Deadline Deals Paying Dividends

Barclay Poole
May 7, 2001

Let's face it. National Hockey League general managers have a tough job. One day they can be on top of the world, while the next can find them at the head of the unemployment line.

As we get deeper into the playoffs, top GM's seem to shine through. After all, it is their player acquisitions that can push a roster over the top. This season has provided numerous examples of deals that have reaped big rewards.

Let us start with the Blues. Earlier in the year, GM Larry Pleau received much criticism for what seemed to be an inability to get deals done. Fans wanted a big name brought in and they wanted it now.

Enter Keith Tkachuk, Scott Mellanby and Cory Stillman. All three were acquired at or near the deadline and all three have played enormous roles in the Blues playoff success.

Any criticism Pleau received earlier in the year has been replaced with praise and recognition. But as hockey fans in St. Louis know, late season trades can have a tendency to affect team chemistry.

Apparently Larry Pleau knew exactly what he was doing. The combination of grit and talent picked up in those late season deals seems to be exactly what the Blues needed. Disposing of the San Jose Sharks in 6 games and the defending Western Conference Champion Dallas Stars in 4, the Blues are experiencing their most successful playoff in 15 years.

Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix is no slouch either. His late season acquisition of all-world defenseman Rob Blake has paid big dividends. Through 8 playoff games, Blake was second in scoring by a defenseman with 8 points.

But Tkachuk and Blake can be considered no brainers. Any team would love to pull off a deal players of their caliber. It is the GM's that acquire unknown or unwanted players that really earn their paychecks.

Johan Hedberg fits the description of "unknown." Two months ago, he was buried in the San Jose Sharks minor league system, playing for the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League.

Now he is a playoff hero. Before Hedberg, it was a potent offense led by Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr that won games for the Penguins. Now, the team has evolved into a stingy defensive unit with Hedberg among the leaders of playoff wins, save percentage and goals against average.

Hedberg has made Penguins GM Craig Patrick and Assistant GM Eddie Johnston look like rocket scientists. While much bigger names swirling in rumors, the Penguins braintrust opted to go with the unknown Hedberg, giving up Jeff Norton for his rights.

The Los Angles Kings decided to go a different route. With the much larger trade of Rob Blake only days away, GM Dave Taylor picked up unwanted goalie Felix Potvin from the Vancouver Canucks.

The deal erased the Kings goaltending problems. Since then, the Kings slid into the playoffs and went on to upset the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings.

Who would of thought that a goalie that was run out of town by the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks in a 3 year span was capable of carrying the Kings on his back? Dave Taylor certainly did.

Other GM's have certainly not seen similar payoffs. The Ottawa Senators deadline acquisitions of Mike Sillinger and Curtis Leschyshyn or the Washington Capitals acquisition of Trevor Linden certainly did not help their respective playoff drives. Both teams have gotten an early start on their golf seasons.

Or how about the San Jose Sharks? They made a huge splash near the deadline picking up sniper Teemu Selanne. Teemu was as ineffective as a glass hammer in the Sharks first round clash with the Blues, although a hand injury may have been to blame.

Trades are a huge part of the game. The rumors that swirl around the league are almost as fun to follow as the games themselves. But when the deals are done, it's the GM's who know about team chemistry and have an uncanny eye for a bargain that will come out on top. Of course, a little bit of luck doesn't hurt either.

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