Deadline Day Recap

-_- Zzz
o_O What? Oh...

Well, that was eventful. This season saw as little activity between hockey clubs since the NHL Trading Deadline festivities of the 99-2000 season, which is fortunate for me because I can tell you which moves proved to be the most significant, idiotic, and surprising of all. Of course, I will be going by team; if you didn't see your team on this list, then they probably didn't do much, so they received a pass.

Special thanks to TSN and its Tradecentre for their concise, packaged information. If you are looking for the link to basketball stats, it's somewhere on that website...somewhere.

1. FLORIDA PANTHERS (PASS?)

Your team plays in a market with little hockey history, and almost as much interest in the sport since the glory year of 1996, Doug Maclean, a young rookie defenseman named Ed Jovanovski, and a few million plastic rats. Eight years removed from the playoffs playing in front of half-empty crowds in the Floridian city of Sunrise, you trade what little talent you have to your division rivals and a Western Conference powerhouse in Vancouver. I scratched my head when I considered what the Panthers received, and asked "What for?". It's bad enough they play in ridiculous uniforms with piping going in every direction, as if donning fake "heritage" jerseys will inspire greatness in your team. Now, with these trades finalized, I'm supposed to believe the Florida Panthers will be BETTER?

Yes, I am supposed to believe in the Panthers! General manager Dale Tallon is the answer. He forged a winner in Chicago, against all odds, with great drafting (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien!), key trades, and a management and public relations team that made the Blackhawks relevant in the Second City. However, to the surprise of the hockey establishment, the Hawks relieved Dale Tallon before he could see his dream fulfilled. FAN590's Bob McCown is right: The Florida Panthers are Dale Tallon's opportunity to show he can do it again, but against the backdrop of financial collapse of Sun-Belt sports franchises? Hmm...

2. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (PASS...for now)

Four points out of the playoff picture is a good position to be in. The teams in the top eight of the Eastern conference have the gun to their heads: Win and you are in. The Maple Leafs are the team no one takes seriously; only the Maple Leafs couldn't get out of their way to win since 1967. Do you build through the draft, or do you compete with the players you have? Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke says "Yes". Nowadays, he can afford to boggle the minds of Toronto's beatwriters: Phil Kessel's recent string of good play earned Player of the Week honours from the League, the emergence of AHL backup James Reimer, and the defensive unit post-Kaberle coming together to rally the Leafs are all difference makers for Burke to make minor adjustments during deadline day. Making acquisitions in advance of the media melee of Trading Deadline Day also helps, too.

All will be forgotten if there is ticker tape and confetti falling from the windows overlooking Yonge Street this June. Yes, even the Kessel trade ^_^

3. OTTAWA SENATORS (EPIC FAIL)

FAIL. PLEASE FAIL. FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL! No, they don't get a logo here because they are a loco team! Nevertheless, the direction Bryan Murray wants to take this team is nowhere near where the Senators wanted to be after the 2007 Stanley Cup Final against the Anaheim Ducks. The impatient, former Leaf fans in the Ottawa region expect results so much that they want them yesterday o_O Keep in mind, when they jumped ship for the Senators bandwagon they didn't expect to look up at the Toronto Maple Leafs in the standings either.

How can a manager run down one team, sell its top notch players like Dany Heatley and Mike Fisher for close to nothing, play Russian Roulette with the league's goaltenders every year, and then get a do over with the hypothetical first pick in the 2011 NHL Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota? Well, I don't like this one bit >_< I hate the Senators, but now I'm concerned, and that is saying a lot.

4. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (FAIL?)

Canada's last best chance at a Stanley Cup is doing so fine-tuning, but I feel the knuckle sandwich of the West is coming over the hill. For the previous two NHL seasons, the sandwich came in the form of Dustin Byfuglien and the Chicago Blackhawks. Vancouver had NO answer for the defenseman turned powerplay center/specialist, and the Sedin twins played scared. Thanks to free agency and a trade with Atlanta the Byfuglien-less Chicago Blackhawks, like most of the Western Conference, are no longer a problem. If this is true, why acquire Maxim Lapierre and MacGregor Sharp from Anaheim, and Chris Higgins from Florida? If GM Mike Gillis knows his history, then this will be the year the Canucks exchange the knuckle sandwich for a sip from Lord Stanley's Cup.

No lousy 2-3-2 playoff format will save them now (Yes, I'm still upset about that one)!