2009 NHL Trade Deadline (with Breaking Trades)

The time has come where we get to see what GMs and owners all over the league think of their own teams. Some teams are going to push their chips into the middle of the table and go for it all this season. Some teams will liquidate their aging assets in exchange for future hope. This is the time where perception of management matters more than actual production on the ice. It’s the time that cap space matters more than common sense. Welcome to NHL Trade Deadline 2009!

With the trade deadline only hours away, a few trades have already set the market for the rest of the of the week. The Atlanta Thrashers traded veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider (and a conditional pick) to Habs for a 2nd and a 3rd round draft pick. They continued their cost cutting efforts by getting rid of another defensemen yesterday as they shipped Niclas Havelid to the Devils for promising defenseman Anssi Salmelav. The Penguins and Ducks made a trade that is designed to help both teams in the here-and now as Pittsburgh sent Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for Chris Kunitz and highly touted prospect Eric Tangradi. A lot of Penguin fans seem to think they could have gotten more for Whitney, but I suspect they’ll change their minds when they actually see how valuable Kunitz will be as a top-6 forward.

If you read the rumor sites, it seems like just about every player in the NHL is in play at the deadline. Some of the names that are really being thrown about are defensive stalwarts like Chris Pronger and Jay Bouwmeester; veteran leaders like Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk and Mark Recchi; underrated blue liners like Derek Morris and Tomas Kaberle; and talented forwards like Ryan Smyth and Olli Jokinen. It doesn’t matter what your team is looking for—if you have the cap space, there’s something for everyone. But that’s exactly the problem, there aren’t that many teams that are in the position to be BUYERS at the deadline.

Any conversation has to start with the top team in the league this season. The Big Bad Bruins look like they’re in the market for anyone and everyone that is avaliable on the blueline. There are rumors all over that have the B’s acquiring Chris Pronger for an assortment of prospects, picks and guys that are already at the NHL level. No matter which direction the Bruins decide to go, last year’s 1st round pick Joe Colborne looks like he could be the blue-chip prospect that would be moved. Boston’s serious problem is that if they want to pick up anyone with a substantial salary, it would be hard to imagine any trade NOT involving Patrice Bergeron. It’s not fun to talk about, but the Bruins are only $1 million under the cap. To make a trade for a high priced difference maker, a big salary is going to have to be going the other way.

Philadelphia would like to add an established #1 goaltender or a top 4 defensemen, but that’s much easier said than done. As bad as any team in the league, their face is pressed firming up against the salary cap. Even if the Flyers GM Paul Holmgren wants to make a move to improve his team, his hand are going to be tied. If they are able to grab one of the guys on their Wish List, there’s a good chance that Joffrey Lupul will be headed the other way.

Another Eastern contender that will probably want to make a move to solidify their team is the Washington Capitals. Most likely, the Caps would love to be able to add a physical presence on the blueline. Like everyone else, they’d like to be able to add Jay Bouwmeester from the Florida Panthers.

But there’s another team that would like to have JBo on their team for their push for the playoffs: the Panthers! The management in South Beach is going to have to face the facts that they might not be able to re-sign Bouwmeester in the offseason. So they have a tough decision to make—do they make a run at the playoffs with Bouwmeester this spring or do they trade the coveted defenseman for as many assets as they can get. The smartest long-term move might not sit well with the fan base. They’re in a tough situation and I’m not even sure hockey will be the determining factor.

A team that had salary cap space was the Montreal Canadiens. Since the beginning of the season, there have been rumors sending Vincent Lecavalier up to Montreal. As much as Montreal fans would like to think they have a chance at Lecavalier, the signing of Mathieu Schneider might have put that to rest. Schneider’s salary swallowed up most of their surplus, so any moves at this point will be minor. Even if they want the Quebec native, they would have to move some serious salary to bring in a guy like Lecavalier. Unless the Canadiens change their mind about Alexei Kovelev (and his salary), that pipe dream isn’t happening.

Ian Laperriere would be a great role player with character than quite a few teams could use. With the Avs at the bottom of the Western Conference, you have to think that they’ll be sellers for the first time in a LONG time at the deadline. His grit and leadership qualities would be a perfect fit for a team like Montreal or Pittsburgh. It’s doubtful that Colorado’s asking price would be that steep, so I expect to see Lappy wearing a different jersey by the weekend.

A couple of other members of the Avalance that might on the move are Ryan Smyth and Jordan Leopold. Leopold looks like he could be the typical rental player that is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He would likely be in his new city for a few months before he hit the free agent market on July 1st.

Ryan Smyth, on the other hand, is in a completely different situation. Smyth’s contract might be a little higher (and longer) than the Avalanche would like on the books. With their current record, if they’re going to go with a youth movement, Smyth seems like he would be on the way out. With his style of play and their salary cap situation, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Vancouver at the deadline. It seems like he would be a perfect fit for the Canucks and their fans.

The Vancouver Canucks have more wiggle room under the cap than most playoff contenders. With about $2.3 million, Canucks GM Mike Gillis is in a position to do something if the right opportunity presents itself. The problem is, just like most of the buyers in this market, they could use a good puck-moving defenseman. Unless the Canucks are ready and willing to part with some of their young defensemen/draft picks/prospects, cap space won’t be enough to land one of those offensive minded defensemen. We’ll see on March 4th how committed Gilles and Co. are to the idea of competing for a Cup this season.

Both the Blue Jackets and Sabres also have a bunch of room under the cap, so they both are in the position to make moves if they choose to. Bill Guerin has been linked with Buffalo, but most of the stories coming out have the Sabres trading one of their pending free agents like Maxim Afinogenov, Tim Connolly or Ales Kotalik.

Blue Jackets might be a legitimate buyer at the deadline for the first time in their history. Writers for the Columbus Dispatch are quoting sources that say the Blue Jackets and Senators could be working on a deal that would send Antoine Vermette Columbus for back-up goaltender Pascal Leclaire.

Out West, it’s doubtful that any of the top 3 teams will be able to make any huge, franchise altering trades. Red Wings almost always make a move or two at the deadline to fine tune their team, but I think they made their big moves in the off season when they snaked both Marian Hossa and Ty Conklin from the Penguins. But if history tells us anything, the Wings will find a way to do something (see Brad Stuart last year).

Both the Sharks and Flames would also like to be buyers on Wednesday, but both are firmly up against the salary cap. I’ve heard rumblings that Calgary would like to add some depth on their blueline, but they simply don’t have the space to add someone like Leopold or Kaberle. We’ll see if Keenan is able to work some magic, but if I was a betting man, I would say that this is the Flames team we’ll see in the playoffs. Besides, if Calgary feels the need to spend money, then can start directing their attention to Michael Cammalleri and his contract demands that always follow.

Like the Red Wings, the Sharks most likely made their biggest moves over the offseason. Anytime an organization can bolster their blueline by adding defenseman like Dan Boyle and Rob Blake, it’s time well spent. Again, like so many other contenders, they are up against the cap so it’s doubtful they’ll be grabbing any big names. Barring any injuries, I’m not sure there’s any one player that would put them over the top. They’re a damn good team, period.

With the standings as tight as they are in the Western Conference, there are going to be some teams that are in the thick of the hunt for the 8th seed that have to decide if its worth it to make a trade to make the playoffs. Others may decide that this simply isn’t their year and they’ll swap their tradable assets for the picks, prospects and promise of brighter days in the future.

One curious team that will have some decisions to make is the Anaheim Ducks. Sammy Pahlsson and Travis Moen are in the last year of their contracts and would be a huge pick ups for someone at the deadline. For anyone that questions their worth, just think about what they were able to do to the Heatly-Spezza-Alfredsson line in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. Oh, and in case you haven’t heard—Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer are pretty good and might be available.

Chances are the Ducks will end up becoming sellers at the deadline—but they won’t be alone. Toronto wants to dump players, but outside of Tomas Kaberle, there might not be a lot of action coming Brian Burke’s way. The Coyotes would love to move both Olli Jokinen and Derek Morris before Wednesday’s deadline.  The Islanders would gladly trade away anyone that has more than 2 years NHL experience; same with the Thrashers. I think that’s called “going with the youth movement.”

When looking at all aspects of the teams this season, I’d expect this season’s deadline to be much quieter than last season. Last year’s big prize was Marian Hossa from the Thrashers. The Penguins paid a king’s ransom for Hossa, but he helped them get to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 16 years. Atlanta received a pick, prospect and two NHLers for Hossa. That’s a steep price for a rental player! Also last year, Brian Campbell went to the Sharks as they made a serious run at the cup. That run lasted a grand total of 5 games as they were ousted by the Stars in the 1st round of the playoffs. These examples just go to show that sometimes the trade moves are a hit and sometimes they’re a miss.

This year’s marquee name that could be moving is Chris Pronger. It looks like he’s on the trading block, the only question will be if the Ducks can get what they consider “market value” for the nasty defenseman. The only problem is that the price is going to be steep and there aren’t that many teams that have the need, have the resources, have the cap space and are in the position in the standings to make a play for a guy like Pronger.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens this season at the deadline. As always, there will be twists and turns, shockers and no-brainers. But like I said before, this trade deadline has the financial makings to be more hype that substance. The NHL deadline has always been about talent and making a run towards the Cup—but this season teams might be moving salaries around and positioning themselves for the offseason. More and more, it’s starting to feel like the NBA trade deadline. I’m sure nothing would make Gary Bettman happier.

We’ll keep all of the trades updated here throughout the day. For any overflow talk about the trade deadline, you can visit out message boards at here.

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