Les Habitants
The worst goes first. The moves made in Montreal bolster the line-up and give it some depth. I think Jordie Benn solidifies their defence if any injuries occur, hopefully Jamie doesn't miss him too much in Dallas. I had never heard of Andreas Martinsen before probably because he plays for the Avalanche. He's big though and that will be an asset for a team that plans to go deep in playoffs. The Habs went big again by trading for 2-time Stanley Cup champ Dwight King. That's a big win no matter how you look at it. This team is built to win, but I hope they don't, ever. To top it all off, Steve Ott will probably centre the two new bruisers. On paper that's a formidable line when they get the puck in the zone. Barring a catastrophe, the Canadiens will finish at the top of the Atlantic and will probably play either the Blue Jackets or the Rangers. Both of those teams have a physical presence that Montreal couldn't match until the trade deadline.
Boyle and Fehr
I mentioned before that I thought the Leafs would stand pat at the deadline but the opportunity presented itself and Lou landed Brian Boyle and Eric Fehr. Fehr hasn't played a game but this is a sign that Gauthier might not be the guy they wanted him to be when they drafted him four years ago. Ergo, Brian Boyle comes to town for the rest of the season. Will they decide to re-sign him? I'll email Bob McKenzie. For now, Boyle is on a line with Matt Martin and Nik Soshnikov (who plays like he's the size of his linemates) and that's going to have the same role as that Martinsen-Ott-King line with more of a scoring touch with Soshnikov's shot. Eric Fehr won a cup last year and was picked up for Frankie Corrado, so I think we'll come out of this deal unscathed. Apart from getting defensively-minded players, the Leafs also have loaded up on experience: Fehr been in the first round of the playoffs several times and Boyle has to the finals twice.
Vanek to Florida
Jagr is making another push for a cup. With the Eastern Conference champ being such a toss-up every team who has a chance at the playoffs levelled up in at least one way. Vanek is the consistent secondary scoring boost that the Panthers yearn for. He'll probably get powerplay time with Jagr and the kids (Barkov, Huberdeau, and Ekblad). 5-on-5 he'll be with some young talent too and provide some creativity in the offensive zone. Hopefully, the trade they made for Reece Scarlett will cover the back-end after losing Dylan McIlrath. I think instead of growing beards for the playoffs the whole team should just grow mullets.
Lazar to the Flames
Every Canadian loves Curtis Lazar. To me, he'll always be that happy-go-lucky kid from the World Juniors who just couldn't stop smiling. His pro career never really took off in Ottawa and he struggled to crack the line-up with a couple of coaches. A change of scenery will be good for him especially now that he's surrounded by a young core to grow with.
Kings add the old King of Calgary
It feels like a solid decade since Iggy played for the Flames, and it has been five years, which is a long time, but he'll always be a hero there. Now he's on the Kings. I don't really know what to think about this because I don't see the Kings making a move in the standings even with adding Ben Bishop. The West is simply too good and that core of the Kings is softer now: Brown was never very good, Kopitar (a fantasy disappointment outside of the faceoff dot) is underwhelming, Toffoli hasn't transformed into a great player, while Carter and Gaborik are getting too old to go through the regular season and the playoffs. I get to watch this team a lot because they start at 5 am in Jordan and I just can't see them outdoing Minnesota, Anaheim, San Jose, Nashville, Chicago, Edmonton, Calgary, or St. Louis for a playoff spot. Maybe a coaching change will change that but since they just picked up Iggy, who has played years for Sutter in Calgary, Sutter's job is safe for the rest of the season.
Oduya back to Chicago
This a team that is en route back to that dynasty level of play they had when they won cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015. The fact Stan Bowman brought back Johnny O solidifies the idea the 'hawks are making a push. I remember in 2015 when the Blackhawks were playing in the playoffs up a goal with less than 2 minutes to go. Whatever the series score was it didn't matter but when the opposition pulled their goalie Oduya got the puck in his zone and intentionally flicked it out of the rink. That's the confidence that team has in itself, "We can play 2 men down for a minute and change, and not give up a goal. So long as we can ice the puck." Just on their resume alone, I like Chicago making it to the Conference Finals to play San Jose.
The Senators
Trading Lazar away for an older defenseman, Jyrki Jokipakka, was a good idea (because you never know when Phaneuf will start laying eggs again). But before that, they picked up Alex Burrows, who is a symbol of what the Ottawa Senators stand for. This team doesn't have a lot of role players. As a whole, they're a great two-way team and it's a win by committee philosophy and Burrows can definitely fit in with that committee. Like most of the team, he'll provide 50-60 points and will kill penalties. He also adds the playoff experience this team needs to get deeper into the playoffs. It's a big addition, along with Stalberg who can work as part of that committee as well, but in a lesser capacity.
Boogie in Nawlins
DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins has been finally traded away. The Sacremento Kings are free (targets) for the rest of the season. Now with Boogie out of the way they can start rebuilding with what they have (a bunch of guards). On the other side of the Southwest, Anthony Davis has someone to play with. Unfortunately, they are still 4 players away from being Golden State or even relevant as a playoff threat. That's all I have to say off the top of my head.
Shattenkirk to the Capitals
This is a big one! Kevin Shattenkirk, a highly touted offensive defenseman, has joined forces with the number one team in the league. I figure, Holtby can let in 3 goals a game and they'll still win 80% of them. Their line-up is amazing now. That's the only way you can describe it. But, this is the Washington Capitals we're talking about. We've seen this movie before: Amazing team beats the lowest seed in the first round and then loses in 6 or 7 games in the second because they run out of gas. The team doesn't have to lean on Ovechkin as much now with the young guns and Mr Game 7 on the roster along with Oshie (who has played with Shattenkirk before) and Backstrom too. For the sake of the city, it'd be nice for them to make it all the way this year.
Hansen to The Sharks
Now, this team was a formidable one before the deadline. Brent Burns is going to win the Hart Trophy if he keeps up this pace and takes his team to the finals, the two Joe's are playing well, the secondary scoring is blossoming after Hertl's return, and the defence is stable as always. Adding Hansen a very speedy forward the Sharks are in a difficult spot with Mikael Boedker who has been placed in a similar role to Hansen over the years. My prediction is Couture centres Hansen and Boedker and Marleau adds some more scoring depth on the third line with Hertl (who will return to centre) and Ward. Subsequently, Tierney moves down to the fourth line with Melker Karlsson and Sorensen while Michael Haley gets to drop in for some games to drop the gloves.
The Rangers Land Smith
When a good player is on a bad team, they don't really get noticed unless they're invited to play for the all-star team then have a great game there. Brendan Smith didn't make it to the all-star game but has quietly had an alright season thus far. Granted, he only has five points (three on the PP) but he's +1 on a team with a goal differential of -27 which is frankly much better than I thought Detroit would be. Now he's on a team where he isn't expected to match up with the best players he'll find a niche in the lineup where he can contribute like past years in Detroit.
Well, I guess that's all the big things. Eaves went to the Ducks but I can't see them making a big charge unless Gibson or, dare I say, Bernier turn it up a notch. That is the beauty, and also the pinnacle of frustration, in this game; a goalie can win a game for a team with very little help. I don't' think there's much else I felt like discussing. I'll be curious to see what happens to the Avalanche's stars in the offseason since they didn't get traded at the deadline. It was an exciting deadline, but there can always be more trades.
The Wild Wild
Finally, the team with the second biggest catch at the deadline. The Minnesota Wild have picked up Martin Hanzal and Ryan White. Now, Minnesota has four great centres: Mikko Koivu, Martin Hanzal, Eric Staal, and Erik Haula. Like the Senators, the Wild are a committee with some fading and up and coming stars. White has contributed offensively as well and that is just a pleasant surprise for this team. The biggest question is if Barbecue Bruce can keep it together and get this team into the third round of the playoffs (something he's never done). If they stay at the top of the West they should have an easy path.
Well, I guess that's all the big things. Eaves went to the Ducks but I can't see them making a big charge unless Gibson or, dare I say, Bernier turn it up a notch. That is the beauty, and also the pinnacle of frustration, in this game; a goalie can win a game for a team with very little help. I don't' think there's much else I felt like discussing. I'll be curious to see what happens to the Avalanche's stars in the offseason since they didn't get traded at the deadline. It was an exciting deadline, but there can always be more trades.
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