillman to Carolina, and Michael Frolik to Chicago (they main piece they got back from Chicago was D Jack Skille). Dale Tallon is clearly in rebuilding mode for this team and is getting as young as he can. There are still a couple of movable pieces, but nothing that would fetch a huge return.
CENTRAL
Detroit: Getting C Mike Modano back is like adding a veteran center at the deadline. I don't think Ken Holland will make any moves since the team is built for the long haul. I could see him acquiring a quality back-up goalie (since the Evgeni Nabokov deal fell through), but that's it.
Nashville: This is another team I see being pretty boring at the deadline. Acquiring Mike Fisher earlier in the year was a big need that David Poile addressed. The Preds could use a veteran winger (bring back Jason Arnott, perhaps?) but not at any large cost.
Chicago: Not having a lot of cap flexibility hurts Stan Bowman from really making any upgrades. The Blackhawks have their core in place (a very nice 5-year extension for D Brent Seabrook over the weekend) and will add and move pieces around it as they see fit for the next few seasons. Already acquiring forward Michael Frolik will be their big addition for this season.
Columbus: For some reason, I get the feeling the Blue Jackets could make a couple of below the radar moves tomorrow. They wanted to add a veteran presence on the blueline and addressed that need with claiming Craig Rivet from Buffalo. They could certainly use some more scoring talent up front.
St. Louis: This is another team who made their big moves and should be quiet tomorrow. They acquired D prospect Brock Beukeboom, D Kevin Shattenkirk, and F Chris Stewart. They did say goodbye to D Eric Brewer, former first overall pick D Erik Johnson, and C Jay McClement. It appears that the Blues have their focus on next season, so they shouldn't do anything unless they feel it improves them for next season and beyond.
PACIFIC
San Jose: The amount of talent on the Sharks is never in question. They have a great mix up front and added D Ian White from Carolina recently to add some veteran depth. A few weeks ago, goalie was a cause for concern. But Antti Niemi has finally found his playoff form from last season. They also added some grit with Ben Eager back in January.
Phoenix: Coyotes GM Don Maloney is one of the more underrated GMs in the league. Winger Wojtek Wolski wasn't performing well, so he turned a problem in to filling a void with former Rangers D Michal Rozsival (they needed a veteran defenseman). Phoenix has been a hot team lately and is one quality forward away from having a team many wouldn't want to see in a seven game series. Even with the new ownership, I expect a move to be made.
Los Angeles: This team is desperate to get one more talented forward. It may cost them one of their great young defenseman. Dean Lombardi is notorious for not wanting to make big deals that shake things up too much, but he's going to have to if he wants to get the top-notch producer his team craves.
Dallas: Ahh yes, what will Joe Nieuwendyk do with C Brad Richards. Coming in to the season, it was as sure as anything that Richards would be moved by the deadline. Then Dallas made a surprising storm to the top of the Pacific Division standings, and moving Richards would have been seen as giving up on a potentially prosperous season. Then the Stars hit the skids and Richards suffered a concussion. Now nobody knows what to think. Nieuwendyk certainly won't get as much back as he would have originally with this concussion lingering. He did get the puck moving D-man he needed in Alex Goligoski and adding winger Jaime Langebrunner earlier in the season was a no-brainer. Tick Tock, Joe.
Anaheim: Bob Murray has done a good job of making small tweaks to this team while not taking away too much. Adding forward Jarkko Ruutu gives them an edge, and bringing back D Francois Beauchemin gives them a steady, reliable presence on an overachieving blueline this season. G Jonas Hiller was having a career year before dealing with what is essentially vertigo. Getting Ray Emery isn't the entire answer, so Murray went out and got Dan Ellis to give him a 2nd chance. Anaheim is done with moves, and will need either Ellis or Emery to get VERY hot if they want to make the playoffs.
NORTHWEST
Vancouver: The Canucks are the best team in the league and have incredible depth. I don't see Mike Gillis doing anything to shake this bunch up. I can see him adding a depth defenseman cheaply because of all of the injuries they've dealt with on the blueline, but that's it.
Minnesota: The Wild are another team on the "Add A Center" wishlist. The rumor I've heard is Tim Connolly from Buffalo. I don't see Chuck Fletcher making a huge move, but this team definitely needs a center, especially with Mikko Koivu hurt. They're playing well enough that the playoffs are within reach without any additions, but one more move could give them some separation in the tight West.
Calgary: What will interim GM Jay Feaster due in his first trade deadline in years is the big question. Calgary has played fantastic hockey lately and has put themselves in the drivers seat to earn a playoff birth - after spending much of the season in the conference basement. With all the teams in the league needing a center, maybe they can find someone willing to take C Matt Stajan to add some depth to the 3rd and 4th lines.
Colorado: The moves Greg Sherman has made over the past month have left some scratching their heads. Sending G Craig Anderson to Ottawa for G Brian Elliott made it seem like the Avs were giving up on the season after a 9 game losing streak. When they made the deal with St. Louis to acquire D Erik Johnson and C Jay McClement, it resembled more of a move to make sense for this season. McClement is an excellent penalty killer and gives them depth up the middle. D Erik Johnson has shown brief flashes of why he was once a #1 overall pick, and maybe a change of scenery helps him. This is a team that should be selling at the deadline. Teams could always use defensemen, and the aging veteran Adam Foote would net them a decent draft pick and Sherman could get a decent package for John-Michael Liles.
Edmonton: The worst team in the NHL won't be making any impact additions for this season, that's for sure. The big names that could move from Edmonton are RW Ales Hemsky, LW Dustin Penner, and C Sam Gagner. They could get a lot back for those three and all three are players that many teams wouldn't mind adding for the right price. I expect Steve Tambillini to be very busy tomorrow.
ATLANTIC
Philadelphia: With the Flyers playing as well as they are right now, you don't want to tweak things too much. Acquiring winger Kris Versteeg from Toronto a couple of weeks ago was their big move. They claimed D Nick Boynton off of waivers this weekend which gives them some veteran depth on the blueline. I wouldn't expect any other moves to happen.
Pittsburgh: They acquired LW James Neal and D Matt Niskanen from Dallas and winger Alexei Kovalev from Ottawa. They were all good moves, but it was all in an attempt to fill the production void left by the Sidney Crosby concussion. You can't replace his numbers, but they have some depth at forward. Losing D Alex Goligoski hurts, but they are deep enough on defense to overcome it. Maybe one more minor move, but they are probably done making moves.
NY Rangers: This is another team that should be done making moves. They acquired winger Wojtek Wolski a few weeks ago and picked up D Bryan McCabe yesterday. McCabe gives them the veteran/puck-moving rearguard they've been craving. The Marc Staal injury prompted GM Glen Sather to pull the trigger on acquiring McCabe asap. John Tortorella keeps saying he loves his team, let's see how they perform.
New Jersey: Lou Lamoriello is a master of making minor tinkers to his Devils to get them ready for a deep playoff run. This year is a bit different for him. Unless the Devils rattle off another eight game winning streak, they are probably going to miss the playoffs. Unless he can shed an old veteran (basically, Jason Arnott), he should leave the team as-is.
NY Islanders: The Isles are probably done with their annual sell-off. Maybe D Radek Martinek will attract some suitors, but they sold off their two attractive pieces months ago (G Dwayne Roloson, D James Wisniewski). They have acquired a 2nd, 5th, and 7th round pick, added D Ty Wishart (playing alright) and G Al Montoya (played well in limited action).
NORTHEAST
Boston: The Bruins have been very active traders this year and acquired the pieces they need to make a deep playoff run. Centers Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly were added and so were D Tomas Kaberle and Boris Valabik. Boston gave up a decent amount of draft picks, but G Tim Thomas isn't a spring chicken. This team is good enough to have a shot at a championship now. Pete Chiarelli should be done making moves.
Montreal: They could make another move, but I don't see it happening. They've acquired a bunch of defensemen (James Wisniewski, Paul Mara, Brett Festerling, Brent Sopel). They have good depth at forward, but adding one more wouldn't hurt.
Buffalo: How will new ownership handle it's first trade deadline two weeks in to it's new toy? The Sabres aren't far out of the playoffs, but the team isnt built for a playoff run. They've already waived D Craig Rivet but added RW Brad Boyes from the Blues. C Tim Connolly and LW Mike Grier have been names that have come up in trade rumors, but it appears Dary Reiger is making moves that would give this team a boost for a playoff push. I can't see them dealing away Connolly or Grier unless they received assets they could use immediately.
Toronto: Brian Burke has traded away all of the tradeable assets he can probably handle (Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Versteeg) and has gotten a lot of high draft picks in return. He also got winger Joffrey Lupul and D Jake Gardiner. While the Leafs are a rag-tag bunch that are kidding themselves in to thinking they can get in the playoffs right now, I wouldn't rule out one move for Burke tomorrow.
Ottawa: Another team that has traded away most of it's quality assets (Chris Kelly, Kovalev, Jarkko Ruutu, Mike Fisher) for a variety of draft picks. The only big name that would have moved on the roster was D Chris Phillips, but inking a 3 year-$9.25 million extension ends the chances of that. Getting Craig Anderson from Colorado is a HUGE upgrade between the pipes.
SOUTHEAST
Tampa Bay: GM Steve Yzerman has done a fantastic job in his first year running the team. He needed a goalie, he went out and got Dwayne Roloson. He needed some improvements on the blue-line, he traded for Eric Brewer and signed Marc-Andre Bergeron off the trash heap. He was even able to get rid of a bad contract in G Dan Ellis for a quality back-up in Curtis McElhinney. The Lightning are built for a deep run.
Washington: Will the Capitals finally stop kidding themselves and add the goalie they've wanted for years? They can say they're happy with the young duo they have now (Varlamov and Neuvirth), but they've become so focused on playing defense that they can't score anymore. Having a veteran presence in the crease will allow them to get back to their puck-rushing ways. The name that comes up on and off is Panthers G Tomas Vokoun. George McPhee has a lot to think about tonight.
Carolina: They added a veteran winger in Cory Stillman, but does the injury to Eric Staal make them add another forward? Jim Rutherford is not one to make impulse decisions, so if they do add a center, it won't be a huge addition (wouldn't it be something if they got Brad Richards though?)
Atlanta: The Thrashers played too well early in the season for Rick Dudley to give up on the season. He acquired the talented RW Blake Wheeler and young D Mark Stuart in the deal that sent Peverely and Valabik to Boston. Adding a center would help, but they aren't in the market to pay a lot. If Atlanta decides to sell, look for RW Niclas Berfors to be on the move.
Florida: The Panthers filled the space left by Bryan McCabe with former Predators D Alexander Sulzer. They dealt Stillman to Carolina, and Michael Frolik to Chicago (they main piece they got back from Chicago was D Jack Skille). Dale Tallon is clearly in rebuilding mode for this team and is getting as young as he can. There are still a couple of movable pieces, but nothing that would fetch a huge return.
CENTRAL
Detroit: Getting C Mike Modano back is like adding a veteran center at the deadline. I don't think Ken Holland will make any moves since the team is built for the long haul. I could see him acquiring a quality back-up goalie (since the Evgeni Nabokov deal fell through), but that's it.
Nashville: This is another team I see being pretty boring at the deadline. Acquiring Mike Fisher earlier in the year was a big need that David Poile addressed. The Preds could use a veteran winger (bring back Jason Arnott, perhaps?) but not at any large cost.
Chicago: Not having a lot of cap flexibility hurts Stan Bowman from really making any upgrades. The Blackhawks have their core in place (a very nice 5-year extension for D Brent Seabrook over the weekend) and will add and move pieces around it as they see fit for the next few seasons. Already acquiring forward Michael Frolik will be their big addition for this season.
Columbus: For some reason, I get the feeling the Blue Jackets could make a couple of below the radar moves tomorrow. They wanted to add a veteran presence on the blueline and addressed that need with claiming Craig Rivet from Buffalo. They could certainly use some more scoring talent up front.
St. Louis: This is another team who made their big moves and should be quiet tomorrow. They acquired D prospect Brock Beukeboom, D Kevin Shattenkirk, and F Chris Stewart. They did say goodbye to D Eric Brewer, former first overall pick D Erik Johnson, and C Jay McClement. It appears that the Blues have their focus on next season, so they shouldn't do anything unless they feel it improves them for next season and beyond.
PACIFIC
San Jose: The amount of talent on the Sharks is never in question. They have a great mix up front and added D Ian White from Carolina recently to add some veteran depth. A few weeks ago, goalie was a cause for concern. But Antti Niemi has finally found his playoff form from last season. They also added some grit with Ben Eager back in January.
Phoenix: Coyotes GM Don Maloney is one of the more underrated GMs in the league. Winger Wojtek Wolski wasn't performing well, so he turned a problem in to filling a void with former Rangers D Michal Rozsival (they needed a veteran defenseman). Phoenix has been a hot team lately and is one quality forward away from having a team many wouldn't want to see in a seven game series. Even with the new ownership, I expect a move to be made.
Los Angeles: This team is desperate to get one more talented forward. It may cost them one of their great young defenseman. Dean Lombardi is notorious for not wanting to make big deals that shake things up too much, but he's going to have to if he wants to get the top-notch producer his team craves.
Dallas: Ahh yes, what will Joe Nieuwendyk do with C Brad Richards. Coming in to the season, it was as sure as anything that Richards would be moved by the deadline. Then Dallas made a surprising storm to the top of the Pacific Division standings, and moving Richards would have been seen as giving up on a potentially prosperous season. Then the Stars hit the skids and Richards suffered a concussion. Now nobody knows what to think. Nieuwendyk certainly won't get as much back as he would have originally with this concussion lingering. He did get the puck moving D-man he needed in Alex Goligoski and adding winger Jaime Langebrunner earlier in the season was a no-brainer. Tick Tock, Joe.
Anaheim: Bob Murray has done a good job of making small tweaks to this team while not taking away too much. Adding forward Jarkko Ruutu gives them an edge, and bringing back D Francois Beauchemin gives them a steady, reliable presence on an overachieving blueline this season. G Jonas Hiller was having a career year before dealing with what is essentially vertigo. Getting Ray Emery isn't the entire answer, so Murray went out and got Dan Ellis to give him a 2nd chance. Anaheim is done with moves, and will need either Ellis or Emery to get VERY hot if they want to make the playoffs.
NORTHWEST
Vancouver: The Canucks are the best team in the league and have incredible depth. I don't see Mike Gillis doing anything to shake this bunch up. I can see him adding a depth defenseman cheaply because of all of the injuries they've dealt with on the blueline, but that's it.
Minnesota: The Wild are another team on the "Add A Center" wishlist. The rumor I've heard is Tim Connolly from Buffalo. I don't see Chuck Fletcher making a huge move, but this team definitely needs a center, especially with Mikko Koivu hurt. They're playing well enough that the playoffs are within reach without any additions, but one more move could give them some separation in the tight West.
Calgary: What will interim GM Jay Feaster due in his first trade deadline in years is the big question. Calgary has played fantastic hockey lately and has put themselves in the drivers seat to earn a playoff birth - after spending much of the season in the conference basement. With all the teams in the league needing a center, maybe they can find someone willing to take C Matt Stajan to add some depth to the 3rd and 4th lines.
Colorado: The moves Greg Sherman has made over the past month have left some scratching their heads. Sending G Craig Anderson to Ottawa for G Brian Elliott made it seem like the Avs were giving up on the season after a 9 game losing streak. When they made the deal with St. Louis to acquire D Erik Johnson and C Jay McClement, it resembled more of a move to make sense for this season. McClement is an excellent penalty killer and gives them depth up the middle. D Erik Johnson has shown brief flashes of why he was once a #1 overall pick, and maybe a change of scenery helps him. This is a team that should be selling at the deadline. Teams could always use defensemen, and the aging veteran Adam Foote would net them a decent draft pick and Sherman could get a decent package for John-Michael Liles.
Edmonton: The worst team in the NHL won't be making any impact additions for this season, that's for sure. The big names that could move from Edmonton are RW Ales Hemsky, LW Dustin Penner, and C Sam Gagner. They could get a lot back for those three and all three are players that many teams wouldn't mind adding for the right price. I expect Steve Tambillini to be very busy tomorrow.
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