Well, the dust has settled on trade-deadline day. And I must say, it was one of the lamest 24 hours in recent memory. You know things weren’t very exciting when ex-Pen Ryan Whitney (on his third team in two seasons) was involved in one of the day’s biggest trades. I’m not going to break down every single deal made yesterday, but I will recap what some teams of interest (aka Eastern Conference contenders) accomplished.
Pittsburgh: As you well know, the Pens added defenseman Jordan Leopold and winger Alex Ponikarovsky to their lineup. Now that I’ve had 24-plus hours to process the deals (and some intense criticism from a friend), I’ll now admit that the Pens are a much better team today than they were before the Olympic break. Regardless of what happens from here on out, the acquisition of two players the caliber of Leopold and P-sky, and their potential upsides playing on a good team (and for a contract), in exchange for a second-rounder and Luca Caputi is another job well done by Ray Shero.
Washington: The first-place Caps surprisingly made the most noise out of any Eastern Conference contender. Washington added veteran winger Scott Walker and defenseman Joe Corvo from Carolina and center Eric Belanger from Minnesota. They also re-acquired hulking defenseman Milan Jurcina, who was traded to Columbus earlier this season for Jason Chimera. All they gave up off their current roster was defenseman Brian Pothier. Nothing huge here, but the Caps improved an already strong lineup. Walker adds toughness, Belanger gives them offensive depth, Jurcina’s a strong defensive presence and Corvo is an offensive talent similar to Mike Green. That said, none of these moves scares me as a Pens’ fan. The Caps failed to acquire the veteran shutdown defenseman many thought they needed.
New Jersey: The Devils made their huge move before the Olympic break, acquiring the best offensive player available, Ilya Kovalchuk. This, in my humble opinion, was the best deal by any Eastern Conference contender. The Russian winger substantially upgrades New Jersey’s offense and certainly makes them a team to be reckoned with in the postseason. The Devils added Martin Skoula yesterday to provide depth on the blueline.
Ottawa: The Sens acquired defenseman Andy Sutton, who will provide some solid, physical play. This is a guy some thought the Pens might be interested in. He’s a Hal Gill clone – big body, slow feet. He improves Ottawa’s blueline, but not by much.
Philadelphia: The Flyers are apparently satisfied with their lineup because they made NO deals yesterday. That means Philly will make a go of it with the ever-impressive goaltending tandem of Michael Leighton/Brian Boucher (Ray Emery is out for the season due to injury). I could make a joke or two here about the Flyers’ chronic goaltending woes, but I’ll just let the names Leighton and Boucher serve as the punch line. The Flyers have a very good team, and they could win a playoff series or two, but I just don’t see them winning the conference with Leighton and/or Boucher between the pipes.
Buffalo: The Sabres landed Raffi Torres, another player the Pens were rumored to be interested in. Torres is having a banner year, scoring 19 goals for a bad Columbus team. It’s a good trade for Buffalo, but there’s no way Torres makes them a legitimate contender. He’s not that good.
After all the wheeling-and-dealing, I think the balance of power in the East really hasn’t shifted at all. Washington and New Jersey are the only two teams I see as a real threat to the Pens’ championship reign. The Devils made the most significant upgrade by acquiring an elite offensive talent, while the Caps solidified an already impressive roster.
The Pens, meanwhile, managed to upgrade their roster and address perceived weaknesses without subtracting anything of significance. Depth on the blueline – check. A scoring winger/someone to play alongside Malkin – check. I don’t know about you, but I like the Pens chances to repeat more today than I did last week.