Rocks that Move

Well, I really don't have anything to say about the Oscars, which is a shame. I simply have not seen enough of the movies to comment, although I am happy to see Daniel Day Lewis win another one, because he may be my all-time favorite actor. Maybe. He's up there. I do, however, have something to say about another exciting thing that happened this week: the NHL trade deadline! It was an exciting year for trades. Here is what I think about how everyone did, beginning with the Eastern Conference:

Atlanta: Atlanta had to cough up star Marian Hossa, which is a shame, but he was an unrestricted free agent and was going to leave them. So they made the right move, and came out pretty good, I think. They got two young talents in Colby Armstrong and Erik Christenson who will not make them Cup champs, but are solid bodies who can play. They also got a first round pick and prospect Angelo Esposito, who is one of those high-risk, high-reward players.

B

Boston: These guys didn't really do anything at the deadline. Yawn.

D

Buffalo: Well, Brian Campbell didn't sign with them, so they had to cough him up. Got Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick for him, which is not shabby under the circumstances. But Buffalo's inability to keep their stars is going to come back and bite them pretty badly in the next few years.

B-

Carolina: Attained the talented but enigmatic Tuomo Ruutu for the less talented but more steady Andrew Ladd. This trade could go either way... but probably won't make a lick of difference.

C

Florida: The big rumor was that they would let Olli Jokinen go. Yeah. Right. Instead, they picked up Chad Kilger, Wade Belak, and Karl Skrastins in a few minor trades that won't make a lick of difference to them. Why bother?

C

Montreal: Montreal was supposed to get Marian Hossa, but it fell through. Instead, they took one of the biggest risks in the league and traded Critobal Huet for a draft pick. I can't believe they couldn't do better than that for him, and it is a big risk. That said, they got SOMETHING for him and they do have two really talented, young goalies already. But this team is a contender this year for the Cup, and I am surprised they were willing to roll the dice on two young guys. They really didn't get anything else to help. But they didn't lose anything, either. Honestly, I think THAT is a good move. More teams should think this way.

B+

New Jersey: Got Bryce Salvador for Cam Jansen. Eh. Better hope that Marty Brodeur can stand on his head for four rounds. Otherwise this is a big bust.

C-

NY Islanders: They passed on their headache, Chris Simon, to Minnesota, which was a good move in itself. They also got rid of Marc-Andre Bergeron for a pick. They are not real contenders, so I think these moves more or less made sense. Eh.

C+

NY Rangers: I was proud of the Rangers. In the past they would have traded every young player on their team and all their draft picks for Maurice Richard... and Richard is dead. This time they traded just one pick and a couple of more minor players for a bunch of young guys that will help their team grow slowly, but surely. Good move.

A-

Ottawa: Their big trade was getting Cory Stillman earlier this month, which was a great pickup for them. He's a talented veteran. Today they did not do much aside of getting some toughness in Martin Lapointe, which they needed, but I still can't help but think that as talented as they are, their goaltending is very iffy. That will spell trouble come playoff time.

B

Philly: The Flyers have been the most over-rated team in the league all year. Everyone thought that Timonen and Briere and Biron were going to make them champs, and I never did buy it. Sure enough, they have been rather mediocre. Well, the trade deadline did not change anything. They gave up too much for Vaclav Prospal, and didn't do anything to shore up their defense or goaltending. They MIGHT make the playoffs... but the truth is that they should have acted more like sellers, instead of buyers this year.

D-

Pittsburgh: Everyone is praising the Penguins as the new Cup favorite in the East for getting Marian Hossa, but I just don't buy it. First off, Hossa hasn't really been that good this year, though he will likely bounce back... before leaving for whomever pays him the most this summer. But most importantly, Pittsburgh did not address its biggest need: defense. The Pens didn't need more offense, they needed defense. Defense wins championships. This is the most talented team in the league now, offensively, but they are not really a playoff team. Hal Gill isn't going to cut it.

C+

Tampa: The Lightning had no choice. They were dead ducks this season anyway, and they had cap problems. With that in mind, I think they did the best they could. They lost some stars in Prospal and Richards, but they cut a lot of salary and got some great prospects. Mike Smith, if he pans out to be what he appeared to be becoming in Dallas, could be the difference-maker. Goaltending has been Tampa's problem since 2004 ended, and it is about time they tried to do something about it. Meanwhile, Jeff Halpern is a good character guy and Jussi Jokinen has potential. They also got some draft picks and prospects. Good deal, under the circumstances.

A-

Toronto: Got some draft picks for Hal Gill, Wade Belak, and Chad Kilger. With Sundin refusing to waive his no-trade clause, a bad move in my opinion, there was not a lot more that they could do. Considering that they are the Leafs, however, I have to call this a big failure... although I think they fleeced the Pens getting a 5th AND 2nd round pick for Gill.

D+

Washington: Huh. I can't figure out what the heck was up in the Capitol. They picked up Critobal Huet for a draft pick, which really surprised me. Did they need a goalie? I guess having two can't hurt, and honestly, Kolzig has seen better days. So maybe this was a good move. They also picked up Sergei Fedorov, who was Ovechkin's hero growing up. Maybe that will light a fire under Fedorov's lazy butt. If not, at least the Caps didn't give much up for him.

B