Deadline Day Winners
By Judd Hall
If there is one thing you can count with the NHL trade deadline is that there will be moves made. This year didn’t disappoint with 22 deals involving 45 players and 21 draft picks getting moved around.
The majority of those moves were slow to get off the ground. Toronto’s general manager Brian Burke believed that the struggling economy was a contributing factor. Those issues could affect the salary cap in two years. "My sense is that teams — and I know I am — are scared to death of 2010-2011 as far as committing a lot of money to lock up guys,” says Burke.
When you take the economics into consideration, it makes sense…especially when you notice that there weren’t many big names that were looking to check into an extended stay hotel (only one going by my count, Olli Jokinen). Despite the lack of blockbusters, the trades that did go down did help out the teams that are in playoff contention.
Our experts agree that Calgary walked away from the deadline as the big winners. The Flames picked up a familiar face in Jordan Leopold from Colorado. He spent the first three seasons in the league teamed up with Robyn Regehr on Calgary’s blueline. And Leopold is a workhorse who can give you 20 or more minutes of ice time as the season progresses.
As great as getting Leopold is, VegasInsider.com expert handicapper Kevin Rogers looks at Jokinen as the gem of the day. “The Flames needed more scoring help and wanted a No. 1 center, which he fits the bill of perfectly.”
There was a problem with Jokinen fitting in well in the Coyotes’ locker room this year. Some of the issue could be because he prefers to shoot the puck more than set up teammates. That didn’t really work well in Phoenix with Shane Doan and really won’t fly with Jarome Iginla.
What these two additions could mean for us at the betting shops is a better chance of cashing in on the puck line more often. Calgary has been great when listed as the “chalk” this season with a 32-16 records. But the Flames have won by at least two goals in 19 of those matches.
They didn’t get the fanfare of the Flames’ deal, but Columbus made one of the better trades of the day. “The Blue Jackets are in their first true playoff run since joining the NHL in 2000 and needed to show they’re serious,” says Keith Fredrick. “They did just that in trading netminder Pascal Leclaire to Ottawa for forward Antoine Vermette.”
The Jackets were in desperate need of finding a forward that has scoring ability and can play the pivot. Meanwhile, the Senators were prepared to call the campaign a failure and looking to build for the future. Vermette has underachieved this year with just nine goals, but was stuck behind some of the more prolific offensive players in the league.
Leclaire had nine shutouts last season and was listed as one of the best young goalies in the NHL. Unfortunately, his ankle was injured to the point of needing surgery. That opened the door for Steve Mason to become a Calder and longshot Vezina Trophy candidate this year. Since Leclaire and Vermette are under contract, it fills gaping holes for both teams for the upcoming season as well.
Vermette should be able to come out of his shell with the Blue Jackets after playing in a fish bowl in the Canadian capital. His addition will undoubtedly help out Rick Nash and improve their goal scoring, which will also mean high scoring affairs. After all, the ‘under’ is 33-29 this year for Columbus.
As important as it is to improve your team at the deadline, sometimes you just need to stand pat.
Florida is proof that you can make your club better by doing nothing in its decision to keep defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. The Panthers are on the cusp of playing deep into April for the first time in eight years and the unrestricted free agent to be is a big part of that with 34 points and plus-four rating.
Bouwmeester has never officially said it, but people close to him have mentioned that he doesn’t care for playing in South Florida. Yet making the playoffs and getting fans to show up at the BankAtlantic Center could be enough to help Florida keep one of the league’s premier blueliners.
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