The Hockey News 2012 Trade Deadline Central

TO VANCOUVER
Andrew Gordon RW/LW

ANALYSIS: In strictly a depth deal, Vancouver grabbed the speedy Gordon from Anaheim, who had sent the youngster to the minors after he cleared waivers days prior. Gordon will likely be an AHLer for the rest of the campaign, though his quickness can be effective on the fourth line if needed. Erixon is playing his first campaign in North America since coming over from Sweden and brings smarts, puck-moving ability and two-way play to the Anaheim depth chart. -RK

TO VANCOUVER
Zack Kassian, RW, Marc-Andre Gragnani, D.

ANALYSIS: Nobody is going to push the Vancouver Canucks around anymore – all right, at least not in a couple of years. The biggest criticism of the Canucks last year was that they were too easily pushed around and Zack Kassian will address that void, if not immediately then in the long-term. Cody Hodgson, meanwhile, will have an enormous opportunity in Buffalo. The Sabres are devoid of centers and the Canucks, with Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, have an abundance of them. Kassian was the Sabres top prospect and the 13th overall in THN’s annual Future Watch edition and Hodgson was THN’s No. 2 prospect overall three years ago.

In a perfect world, Hodgson, who never seemed to really fit in with Vancouver, will blossom as a star in Buffalo – and the betting here is he does just that – and the Canucks will be much more difficult to intimidate. Marc-Andre Gragnani is a decent offensive defenseman and will provide the Canucks with depth in the absence of Keith Ballard, while Alexander Sulzer will have a chance to get out of a crowded blueline situation in Vancouver. -KC

POLL: Who wins this trade?

TO TORONTO
Mark Fraser, D.

ANALYSIS: A minor deal involving two players who are likely to stay in the minors for the foreseeable future was consummated when the Maple Leafs traded prospect Dale Mitchell to Anaheim for Mark Fraser.

Mitchell, a 22-year-old diminutive right winger drafted 74th overall by Toronto in 2007, has spent most of this season in the ECHL. Fraser, a 25-year-old defenseman who was dealt from New Jersey to Anaheim in December, has played just one full NHL season – he had three goals and six points in 61 games for New Jersey in 2009-10 – and figures to start his Leafs career in the American League. He’ll likely eat up the minutes that Keith Aulie (traded to Tampa Bay earlier on trade deadline day) was playing.

All in all, this is a depth-type deal that will have little to no affect on either NHL team’s immediate future. -AP

TO BOSTON
Greg Zanon, D.

ANALYSIS: You could certainly make the argument that the moves the Boston Bruins made at the trade deadline in 2011 were instrumental in putting them over the top and winning the Stanley Cup. This year? Well, not so much. Acquiring shot-blocking defenseman Greg Zanon from the Minnesota Wild gives the Bruins a serviceable defenseman and some depth on the blueline for the playoffs. At the age of 31 with unrestricted free agency on the horizon, Zanon is strictly a rental for the Bruins, which is why they only had to give up marginal prospect Steve Kampfer. -KC

TO NASHVILLE
Paul Gaustad, C, 2013 fourth round pick.

ANALYSIS: The Predators continued to add complementary pieces in anticipation of a deep playoff run by acquiring rugged center Paul Gaustad in exchange for a first round and fourth round draft pick.

Gaustad, an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, gives Nashville a big body (he’s 6-foot-5) who isn’t afraid to mix it up (he’s got 70 penalty minutes this season) and who will provide a boost to their third or fourth line. The Preds, who also added Andrei Kostitsyn on deadline day after trading for defenseman Hal Gill in mid-February, clearly sense their time to make a Stanley Cup push is now and weren’t afraid to give away a high draft pick to do so.

The Sabres, on the other hand, are mired in a miserable year and likely weren’t about to re-sign Gaustad for more than the $2.3 million cap hit he currently carries. Landing a first-rounder for a player who has a career high of 12 goals and 31 points has to be considered a win for Buffalo GM Darcy Regier. But it may yet be a win-win if Gaustad helps Nashville out of the second round of the playoffs and far beyond. -AP

TO BOSTON
Brian Rolston, LW/RW, Mike Mottau, D.

ANALYSIS: From waivers to the defending champs, Rolston becomes a depth addition to a Bruins squad that has sagged a bit in the past month. The veteran is certainly not a replacement for the injured Nathan Horton, but he could pick up some of Rich Peverley’s minutes (also on the shelf). Mottau also brings depth to the team, but in a little less pressing of a sense. Boston’s ‘D’ is solid, but as Vancouver found out in the final last season, you can never have enough NHL blueliners.

In Cantin, the Isles get an all-around defenseman who is still a work in progress. After playing in back-to-back Memorial Cups (winning with Windsor, losing with Mississauga), Cantin entered the pro world in need of seasoning and is currently in the ECHL with Reading. Riendeau also played with the Royals this season but is currently with Providence of the American League. A great sniper in junior, he hasn’t been able to replicate that in the AHL. Not a very big frame to work with. -RK

TO WINNIPEG
2013 second round pick, 2013 third round pick.

ANALYSIS: If there was a team screaming for some kind of reinforcements, it was the up-and-down Blackhawks. Johnny Oduya doesn’t exactly represent the Cavalry, but he does supply the Hawks with some stability on the blueline and will be able to move into their lineup seamlessly. Oduya plays a solid all-round game and can create a modicum of offense for a player who has such a physical presence. He won’t be a huge difference maker for the Blackhawks, but he’ll help. And the Jets, who had a surplus of defensemen, get a good return with second and third round picks in 2013. -KC

TO VANCOUVER
Samuel Pahlsson, C.

ANALYSIS: When the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup almost five years ago, there was legitimate talk about Sami Pahlsson winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. That’s hardly a prospect for the Vancouver Canucks now, but Pahlsson gives them some depth at forward for what they hope will be a long playoff run. The question now is whether, with Cody Hodgson playing the middle of the third line, will Pahlsson be moved to the wing or take Hodgson’s spot at center? Hodgson has been spotty on faceoffs and Pahlsson is one of the best in the league at winning draws, which is important for a checking line role. The Blue Jackets get two fourth-round picks in return, which was about as much as they could have expected. -KC

TO TAMPA BAY
Brian Lee, D.

ANALYSIS: Two defensemen who have underachieved in their NHL careers were swapped for each other when Ottawa traded Brian Lee to Tampa Bay for Matt Gilroy.

Lee was drafted ninth overall by Ottawa in 2005, but the U.S. collegiate star spent most of his time in the American League and had just 28 points in 167 career NHL games. He’ll battle for time on a radically revamped Lightning blueline (which, at least for the rest of this season, will include former Maple Leaf Keith Aulie and journeyman Mike Commodore) and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Gilroy was a prize signing of the New York Rangers’ as an undrafted D-man out of Boston University, but had just 26 points in two seasons before signing with the Bolts last summer. The 27-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

In sum, each player will have a fresh start with their new franchise, but based on past results, don’t expect either guy to establish himself as a key component. -AP

POLL: Who wins this trade?

TO SAN JOSE
Daniel Winnik, RW/LW, T.J. Galiardi, C, seventh round pick.

ANALYSIS: This trade largely involves prospects and bottom-six forwards, but will pay dividends for both franchises – San Jose now, Colorado later.

In Winnik, the Sharks get an experienced forward who can play on several different lines, but is best suited for a defensive role with an emphasis on penalty killing. Galiardi is similar, bringing size, penalty-killing attributes and energy. For a Sharks team that had been relying on young pros such as Benn Ferriero, Tommy Wingels and John McCarthy to fill out the bottom six forwards (and sometimes the top six, interestingly enough), this gives the team more experience behind the big guns up front. San Jose has been flagging recently and this shakeup will help come playoff time.

Colorado gets a very intriguing prospect in Sgarbossa. An undrafted free agent signed by the Sharks in 2010, the speedy center plays an exciting brand of hockey and was a big part of Sudbury’s surprising upset sweep of Ottawa in the Ontario League playoffs. Mike Connolly was another San Jose free agent, signed out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where the undersized left winger was one of the top NCAA scorers in the nation.

McGinn is the biggest name going to the Avs and brings defensive acumen and some scoring up front. Most interestingly, he was good friends with and road roommate of rising star Logan Couture in San Jose. -RK

POLL: Who wins this trade?

TO TAMPA BAY
Keith Aulie, D

ANALYSIS: Keith Aulie’s decline with the Toronto Maple Leafs has been precipitous, but the return for him from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the form of Carter Ashton demonstrates the Lightning don’t share that sentiment. That must be why Lightning GM Steve Yzerman gave up the organization’s top prospect and the 37th overall, according to THN’s Future Watch edition.

This deal certainly meets the Lightning’s organizational need for some depth of talent on defense, which has been a woeful sore spot for them this season. The Leafs, meanwhile, had a ton of organizational depth with young defensemen both on their roster and the farm team and could afford to part with Aulie for a player they hope will turn into a power forward at the NHL level. -KC

POLL: Who wins this trade?

TO EDMONTON
Nick Schultz, D

ANALYSIS: Two teams that likely won’t be in the playoffs consummated the biggest trade of deadline day thus far when the Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Tom Gilbert to Minnesota for blueliner Nick Schultz.

In many regards, this is the classic “trade that helps both teams.” In the 29-year-old Gilbert, the Wild land an offense-minded D-man – who amassed 40 assists and 45 points for Edmonton in 2008-09 – to replace the departed Marek Zidlicky. Gilbert carries a $4 million salary cap hit through the 2013-14 season and should fit in nicely with Minnesota’s plan to be a higher-tempo squad.

Meanwhile, Schultz, also 29, brings some much-needed grit to a hole-riddled Oilers defense. Schultz was the Wild’s fourth most-utilized defenseman (averaging 19:35 a game) and is signed for two more seasons after the current one at a $3.5 million cap hit.

Clearly, this is a deal designed with the future in mind. Neither franchise has to gamble by taking on a much bigger contract and both teams address obvious deficiencies. For now, call this a draw. -AP

POLL: Who wins this trade?

TO TAMPA BAY
Mike Commodore, D

ANALYSIS: Looks like we should get used to seeing Detroit-Tampa trades in the next few years with former Wings lifer Steve Yzerman helming the Bolts. In this specific deal, Commodore provides the Lightning with a warm body after several years in the wilderness with Columbus and most recently the Red Wings.  The affable veteran gives Tampa size and a spot on a porous blueline that already dealt Pavel Kubina to Philadelphia and lost Mattias Ohlund to long-term injury. With Victor Hedman and Marc-Andre Bergeron also on the shelf, Commodore will be a welcome addition for at least the short term and his $1 million salary is easy to swallow. The big blueliner will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The conditional draft pick acquired by Detroit is mere gravy; the Wings had little use for Commodore. -RK

TO NASHVILLE
Andrei Kostitsyn, LW/RW

ANALYSIS: If the Montreal Canadiens had been able to get the rights to Kontinental League refugee Alexander Radulov for Andrei Kostitsyn, Habs GM Pierre Gauthier would not have only saved his job, but he would have catapulted into contention for GM of the Year. But getting a second round pick in 2013 for a player who has been wildly erratic and inconsistent was about all he could expect to get in return. In Kostitsyn, the Predators get a player who can be brilliant when inspired and they are obviously hoping a reunion with brother Sergei will bring out the best in him. If not, they’re hoping the fact that he’s playing for a new contract will do that. -KC

POLL: Who wins this trade?