2012 NHL Trade Deadline: Winners & Losers

Did you miss it? Right there, it just flew by. Yeah, that was the trade deadline, it’s gone…in case you didn’t notice.

But why would you? Unless you were glued to a Twitter list of NHL analysts and personalities you probably were more excited by your work or chemistry lab or Chinese water torture.

All jokes aide, there were some exciting moments during yesterday’s NHL trade deadline. While it’s safe to assume that the best of the day came after the 3 pm EST deadline, some hockey clubs got their man and are now looking forward to the final playoff push.

Ok, so let’s see who impressed and who embarrassed overall in the trade deadline.

Winners:

Nashville Predators: hands down this is one of the best/upcoming teams in the NHL in the last few years, and arguably one of the best expansion teams in all of sports in recent memory. Overall in February the Preds made three trades, including two solid ones yesterday:

***D Hal Gill from Montreal for Blake Geoffrion and a 2nd rounder – There was more to this trade, but these are the pieces that matter. A prospect and a second round pick for a BIG defender that will definitely help this the top defense tandem relax during the playoffs. Win.

***F Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal for two 2013 picks – Another deal with the Habs brought the second Kostitsyn brother to Nashville to give them a Sedin-style feeling in Music City. Gaining a solid forward who can enjoy playing with his brother for two picks next year – neither of which were first round?? Win.

***F Paul Gaustad and a 2013 pick from Buffalo for a 1st round pick this year – This might have been the biggest deal of deadline day. Gaustad is a solid forward who will help bolster the depth of the Preds’ lineup. Sure it was tough to give up a first round pick, but it’s not like the Preds will be drafting in the top 10 anyway so this is a great move for the team. Win.

Boston Bruins: the Bruins are already a very strong team, and they didn’t do much to mess up their lineup, which is always a plus when you’re winning. They managed to acquire three solid depth players in D Greg Zanon, F Brian Rolston and D Mike Mottau while giving up next to nothing in some prospects. Boston now has three experienced players to add to their lineup in hopes of repeating their Stanley Cup victory from last season.

So-So:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Leafs Nation was hoping all day long that the club would pick up a big-name star (or two…or three) and a goalie, but they ended up with a solid young forward and defensive prospect. In picking up Carter Ashton from the Lightning, Toronto added a solid third-line forward for their playoff push and sent away Keith Aulie who was, for lack of a better word, expendable. Sometimes the best trade is the one you don’t make, right? GM Brian Burke is hoping his current team with Ashton is a playoff team and that more deals can be made in June if need be.

San Jose Sharks: There was some serious speculation about big names being shipped out of San Jose, but the they stayed put. The Sharks managed to add some depth in a big deal with the Avalanche in picking up F Daniel Winnik and F T.J. Galiardi. The Sharks are already a playoff team and they’re hoping these guys will help give them the depth they need for a long postseason run.

Losers:

Columbus Blue Jackets: More specifically, a losing grade to their GM Scott Howson. They lost Jeff Carter last week, then Samuel Pahlsson yesterday for two 4th-round picks AND couldn’t ship out captain Rick Nash for the king’s ransom they were hoping for. Then, after all that, Howson threw Nash under the bus saying Nash requested the trade and made it public how frustrated the star was in Ohio. Real classy. So now the team has a disgruntled star who will for sure be gone in the off-season, and a young defender who is still unproven. Good job guys.

Washington Capitals: The Caps are a strong team and have been perennial playoff contenders for a long time now. Right now they’re clawing at a playoff spot and only made two minor moves all month? That’s not going to cut it for this team that has been struggling offensively this year.

Now it’s time for the rumors to be done with and for the real season to begin. The fans can now only hope their teams made the right moves, or held back from making bad ones.

Do you think anyone else won or lost in yesterday’s trade deadline? Let’s hear it.