About Stan

Digging through the deals

The annual NHL Trade Jubilee fooled me.

A lot of other people, too.

The feeling in many hockey quarters was that the new, early trade deadline would limit deals because general managers of teams on the playoff bubble still figured their clubs had a chance and would hesitate to break up their rosters.

Nay.

On D (as in Deadline) Day, Thursday, the dam broke and there was a flood of deals. In fact, the 25 trades made in the final dozen hours set a league record. The following is my assessment of the most significant exchanges:

BIG WINNERS I

The playoff-bound Rangers needed a power play quarterback defenseman with a hard shot. In Sandis Ozolinsh, they got their man. Better still, New York only had to relinquish a third-round pick for him. Ozolinsh is a better, more durable pick-up than Brian Leetch would have been. The only drawback; one out of three times, I mis-pronounce his name!

Rangers got their power-play QB in Ozolinsh (right). (AP)

Having found a goaltending winner in Cristobal Huet, the Canadiens further bolstered the crease with David Aebischer, who starred at the Olympics and is better than credited for in Colorado. Conversely, the Avalanche gets going-downhill-in-a-hurry Jose Theodore whose spelling is far from Patrick Roy. Very far.

BIG WINNERS III

With high-scoring Erik Cole out indefinitely – maybe even for the playoffs – Jim Rutherford needed to bolster his Hurricanes offense. He started by nabbing Doug Weight and now comes up with Mark Recchi. That’s about as good a twosome as any g.m. could find to fill the Cole gap.

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

Oleg Kvasha helped the Islanders most when he didn’t play. When he did, The Big O (as in zero) succeeded in sending Nassau fans to the aspirin bottle. Getting a Third Round pick from Phoenix, plus a Conditional fifth-rounder in 2007 is as much as Mike Milbury could have wished for OK, who really was NG.

WORST DEAL

Well-ensconced in a playoff berth, the Oilers were conned by their media into thinking they needed a first-rate goalie to replace Ty Conklin & Co. Okay, fine, but get a first-rate goalie, not Dwayne Roloson. A second-stringer in Minnesota, Roloson is no better – and likely worse! – than Conklin.

SORRY TO SEE HIM GO

A neat guy with a deft scoring touch, Mark Parrish brightened up the Isles’ room and always was affable with the media. Trouble was, he headed for free agency, I made it clear he wasn’t tied to the Island. Good guy, good-bye, good move for the Kings. Building for the future, the Isles secured defenseman Denis Grebeshkov and left wing Jeff Tambellini. I’m also going to miss good-interview defenseman Brent Sopel who also goes to L.A.

THE GREAT SURVIVORS

So, he wasn’t a Paul Coffey and Edmonton fans couldn’t tolerate that. Still, Cory Cross is as solid a defenseman – and classy fellow – as you’ll find. That he was picked up by the savvy Red Wings’ organization is just a swell development for someone who always pops up when others go down. Hey, heading from Pittsburgh to Detroit is quintessential, outhouse to the penthouse.

Good guy Parrish headed to L.A. (AP)

TRAIL OF THE LONESOME

Mister Unrealized Potential moves from Phoenix to Calgary. Jamie Lundmark couldn’t cut it on Seventh Avenue, couldn’t cut it in the desert and now gets a chance to slice the sirloin in cattle-filled Alberta. He won’t be coddled by Darryl Sutter so maybe that long, long trail from Arizona to the Canadian West will be the potential-finder.

EVEN-STEVEN

Or even Sergei if you will! The Oilers get Sergei Samsonov and, in return, Boston obtains Marty Reasoner and Yan Stastny. If occasionally-injured Sergei still has his legs, he’ll help Edmonton. But I like centers Reasoner and Stastny (son of the legendary Peter Stastny) because of their youth and futures. Call it Even Sergei. The deal’s a wash!

DEVIL MAY CARE

Yessiree, Bob, New Jersey fans do care about their sextet making the playoffs after a tumultuous year. To insure a postseason run, Lou Lamoriello bolstered his defense with the additions of Ken Klee (from Toronto) and Brad Lukowich (from the Isles).

Remembering the glorious fourth-line winners of yesteryear – namely Bobby Holik-Randy McKay-Mike Peluso – Lou obtained Jason Wiemer from Calgary. The latter will fit neatly on the fourth-line with Erik Rasmussen and Cam Janssen and could be the latter-day Crashers.

“You have to support where you think there are some needs,” says Lamoriello. With Richard Matvichuk ailing (bad back) and Sean Brown dealt to Vancouver, the Devs’ D takes on a more robust, experienced dimension. While the g.m. didn’t add to the offense with a big name, the hope is that with Patrik Elias returning, his presence will lift every one of the forward units.

A SOLID, QUIET MOVE

The Flyers have miraculously remained afloat despite an endless spate of injuries. By dealing for Denis Gauthier, from Phoenix, they’ve added an experienced defenseman for a couple of second-rounders and minor leaguer Josh Gratton. That plus the addition of right wing Niko Dimitrakos from San Jose (for a third-rounder) strengthens the weakened Philly roster.

THE GOALIE GAMBLE

The Canucks seem to question whether Alex Auld is a dependable playoff first-stringer. To satisfy the doubts, g.m. Dave Nonis secured Buffalo’s third-stringer, Mika Noronen. No question MN is highly-regarded but got nowhere behind Martin Biron and Ryan Miller. Hey, it’s a worthwhile gamble. And if Noronen proves a sieve, Auld can show he’s got the goods.

BIG D FOR DALLAS

Willie Mitchell was one of my favorites from the moment he put on a Devils’ uniform. Dealt to Minnesota, Mitchell matured into a solid defenseman who led the Wild with a plus-15 this year. Not bad for a non-playoff team. Corralled by the Stars for defensemen Martin Skoula and Shawn Belle, Willie is a remarkable addition to a team that could go all the way; especially with Marty Turco in goal.

Lukowich (left) skips shores and will man the D in Jersey. (AP)

After whining for a season about how much he wanted to be traded, Brendan Witt finally got his wish. He moves to Nashville for Kris Beech and the Predators’ first rounder this June. Assuming that Witt suddenly becomes the happiest defenseman in Nashville, the Predators now become a team with a shot at making the second playoff round.

To Brendan’s credit, his energy never flagged as a Capital despite his misgivings about remaining on a non-playoff team. The Caps, meanwhile, rid themselves of a malcontent and add a solid forward in Beech, not to mention underachieving Rico Fata, claimed off waivers from Atlanta. George McPhee did well for Washington.

HOPE FOR THE HAWKS

Tyler Arnason couldn’t play for coach Brian Sutter and did too little for Sutter’s successor, Trent Yawney. Ergo: Chuck Arnason’s kid was a bust in the Windy City. The Blackhawks bid him good-riddance – Tyler goes to Ottawa – and in return secured Brandon Bochenski, who looked good as a Senator playing alongside Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. The Sens get a center but based on Arnason’s history of under-achieving, we wonder how well he’ll play for Bryan Murray. This looks like a solid move for Chicago.

VANCOUVER’S BEST

Hurting on the backline, the Canucks filled the gaps as well as any team. They first obtained Eric Weinrich, then added Brown but, most importantly, took Keith Carney from Anaheim in return for a draft pick and a prospect to be named, as well as acquiring another defenseman from the Ducks in Juha Allen. In my estimation, Carney is one of the most underrated, hardest-working Dmen in the league. I like Weinrich and Brown for their respective merits, but neither is in Carney’s class. Good work by David Nonis.

THE WARMING OF FRIESEN

It was a cold, cold, fruitless Winter for my old pal, Jeff Friesen. After leaving the Devils for Washington, he was destroyed by injuries, appearing in only 33 games as a Cap. Now, in Anaheim, Jeff has a chance to get hot again as a Duck. Washington took a second-rounder for someone who just couldn’t get on track in the nation’s capital. Hopefully, Friesen will find his form on the other coast.

THE HABS HAVE IT

I believe the Canadiens have done just enough to slip into a playoff berth. The clincher, for me, was Montreal getting defenseman Todd Simpson from Chicago for a sixth-rounder. Although Simpson was less than effective for the Blackhawks, he gives the Habs experience as a sixth defenseman. That could just do the (playoff) trick.

PLAYERS WHO ALMOST MOVED

They didn't, and it's just as well. Todd Bertuzzi, Curtis Joseph, Ed Belfour, Leetch, Olli Jokinen, Roberto Luongo, Shane Doan.