~ SPORTS mclennonb@douglas.be.ca The Trade Deadline Steph Smith, OP Hockey Gambler SS as The trade deadline came,yand the trade deadline passed. Many people predicted that it would pass quietly, and they were right for the most part. Many of the rumours were just that—rumours. This is why it’s never a good idea to put your faith in some kid who thinks he knows everything about the game and thinks he is some psychic god. What did happen was that a few teams picked up what they needed to go forward, and most teams merely augmented the line-up they have with a few well placed additions. Boston Bruins: Having traded Joe Thornton to San Jose for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and defenseman Brad Stuart earlier in the year, they did nothing more than getting right winger Mariusz Czerkawski off waivers from Toronto. Colorado Avalanche: The Avs acquired forward Jim Dowd from Chicago Blackhawks for fourth-round draft pick. The big news, of course, was the deal that sent David Aebischer to Montreal in exchange for Jose Theodore. And hey, maybe Theodore will even play sometime this season! Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers were rumoured to want a goaltender. In a preliminary move, they placed Mike Morrison on waivers. Shortly thereafter, they traded a first- round pick and a conditional draft pick to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goaltender Dwayne Roloson. They also squeezed in a late trade, getting Sergei Samsonov from the Boston Bruins in exchange for centre Marty Reasoner, prospect Yan Stastny, and a second-round draft pick. The Florida Panthers: Most trade rumours said that captain Olli Jokienen would be dealt at the deadline. Instead, the Panthers signed him to a 4-year, $21-million deal. They did, however, trade prospect Petr Taticek to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Ric Jackman. Whoopee. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: In order to up their scoring, the Ducks dealt a second-round pick to the Washington Capitals for left winger Jeff Friesen. _ ss. Sumniow Minnesota Wild: Like many teams, the Wild did not look to make a splash. The Wild traded defenseman Willie Mitchell and a second-round pick to the Dallas Stars for defensemen Shawn Belle and Martin Skoula. Montreal Canadiens: In a move I don’t think anyone really saw coming, the Montreal Canadiens traded netmin- der Jose Theodore to the Colorado Avalanche for their goaltender David Aebischer. Remember, Jose Theodore is still on injured reserve from an incident where he fell down the front steps of his home and broke his heel. He will still be out of commission for weeks. In the meantime Colorado will play Peter Budaj. The Canadiens also acquired defenseman Todd Simpson from the Chicago Blackhawks for a sixth-round draft pick in 2006. New Jersey Devils: The New Jersey Devils didn’t need to make much of a splash this year and have picked up defenseman Brad Lukowich from the New York Islanders in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2006. New York Islanders: Not much movement in New York, as the Islanders traded Brent Sopel and Mark Parrish to LA in exchange for Jeff Tambellini and Denis Grebeshkov. New York Rangers: Happy with where they are at in the standings, the Rangers picked up veteran defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh from the Mighty Ducks in exchange for a third-round draft pick. Ottawa Senators: John Muckler said that he would look at forwards, and maybe getting a backup goaltender for Ray Emery while Dominik Hasek was injured. And he did just that. The Ottawa Senators picked goaltender Mike Morrison up off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, and also traded right winger Brandon Bochenski and a second- round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for centre Tyler Arnason. Philadelphia Flyers: Another team that stayed pretty quiet at the deadline, the Flyers picked up forward Niko Dimitrakos from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a third-round pick. Pittsburgh Penguins: Sometimes things look better on paper than hey actually are. This is the case for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a less than stellar season, the Penguins have traded Mark Recchi to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Niklas Nordgren, Krystofer Kolanos, and a second-round pick in 2007. Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes traded like madmen at the deadline, moving defenseman Sean O’Donnell to the Anaheim Ducks for centre Joel Perrault, bringing in defenseman Jamie Rivers from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a seventh-round pick, and trading defense- man Denis Gauthier to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for enforcer Josh Gratton and two second-round picks. They also traded centre Jamie Lundmark to the Calgary Flames for a draft pick and picked up forward Oleg Kvasha and a conditional fifth-round pick from the Islanders for a third-round pick. It almost looks like a last- ditch effort to sneak into the playoffs. But they were defi- nitely the big movers. San Jose Sharks: The Sharks, having already made such a huge move in acquiring Joe Thornton mid-season, didn’t make much of a splash at the deadline. They have added Ville Nieminen from the NY Rangers for a third- round pick. Toronto Maple Leafs: The Toronto Maple Leafs are the kings of trades that make you say, “What?” This year was no different. They placed right winger Mariusz Czerkawski on waivers, and then dealt defenseman Ken Klee to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for prospect Alexander Suglobov. Next, they picked up defenseman Luke Richardson from Columbus for a fifth-round pick. John Ferguson Jr. has given up hopes of making the play- offs this year and looks to be settling for a less-embarrass- ing finish than last place would afford. The Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks made some very smart moves this time around. With an injury riddled defense and no sufficient back-up goaltender, they solved these problems without losing much. The Canucks picked up Buffalo netminder Mika Noronen in exchange for a second-round draft pick. They then enhanced their blueline by adding three defensemen to the lineup. They snagged Sean Brown from the New Jersey Devils for a fourth- round pick, Eric Weinrich from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round pick, and landed veteran defenseman and for- mer Mighty Duck, Keith Carney, in exchange for defense prospect Brett Skinner and a second-round pick. All solid moves, it almost seems as if the Canucks are serious about heading deep into the playoffs for once. Washington Capitals: Everyone knew that d-man Brendan Witt wanted out. However, no one knew where he would go. After much speculation, the Washington Capitals finally dealt Witt. His new home? The Nashville Predators, in exchange for Kris Beech and a first-round pick.