I was expected to be very busy this afternoon writing about a significant number of trades.
The bottom line, there might have been one that I’ll get to later. But living in Alberta, I think it comes as a huge surprise how little the Oilers did and that the Flames did nothing today.
Message to Nikolai Khabibulin, Ales Hemsky, and Ryan Smyth. It’s time to step up. Management has shown confidence in all three of you and it’s time to take your game to the next level.
As for the Flames, it looks like they will continue to battle for a playoff spot. Good news for Flames fans is that Miikka Kiprusoff is reminding you of 2004 and if you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.
As for some of the more interesting deals that did happen, here is my opinion:
The Vancouver Canucks traded Cody Hodgson to Buffalo with defenceman Alexander Sulzer for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani. This trade is odd because both teams are trading young talent. Hodgson is coming into his own as a rookie (16 goals, 17 assists) and is battling Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for the Calder Trophy. Kassian played solid for Canada at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships and is considered a power forwad on the rise, despite playing the majority of the season in the AHL. Gragnani has more of an upside on defense than Sulzer. He had a solid Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Sabres last season.
Buffalo Sabres trade Paul Gaustad to the Nashville Predators for a first round pick. The Predators are going for it this season. With the acquisition of Gaustad and Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal they are trying to making a statement to the top contenders in the Western Conference. Gaustad is a power forward who has seven goals, ten assists and 70 penalty minutes.
New York Islanders trade Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau to the Boston Bruins for two minor leaguers–The Islanders are simply unloading some of their more experienced talent. Rolston shoots the puck with frequency and Mottau is a defensive minded point man, but hasn’t scored in two seasons.
Winnipeg Jets trade Johnny Oduya to the Chicago Blackhawks for a second and third round pick–The Blackhawks have played some terrible hockey defensively this season and hope Oduya will relieve the pressures on Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
Columbus Blue Jackets trade Samuel Pahlsson to the Vancouver Canucks for a minor leaguer and a fourth round pick–The Canucks needed a better faceoff specialist with Manny Malhotra still feeling the effects of an eye injury and got one of the best in the business. Pahlsson has also won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks.
Ottawa Senators trade Brian Lee to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Matt Gilroy–Two American defenceman that never have reached their potential when they first got into the league are on the move. Both are very disciplined and stay out of the penalty box, and have very similar size. There simply isn’t that much of a difference between the two, other than the fact that Lee just didn’t seem very popular in Ottawa.
Colorado Avalanche trade Daniel Winnik, T.J. Galiardi and a seventh round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Jamie McGinn and two prospects–Winnik is considered a medium power forward, while Galiardi has speed. They’ll be used as role players for the Sharks, but I don’t seem them having a huge impact on a San Jose team desperate to get to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Tags: alexander sulzer, boston bruins, brian lee, buffalo sabres, calgary flames, Chicago Blackhawks, cody hodgson, colorado avalanche, columbus blue jackets, daniel winnik, Edmonton Oilers, jamie mcginn, johnny oduya, marc-andre gragnani, matt gilroy, mike mottau, nashville predators, new york islanders, Ottawa Senators, paul gaustad, samuel pahlsson, San Jose Sharks, t.j. galiardi, tampa bay lightning, Vancouver Canucks, winnipeg jets, zack kassian
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