Less Is More
With all the commotion surrounding the trade deadline, it’s sometimes easy to forget about the quiet teams. The teams on pace to make the playoffs and don’t feel the need to shake up anything. They don’t have missing pieces to a team not referred to as a puzzle, and nothing’s too out of whack. It’s time to look at those who didn’t make a splash and raise the payroll and figure out if they know exactly what they’re doing or if they just missed out.
Detroit – why start anywhere else? The best team in the league made one simple trade. Jiri Slegr for Yuri Butsayev and a 3rd round pick. Slegr won’t get the time he’s used to that’s for sure. A team with arguably the best goaltender over the last decade and loaded with all-stars just added one more man to the defensive line. It was hard to think the Red Wings could find a way to make their team better, but they obviously found a way, no matter how small it may seem to others. Slegr is also only 30, which is younger then the Wings top d-men. He may choose to stick around a while depending on the Wings playoff run this year. The Wings are the only team that has already clinched a playoff spot, and they know they’re in no danger of losing home-ice advantage. Will age and durability kill them early in the playoffs? Well, that’s something many have been asking the whole season. Slegr provides a little more durability, and we’ll find out how much in about 4 weeks. It was rumored they were another team after Darius Kasparaitis, but backed away after Darius has publicly acknowledged a desire to return to Long Island in the offseason.
Chicago – not a team on many lists as making big moves. Their additions were key. Lyle Odelein and Tom Fitzgerald while giving up Jaroslav Spacek and a couple of picks. Odelein, a gritty defenseman will be welcome on the Blackhawks. Along with a waiver draft steal in Phil Housley earlier in the year, the Hawks now have a steady defensive core, something that gets relied on more and more as the playoffs draw near. Fitzgerald is known for his great penalty killing skills, something Chicago is in dire need of as they are currently ranked 28th in the league on the PK.
St. Louis – a team sputtering out would make some big moves (or so thought), but the hockey heads for the Blues felt otherwise and decided to go with picking up Ray Ferraro for a 4th round pick. Ferraro, known as a good team guy (and known as Chicken Parm to John Buccigross of ESPN due to a dinner…uh, mishap), will most likely provide a spark to the Blues and help them out of their funk and looking more like the team that set a team-best winning streak during the season. As this team recovers from injuries and the playoffs draw near, most will probably be grateful nothing too much was sacrificed for now, now, now, because even though Ferraro will most likely retire at the end of this season, the Blues look to be a playoff team for a long time to come.
Montreal – having recently taken over the 8th and final spot in the Eastern Conference, the Habs went with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, and they could be right. Why tamper with what’s getting you there? Especially when many thought they’d be on the other side of the line right now. With Jeff Hackett out indefinitely, the Canadiens picked up backup goaltender Stephane Fiset from the Kings. Fiset, who has seen limited NHL action over the last two seasons probably welcomes the opportunity to get back into the National League and return to his hometown Montreal. His numbers for Manchester in the AHL were mediocre, but a change of scenery and returning home can never hurt an attitude. Unless something happens to Jose Theodore, Fiset is unlikely to see any starts unless the Habs have the 8th spot clinched. Bill Lindsay was also picked up on waivers adding some heart, as though the Canadiens need any with Saku Koivu recovering so well. But will heart and a backup goalie be able to hold off the deep-pocketed Rangers?
New York Islanders – all the rumors and talk about Tom Poti, Anson Carter, and Kasparaitis wound up being Darren Van Impe and a reacquiring of Dave Roche. Roche will undoubtedly spend the rest of the season in the AHL. Van Impe has played for coach Peter Laviolette before and brings a good work ethic to a team that’s had many closed-door meetings regarding just that recently. The Islanders made a wise move in not playing the “now, now” game that the cross-town rival Rangers play. This team is young is much better off not getting rid of a player like Brad Isbister who has potential all over him. I’m sure much of GM Mike Milbury’s staff was whispering Todd Bertuzzi all day, reminding him of what can develop with patience. What the Islanders do need to still do is play hard, not just for the playoffs, but the highly coveted 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Staying there would keep them in a matchup with Carolina, a team with the same number of points in the standings that has “can be beaten” written all over them. Playoffs alone would be a big step for this team, but not trading the farm for immediate results will look great next year if this team can steadily develop and mesh.
So Detroit seems to keep coasting, and teams like the Islanders see no need to tamper with a solid future. The biggest differences may not be for players who help in the playoffs, but the players who can get you there. The battle for the last spots in each conference may be determined by the deals made (or not made) over the last week. So who will win: the blockbusters or the silent guys? Well, if Montreal does hold off the Rangers, and the Stars slip out of the Western race – we may see a much more silent deadline next year.
On a related note, some GM’s are sick of the rent-a-player routine. Look for a few to push up the deadline to an earlier date. This in itself may calm the deadline down a bit, but would also give the regular season a little more importance.
