NHL Trade Deadline: Eastern Conference

The NHL Trade Deadline was this past Monday and unlike previous years there wasn't a flurry of deals.

Most teams were a little more reserved at the deadline this year opting to resign their players instead of seeing what they could get for them before they hit the open market on July 1st. With the CBA expiring in September this doesn't come as a big surprise.

But trades were made and in today's column we'll take a look at how the teams in the Eastern Conference did at the deadline. Tomorrow we'll look at the Western Conference.

We'll start in the Atlantic with the top team in the East 

New York Rangers: 

The only deal New York made at the deadline was acquiring defenseman John Scott from Chicago for a 5th round draft pick in 2012.

Scott is expected to provide some size & muscle on the blueline and cause teams to think twice before trying anything rough with the top players on the Rangers roster.

New York however is getting more attention for a trade they didn't make, acquiring Rick Nash from Columbus.

The Rangers were in trade discussions with the Blue Jackets until near the end of the deadline but the teams couldn't agree on the right mix of players to make a deal happen.

I don't think this is a bad thing for New York.

I'm a big Rick Nash fan but I don't think he is worth blowing up your team over. At least not during the season.

New York has done a decent job in recent years developing their own players while mixing in a free agent or two instead of trying to buy every top player on the market.

This is the best Ranger team in the last 15 years and one that has a legit chance to win the Stanley Cup in June. I think you owe it to the players on the roster to let them finish this thing. If New York falls short then you can revisit acquiring Rick Nash in June at the NHL Draft. 

Pittsburgh Penguins: 

The Penguins decided to stand pat at the deadline and not make any moves.

It doesn't come as much of a surprise. They are playing well and are one of the deeper teams in the NHL. Plus if Sidney Crosby can return for the playoffs that will be better than any player they could have acquired. 

Philadelphia Flyers: 

When you spend 51 million on a goalie for nine years and your other three top salaries are players with no movement clauses you aren't going to make a lot of huge moves at the deadline.

That being said I think the Flyers did well acquiring defensemen Nicklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina from Dallas and Tampa Bay for draft picks.

The Flyers are 27th in the NHL in goals against per game. With Chris Pronger out of the lineup with post concussion symptoms GM Paul Holmgren had to improve his blueline. Grossman and Kubina together don't make up for the loss of Pronger but it does make the Flyers blueline deeper.

We know Philly can score. The question now is can they keep the puck out of their net. 

New Jersey Devils: 

The only deal the Devils made before the deadline was acquiring Marek Zidlicky from Minnesota.

I shared my thoughts on the Zidlicky deal in Monday's column but what got my attention was a deal the Devils didn't make, trading Zach Parise.

Parise is a free agent after the season and numerous teams would love to have a player like him on their roster. If he hits the open market he can pretty much set his own price.

By trading for Zidlicky and not trading Parise that tells me GM Lou Lamoriello thinks this Devils team can make a run for the Stanley Cup.

With goalie Martin Brodeur turning 40 later this year and Parise being a free agent after the season this could be one final run by New Jersey with two of their core players. 

New York Islanders:

The only trade the Islanders made at the deadline was sending forward Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Motteau to Boston for a couple of prospects.

A move they should of made was trading goalie Evgeni Nabokov.

Nabokov is a free agent after this season and there were a few teams in playoff contention that could have used him in goal. Instead the Islanders decided to hold on to him.

I understand that with the uncertainty surrounding goalie Rick DiPietro New York would like to hold onto Nabokov. However I also remember his refusal to play for the Islanders after being claimed off waivers last year.

There is no guarantee Nabokov is going to return to Long Island next season. With the Islanders eight points out of the final playoff spot in the East they would have been better off moving him at the deadline for a player or draft picks that could help their team down the road. 

Boston Bruins: 

The defending Stanley Cup champions went into the trade deadline hoping to add some depth at forward and defense.

Acquiring Rolston and Motteau from New York and Greg Zanon from Minnesota helps them accomplish that task.

Rolston is 39 years old and a free agent after this season. While he hasn't scored over 30 goals in a season since 2007-08 he still can be very productive as a 3rd line forward and help out on the power play if needed.

Watching Zanon play for Minnesota the last couple seasons I can say when he is on the ice it is like having a second goalie with all the shots he blocks.

Zanon along with Motteau should see most of their playing time as the 5th or 6th defenseman in the Bruins defensive rotation. 

Ottawa Senators: 

The Senators made two trades at the deadline acquiring defenseman Matt Gilroy from Tampa Bay for Brian Lee and acquiring goalie Ben Bishop from St. Louis for a 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft.

Gilroy, a former Hobey Baker winner with Boston University in 2009, is a puck moving defenseman who is on his third team since making his debut in 2009. His style of play should fit in with Ottawa.

Bishop has been known as the best goalie not playing in the NHL. While the Senators don't face the same scrutiny the Flyers do they have had problems in goal for as long as I can remember.

With the acquisition of Bishop, Ottawa is hoping that will finally come to an end. 

Toronto Maple Leafs: 

Toronto is 1-9-1 in its last 11 games.

Instead of making a big trade at the deadline GM Brian Burke made a couple of depth moves sending defenseman Keith Aulie to Tampa Bay for forward Carter Ashton and trading forward Dale Mitchell to Anaheim for defenseman Mark Fraser.

While neither trade should have an impact on this season I do like the acquisition of Ashton from Tampa Bay.

Ashton was a 1st round pick in the 2009 draft. At 6'3 and 220 pounds he is a big forward, the type of player Brian Burke loves.

The Maple Leafs were also in the mix for Rick Nash but decided not to move any of their prospects to try and make a deal. If Toronto misses the playoffs again I have a feeling they'll re-visit acquiring Nash. 

Buffalo Sabres: 

While not a lot has gone right on the ice this year for the Sabres I think they did very well for themselves at the deadline.

Buffalo traded center Paul Gaustad to Nashville for a 1st round draft pick. Gaustad has been a gritty 2nd line center for the Sabres since the 2005-06 season. He is known more for spending time in the penalty box than scoring goals.

The other move Buffalo made was trading forward Zach Kassian and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani to Vancouver for Cody Hodgson and Alex Sulzer.

Hodgson is a former CHL player of the year and should fit in nicely as a 2nd line center with the Sabres while Sulzer will add depth to the Buffalo blueline.

So in review, GM Darcy Reiger was able to move Gaustad, a UFA at the end of the season for a 1st round draft pick and replace him with a young center who is a pure goal scorer.

Looks like a win in my book. 

Montreal Canadiens: 

The biggest deal Montreal made before the deadline was sending defenseman Hal Gill to Nashville for forwards Blake Geoffrion and Robert Slaney.

Gill is a UFA at the end of the season and with Montreal in complete disarray it made sense for the Habs to move him.

In Geoffrion they get a talented forward whose grandfather & great grandfather both played for the Canadiens back in the day. I think Geoffrion has the talent to become a top six forward in the NHL. I hope the pressure of playing in Montreal doesn't get to him. 

Florida Panthers: 

The Panthers did make two trades before the deadline acquiring forward Jerrod Smithson from Nashville for a 6th round draft pick and Wojtek Wolski from the Rangers for defenseman Mike Vernace and a 3rd round pick in 2013.

Smithson is a center that should find time on the Panthers 3rd line while Wolski is a talented forward who has had trouble scoring goals the last couple seasons. Both players are depth acquisitions as Florida tries to make the post-season for the first time since 2000. 

Washington Capitals: 

The Capitals were a team I thought would try and make a move at the deadline if for no other reason than to shake up a roster that has underachieved this season.

Instead GM George McPhee decided to stand pat and go with the roster he has. McPhee looked around but with very few teams selling it made little sense for him to pay the price that would be needed to make a move that would help Washington.

The Capitals still have a good chance to win the Southeast Division. Even if they don't they probably can still get into the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed.

Right now nobody expects them to be a Stanley Cup contender. For a team that has cracked under pressure the last few years in the playoffs flying under the radar may not be a bad thing. 

Winnipeg Jets: 

Right now the Jets are one point out of the final playoff spot in the East. Instead of adding a player at the deadline the only deal they made was sending defenseman Johnny Oduya to Chicago for a pair of draft picks.

To replace Oduya the Jets claimed defenseman Grant Clitsome off of waivers from Columbus.

GM Kevin Cheveldayoff believes in the group of players he has in the locker room. Right now it is still a young nucleus that is learning how to win.

They are playing in a market that is just happy to have the NHL back and if they make the playoffs it is a bonus.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

For everything that went right for Tampa Bay last year you can say everything went wrong on the ice this season.

However GM Steve Yzerman made the right decision becoming a seller before the deadline.

Yzerman traded Steve Downie to Colorado for Kyle Quincey and then flipped Quincey to Detroit for a 1st round draft pick. Yzerman also traded Pavel Kubina to Philadelphia for a pair of draft picks before the deadline.

At the deadline Yzerman added Brian Lee, Keith Aulie & Mike Commodore to the Tampa Bay blueline. Aulie has a chance to become a top four defenseman with the Lightning while Lee gets a fresh start in Tampa.

More importantly Tampa gets a few more draft picks as they continue to build this team. Its simply a case of taking a step back so you can move forward. 

Carolina Hurricanes: 

Little has gone right for the Hurricanes this year in Raleigh.

Yet instead of dealing away their upcoming free agents Carolina decided to re-sign Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu before they hit the market.

GM Jim Rutherford's logic is it made more sense to re-sign Gleason and Ruutu instead of trying to replace them on July 1st because there wasn't going to be a player of that caliber available when free agency starts.

The Hurricanes also decided to hold onto defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and Bryan Allen instead of trading them away before they hit free agency. My guess is Rutherford will try to re-sign one if not both of them this summer.

Carolina has gone 16-13-9 since Kirk Muller took over as head coach at the end of November. If the Hurricanes aren't winning with these players right now what makes Rutherford think things will be better next season with the same roster in tact?

I don't blame them for re-signing Gleason and Ruutu but when defenseman were high in demand on the trade market it would have made more sense to deal Spacek and/or Allen instead of holding onto them with the risk of losing them for nothing after the season.