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NHL trade deadline highlights

By David Hollinshead, Staff Writer

s NHL teams make the final
Av into the playoffs,

some look for those one or
two new players who could put
them over the edge and help them
turn into Cup contenders. Other
teams, however, are focused on
their future. Lower place teams are
looking to rebuild, and are ready
to give up big name players for
cheap—as long as they get a decent
draft pick or two in return for the
off-season NHL Draft. Here’s a look
at what went down on the NHL
deadline day.

All eyes were on the Columbus
Blue Jackets’ captain, Rick Nash,
on trade deadline day in the NHL.
Rumors suggested that he had
asked to be traded, and Columbus
was looking to deal him, but at
the end of the day, he remained a
Blue Jacket. “The price was high
and I don’t apologize for that. It
had to be high,” said Columbus
general manager Scott Howson
after the deadline. Just because the
trade deadline has come and gone,
doesn’t mean that Nash is off the
trade block. Once the season ends,
the most likely situation is that he

will be excellent trade bait in this
year’s draft.

All eyes then turned to
Vancouver, who on a lacklustre
deadline day, traded young star
Cody Hodgson for Buffalo’s Zack
Kassian in what was described as
the biggest trade of the day.

The Nashville Predators were
the next busiest team, picking up
several players to build on last

There were also a lot of
defensemen who found themselves
moving around. The Edmonton
Oilers traded Tom Gilbert to the
Minnesota Wild for Nick Schultz—a
trade where it looks as though
neither team won or lost, since both
defensemen can jump right into
the lineup and be effective in their
own ways. The Ottawa Senators
traded Brian Lee to Tampa Bay for

“This deadline didn’t have the least amount of moves ever, but on a day
that required TSN to spend hours covering, you end up expecting a bit
more, and leave feeling hungry.’

year’s successful season. The Preds
got a huge offensive boost when
they picked up winger Andrei
Kostitsyn from the Montreal
Canadians in exchange for a second-
and conditional fifth-round pick in
next year’s draft. They also added
a solid third-line centre in Paul
Gaustad along with a fourth-round
pick in exchange for a first-round
pick this year. These players will
take the pressure off goalie Pekka
Rinne, by filling in on their scoring
and grinding roles respectively,
giving the Nashville squad some
poise for a long playoff run.

me

, "

Matt Gilroy. The Toronto Maple
Leafs swapped a defenseman for
a forward by acquiring Carter
Ashton from Tampa for Keith
Aulie. The Winnipeg Jets parted
with Johnny Oduya to Chicago for
a second-and-third-round draft
pick, after Chicago sent John Scott
to the New York Rangers for a
fifth-round draft pick, the Rangers
also acquired D-man Mike Vernace
and a third-round pick for forward
Wojtek Wolski just days before the
deadline.

The New Jersey Devils, on
the other hand, gave up the most

to receive the least. In a deal that
happened a few days before the
deadline, the Devils acquired
defenseman Marek Zidlicky from
Minnesota. Zidlicky has been a
solid defenseman over the years,
and instantly helped aging goalie
Martin Brodeur, but the Devils not
only gave up a lot of their current
roster, but two high draft picks. The
Wild acquired defenseman Kurtis
Foster, forwards Nick Palmieri
and Stephane Veilleux, and a
second-round pick this year with a
conditional third-rounder next year.
Other than that, the trade that
involved the most players going
to and from two teams went down
between the San Jose Sharks and
the Colorado Avalanche, who each
sent three players. San Jose acquired
forwards T.J. Galiardi and Daniel
Winnik along with a seventh-round
pick next year. Colorado received
three forwards in Jamie McGinn,
Mike Connolly, and Michael
Sgarbossa. This deadline didn’t
have the least amount of moves
ever, but on a day that required
TSN to spend hours covering, you
end up expecting a bit more, and
leave feeling hungry.

 

@ Andrei Kostitsyn

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