NHL Trade Deadline: Western Conference

In yesterday's column I broke down how all the teams in the Eastern Conference did at the trade deadline.

Today we will take a look at how the teams in the Western Conference did and we start with the team that has been the measuring stick in the NHL for the last 20 years. 

Detroit Red Wings: 

The biggest move Detroit made was acquiring defenseman Kyle Quincey from Tampa Bay for a 1st round draft pick.

Quincey actually started his NHL career with the Red Wings before being claimed by the Los Angeles Kings off waivers before the start of the 2008-09 season.

Quincey is expected to be the number five defenseman and will be paired on the blueline with Jonathan Ericsson. To make room for Quincey Detroit traded defenseman Mike Commodore to Tampa Bay for a conditional 7th round pick in the 2013 draft.

Commodore was expected to provide size and grit on the blueline but could never crack the Red wings lineup. By getting Quincey Detroit re-acquires a player they didn't want to lose four years ago.

Quincey is also a restricted free agent which means Detroit can hold on to him after this season, especially if Brad Stuart leaves as a free agent. 

Chicago Blackhawks: 

The one thing I felt Chicago needed to do at the deadline was go get a center especially with Jonathan Toews out of the lineup.

Instead the only move the Blackhawks made acquiring Johnny Oduya from Winnipeg for a 2nd and 3rd round pick in the 2013 draft.

Now Oduya will help Chicago out on the blueline especially with defenseman Steve Montador on injured reserve. But the Blackhawks have been weak up the middle the entire season.

The only thing they did to address the problem was acquire Brendan Morrison from Calgary in January. So far he has only played seven games for the Blackhawks and has yet to record a point.

I still think the Blackhawks are a playoff team but how far they go will depend on the health of Toews. 

St. Louis Blues: 

The Blues were one of a few teams that stayed quiet at the trade deadline. Part of this is because of the team being for sale with new ownership not fully in place yet.

The only deal St. Louis made was sending goalie Ben Bishop to Ottawa for a 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft. With Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak set in goal for the Blues, Bishop was expendable.

St. Louis has gone 35-10-7 since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach in November. With that record you can see why they really didn't need to make any moves at the deadline.

Right now the Blues are good enough to play with anybody in the West. With the team playing well there is no need to tinker with the roster. 

Nashville Predators: 

If there is one thing we learned from the deadline is that the Predators are going for it this year.

With defenseman Ryan Suter scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season Nashville is doing everything they can to show him they are serious about winning.

They added Hal Gill to an already deep blueline from Montreal for forwards Blake Geoffrion and Robert Slaney. Then at the deadline the Predators made another deal with the Canadiens acquiring Andrei Kostitsyn for a pair of draft picks in the 2013 draft.

Later on in the day Nashville traded it's 1st round pick in the 2012 draft to Buffalo for center Paul Gaustad.

As a result you have a team that already has a deep blueline and stellar goaltending get tougher on defense and add depth at forward.

I can't guarantee these moves will lead to Nashville winning the Stanley Cup or re-signing Ryan Suter. I can guarantee that the Predators are the one team in the West nobody wants to face in the 1st round. 

Columbus Blue Jackets: 

Columbus made two trades before the deadline and neither one involved star forward Rick Nash.

The first deal the Blue Jackets made was sending Jeff Carter to Los Angeles for defenseman Jack Johnson and a 1st round pick in the 2012 draft.

Carter was never happy being in Columbus and while he never complained about playing there he also never embraced being a Blue Jacket. With the team in complete disarray Columbus was better off trading Carter instead of holding on to him and trying to make in work.

By acquiring Johnson the Blue Jackets get another offensive minded defenseman to go with James Wisniewski. His ability to move the puck should lead to a lot of goals for Columbus. The downside however is Johnson plus/minus number is usually around -15 for the season.

The other trade Columbus made was sending Sami Pahlsson to Vancouver for Taylor Ellington and a pair of draft picks. A nice return for a free agent who probably wasn't going to return next season.

As for holding on to Rick Nash I think GM Scott Howson made the right move.

Nash is signed for six more years. Even though he asked for a trade Howson doesn't have to move him right away. He can shop him around at the draft when more teams are able to vie for his services. There is no point in settling for a lesser deal when you don't need to. 

Vancouver Canucks: 

Last year at the deadline Vancouver made a couple of trades to improve their overall depth. It worked as the Canucks went all they way to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Vancouver made a similar deal at the deadline this year acquiring center Sami Pahlsson from Columbus.

Pahlsson won a cup with Anaheim and has a reputation for being a shutdown center. He'll fit in well on the 3rd line allowing Manny Malhotra to center the Canucks 4th line.

With the acquisition of Pahlsson Vancouver was able to trade center Cody Hodgson to Buffalo for Zach Kassian.

Last year in the finals the Canucks were pushed around by the Bruins. Kassian is a big power forward that will give Vancouver some much needed size and muscle.

As for Hodgson, Canucks fans shouldn't be too upset over losing him in a trade. Your centers right now are Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Pahlsson and Malhotra. Hodgson is a nice player but you are better up the middle with what you have than you would be if you held on to Hodgson. 

Calgary Flames: 

Being up against the salary cap Calgary stood firm at the trade deadline having already made their deal in January when they acquired Mike Cammalieri from Montreal.

One thing the Flames decided to do was hold on to center Olli Jokinen instead of asking him to waive his no-movement clause. All you have to do is google "Olli Jokinen Playoff Stats" and you should get a good idea of how the season will finish for Calgary. 

Colorado Avalanche: 

Colorado got a jump on the trade deadline a week earlier acquiring Steve Downie from Tampa Bay for Kyle Quincey.

Downie is a gritty forward that should see time on the Avalanche's second line. He'll provide snarl to a team that could really use some.

The other deal Colorado made was sending T.J. Gagliardi and Daniel Winnik to San Jose for Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly and Michael Sgarbossa.

McGinn is a two way forward that is expected to help the Avalanche on offense and defense while Connolly and Sgarbossa are prospects that should fit in nicely with Colorado. 

Edmonton Oilers: 

Speculation around Edmonton was they would trade Ales Hemsky before the deadline instead they gave him a two year extension.

The Oilers did make one deal however sending defenseman Tom Gilbert to Minnesota for defenseman Nick Schultz.

All year long I thought Edmonton needed to get better on the blueline. While Schultz does not have the offensive skill that Gilbert does he is a stay at home defenseman.

With all the offensive skill at forward Schultz is the type of player the Oilers need on the blueline. 

Minnesota Wild: 

GM Chuck Fletcher was busy at the deadline dealing Marek Zidlicky to New Jersey, Greg Zanon to Boston, and Nick Schultz to Edmonton.

In return he got a forward with 20 goal potential (Nick Palmieri), two puck moving defenseman (Tom Gilbert and Steve Kampfer) and a couple draft picks.

One of the reasons Minnesota has struggled since mid-December is because of a lack of production from their blueline. The presence of Gilbert should help them out there while Kampfer will be given time in Houston to develop.

I think Chuck Fletcher has done a remarkable job by getting the prospects he has acquired in his three years as GM. Things may be frustrating now if you are a Wild fan but better days are ahead. 

Phoenix Coyotes: 

Despite having no local ownership and being in limbo for the 3rd consecutive season Phoenix was able to make one trade before the deadline acquiring Antoine Vermette from Columbus.

Vermette is a two way center that will provide much needed depth at forward to the Coyotes as they try to make the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. 

San Jose Sharks:

San Jose was one of the teams that was in talks with Columbus for Rick Nash. Instead of making a deal for Nash the Sharks made a deal with Colorado getting Daniel Winnik and T.J Gagliardi in exchange for Jamie McGinn.

Gagliardi is a talented forward who hasn't realized his potential yet in the NHL. Playing with a talented Sharks team I expect him to take off while Winnik will help provide some of the grit that was lost with McGinn going to Denver.

The other deal San Jose made was acquiring Dominic Moore from Tampa Bay earlier in the month. With these three players the Sharks add some much needed depth at forward. 

Los Angeles Kings:

Los Angeles is a talented team that has had trouble scoring goals this seasons. To solve this problem they went and got a forward from Columbus who is known for scoring goals.

The player wasn't Rick Nash however. It was Jeff Carter.

Carter has reached the 30 goal mark the last three season and should provide a boost to an anemic Kings offense. After sulking through most of the season in Columbus he is reunited with former teammate Mike Richards in Los Angeles.

To get Carter it cost the Kings defenseman Jack Johnson. Normally that's a high price to pay but Los Angeles has a lot of depth on the blueline. Plus when you have Drew Doughty is your top defenseman a player like Johnson can be traded for a forward like Carter. 

Anaheim Ducks: 

The Ducks didn't make any big trades at the deadline only swapping a couple players that are fringe NHL players.

But nobody has played better since New Years Day than Anaheim. I'm not sure they can get a playoff spot but with the way they are playing there wasn't any need to tinker with the roster. 

Dallas Stars: 

There were rumors of Steve Ott being moved before the deadline but instead of trading him Dallas held on to him.

I didn't expect the Stars to be busy at the deadline especially with new ownership taking over. The only deal Dallas made before the deadline was sending Nicklas Grossman to Philadelphia for a couple draft picks.

The Stars are in the mix for the final playoff spot in the West. I'm guessing they'll be a little more active at the draft but for now they are going with what they have hoping to sneak into the post-season.