My head hurts. My vision has gone all blurry. And my fingers are numb from all the typing. But man, the 2008-09 NHL trade deadline was a spectacle to behold as a record 47 players changed teams.
Some deals happened and others didn't. Wednesday came and went with a lot of excitement, and now the NHL prepares for its stretch run after some marquee names switched sweaters.
Fantasy owners are also in the midst of hockey hysteria as the playoffs have already begun in some leagues and will commence in others in the weeks to follow. The trade deadline has its trickle down effect to the Fantasy world, but fear not, we are here to help sort out all the frenzy.
It felt like just yesterday we were writing about Olli Jokinen leaving the Panthers for Phoenix in a 2008 draft day trade. Well, less than a year later he has ditched his Coyotes uniform and now heads north to Calgary.
Jokinen wasn't having a banner season with the Coyotes and just didn't mesh with the youth movement. He now reunites with Mike Keenan, who coached the Fin in Florida during some of Jokinen's best seasons. Put him in the lineup next to Jarome Iginla, Michael Cammalleri and Daymond Langkow, and also on a top contender, and we could see the old Jokinen re-emerge.
Phoenix added Matthew Lombardi in the Jokinen trade, and while he is a promising young player, he really never had a breakout season with Calgary. That shouldn't change with Phoenix since they have far less talent than the Flames.
Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson's main priority was to land a top-line center after R.J. Umberger failed to fill that role despite being a key offseason acquisition. Howson believes he found his guy in Antoine Vermette, who was picked up in a deal that sent goalie Pascal Leclaire to Ottawa.
"He's a 20-goal guy who's not having a 20-goal year," Howson said. "Hopefully he'll provide some energy for us and give us a jolt."
Columbus intends to plug Vermette in between the electrifying Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius. Vermette has totaled six goals and 14 assists in his last 27 games after getting just eight points (three goals) in his first 35 games. Vermette definitely has sleeper potential down the stretch centering a monster line.
Leclaire isn't expected back from an ankle injury this season, but he will compete for the starting job next year in Ottawa. Alex Auld and Brian Elliott will finish the season in net. Leclaire is only worth a look in long-term keeper leagues. He is a big injury-risk flier heading into 2009-10 since he can never stay healthy, but Ottawa should be better in the fall and Leclaire could emerge as a viable Fantasy option once again.
The Rangers made two quality deals Wednesday. They nabbed forward Nik Antropov from the Maple Leafs and added defenseman Derek Morris from the Coyotes.
New York has had trouble on offense this season, but they add a bonafide playmaker in Antropov. He isn't afraid to crash the net and his presence could open scoring lanes for Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. A reason for some of New York's poor offense has been a lack of puck-moving defensemen. They signed Wade Redden to a huge deal in the offseason to be the quarterback on the power play, but he has failed miserably in that role. Perhaps the free-agent-to-be Morris is the answer.
One of the more intriguing deadline day trades was the three-team deal with the Kings, Oilers and Hurricanes. Justin Williams, who is on IR with a broken hand, moves from Carolina to Los Angeles. Patrick O'Sullivan goes from L.A. to Edmonton. And Erik Cole heads back to Carolina from Edmonton.
Let's start with Cole. He pretty much was a huge bust for Edmonton after being acquired in a trade with Carolina in the offseason. He has just 16 goals in 63 games and the Hurricanes hope a move back to familiar settings will spark his offensive game. Cole has cut his teeth under coach Paul Maurice in the past, but he didn't have his breakout seasons until Maurice was gone.
O'Sullivan's season started late because of prolonged contract negotiations, and when he finally got into camp, he just never really gravitated to coach Terry Murray's style of two-way hockey. Edmonton is in dire need of goal scorers, so it could be open season on net for O'Sullivan.
Williams was once one of the most dangerous scorers in the NHL, but he has since endured two straight injury-plagued seasons. A change of scenery will do him well, but Los Angeles nabbed him for his veteran leadership down the stretch. We just aren't sure Williams can be that much of an impact Fantasy player.
Finally, after weeks of dangling him on waivers, the Senators dumped 34-year-old goalie Martin Gerber. Toronto claimed him Wednesday after putting Vesa Toskala on season-ending injured reserve with a hip injury. It appears Toronto will lean on Gerber down the stretch over Justin Pogge and Curtis Joseph, so if you are looking for a low-end Fantasy goalie off waivers, then Gerber could be a suitable find.
Many teams inquired about adding Avalanche winger Ryan Smyth, but Colorado opted to keep the veteran winger. This is actually a pretty good move for Fantasy owners. Smyth has 16 goals and 25 assists in his last 41 games, and has really stepped up in the last few months as Colorado was devastated by injury. He is the Avalanche's top gun right now, and a trade could have hurt his value if he went to a crowded situation.
All the happenings on deadline day can't be winners. In fact, some transactions can actually be for the worse.
Take Buffalo's re-signing of Tim Connolly for two years. We were actually getting excited about a possible move to Columbus for Connolly, who was going to be an unrestricted free agent. Now, that excitement turns to Vermette since he becomes Columbus' top-line center, and Connolly just hopes that Thomas Vanek can be his knight in shining armor.
Filip Kuba signing an extension with the Senators also cripples his Fantasy appeal. After playing well for the first three months of the season, Kuba has one goal and six assists in his last 23 outings. He really hasn't responded to interim coach Cory Clouston and a move to a top contender could have been beneficial for his offensive game.
Defenseman Steve Montador was traded from Anaheim to Boston and defenseman Steve Eminger was dealt from Tampa Bay to Florida. Both players were having solid seasons because they were logging heavy minutes and vital members on the blue line in their respective lineups. They now both head to situations where there are an abundance of capable defenseman and will be fighting for points.
The Blues were unable to move veteran forward Keith Tkachuk, as they felt there was no decent offers on the table. This could be one of the more disappointing non-moves of the '08-09 deadline. Tkachuk has been stuck in an offensive funk since scoring eight times in nine October games. He has just 10 goals since Nov. 1. Tkachuk moving to a top contender and being a key part of their power play would have likely given him a second wind this season.
We have talked about the good. We have discussed the bad. Now, let's talk about the unknown.
Not all the moves Wednesday have a definitive outlook. Some we are just going to have to sit back and watch play out.
One of the biggest storylines from this year's deadline was Jay Bouwmeester staying with the Panthers. General manager Jacques Martin listened to many offers, including the Canucks, who had an offer for Mason Raymond and a first-round pick on the table. Martin was hoping to get Kevin Bieksa thrown into the deal, but the Canucks found the asking price a little too much for a player in return that might not even re-sign with them.
Bouwmeester staying with the Panthers isn't the end of the world. He still is playing for his next contract and the Panthers are fighting for a playoff berth. Bouwmeester has been a big reason why the Florida blue line has the most collective points among defenseman in the NHL, and he still can be a high-end Fantasy option down the stretch.
Buffalo got their hands on center Dominic Moore in a trade with Toronto. It was reported early Wednesday that Moore was headed to Chicago, but general manager Brian Burke laughed at the reports and hours later Moore was headed to Buffalo.
For Fantasy purposes, a trade to Chicago might have been a little more beneficial since the Blackhawks could give Moore consistent top-six time as a center. The Sabres already have Connolly and Derek Roy up the middle, so Moore could potentially go from a No. 1 center in Toronto to a third-line guy in Buffalo. But the Sabres hold firm that Moore will be involved heavily on offense.
Defenseman Jordan Leopold is headed back to Calgary after 2 1/2 disappointing seasons with the Avalanche, primarily marred by injuries. Leopold did have a career-high 33 points in 2003-04 with Calgary, so perhaps an old surrounding can make him a viable Fantasy option again.
Long time vets Mark Recchi and Bill Guerin have found homes on playoff contenders. Recchi is with Boston and Guerin is headed to Pittsburgh. Both players should gain considerable minutes down the stretch, but will they be able to keep up with the younger talent in their respective cities or is their presence more for leadership purposes?
Brendan Morrison is getting a fresh start with Dallas after a disappointing run with the Ducks. Morrison has been very slow to recover from April surgery to repair a torn ACL. However, he has shown more pep in his step as of late and could be returning to his pre-injury form when he was a 60-point threat. Morrison might emerge as a second-line center for Dallas with Brad Richards and Toby Petersen on injured reserve.
Two final moves worth noting in Fantasy is Anaheim adding James Wisniewski to their blue line and Edmonton acquiring winger Ales Kotalik.
Wisniewski leaves a crowded defensive rotation in Chicago to join the likes of Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Ryan Whitney. Of course, he will have to fight for his points, but as long as he is on the ice with those offensive weapons, Wisniewski might be able to post a favorable plus/minus rating and pick up secondary assists.
As we said with O'Sullivan, Edmonton is in dire need of scorers and Kotalik has been a 20-goal scorer three times in his career. He will bring his hard shot to a power play in desperate need of a lift.
We could sit here all day and talk about what transpired and what didn't at the trade deadline. Although, I'm sure my editor appreciates the fact I'm about to wrap this all up.
Leading up to Wednesday, we already saw a few trades that made the world of difference in Fantasy. Mathieu Schneider has revived his high-end Fantasy status with the Canadiens. Chris Campoli has been an immediate hit in Ottawa. And Chris Kunitz hasn't stopped scoring since landing in Pittsburgh.
The stress of sitting in my cube for countless hours Wednesday might have pushed me to the mental and physical brink, but hey, you do what it takes to win in Fantasy. Happy hunting.
You can e-mail us your Fantasy Hockey questions to DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Deadline in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.
