Deadline deals begin: Downie to Avs, Quincey traded twice

Steve Downie and Kyle Quincey were on the move as part of a three-team trade as Deadline 2012 heats up.

With less than a week to go in this year's trade deadline, a couple of moves were finally made. No. It didn't involve much rumored top fish Rick Nash, which is fine with me since I want no part of him.

However, two players were dealt in essentially a three-team trade. First, the Lightning sent rugged winger Steve Downie to the Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Kyle Quincey. Then, Tampa Bay flipped Quincey to the Red Wings for a 2012 first round pick and minor league blueliner Sebastien Piche.

TRADE BREAKDOWN

Colorado gets physical Downie, who can bang in corners and contribute on stat sheet. The 24-year old has 28 points (12-16-28) with 121 penalty minutes over 55 games. The former '05 first rounder of the Flyers spent four years in Tampa developing into one of the game's top pests. He now joins his third roster trying to boost the Avs' playoff chances.

Tampa Bay recoups another pick as Steve Yzerman continues to sell spare parts. He did well landing a second for Dom Moore and got another second, plus a third for Pavel Kubina, who was shipped to Philadelphia. Now, he gets a first round pick from Detroit, who's all in for another Cup. We don't know much about Piche other than he's already 24 and has been in the AHL.

Detroit acquires a top four defenseman who can relieve pressure off ageless Nick Lidstrom along with Nik Kronwall and Brad Stuart. Quincey, 26, was originally a Red Wing fourth round draft pick in '03. However, he only got into 13 games over three seasons before the Kings claimed him. His best year came during '08-09 in Hollywood when he totaled 38 points (4-34-38). LA dealt Quincey to Colorado in a failed blockbuster for Ryan Smyth. He's a solid blueliner capable of contributing with his 23 points (5-18-23) tied with Erik Johnson for most by a D this season. Now, he'll return to Hockey Town and try to help the Wings win another Cup.

Christensen finds new home in Minnesota

Yesterday, Erik Christensen finally found a new home. The much maligned forward, who drew the ire of our sometimes arrogant fanbase was traded to the Wild along with a seventh round pick for Casey Wellman. While I can't tell you much about Wellman, the 24-year old from California has gotten into parts of three seasons with Minnesota, registering 13 points (4-9-13) over 41 career NHL games. In 14 contests this year, he had a career high seven points (2-5-7). It's any wonder if he'll stay up or go down to help the Whale.

For Christensen, the likeable 28-year old moves onto his fifth organization where he'll try to boost the Wild's playoff chances. For all the justified criticism he's received, Christy does possess offensive capabilities that could benefit his new team, who currently sits eighth in the West with 57 points- three better than Dallas, Calgary and Colorado, who are all tied with 54. Minnesota just might be a good fit for a guy who can contribute on the power play and is money in the shootout. Given the Wild's similar defensive posture with goalie tandem Nik Backstrom and Josh Harding, adding another offensive player could only help.

If it's true Christensen was never going to see the light of day on our first place team due to John Tortorella souring on him due to the physical nature of the roster, a scenery change could only benefit him. After putting up 27 points (11-16-27) over 63 contests in '10-11, he was 1-4-5 in 20 this season. With rookie Carl Hagelin passing him along with John Mitchell and Mike Rupp, he became expendable. The thing I always admired about Christy was his honesty about his struggle to find consistency. For a guy so talented who could score from an impossible angle as he did occasionally like versus Washington last Spring, it was sad to see how little confidence he had. But you can tell how much he cares. So, when people dump on him on the way out, it rubs me the wrong way.

Given our powerless play epidemic, you can't convince me that he couldn't have been reinserted to provide a spark. Last year, seven of his points came on the man-advantage, including four power play goals. One more than Brad Richards has in his first season on Broadway. Ironically, Christy's only goal was a PPG in a home win over Montreal, in which he also netted an assist. Four of his five points came over a three-game stretch in November. Unfortunately, what followed was one helper over the last 10 of his Ranger career.

Somewhat astonishingly, Christensen is in his seventh year having already played for the Pens, Thrashers, Ducks and Blueshirts. His 156 points (62-94-156) over 358 games tell the story of an inconsistent player who has never been able to put it altogether. At 28, he gets another chance to prove his worth as a rental for the surprising Wild. Christensen is playing for a contract. Possibly even his NHL livelihood. If he can help get Minny in the playoffs, that would only be a plus. As someone who also took him to task in this space, I wish him well. Show 'em what you can do.

Rangers send Rozsival to Desert for Wolski

Just as I had finished yesterday's post, the Rangers decided to one up me by trading Michal Rozsival to the Coyotes for Wojtek Wolski. As I was singing the vet's praises for steadier play than the previous two seasons, he became the odd man out after Alex Frolov went down. Considering that the team suddenly had to fill a void up front while also continuing to play well defensively minus the '05-06 holdover, it made sense to move him.

So, once again Glen Sather hooked up with pal Don Maloney and acquired a player he'd been after for a while. Slats had interest in Wolski last year before the Avs dealt him to the Coyotes in exchange for Peter Mueller. At the time, the cost was too much. So, he held firm. You know how Heinz says good things come to those who wait. In this case, it has merit because following a career best 65-point season (23-42-65) with the Avs and 'Yotes, Wolski came back to earth dropping to 6-10-16 in 36 contests this year. So, the Rangers got him cheap and saved $1.2 million in cap space by dealing the pricier Rozsival ($5 million) who has another year left on his contract. As for Wolski, he also has one year remaining and is set to earn $4 million in '11-12.

"It gives us more opportunities to do a few other things that may come up in the future," Sather noted of more cap flexibility that also includes LTI (Long Term Injury) for Frolov. "It was a situation that was easy for us to make for a lot of reasons."

The 24 year-old Wolski brings size with his 6-3, 210 pound frame talented enough to bolster our offense. On a grinding team that's been scoring by committee, adding someone like the former Avs' '04 No.1 pick should bode well for the Blueshirts. He's expected to donn the unusual No.86 and debut in tonight's big showdown versus eighth Montreal, who enters four points behind us for sixth. The two Original Sixes will also be meeting back up north on Hockey Night In Canada following a big test against the Canucks.

When he's taken part in the playoffs, Wolski's fared well recently putting up four goals and an assist for Phoenix last year while going 2-3-5 in '07-08 for Colorado. It wouldn't be surprising if John Tortorella tries him with slumping star Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov. That would demote Sean Avery, who's elevated his play the past three games, back to the fourth line with Chris Drury and Connecticut recall Kris Newbury, who KO'd Devil Bryce Salvador back in preseason, concussing him.

For Rozsival who was a frequent MSG target despite contributing on the blueline, he gets a fresh start in the Desert where he'll bolster a 'Yotes back end that includes Ed Jovanovski, Keith Yandle, Derek Morris and Adrian Aucoin. Given a chance by Sather following the lockout as a camp invite, Rozsival made the most of it growing into a top four D who worked well with Czech Marek Malik as part of the Euro-Rangers led by Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Martin Rucinsky, Petr Prucha and Michael Nylander. Six Czechs and one Swede led the Blueshirts back to the playoffs where they hadn't been in nearly a decade.

The most memorable highlight for Rozsival and the same hypocritical Garden Faithful had to be when his one-timer from the point beat Ryan Miller in triple overtime, giving the underdog Rangers life in a dramatic Game Three Eastern Conference Semifinal at a pumped up MSG. As someone who was fortunate enough to be there, it ranks as my best Ranger game. I'll never forget the animosity towards the refs for screwing us at the end of regulation when a goal was disallowed. The Sabres forced sudden death and could've put a stranglehold on the series. Instead, our guys wouldn't let it happen with Rozy playing the hero. The place just exploded. Everyone mobbed each other in one of the most awesome scenes ever. If you were there, you know how special it was.

It allowed our team to get back in the series, winning Game Four to push it even back to Buffalo. We all know what happened there. Straka scored late in regulation with lone '05-06 member Henrik Lundqvist on the verge of stealing Game Five. But as fate had it, Chris Drury got to a rebound and buried it with 7.7 seconds remaining. The same amount of time Valeri Zelepukin scored with a lifetime ago for the Devils. This time, there was no Matteau Matteau Matteau. Instead, Maxim Afinogenov broke our backs when his shot deflected off a diving Jed Ortmeyer past King Henrik. The Sabres would win a real shootout in Game Six to wrap up the series. Still, to this day, it's hard not to go back and contemplate just how close that team was to advancing to its first Conference Final since Messier and Gretzky teamed up with Leetch, Graves and Richter. Oh. What could've been.

It's hard to believe that Rozsival evolved into a reliable defenseman here. I remember laughing at the '05 signing thinking, 'The former Pen. Come on.' Well, the joke was on me. In his first year, Rozsival scored five goals and 25 assists for 30 points while posting a plus-35 rating along with three power play goals. Amazing. Of course, it helped to have No.68 to pass to during his record-breaking season. Still, Rozy proved it wasn't a fluke by increasing to career highs with 30 helpers and 40 points along with seven PPG, 20 power play points and three deciding markers. In '07-08, he again had a strong season tallying a career best 13 goals with 25 assists for 38 points along with half a dozen PPG and 18 PPP. Even if he sometimes was an adventure in the corners, one couldn't dispute his contributions- helping guide Marc Staal and Dan Girardi who now are a shutdown tandem.

It would be foolish not to think Rozsival had something to do with their development. He was the one vet the organization kept. Even if Slats messed up giving him four years, $20 million while foolishly spending a ton on the immortal Wade Redden. His real folly while gambling on Nikolai Zherdev for Fedor Tyutin. True enough, Rozy wasn't the same after Jagr left becoming overly passive on the power play driving fans nuts with his tenativeness to shoot despite a deadly one when it hit the net. For a year and a half, he struggled badly while playing through injuries- continuing to log big minutes and never complaining once about the unfair treatment from the home crowd. Sure. It was frustrating because of some of the chances he passed up. However, it's also accurate to say he was our best passer, often making perfect outlets that strung teammates for breakaways.

There also is the notion that Rozsival was soft. While he'll never be confused with Jeff Beukeboom, the guy always battled and often sacrificed his body to get in front of shots. He was a superb penalty killer and that should be valued in his new home. Under Tortorella, he regained confidence and became more active in all facets. To ignore the marked improvement wouldn't be fair to the kind of character he had. Rozy stuck up for teammates shoving players away from Lundqvist's crease. He did have pride and it showed during the final portion of a solid Ranger career. In nearly six seasons, Rozsival finishes with 42 goals and 134 assists totaling 176 points over 432 games. He went 4-10-14 in 31 games during the postseason on Broadway.

"It was a good opportunity for us to get younger and bigger and give the kids the opportunity on defence to play," Sather said of the change. "I was very happy with the way Rozie played. He's a good player, he's durable, he works hard, he played through a lot of pain through his career. We have nothing but good things to say about him. He was treated a little unfairly once in a while, but he was a guy who was the ultimate professional."

Langenbrunner returns to the Stars

It's Back To The Future for Jamie Langenbrunner. The two-time Cup winner who was scratched last night in anticipation of a trade finally got word earlier today that he'd be returning to the Stars. So, the original Star who was drafted in the second round back in '93, comes back to the franchise he helped win its only Stanley Cup with in 1999 on a loaded team that featured Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, Jere Lehtinen, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk.

Sometimes, life comes full circle. In Langenbrunner's case, that holds true for the gritty American who's had an outstanding career highlighted by a more prominent role in the Devils '03 championship- scoring 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points on a shutdown line with former Selke winner John Madden and PK fixture Jay Pandolfo. Not only did he achieve ultimate success in New Jersey but also was recognized as one of the best players in our country, captaining Team USA to Olympic silver last year in Vancouver. It's the classic case of an overachiever who got the most of his talent. Just ask former ZZ Popps linemates Zach Parise and Travis Zajac how much No.15 meant to their careers.

And so a solid nine-year career in Jersey comes to an end with them getting a conditional third round pick that might become a second rounder.

Rangers dump Brashear and Rismiller for White

In case you were living in a bat cave which sometimes being a fan of this team I wish I was, the Rangers made a deal yesterday. With it first circulating late Sunday night that they acquired Todd White from Atlanta, speculation was a little premature on what the Thrashers got back, which ranged from a fourth round pick to even Michal Rozsival.

Of course, neither were close as instead, our senile GM actually found a way to dump Donald Brashear and Patrick Rismiller on Atlanta, making it almost a match. The 35 year-old White who played the past three seasons with the Thrashers after teaming with Marian Gaborik in St. Paul is set to earn $2.6 million in the final year of his contract. Brashear earns $1.3 million and Rismiller, who became AHL fodder, makes a cool million. In essence, Atlanta saves $300,000. However, White is a $2.375 M cap hit while Brash and Rissmiller combine for $2.4 M. So, it's basically a wash.

Watch Brashear go back to being the royal pain in the ass who knocked Blair Betts into next week. Public Enemy No.1 is sure to get a rude welcome back to MSG. It's not like anyone liked him anyway. Too bad someone forgot to inform Glen Sather and our coach who actually thought a washed up goon was an upgrade over Colton Orr. Now, he's been replaced by Derek Boogard, who can't take regular shifts despite an even heftier pay tag ($1.625 M). Ah. Only in Rangerland.

So, what to make of the latest Ranger? If this were a few years ago, we'd love the move. But fact is White's coming in off his worst year since his final one in Ottawa pre-lockout. A year removed from centering Ilya Kovalchuk and posting career highs in assists (51), points 73), power play goals (12) and games played (82), the Kanata, Ontario native sunk like the Titanic to seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 65 games. He also posted a third consecutive minus season finishing minus-11.

The big question is does he have a place on our roster? Our centers aren't exactly scaring anyone with Artem Anisimov having the most potential. Especially if John Tortorella keeps Brandon Dubinsky on left wing. At the moment, Erik Christensen is slated to center Gaborik. Vinny Prospal can play center but is better suited for the wing. And then there's captain Chris Drury and his albatross ($7.05 M) with the club stuck two more years with him and Rozsival ($5 M). As for Wade Redden ($6.5 M), if White's on the roster, it all but ensures that he's going to Hartford. They have to clear space for Marc Staal. Assuming Ryan McDonagh is ready and Matt Gilroy stronger, the Rangers could be set with a blueline of Staal, Rozsival, Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, Gilroy, McDonagh and Steve Eminger. That would be ideal with Eminger serving as a veteran fill-in.

Is Brian Boyle still considered our fourth line center? White can easily fill that role as he's got experience as a checking type two-way pivot who can kill penalties. He also can play power play if needed and is a much more fluid skater. The question is was last year a tell tale sign that his scoring days are over. Has age finally caught up or can he bounce back? If he does make the team and he certainly can help in the face-off dot (401-344, 53.8 Pct), it's a definite upgrade over Boyle (198-323, 38.7 Pct) with Anisimov (44.9) and Christensen (48.8) not much better. Drury was our best winning 52.9 percent while Dubinsky and Prospal both were over 50 percent.

Adding another center who can win draws is fine. But one look at this roster and who's scoring the goals aside from Gabby? Alexander Frolov better rebound with at least 25. They need more consistency from Ryan Callahan, who's averaged a shade over 20 the past two seasons. Can Prospal duplicate last year's success? Anisimov likely will go up from the dozen he scored in his rookie year. Sean Avery's a candidate for a few more than the 11 he got. Dubinsky enters Year Four coming off a career high 20 markers after being shifted. He's also playing for a contract, which should serve as motivation.

Still, when you look at the roster, it once again looks like a one horse show. Unless Derek Stepan or Evgeny Grachev blows them away in camp, there's not much to get excited over. This looks like a middle of the road team who doesn't know what it is. On one hand, we got kids who'll continue to get valuable experience as part of a retooling. On the other, there's all these vets mixed in making high salaries. Is there any direction?!?!?!?!?!

One word to describe this chaos. Mediocrity.

Islanders add Wiz to blueline

Lately, there hasn't been a lot for Islander fans to get excited about. However, a few nights ago while I was out with the big guy and bro over our friend's new house for a fun barbecue, Garth Snow made a solid move acquiring defenseman James Wisniewski from Anaheim for just a conditional third round pick in 2011.

Considering that the original Chicago '02 fifth rounder is still only 26, it looks like a calculated gamble by the Islander GM. When healthy, Wiz is easily a top four D who can log important minutes and play any situation. In five seasons spent with both the Hawks and Ducks, the Canton Michigan native who was part of the '03 USA WJC gold medal team has proven a capable puckmoving D who combines skill with physicality. Loose translation: Wiz ain't soft as evidenced by his 129 hits (41st among D) and 102 blocked shots, which ranked him in the top 100 for his position. Unfortunately, that edge also resulted in an eight-game suspension after this controversial hit in which he retaliated on former 'mate Brent Seabrook for a hit on Corey Perry prior in the shift.

Islander fans will like that edge as it's certainly something their blueline can use in support of budding teenager John Tavares. What also is a plus is that Wisniewski's in no way one-dimensional as he can also contribute offensively. Following two straight seasons of 20 points or more, the ex-Duck registered a career high 30 including a new best 27 helpers to go with three markers in 69 contests (also a new personal best). The Wiz also racked up 69 penalty minutes with two power play goals, 146 shots while posting a minus-five rating. Numbers he'll look to improve on in his new Long Island home.

Why was he essentially dumped by Duck GM Bob Murray? Because apparently, he didn't think the $3.25 million Wisniewski was due was worth it. Especially for a defenseman who's never played a full season and will turn unrestricted next summer. Still, he gave Sabre reject Toni Lydman basically the same money ($3M) which makes you scratch your head.

For the Islanders, it looks like a win. They get a good player while losing zilch. Does Wiz team with Mark Streit while other key addition Mark Eaton works with Bruno Gervais? What happens to Andrew MacDonald, Jack Hillen and Milan Jurcina if Radek Martinek returns healthy? Considering that there's a an IL slot reserved for Martinek, you can never have enough defensemen. It'll be interesting to see who the odd men out are once the season rolls around. Something which could be a tough choice for Scott Gordon.

On paper, the Isles improved with this trade and should be tougher to play against. However, they still haven't addressed gaping holes up front like who's going to put the puck in the net other than Tavares and Matt Moulson? Expect Kyle Okposo to increase production and perhaps Rob Schremp can finish a little more as well. Unless top pick Nino Niederreiter makes the roster, the team still lacks enough skill to help Tavares and Co. Given that they have plenty of cap room, what about bringing back a vet like Bill Guerin or taking a flier on Paul Kariya? Unless P.A. Parenteau proves the Rangers wrong, it looks like the club may struggle to score again.

Bye Bye Sangs

Bobby Sanguinetti has found a new home. Maybe Raleigh will treat him better than how our team did. Showing the usual lack of patience after superhyping the kid from Trenton who they once took in the first round a few years ago. Though it may as well seem like a decade the way his stock plummeted in the organization.

Apparently, there was no chance to recover from Michael Del Zotto beating him out at camp last year. And Matt Gilroy impressed, giving Ranger fans false hope only to disappoint during his first NHL season. So, Sangs goes bye bye and hopefully, gets a real shot with the Candy Canes. The deal was consumated a short while ago while I was watching USA trailing Ghana at the half in World Cup play. The particulars:

NYR receive '10 Car 6th Rd Pick, Wsh '11 2nd Rd Pick
Car gets D Bobby Sanguinetti


Can anyone say dump much? To think that yet again, our organization went ga ga over another kid and then soured due largely to Tort to the tune that this was the best they could get back. Simply amazing. What did Sangs play in? All of 2 games? Actually, it's five. Well, that's an improvement over Hugh Specimen. Best of luck to Bobby. Here's hoping his first career goal comes against us at MSG. Oh. And you know it will. It's a Ranger Tradition.

Let the fun begin

Now that we're finally back and better than ever with our new more reader friendly design, already the fun has just begun. We're 48 hours away from Friday night's much anticipated first round. What will Edmonton do? Is it Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin or do they trade with Florida down for No.'s 3 and 15 and select Cam Fowler and possibly sliding Russian Vladimir Tarashenko. Whatever they decide, it'll be under the leadership of familiar face Tom Renney, who replaces Pat Quinn behind the bench this Fall. The former Ranger coach will get to work with more talent with Calder hopeful Jordan Eberle on the way and possibly Hall or Seguin, etc which should significantly improve the Oilers.

While the draft gets going in two nights, tonight is the NHL Awards out in Vegas a second consecutive year. Can Ovie three-peat or will Henrik Sedin steal Alex and Sid's thunder? With that in mind, here's a quick glance at my picks:

Hart-H. Sedin
Pearson-Crosby
Norris-Keith
Vezina-Bryzgalov
Calder-Howard
Selke-Datsyuk
Byng-Datsyuk
Adams-Tippett
Masterton-Ortmeyer
Leadership-Miller
Foundation-Brown

My heart says Jed for Comeback Player but head says Kurt Foster. I just can't go against Ort. I went with Bryz over Miller for the Vezina due to his team. Keith over Doughty though I wouldn't be shocked if the super LA soph takes it. For me, Sedin was the best player and stepped it up when twin bro Daniel was out. Giving it to Crosby or Ovechkin is too easy. Henrik's most deserving. I happen to love all three Selke candidates. Huge fan of both Kes and J. Staal. But Datsyuk's remarkable in every facet. So, he probably wins again. Best of luck to all.

Now, for some moves. I'll just post and make a quick comment.

1.Flyers acquire rights to D Dan Hamhuis + '11 conditional seventh from Preds for rights to D Ryan Parent.

Genius move by Holmgren if they get Hamhuis signed. This was rumored back at the deadline. Imagine a Flyer front four of Pronger, Timonen, Hamhuis and Carle with Coburn on the third pair? Ugh. As for Nash, it's obvious they're dumping salary. Better hope Parent turns it around back in Music City.

2.Devils reacquire C Jason Arnott from Preds for F Matt Halischuk + '11 second rounder.

As Hasan already noted, remember when Lou had the infamous M&M reunion post-lockout? Only difference is '00 Cup hero Arnott's still got something left and fills a void. Arnott and Elias reunited. When's Sykora coming back? Couldn't resist. The pluses are nice but what does it mean for Kovalchuk and Martin? Arnott makes $4.5 M. For Nash, guess they're content to revamp with the most underappreciated coach in the biz. The Czar!

3.Panthers acquire D Dennis Wideman, Bruins' No.1 (15th) + '11 3rd for F Nathan Horton and F Greg Campbell.

On one hand, you ask what are the Panthers doing? They already lack offense. Though adding Wideman ain't a bad pickup for a solid blueline even if he's an adventure. However, Horton makes $4 M and has not come close to fulfilling his power forward potential. Maybe a change of scenery playing with Savard and Krejci helps. Campbell is a solid citizen who provides energy. For Florida, it's a win if they can parlay their 3 and the 15 into either Hall or Seguin.

4.Thrashers acquire F Dustin Byfuglien, F Ben Eager, D Brent Sopel and F Akim Aliu (try saying that 10 times in a row) from Blackhawks for F Marty Reasoner, F Jeremy Morin and the rights to NJD '10 No.'s 1 (24th) & 2 (54th).

Credit everyone's favorite Eklund for nailing this trade. Seri---ous---ly. Kudos to Bob McKenzie giving props. Well, we all knew the Hawks had to dump salary, breaking up their newly minted Stanley Cup roster. It sucks. But such is cap life even with it going to a reported $59.4 M. There was no way they could keep everyone. I guess when push came to shove, they just decided to maximize Big Buff's value after a Conn Smythe-esque performance. No doubt Chicago will miss him. But they saved nearly $4 million even if it had to break Sopel's heart. It was not only his day with the Cup but also his first day on Twitter. Ouch. Give the vet credit for this very strong perspective on today's events. Eager was also a solid citizen but the Hawks are plenty tough. Great deal for Atlanta even if it meant moving the picks they got from the Devs for Kovalchuk. Now, they traded him and Salmella, Morin for Bergfors, Big Buff, Patrice Cormier, Reasoner and Sopel. Wacky. The deal works for both sides with Chi-town doing well getting good value back in the picks and a decent prospect drafted last year. It should be a fun deal to track.

In other news, the Sharks have decided Evgeni Nabokov is done in San Jose. No real surprise here. I expect him to land in D.C. where they'll soon be renamed the Washington Russians. Who replaces Nabby? Turco or Mason? German backup Thomas Greiss performed respectably but he's not ready to carry the load. There also was a Tim Thomas rumor but eh. Why would they do that? He couldn't deliver in Beantown and is getting up there. Not to mention his $5 M tag. I'd pass.

Happy trails to Scott Niedermayer, who finally called it a career at a nice gathering at Honda Center yesterday. Kudos to NHL Network for picking up the coverage. The classy defenseman who won three Cups with the Devils and then captained the Ducks teaming alongside little bro Rob for a fourth Cup thanked everyone from coaches, teammates to fans. What an outstanding career the guy the Devils turned Tom Kurvers into back in 1991 had. Among the highlights were winning Olympic gold for Canada twice including close to home in Vancouver at this year's Olympics. Plus a Norris on his way out of the Garden State. What a tremendous player, who also handled himself with class on and off the ice. Just the latest player we lose from our era growing up. Sure is sad. Nieds will be missed.

One other note to pass. The Habs re-signed C Tomas Plekanec to a six-year $30 M contract. The terms are about right for their do everything player. But the length is a bit steep. Still, love the loyalty and good on Les Habitants keeping him.

A big boo to Toronto for not including Pat Burns or taking either Doug Gilmour or Eric Lindros over Dino Ciccarelli for this year's HHOF class which also includes very deserving Cammi Granato, Angela James and Jim Devellano plus Darryl "Doc" Seaman. It is utterly ridiculous that Burns isn't in. What are they waiting for? The poor man has cancer and dying. As for Ciccarelli, while I respect the production (608 goals, 1,200 points), he was never really a dominant player. A superb finisher but he couldn't take over games a la Gilmour or The Big E, who's being unfairly treated for how his career ended. Taking it one step further, why isn't Pavel Bure considered? At the end of the day, it is what it is. Hopefully, some great players will eventually get recognized.

The NHL also released the 2010-11 schedule. And already, it didn't take me long to predict the Rangers' first loss when they open the season at our Buffalo contingent. Can you say midseason form or what?!?!?!?!?!

It's nice to be back!

Deadline Eve

For many, Christmas Eve takes on special meaning. The same can be said of Deadline Eve for puckers everywhere. With such a brief chaotic period for GMs to trade, expect the unexpected. Who knows what will happen between now and tomorrow's 3 ET deadline. You know what's great is that sometimes, a couple of late deals sneak through making it all the more exciting for everybody.

While talks will continue, 24 teams are in action on the first busy night back from the Olympics. Sure. Detroit defeated Colorado 3-2 on Nick Lidstrom's winner. But there's a cool baker's dozen with all four Battle teams returning to the ice, including the Sabres taking on Crosby's Pens. Think Ryan Miller must be sick of him already? Don't forget the Winter Classic ending as well. The Islanders play host to the Blackhawks with Dwayne Roloson getting the start. The latest from CSN's Tim Panaccio has Rolo not going to the goalie-desperate Flyers, who lost Ray Emery for the season. Michael Leighton has played well but figure them to chase after Tomas Vokoun, who perhaps the Blackhawks might be interested in.

For the Rangers who are in Ottawa tonight, they'll be minus Mike Del Zotto and Marian Gaborik with Corey Potter in and Dan Girardi expected to play. As we noted in our updated post, our sincerest apologies on the Girardi oversight. He still could move following the game. We'll just have to wait and see. Also of interest, both Aaron Voros and Enver Lisin have been put on waivers. Funny how the first guy worked his butt off even if overpaid while the other never really got a fair shake from John Tortorella after the club acquired him for Lauri Korpikoski...typical.

The Devils have the late game in San Jose against fraud Joe Thornton, who as Buffalo contributor Brian Sanborn noted to me last night, smiled during Canada's celebration because he sure didn't do much to help them win gold. Sad but true. Between his disappearing act and Evgeni Nabokov's quarterfinal implosion along with Russian 'mates, you think Shark fans might be a little concerned?!?!?!?!?! As for the Devs, figure Martin Brodeur to be angry after being benched for Roberto Luongo in similar fashion to how he replaced Cujo at Salt Lake eight years prior. Though it's worth noting the year MB30 won gold in net, the Candy Canes eliminated them in the first round. Maybe sitting was a good omen. Zach Parise also wasn't satisfied with silver and should come out on fire. The Devs get back feisty winger David Clarkson, who will be a huge key down the stretch. Paul Martin is still a giant question mark. Might Lou be interested in another D?

A few players to note who are healthy scratches tonight:

Sean Bergenheim-NYI
Alexei Ponikarovsky-Tor
Aaron Ward-Car

Sure there is more but we're punching away quickly before the puck drops. What else? Well, 48 year-old Chris Chelios is back signing with Hotlanta. Sure is inspirational. The Thrash also added rugged Russian forward Evgeny Artyukhin last night from Anaheim for Nathan Oystrick and a conditional pick. The Ducks also swung a deal just before with Chitown sending Nick Boynton to the Windy City for future considerations. What might that be? An old Jim McMahon Super Bowl poster? ... The Wild have re-signed Marek Zidlicky for three years, $12 million. So, he's off the summer board.

Well, that's it for now. We'll have more later.

Islanders deal Sutton to Ottawa, look towards future (Updated)

Andy Sutton has played his last game for the Islanders. Well, at least for the time being. He can always re-up this summer. The 34 year-old rugged defenseman was dealt by the club earlier today to Ottawa for a 2010 second round pick (SJ).

In three seasons off the Meadowbrook, the former Thrasher who GM Garth Snow signed in 2007 was a solid citizen who played his usual physical game. That gritty style saw him miss 59 games last season, including the final 50 due to a broken foot. He also missed 24 in Year One. In the final year of his contract, Sutton's been relatively healthy getting into 54 of the Isles' 62, producing a solid 2009-10 campaign that includes four goals, eight helpers, 73 penalty minutes, a club best 155 hits and just a minus-three rating. His 153 blocked shots rank second in the league, showing how dedicated the man is to helping a team be successful.

Now, Sutton moves to his fifth team (SJ, Min, Atl, NYI, Ott) where he'll try to help the Senators make some noise in the playoffs. They currently lead Buffalo by a point in the Northeast holding down the No.3 seed. Adding him to a blueline that at the moment still includes Anton Volchenkov, Chris Phillips, Filip Kuba and Matt Carkner and Alexandre Picard should bolster them. Especially with familiar face Chris Campoli and rookie Erik Karlsson out with injuries. The Sens also recalled Brian Lee.

As for the Islanders, it's a wise move because they got good value in return for an injury prone player whose contract expires. Snow did well here. Now, the question becomes does he move Martin Biron? The Flyers could come calling for Dwayne Roloson. Especially with Ray Emery done for the season. But Rolo has another year remaining and with Rick DiPietro back on the mend, it wouldn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to move their most dependable goalie. UPDATE: According to Bob McKenzie, the Flyers are in talks looking to acquire Roloson, who's expected to get the start tonight at home against the Blackhawks.

With Mark Streit, Bruno Gervais, Jack Hillen and close to being re-signed Andrew MacDonald comprising the club's top four, the Isles are set up well moving forward. Freddy Meyer has been solid. Radek Martinek is back next year but start the over/under at 35 for the unlucky 33 year-old Czech. Due to the trade, Dustin Kohn was recalled from Bridgeport. Boasting a surplus of young D prospects in the system that includes Calvin de Haan, Matt Donovan and Travis Hamonic, the franchise will continue to get younger filled with promise.

Along with young trio John Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey up front and emerging second-year coach Scott Gordon behind the bench, referencing Biggie, the "Sky's The Limit."

Cullen to Sens, Olympic Roster Freeze at 3

There's less than three hours until the Olympic Roster freeze. In other words, there should be some activity between now and then. Too bad I'll be on my way to The Slope for some hoops. I'll be able to check for updates on my phone but won't be around to post till later.

Anyway, there was one deal made with the Canes sending Matt Cullen to Ottawa for Alexandre Picard and a second round pick. Wise move for both sides as Carolina continues to sell while remaining competitive (anyone catch their latest win over Buffalo last night???) and the Sens add a solid versatile pivot with Cup experience as they make their push for first in the Northeast. Saw this on Twitter from a great Sabre fan and can't say I blame her:

ShanV11

  

Can someone go wake up Darcy pleeeeaaase? #Sabres #NHLTrade

If Ryan Miller's tirade following the game can't, they're in trouble. As for what else is going on, Donald Brashear, who had the audacity to take a shot at Colton Orr, has cleared waivers. Huggy Bear. If this was 7-8 years ago when you could play, okay. Reality check. And what do you know? The guy he cheapshotted/replaced Blair Betts just re-upped with the Flyers. Irony much?!?!?!?!?!

The following players have been put on waivers:

Jonathan Cheechoo (Ott)
Jamie Lundmark (Cgy)
Brad May (Det)


Florida is still looking to pull something off before the deadline. Will they trade with the Rangers? Alright. I gotta run out. See ya later!

Canadiens acquire Moore

In a move to bolster their playoff push, the Montreal Canadiens have acquired center Dominic Moore from the Panthers in exchange for a 2011 second round pick. Remember when he was good here centering the HMO line in '05-06? Since then, he's changed teams seven times if you include the trade to Nashville for Adam Hall. The 29 year-old Harvard product has played for the Rangers, Penguins, Wild, Maple Leafs, Sabres and Panthers. Montreal will be stop eight for the former Blueshirt, who could wind up on No.9 this summer.

Happy Trails Dom!

Stars acquire Lehtonen, Turco Era about to close

Earlier tonight, the rumors that Kari Lehtonen would be coming to Big D finally came to fruition. The Stars acquired the oft-injured Finnish goalie from Atlanta for D prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 2010 fourth round pick. Full credit to Atlanta writer Chris Vivlamore on breaking the story over on Twitter.

As he also noted in a story for AJC, the 26 year-old Lehtonen who Atlanta tabbed with their '02 No.1 pick (2nd overall) was the franchise's all-time leader in wins (94), games played (204) and shutouts (14). In '06-07, he won a career best 34 games in 68 appearances, posting a 2.79 GAA, .912 save percentage and four shutouts helping the Thrashers to their only postseason. However, it was brief as they were swept by the Rangers. Since the breakout season, he's struggled with injuries including back surgery during preseason which sidelined him until a late January conditioning stint in the AHL. With Hotlanta having Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec, he became the odd man out.

“As the season went on, we had two guys that proved they were capable of carrying the load,” GM Don Waddell explained while also adding,. “ … One hundred percent (Hedberg and Pavelec) are doing a good job for us.”

Vivlamore also notes that combined with the blockbuster trade that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils, there are only four members left from that playoff team (Hedberg, Slava Kozlov, Jim Slater and Eric Boulton).
While the Thrashers revamp with Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier and Vishnevskiy, it looks like the end of the Marty Turco Era in Dallas.

For almost a decade, the unpredictable yet fun netminder has been with career Star Mike Modano the face of the franchise. The 34 year-old who Dallas selected in the fifth round back in 1994 out of the University of Michigan has had a stellar career establishing franchise marks for games (498), victories (257), shutouts (39), minutes played (28,456) and assists with all three coming this season, which speaks to his uncanny nature to keep play moving turning defense into offense.

Turco supplanted Cup-winning netminder Ed Belfour after sharing duties. In his rookie year of '00-01, Marty posted a 13-6 record, three shutouts with a miniscule 1.90 GAA and .925 save percentage. Two years later in his first full season as starter, his 1.72 GAA became a modern NHL record which Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff broke the following season ('03-04) by posting a 1.69 GAA. That same year, Turco followed it up by getting into a career best 73 games winning over half (37) while posting a 1.98 GAA, .913 save percentage and recording a career high nine shutouts. However, he lost out on the Vezina to Devil great Martin Brodeur. Despite an impressive resume that also included a 41-win season ('05-06), Turco has never won the award. It could be argued that he could have but the same might be said for San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov, who was edged by Brodeur two years ago.

If this is it for Turco who made 37 saves in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blackhawks, he's had a tremendous Dallas Star career guiding them to five postseasons including a Western Conference Final six-game defeat to Cup champ Detroit in '07-08. It was that Spring and a gut wrenching seven-game first round loss to Vancouver the year before in which his series record three shutouts weren't enough at least put a halt to the criticism that he couldn't perform when it counted. With Lehtonen coming and Alex Auld also still around to backup, his likely destination is Philadelphia where the Flyers could be pinning their hopes on him with Ray Emery probably requiring hip surgery.

How did his opponent Kris Versteeg, who netted the shootout winner- characterize him?

"Turco, he’s a heck of a goaltender. You don’t want to do too much in the shootout. Go down and keep it simple.”

Including tonight, Turco's appeared in 42 games posting a 17-15-10 mark with a 2.73 GAA, .911 save percentage and three shutouts. The Stars' next game is Thursday in Calgary while the Flyers are scheduled to visit the Devils in the back half of a home-and-home if it's not postponed due to the blizzard. Figure it to get played with not much chance of rescheduling due to the Olympic Break and the remaining hectic sched the rest of the way. If Marty does wind up in the City of Brotherly Love, Scott Hartnell has been mentioned as a possible return. We'll just have to wait and see.

Kovalchuk madness overshadows wild Ranger loss to Ovechkin Caps

It would be impossible not to start what was a bizarre night at The Garden featuring 11 goals including the latest Alex Ovechkin magic trick without mentioning the Ilya Kovalchuk madness that took place during the first period. While the high flying Caps and new look Rangers were keeping fans out of their seats in one of the most unpredictable games ever, there was the much discussed Kovalchuk about to be traded out of Hotlanta to the sweepstakes/madness winner Devils. Something I was keeping track of over on Twitter while trying to pay attention to a game Washington came back to take 6-5 for their 12th straight win.

While the big Devil acquisition played out as had been widely speculated, the game on the ice was as much an enigma. Olli Jokinen's Ranger home debut had a bit of everything ranging from his first point 8:58 in on Ryan Callahan's power play redirect to his first goal as a Blueshirt in a roller coaster second period that saw each club score three times while also earning a hat trick of minor penalties with the potent Caps burning the Jokester twice. While the loss of discipline put a damper on things, the 31 year-old big pivot acquired from Calgary still had a good home debut that saw him pace everyone with seven shots plus the goal and helper.

“It’s disappointing,” the new Ranger said while donning his trademark No.12. “We’ve got to find a way to stay out of the penalty box. That was the difference. Our power play was good. We scored five goals at home. We should be able to win.

“Everybody knows where we’re at in the standings. We’ve got to treat every game like a playoff game.”

In his first game- a 2-1 loss to the original team that drafted him LA- Jokinen centered the top line with Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal. Last night, he played on the second line with Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky, who had success together. Perhaps the keystone coach will even use common sense and keep them in synch. Don't count on it.

The Rangers came out strong getting 10 of the first 11 shots, testing a shaky Jose Theodore who still made a couple of nice saves from in tight keeping it scoreless. For some reason, his team looked discombulated getting outplayed severely and outshot 18-6. Normally, a power play means nothing for our team. But on this night, they made it count connecting on four-of-six. As I tweeted, it wasn't a misprint. It didn't take long for Callahan to get position in front and steer home a Jokinen drive for his 14th, giving the Blueshirts a rare lead. Dubinsky netted the secondary. Despite getting just six shots, the Caps put one by Henrik Lundqvist when Boyd Gordon finished off a mad scramble to tie it. But before the goal was announced, 10 seconds later Gaborik set up Prospal for the first of two, restoring the lead. Marc Staal added a helper padding his career best total to 22 points in Year Three.

Meanwhile, Twitter was nuts with everyone confirming that Kovalchuk was going to New Jersey. By 7:30, I'd pretty much told our whole section with of course some expected cynicism of whether it was really true. Who would the players be going back? All we knew was Johnny Oduya and Nicklas Bergfors were definites with the other half centering around a prospect and a first round pick. The original rumor started by of all people Denis Potvin produced quite a thread on NJDevs. For a while, the prospect seemed to be Nick Palmieri but when a deal of this magnitude gets completed, you had to figure that aspect could change. Hasan's completely right about all the different scenarios tossed out about who it was, ranging from Swedish tandem Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby to even David Clarkson's name being mentioned as part of the trade. By the second period, it turned out to be troubled center Patrice Cormier, who if he overcomes his discipline issues could evolve into a good two-way player.

As a Ranger fan, I couldn't help thinking how Lou had done it again. Holding onto his best two prospects with last year's first rounder Josefson making Cormier expendable. It's a great deal for the Devils but a little odd in that for as lethal a finisher as Kovalchuk is, he's also known to take shifts off and forger the defensive side. Vital components under Jacques Lemaire. Will it work? Only time will tell. It sure bolsters the Devs' offense and power play. Imagine a series against the Caps. Yowser.

While a wild second ensued with the teams combining for six goals, so much of the discussion centered around Kovalchuk winding up on our hated rival. What did the Devils give up to could Kovalchuk fit in and is it enough to vault them over the Caps, Pens and Sabres. Hell. Ottawa won again. So, they won't be any picnic either. Don't discount the Flyers but it's extremely odd that they weren't in on Kovy. It was almost like the stars were aligned for the Devils to swoop in and get the Atlanta superstar because the Bruins, Kings and Rangers all dropped out. As those thoughts were floating around, a flying Ovechkin got the scoring fest started by skating around the net to groans at Michal Rozsival for not hitting him (seri---ous---ly) with the electrifying Russian helping set up Mike Knuble's 20th with Nicklas Backstrom also assisting for one of his five points. For as much as we talk about Ovie, man is Backstrom impressive. He absolutely owned in this game, eventually netting the power play winner.

The first of three Jokinen minors (a slash) resulted in Ovechkin releasing a halitzer over Lundqvist's frozen left glove for his 37th tying Sidney Crosby for second. Backstrom got the lone helper for the Caps' first lead. A loss of discipline though nearly derailed them handing the Rangers three straight power plays including a near full two-man advantage. First, Jokinen connected for his first in our colors rifling one by Theodore to tie it. Prospal and Mike Del Zotto assisted. A delay of game and trip three seconds apart led to Prospal slamming home his second of the game from Callahan and Gaborik 40 seconds after they'd tied it. Things got worse for the Caps when Alex Semin went to the box for a trip. Astonishingly, the Blueshirts made them pay again when Dubinsky backhanded a Matt Gilroy rebound past Theodore for a 5-3 lead with 72 seconds left in the period. Even the MSG personnel downstairs couldn't believe they scored three in a row to surge in front by two.

Perhaps it also left John Tortorella in shock because he foolishly stuck out Rozsival and Wade Redden for the period's final shift against Ovechkin. How clueless can you be? Of all the baffling decisions including the ridiculous five forwards on a power play in a scoreles game that allowed LA to tally shorthanded two nights prior, this was the most illogical move he's ever made. And then he has the gall afterwards to talk discipline and how what resulted turned the game around. Get the hell out already! Can't we just have a normal coach? What transpired was one of the most amazing plays by such a physically gifted player. Taking a pass just outside the blueline from Backstrom, here came Ovechkin spinning around Rozsival who was just abused and then seemingly off balance while falling to the ice, he onehanded a shot off Lundqvist's pads and over his shoulder for a stunning goal that made it 5-4 with 8.5 ticks left. They'll be showing it on highlight reels for quite a while. In a nutshell, it demonstrated how pathetic our D is and also again sadly showed Henrik allowing a backbreaking goal. I like our goalie and he is good but read the difference between what he said and Bruce Boudreau concluded:

“It’s easy to start questioning your game when you let in six goals, but I don’t think I played that bad. It was just a really tough game. They find ways to create big scoring chances. They don’t shoot that much, but they find openings.”

“Even though they took a lead, we knew we would score. Lundqvist didn’t look as sharp as he has against us in the past.”

If that isn't a ringing indictment, my name is Peter Pan. Was Lundqvist serious? He was awful. I get that he has no help in front of him but that is just weaaaaak. You have royally sucked lately and are killing my fantasy team. How about manning up. For the salary he gets which is sadly too much thanks to Savior, how about coming up with a momentum turning save to stem the tide for a change?

Following the second period six-goal bonanza that featured a combined 32 shots (Wsh-18, NYR-14) with four PPG, the better team finally won out scoring the only two goals in the third. Tom Poti, who absolutely sucked here, made like Bobby Orr, scoring the tying power play goal 59 seconds in even though I swear Tomas Fleischmann tipped it in. The period saw our team shorthanded five times, including a dopey penalty by Dubinsky that killed any hopes of a comeback. In between, a struggling Lundqvist flopped to the ice like a fish and never recovered allowing Backstrom to blast home the winner. Fleischmann and Knuble, who wasn't good enough to play here registered assists.

On a night where All-Star defenseman Mike Green served the final game of a three-game suspension, Poti shined even faking out out entire D with an Orr-esque end-to-end rush that he nearly completed. If not for a lunging Lundqvist with a helpless teammate forced to take a penalty, this would've been jaw dropping. The jokes I made about how he never could've pulled that off here or taken that open point shot were easy punchlines. Now, he's a world beater. Just wait till Rozsival leaves.

The Caps outshot the Rangers 8-6 with Theodore still making a nice lunging save in the last few minutes to preserve it. Our entire D stunk. Rozsival was dreadful but at least got a takeaway from Ovie before the predictable fall from grace. Redden was a turnover machine all night and almost got victimized by Matt Bradley again. But this time Lundqvist denied his backhand deke. Dan Girardi hardly competed. Can we please get rid of this guy? I know he is loved but god, he is so overrated. They should just trade him. Staal at least tried because he always does. Del Zotto was probably our best notching a helper and logging big minutes. But it's trial by fire for the teenager. And Matt Gilroy just sucks. Another Hobey jinx. Oh. He's a good skater with solid puckhandling skills who can jump in but he is really soft. What did they teach at BU? I know he used to be a forward but come on.

Aside from the abysmal night that badly exposed our blueline, I already trashed Lundqvist and the coach, who hardly used Sean Avery with Brandon Prust, Enver Lisin, Artem Anisimov and Brian Boyle glued to the bench. Tort's coaching is so puzzling. He insists on starting Drury on the fourth line but then switches it up anyway while hardly giving the secondary guys enough ice. That can kill chemistry because those are your character guys who probably can't comprehend what their roles are. I'm past the point already.

Yes, Sather sucks. Dolan blows. But Tortorella is not the answer either. I like that he at least doesn't pull any punches. But if things don't change, he must go. Case closed. And what is there to look forward to? Kovalchuk and Parise scoring at will against us Saturday with Devil fans cheering in our building. From zero goals to probably 10.Can they just end the season already? You know the stuck up security guard who barked at us like children to sit in our seats prefers that. How screwed up can you get? Ever hear of fun?
Well, at least Saturday assuming it doesn't snow will be regardless.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Vinny Prospal, NYR (2 goals, 2 assists for season high 4 Pts)
2nd Star-Tom Poti, Wsh (PPG, 3 SOG in 26:36)
1st Star-Nicklas Backstrom, Wsh (PPG, 4 assists for matching season best 5 Pts)

Jokinen trade completed

As expected, the much discussed trade between the Flames and Rangers finally became official late last night. Following Calgary's dreadful 3-0 shutout home loss to the Flyers, the two clubs reached agreement on a four player trade that sends Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust to Broadway for Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik.

Rather than sound like a broken record repeating our breakdown posted previously in this space, we'll just commend Glen Sather on getting this done. Thanks in part to John Tortorella sending a message that Kotalik sucked, Slats admitted error and moved the ex-Sabre and his ugly $3 million salary/no-trade to Siberia Alberta. In doing so, he got rid of one headache. While parting with the energetic but snake bit Higgins was necessary, it allowed the struggling Smithtown native to start fresh and try to boost his value this summer. It just didn't work out here.

Adding Jokinen, whose hefty $5.25 M salary will come off the books at season's conclusion- is a good move because it fills a void at center. Whether the 31 year-old veteran can return to the All-Star form he displayed in the Sunshine state remains to be seen. But the big pivot returns to the East where he's quite familiar and should have plenty of incentive.

"It comes with the salary, you make $5 million, 11 goals isnot going to cut it," the disappointed Finn told the Canadian media.  "It's definitely a slap in the face to get traded."

"I get a chance to play with one of the better players in the league in [Marian] Gaborik."

If he can effectively team with Gaborik and Vinny Prospal, suddenly the Rangers could become a better team allowing others to take on more comfortable roles. It should relieve pressure off Chris Drury, who is better served anchoring a checking line with Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky. What could the lines look like for tonight's final game out West in Hollywood? Who knows. Perhaps this might be worth a try:

Prospal-Jokinen-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Drury-Callahan
Anisimov-Christensen-Lisin
Prust-Boyle-Voros

Getting the 25 year-old Prust was a necessity, finally addressing the lack of toughness. The Rangers have repeatedly been pushed around with the Daniel Carcillo thuggery of Gaborik with nobody coming to the star winger's aid standing out. Ironically, they dropped five in a row before Gabby recorded his first hat trick as a Ranger in a 3-1 win over the Avalanche Sunday. Perhaps the presence of Prust, whose 18 fights lead the league rank right behind Zenon Konopka will deter opponents from messing with Gaborik or crashing Henrik Lundqvist's crease.

"I'm looking forward to going to the big city and playing in Madison Square Garden so I'm looking forward to it, but I'm sad to leave again," an emotional Prust expressed.

For what's been the most vanilla team you've ever seen, the Rangers just got a lot more interesting. The question is how will this new roster perform. In a mediocre East with the club that's won only once in the last six remarkably moving up into seventh due to a Florida loss last night, they have until the Olympic Break to give Sather a stronger indication of what will happen at the March 3 deadline. That's not a lot of time.

While the Blueshirts upgraded short-term, Calgary maybe setting up for a much bigger fish. Having stockpiled 13 wings, Darryl Sutter looks to be in position to make more deals. Could Ilya Kovalchuk be his primary target? Expect stiff competition from Washington, Philadelphia and LA with another mystery Eastern team sliding in. It should be fun.

For the Rangers, the fun starts later tonight.

Leafs deal for Giguere and Phaneuf

Yesterday will go down as Maple Leaf Day. With his club languishing in last off a brutal 4-3 home loss to the Canucks in which they blew a 3-0 lead, Brian Burke finally did something The savvy exec, whose penchant for making big moves never wavers, revamped in net and on the blueline acquiring Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Dion Phaneuf in separate deals.

Hints at the first trade came a day prior when the Ducks extended top goalie Jonas Hiller, setting the stage for Giguere's Anaheim career to come to an end. With Burke desperately in search for a netminder to stop the bleeding, he turned to old pal Giggy Jiggy (thanks @Erin Rose)who backstopped the Ducks to Lord Stanley in 2006-07.

Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake were sent packing for the 32 year-old former Conn Smythe winner who'll reunite with Burke in an attempt to turn both his career and the Leafs around. Giguere earns $6 million this year and gets $7 M next year. Can he regain his old form or will the Cup winner be in an identical situation with Jonas Gustavsson? Only time shall tell. Meanwhile, the Ducks acquire Toskala ($4 M) who comes off the books this summer, saving them space. However, Blake earns the same salary and has two more years left. He's 36 and had just 10 goals this season. Better hope he finds the Fountain Of Youth in Tinsel Town.

Who Wins? MAPLE LEAFS

They get a proven goalie capable of shouldering the load, which likely won't be necessary due to their Swedish Monster project. Burke sacrificed little and upgraded at an important position. The Ducks get a serviceable backup who's once again blocking former Leaf prospect Justin Pogge albeit temporarily. They free up space but take on Blake.

Burke's second move was even bigger going for the much maligned Phaneuf, who Calgary was basically whoreing. The seven-player trade between the Flames and Leafs stunned the hockey world. Phaneuf, Freddy Sjostrom and defense prospect Keith Aulie went to the Hockey Capital in exchange for a package that included Ian White, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers. It's amazing to think in the Cap Era that such a blockbuster deal involving big salaries could actually be consumated, speaking to the gambling nature of Burke, who added Phaneuf's hefty $6.5 million paytag to a crowded blueline that includes Tomas Kaberle ($4.25 M) along with overpaid duds Francois Beauchemin ($3.8 M) and Mike Komisarek ($4.5 M). With Jeff Finger ($3.5 M), Garnet Exelby ($1.39 M) plus kids Luke Schenn ($2.975 M) and Carl Gunnarsson (626 K). Mike Van Ryn ($2.9 M) anyone?!?!?!?!?! Figure Kaberle to be on the move if he agrees to waive his no-trade.

By unloading Stajan and Hagman, the Leafs boast little up front outside of top scorer Alexei Ponikarovsky and Phil Kessel with Lee Stempniak the third best option. With only 148 goals, Toronto was already a lowscoring team. Unless they see improvement from Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, John Mitchell and kid trio Tyler Bozak, Viktor Stalberg and Christian Hanson, it could become uglier. What Burke's banking on is that Phaneuf rediscovers the talent that made him a Norris candidate while Giguere shores up the goaltending. The last thing the Leafs want is to finish last in the East with only Edmonton worse, meaning that No.1 pick they traded to Boston could actually turn into Taylor Hall. Considering that this is the same franchise that gave away Tuukka Rask to the B's for Andrew Raycroft, who got the ultimate revenge coming in relief of Roberto Luongo the other night, it would be EPIC FAIL.

There's no doubt Burke got the most talented player back in the enigmatic Phaneuf, who has regressed. Still just 24, he possesses a lot of physical tools including a booming shot along with utilizing his size for thunderous hits that can intimidate opponents. Basically, he's Komisarek with offense. A high risk player who often will go for the big hit, prone to getting caught out of position. There's also a reputation with a few dangerous blows coming under intense scrutiny. Think that's going to change in Toronto where everything's under the microscope? Opponents will be out for retribution making the former 2003 Calgary ninth overall pick a target.

If he wants to have a long career, it may be wise for Phaneuf to tone it down because that kind of rugged style tends to create wear and tear. With another four years to go, what kind of player will he be? Offense is also a concern with the Edmonton native's production way down. Sure. The 10 goals are fine but how can he only have 12 assists? You'd think playing under Junior coach Brent Sutter would've benefited him. Instead, the Sutters gave up on him with rumors that he was a locker room problem. No wonder local fans were split on acquiring the big guy. On one hand, you can argue that Burke didn't give up anyone with that kind of potential. Even if White's a year older and a solid player, he's not in Phaneuf's league.

Stajan and Hagman weren't part of the Leafs' future and are good fits for a Calgary club that lacks scoring depth. White is a decent return who is added to what should still be a good back end featuring Jay Bouwmeester, Robyn Regehr and emerging Mark Giordano. Vet Cory Sarich, Adam Pardy and Aaron Johnson are also still around.

Who Wins? NO DECISION

It would be easy to say the Maple Leafs because they got the best player and also added Aulie, who's supposed to be decent. However, the deal hinges on Phaneuf. Can he regain the form that made him an All-Star or is he a headcase? While we won't know the end result on one side for a while, for the Flames it's all about now. They expected to compete in a crowded West for the Cup. Instead, they broke up part of their core to plug holes. A 6-1 blowout of hapless Alberta rival Edmonton doesn't mean they're back. They were reeling and needed a change. Will it work? Stajan is a nice player who can play first or second line. Does he get to play with Jarome Iginla? Daymond Langkow really should be anchoring another line. If Olli Jokinen is traded today, then they get even more depth in Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik. But why in the world would you take Kotalik? Makes little sense unless they're setting up for another big move. Kovalchuk??? They'll have a lot more space this summer.

If Calgary doesn't make the playoffs, they lose with probably just White (RFA) being re-signed. At least Toronto has Phaneuf for a while. The big question lingers.

Caps make deal with Jackets

Updating that rumored trade, the Caps and Jackets have completed it. Washington trades defenseman Milan Jurcina and forward Chris Clark to Columbus for forward Jason Chimera. Looks like a good deal for the struggling BJ's. Jurcina is a physical D with size and Clark adds character to a roster that's dropped nine in a row. Chimera's a decent guy who brings energy and is interchangeable. But he's nothing special.

I'm really not getting this move from the Cap side. Unless Karl Azner is ready to be full-time, eh. I don't get it. Their blueline just got worse. They also dealt away their captain. So, do they hand over the 'C' to Ovechkin? Who knows. Want to give full credit to Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman and Puck Daddy's Dmitry Chesnokov for nailing the player the Caps got. He said either Raffi Torres or Chimera. Good job buddy!