Deadline Day

The day is finally here, 3 pm today is the deadline for trading in the NHL. Typically there is a flurry of moves just before the deadline, which gradual becomes know in the hours following 3pm. Whether or not this happens today remains to be seen, but we've seen a few deals, signings, and claims already in the past 24 hours, so hopefully there will be more to follow. I will be posting updates about transactions of the day as I become aware of them, as well as giving my analyses of the deals.

Anaheim receives W Brad Winchester from St. Louis for 2012 3rd-round pick. Winchester is a hard-working winger who will help out Anaheim with his defensive skills much more than his offensive. He will likely be a fourth-line winger.


Calgary receives W Fredrik Modin from Atlanta for 2011 7th-round pick. Kind of hard to lose on this one. Calgary has been on a tear lately and will likely make the playoffs. With the recent surge, Jay Feaster didn't want to touch the team's chemistry. He gave up only a 7th-round pick to take a risk on Modin, who will likely fill a depth role with the Flames, as well as bring some experience for a Cup run. An aging wing, he may have lost something off his booming slapshot, which has contributed to his drop-off in goal production over the last few years. But Modin is still a decent thrid or fourth liner, who has a Cup victory under his belt (AGAINST the Flames).

Washington acquires C Jason Arnott from New Jersey for C David Steckel and 2nd-round pick. After a lot of talk, Washington has finally landed that second line center they so desperately needed. The 36-year-old Arnott is a strong two-way center, who can score goals and help on in his own zone as well. He has a ton of experience which helps a very young and inexperienced Capitals team. He has 30 goals and 66 points in 106 playoff games, which will be valuable to a team who has struggled in the postseason. Steckel is a decent depth centerman who will hope to contribute defensively for an insanely hot New Jersey team.

Montreal receives G Drew MacIntyre from Atlanta for D Brett Festerling. Festerling is still a young defenseman at age 24, but at most will bring some depth to Atlanta's D.

Vancouver receives C Max Lapierre and F MacGregor Sharp from Anaheim for F Joel Perrault and 3rd-round pick.With his third team this season, Lapierre will also fill a depth role for the powerful Canucks. He is a solid fourth-liner, who can put a few pucks in the net and is skilled as a pest as well. Perrault could see some time as a fourth line center in Anaheim.

Vancouver receives W Chris Higgins from Florida for F Evan Oberg and 3rd-round pick. Higgins has just landed with his fifth team in the past 3 seasons, but was a 20-goal scorer for the three seasons before that. In 48 games this year who has 11 goals, and most impressively, was a +5 for one of the weakest defensive teams in the league. He is a solid contributer in the right situation and should be valuable in a depth role for the league-leading Canucks.

New York Rangers receive C John Mitchell and 2012 7th-round pick from Toronto for 7th-round pick. Mitchell has seen limited playing tim this season for the lackluster Maple Leafs. Still, he scored a respectable 12 goals two years ago in his rookie season, and if he doesn't crack the lineup in New York, he should at least be a solid addition to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Los Angeles acquires W Dustin Penner from Edmonton for D Colten Teubert, 2011 1st round pick, and conditional 2012 3rd-round pick. This is likely the biggest catch of the day. The price was huge, but the payoff could prove Cup worthy for the Kings. Part of the tightly-packed and surging Pacific Division, the Kings have been playing well, and are adding a very talented scorer to an already formidable offense. Penner has 21 goals this year, and had 32 last year, with an umipressive supporting cast in Edmonton. He now joins a lineup that boasts Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Dustin Brown, and Ryan Smyth, all of whom have exactly 20 goals, plus Jarret Stoll who is not far behind with 17. That means the Kings will likely end the season with six 20-goal scorers. When every player on your top two lines scored twenty goals in a season, opposing goalies need to be at the top of their game to compete. The top two lines would likely be Kopitar centering Penner and Brown, with Stoll centering Smyth and Williams. That's a scary lineup. Meanwhile, Edmonton continues to stockpile young talent. They receive Colten Teubert, a 20-year-old blueliner, who was the 13th overall pick in 2008, plus an additional 1st-round pick in this years draft to add onto their already likely second consecutive 1st overall pick.

Carolina receives D Bryan Allen from Florida for W Sergei Samsonov. With the loss of Ian White, Allen should fill in nicely as a defensive defenseman for Carolina. Once a solid, mid 20's goal-scorer, the now 32-year-old has never quite lived up to his Rookie of the Year potential and has seen his production drop off massively since leaving the Bruins. Now with his 6th team since the lockout, Samsonov will look to bounce back with a young team hungry for goals.

Chicago receives D Chris Campoli and conditional 7th-round pick from Ottawa for F Ryan Potulny and conditional 2011 2nd-round pick. Chicago was looking for a penalty killing, 3rd-pair defenseman. I'm not sure if he fits the role of a penalty killer, but Campoli is definitely a solid 3rd pair D, who can contribute decent offensive numbers as well. Potulny hasn't had much NHL action, but did score 15 goals in 64 games for Edmonton last year. He should see some playing time in Ottawa, who's lineup with the recent fire sale is looking more like the Binghamton Senators every day.

Columbus receives W Scottie Upshall and D Sami Lepisto from Phoenix for D Rostislav Klesla and F Dane Byers. Columbus is on a hot streak, but still might not make the playoffs. They wanted to add some talent, without giving up any overly important cogs. Klesla was the longest-tenured Jacket, and has had a solid season. He will bring some defensive depth the hot Coyotes. The Coyotes, who are not overly offensively talented, gave up a lot offensively. On ateam that's been scoring by committee, Upshall has 16 goals, and should bring solid third-line numbers to Columbus. Lepisto's numbers are similar to Klesla's so the trade-off is about even for Klesla's spot on the roster. I'd say the Blue Jackets are the clear winners on this deal.

Washington receives D Dennis Wideman from Florida for F Jake Hauswirth and 2011 3rd-round pick. Florida continues their fire sale by shipping off Wideman, who was acquired over the summer with picks for Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell, to Washington, who was looking for some stability on the back end. Wideman is a solid offensive defenseman who should couple nicely with scoring machine Mike Green, but Washington still needs a second line center and some defensive talent.

Buffalo receives W Brad Boyes from St. Louis for 2011 2nd-round pick. Buffalo is looking for something to push them over the edge and make them a playoff team. Brad Boyes played all 82 games in the 3 seasons for St. Louis. He scored 43 goals. Then 33. Then 14. The Sabres are hoping a change of scenery will return Boyes to his 40-goal form.

Atlanta receives W Radek Dvorak and 2011 5th-round pick from Florida for W Niclas Bergfors and W Patrick Rissmiller. Save one random offensive explosion where he scored 31 goals for the Rangers in 2000-01, Dvorak had another 20-goal season in his 15 years in the league. Still, he can contribute decent offensive numbers and he brings a veteran presence to a young Thrashers team. Bergfors, 23, has plenty of time to reach his vast offensive potential with the rebuilding Panthers, which he proved last season with a 21-goal rookie campaign between the Devils and Thrashers.

Ottawa claims G Curtis McElhinney from Tampa Bay. McElhinney has had a crazy week. He started off in Anaheim, then had to leave and head South and all the way across the country to go to Tampa Bay. NOW he's headed way north to Ottawa. With newly acquired Craig Anderson playing well so far for the Sens, that puts McElhinney as the backup, as young Robin Lehner was just sent to the AHL.

Atlanta claims W Rob Schremp from New York Islanders. Schremp is a talented young winger, who may see a surge in offense in Atlanta. Extremely gifted with the puck, Schremp showed off his dangling skills a few years back in the AHL Skills Competition. After 3 seasons and only 7 games played with Edmonton, he was picked up by the Islanders last season, where he scored 7 goals and 25 points in 44 games. This season with the Isles, Schremp had 10 goals and 22 points in 45 games, but was a -19 when he was placed on waivers. He has the offensive potential, but with the struggling defensive game of the Thrashers right now, he needs to play better in his own end.

Calgary claims D Brett Carson from Carolina. After playing 54 games last season with Carolina, Carson has only seen action 13 times in this campaign. At age 25, he still has plenty of time to emerge as a decent top-4 defenseman, but for now, he will just fill a depth role with the surging Flames.

Atlanta signs D Mark Stuart to 3-year, $5.1 mil extension. Stuie saw limited playing time with the Bruins this season after getting injured. He joins his old Bruins assistant coach Craig Ramsey in Atlanta, and should thrive under his system. Despite recent injury woes, Stuart should bring some defensive stability to a more offensively talented defensive corps in Atlanta. He is tough as nails, will fight when he has to, and is a good shut-down guy when his game is on.

Detroit signs G Jimmy Howard to 2-year, $4.5 mil extension. Coming off an outstanding rookie season where he went 37-15-10 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA in 63 games and was a nominee for the Calder Trophy, Howard has seen his numbers drop off in his sophomore season. But despite his .908 SV% and 2.79 GAA, he is leading the NHL with 30 wins. With a team like the Red WIngs around you, a goalie can get by without stellar numbers, but Howard has the capability of playing much, much better, which makes the Red WIngs a very scary opponent.

Los Angeles signs W Justin Williams to 4-year, $14.6 mil extension. Williams is a former 30-goal scorer and was a key chip in the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup team a few years back. After having his last few seasons derailed by injury, Williams is having a comeback season, with 20 goals, 49 points, and is a +14 in 62 games with the Kings this season. He has played every game this season, a feat he hasn't come clos to since 2006-07. With his newfound health, the 29-year-old Williams should continue to cintribute offensively for the Kings fro the next few years.

Ottawa signs D Chris Phillips to 3-year, $9.5 mil extension. Considered one of the hottest items on the trade market, Chris Phillips opted to stay in Ottawa to help mentor the young players during the rebuilding process rather than accept a move to a contender. Phillips is a strong shut-down defenseman with great leadership and his presence should be beneficial for those younger players coming into the organization.

Chicago signs D Brent Seabrook to 5-year, $29 mil extension. The Blackhawks have had cap problems and are careful to keep a specific core of players. While the team falls apart around them, the hope is that these players will be a stable foundation for the team to build and rebuild around, and hopefully stay in contention, for the next few years. Seabrook is a talented young defenseman who was a key member of the Cup team last year, and should continue to make a big impact on the Chicago franchise.