2014 NHL trade deadline thoughts

There were some big trades at this year's deadline... it's not often you see guys like Luongo, St. Louis and Vanek moving around. Thoughts on each deal:

To Columbus: Dana Tyrell, Matt Taormina
To Tampa Bay: Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Dalton Smith

Tyrell was on Canada's WJC team a few years ago but the 24-year-old centre has bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL. Taormina is a veteran AHL d-man who gives the Jackets some depth as an injury callup, with Fedor Tyutin and Ryan Murray both out right now. Audy-Marchessault is an AHL star who might have some NHL upside and Smith is a former second round pick who has struggled in the AHL.

To Pittsburgh: Lee Stempniak
To Calgary: 3rd round pick

Decent return for a pending UFA who really doesn't do much for a rebuilding team.

To Anaheim: Andre Petersson
To Ottawa: Alex Grant

Petersson is a former fourth rounder who's playing well in the AHL and was considered a solid prospect for Ottawa. Grant is a 25-year-old d-man who made his NHL debut this year.

To Washington: Jaroslav Halak, 3rd round pick
To Buffalo: Rostislav Klesla, Michal Neuvirth

The Sabres manage to flip one of the veterans they got in the Miller deal, although I don't think the return is anything great. Klesla is a pending UFA. At 25, there's still time for Neuvirth to turn his career around, but you would think the 3rd rounder alone could have landed him.

To Minnesota: Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick
To Buffalo: Torrey Mitchell, two 2nd round picks

Two 2nds is a solid return for a pending UFA in Moulson. They also swap grinders, as Mitchell had asked for a trade. In the end, Buffalo gets a first rounder and THREE seconds for Thomas Vanek, which is an incredible return, especially when you look at how badly the Islanders botched the situation.

To Montreal: Thomas Vanek, conditional 5th round pick
To NY Islanders: Sebastien Collberg, 2nd round pick

Wow. Garth Snow... should be fired on the spot. Without question. This is not a terrible return, given the situation he was in leading up to the 2 p.m. deadline. But he put himself in that situation with the horrible Vanek-Moulson trade to begin with. In the end, it boils down to Moulson, a 1st and a 5th for Collberg. Collberg, a former second rounder himself, is a pretty good prospect, though he's struggled this year in Sweden.

To Detroit: David Legwand
To Nashville: Calle Jarnkrok, Patrick Eaves, 3rd round pick

The Preds got a really good return for their first-ever draft pick back in 1998. Legwand, a pending UFA, is a decent second line centre or maybe a high-end third liner. To get a really good prospect in Jarnkrok, a former second rounder, along with a third, is solid.

To Colorado: Reto Berra
To Calgary: 2nd round pick

A bit of a head scratcher for the Avs. I guess their plan is to let Giguere walk in the summer (or maybe he retires). After a long career in Switzerland, Berra finally came to the NHL this year and has been OK behind a terrible Flames team. A 2nd seems like a bit of an overpayment, but we'll see how he does with the Avs. It's worth pointing out their defence is also pretty bad.

To NY Rangers: Raphael Diaz
To Vancouver: 5th round pick

The Rangers certainly bought low on Diaz. He didn't get as much ice time in Montreal this year as he did in the past, and evidently wasn't in the Canucks' plans either. Pretty good value here.

To Boston: Andrej Meszaros
To Philly: 3rd round pick

Meszaros has been a dynamic offensive defenceman in his career, but injuries have limited his effectiveness in recent years. He's a pending UFA and the price is right. Boston needed some help on the back end with Seidenberg done for the year.

To Columbus: Nick Schultz
To Edmonton: 5th round pick

I'm surprised Columbus got him that cheap. With their injuries on the back end, he gives them a steady third-pairing guy as they push for a playoff spot.

To Dallas: Tim Thomas
To Florida: Dan Ellis

Aw, it would've been nice to see Luongo and Thomas on the same team. The tire pumping jokes are endless. Anyway, Thomas may have asked for a trade to give him more playing time after the Luongo deal, but he won't get it in Dallas with Kari Lehtonen occupying the starting job. Thomas has had a decent year in Florida, so I'm surprised all they got was a straight up deal for Ellis, who is barely an NHL goalie these days.

To New Jersey: Tuomo Ruutu
To Carolina: Andrei Loktionov, 3rd round pick

This is a salary dump for the Canes. Ruutu has two years left on his contract at $4.75 mil per and it's been a few years since he had a good season. He brings some grit too though and might be able to help the Devils squeak into the playoffs. Loktionov is on his third NHL team. The 23-year-old had decent numbers in 28 games last year but has struggled this year.

To Pittsburgh: Marcel Goc
To Florida: 3rd round pick, 5th round pick

Goc is probably one of the league's most underrated players, as a solid checking centre who can chip in some offence. Picking up a player like that going into the playoffs is never a bad idea. The return is good.

To LA: Marian Gaborik
To Columbus: Matt Frattin, 2nd round pick, 3rd round pick

Gaborik came to Columbus last year to a lot of fanfare, but it just wasn't a fit. He missed more than half the team's games with injuries during his tenure and didn't seem to fit with the identity of the team. When you read about Dubinsky pushing him out of the way to chase a loose puck the other night... yikes. This is a pretty solid return, especially if Frattin gets some ice time and finds his goal scoring ability from early last year in Toronto. LA essentially traded Bernier for Gaborik. I have my doubts whether he can flourish under Sutter.

To Montreal: Devan Dubnyk
To Nashville: nothing

With Price going on the IR with a minor injury, the Habs add some insurance and the price was right. They're only on the hook for 25% of his remaining salary this year, which is peanuts.

To LA: Brayden McNabb, Jonathan Parker and two 2nd round picks
To Buffalo: Hudson Fasching, Nicolas Deslauriers

I really don't understand what Buffalo is doing with this. McNabb will most likely be the best player in the deal. The former Notre Dame midget Hound is a big, strong defenceman with some offensive upside, and he's just about ready for the NHL. Parker is an ECHLer included to balance out the contracts. Fasching is a former fourth rounder who's having a really good freshman year at the U of Minnesota. Deslauriers is a 23-year-old AHL defenceman. I don't know if he's got NHL upside, but you would certainly hope so for the Sabres' sake. Maybe they're not happy with McNabb's development. Maybe their scouts think Fasching is a diamond in the rough. I'm still baffled as to how Fasching and Deslauriers are worth two 2nds and McNabb.

To Ottawa: Ales Hemsky
To Edmonton: 3rd round pick, 5th round pick

First, good on the Oilers for finally trading away Hemsky, although the return seems a bit low. Ottawa is sitting outside the playoffs right now (though not by much) and they would have to leapfrog three or four teams to get in. Unless Hemsky, at age 30, can rediscover his form from three or four years ago, I don't think he's enough to push the Sens in. It seems like a waste of picks on a rental. It would have made more sense for a team like Pittsburgh or Anaheim to make this deal.

To NY Rangers: Martin St. Louis
To Tampa Bay: Ryan Callahan, 1st round pick, 2nd round pick

The biggest deal of the day. This is not a good deal for the Rangers. It may have made sense for a legitimate contender, or a team poised to become one in the next year or two, but does anyone really believe the Rangers can win a Cup in the year or two St. Louis has left? Callahan was leaving either way, but to give up a 1st and a 2nd (which becomes another 1st if Callahan re-signs in Tampa) is crazy. As for the Lightning, Yzerman was caught between a rock and a hard place and came out of it with a great deal after St. Louis pouted and demanded a trade to one team. Callahan will be a great player to have in the playoffs, and Stamkos is about to return. Tampa will be fine.

Depression hurts

I've been going through a really hard time lately. I had a bad depressive episode last month. Then my uncle died and I couldn't make it home. Now I'm having another episode.

The pattern is there and it scares me. I had the first episode of my life in October. Another one three months later, followed by more anxiety than usual. And now a third one less than a month later. Each of them worse than the last.

I've started therapy, which has been good, but now I realize the road to recovery is going to hurt. I don't think I'm strong enough to do it. Sometimes I'd rather give up and stay like this than keep fighting. Which is ridiculous, but I've never known anything else so focusing on what I have to gain is hard.

I hate what this disease does to me. During an episode, I can't concentrate on anything and I don't have the energy to do what needs to be done. Convincing myself it's worth it to get out of bed is an ordeal every morning.

Which leads to guilt. Which leads to self-loathing. It's a vicious cycle.

Depression sucks.

I don't want to fight. I want to lay down my weapons. And yet I know I can't.

I've been listening to this a lot. It doesn't help but I still listen to it.

Meeting Ricky Ray

Need I say more...

This was at the Delta yesterday afternoon. I also ran into him at the Double Blue Bash last night... literally, I turned around and he was standing right behind me. That was cool.

Back in the land of the living

And the sun will come back again tomorrow

If you leave and take your sorrow

Stand down at sundown, get yourself gone

From now on

-Matt Mays + El Torpedo, Stand Down at Sundown

No, the monster isn't completely gone, but I feel much better today.

Just like I don't understand why it came, I don't understand why it left either. It's not like anything good has happened in the last 24 hours that would pull me out of the dumps. 

It gradually got better over the last few days - Tuesday, when it started, was a 3 at best on the Sickter scale, whereas yesterday was probably a 5 - and today I don't feel that cloud hanging over me anymore.

I'm not saying I feel great or anything, but I rarely do, so I consider this a victory.

I still have my moments though... last night during the Bruins game, while walking through the concourse to get to the bathroom, I had an anxiety attack like you wouldn't believe. I got claustrophobic in the middle of all those people - and believe me, I'm not claustrophobic - and it felt like my chest was going to explode if I didn't get out of there. By the time I got to the bathroom I was out of breath.

All week I was feeling overwhelmed by the thought of covering the United Way Telethon this weekend - a big event, the kind of thing I'd never covered before - and I was convinced I was going to do a terrible job. But I was just over there for a couple hours and it was fine.

I want to say thanks to my friends, family and co-workers for their support over the last few days... this is an illness that's impossible to understand if you haven't been through it and yet these people gave me their unconditional support. It helped more than you know.

Day 2

If you follow Michael Landsberg on twitter, you know he's got something he calls the Sickter scale, which is an indicator of where your mental health is at.

Yesterday was a 3... or at least last night was. I was miserable. Today was a solid 4... functional but still feeling like there was a dark cloud hanging over me. Thankfully it was my day off, because I'm not sure what it would've been like trying to tackle work.

I stayed in bed for a while, trying to convince myself there was a reason to get up. Eventually I did, if only to move to the couch and continue being unproductive.

As tonight's Bruins game got closer, my chest tightened up and my old friend anxiety went to work. It doesn't make sense, I know. I'm in my sixth season covering the SJHL and it's something I enjoy. If there's anything that should feel comfortable, it's that. But everything is just backwards right now.

Instead of looking forward to covering a junior game for the first time in three weeks, I was trying to muster up the courage to head out the door and face the outside world. I actually thought about not going. After all, there's another game Friday, plus a road game Sunday before next week's issue... I could pull it off with minimal disruption, I told myself.

But eventually I put on my game face, told myself to compartmentalize it and went.

Even during the game it wasn't easy to focus on my job instead of my head, though.

Once the first period was over and I had nothing to do for 15 minutes but think myself into a meltdown, I sent a few texts to a friend. He said exactly the right thing (paraphrasing): You're doing what you've wanted to do your whole life. Take time to see where you are and what you're doing. Relish being at the rink.

It's true, I love what I do and usually thinking about that would be enough to help me snap out of it, but not this time. I tried to take myself to that place and appreciate what I was doing, but it just didn't matter. That's how bad this thing is.

Soon enough, the second period started, then a radio interview thankfully occupied my attention in the second intermission. Even then though, something I usually enjoy doing turned into a source of pressure.

Don't screw it up. Try to pretend like you know what you're talking about. Don't let your mind pull you away somewhere else.

Now, here I am fighting this thing, whatever the hell it is, head-on again.

I don't understand it. I mean, I deal with mental issues on a day-to-day basis. Anxiety, self-loathing and an inferiority complex are things I face every day. I can handle that.

But an actual episode of depression like this, that just hit me out of nowhere? I can't remember the last time this happened... if ever. Sometimes I think I'm imagining it, but coming unglued like this - with no identifiable trigger - is not normal.

I also have no idea when this will end. Hopefully soon.

My brain is waging war against me

My depression comes and goes and manifests itself in different ways, but for the most part I manage to keep it under wraps.

Today I'm not having much success in keeping it at bay. Another reminder that depression is inexplicably random.

I don't know why, but I just feel like I'm on the edge of a breakdown. Like the world is crashing in on me. There's a Leaf game on right now and I'm not even watching it, that's how bad this is.

Why? I have no fricking idea.

I even got some unexpected good news today, that I've been nominated for the Sask Lacrosse Association's media of the year award. And even that isn't enough to drag me out of this funk.

It's the classic impostor syndrome rearing its head... guilt. My brain is telling me I don't deserve to be up for this award, I didn't really do anything, none of the stories I wrote was anything to be proud of. I'm a fraud... give the nomination to someone more deserving.

This is the kind of garbage depression puts you through.

It's been a long, long time since I was depressed like this. Maybe it's just a one-day thing, maybe not. I have no earthly idea why it's happening.

This is why we need to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental illness. It's an illness, not a weakness.

It's not that we can't handle what's coming at us. It's that our brains are trying to kill us. #sicknotweak

This song does a pretty good job of explaining how depression feels:

2013 NHL Mock Draft

For the third straight year, I've decided to put a mock draft on my blog. I look forward to the NHL draft all year and can't wait to see what unfolds over the next few days.

This is just for fun and I'm not running with any inside info here. It's just based on what I know about each player and team tendencies. And even though there will most assuredly be a few pick trades - including possibly the first overall - I'm not going to try to predict those. This is a mock draft, not a top-30 ranking.

I only had four guys right in their actual slot last year: Galchenyuk at 3, Reinhart at 4, Dumba at 7 and Vasilevski at 19. But I got 24 of the 30 players right.

1. Colorado Avalanche - Nathan MacKinnon, C
Sakic says they want a forward. Maybe he's bluffing, maybe he isn't, but let's take him at his word. Barring a trade down with Florida or Tampa, they add a budding superstar to an insanely talented group down the middle.

2. Florida Panthers - Seth Jones, D
Florida really wants MacKinnon and could move up. But they could certainly stand to add a stud to the blueline. If they stay at 2, Jones is the BPA and will bring his tantalizing array of talents to South Beach to join Gudbranson, Kulikov, Petrovic and Matheson in the system.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning - Valeri Nichushkin, RW
I think this is the most intriguing pick in the draft. I honestly believe there's an equal chance of them taking Drouin, Barkov or Nichushkin (maybe even Lindholm), assuming MacKinnon and Jones are the first two picks. Looking at the last two drafts since Al Murray took over their amateur scouting, they've gone heavy on Russians and OHL players. They've also taken mostly bigger guys, and Nichushkin (6'3", 196) fits the bill, as opposed to Drouin (5'10", 186). It's a gutsy pick, but one that could pay off in spades.

4. Nashville Predators - Jonathan Drouin, LW
Drouin is interesting in that he could, conceivably, go anywhere from 1-5 in the draft. The most common guess is that he goes third, but apparently Patrick Roy is super-high on him, and at the other end, Nichushkin and Sasha Barkov are so good that JD could drop. With the fourth pick, the offence-starved Preds jump at the chance to scoop him up. Put him beside Filip Forsberg in a couple years and watch the sparks fly.

5. Carolina Hurricanes - Aleksander Barkov, C
Although the Canes are rumoured to be looking for a D with this pick, either by using it or trading it, they'd be downright crazy to pass up Barkov. The Finnish blue chipper has huge offensive upside, is one of the best all-around players in the draft, a great skater and isn't afraid to use his 6'2", 205 frame to his advantage.

*6. Calgary Flames - Elias Lindholm, C
The Flames have holes everywhere, both on their roster and in the system, so it's strictly BPA here. Luckily for them, they have two tremendous centres to choose from as a cornerstone of their rebuild (the other being Sean Monahan). Lindholm is coming off an excellent season with Brynas (SEL) and some believe he could be the next Peter Forsberg. A terrific all-around scoop for Calgary.

7. Edmonton Oilers - Darnell Nurse, D
The Oilers have a choice here between Monahan and Nurse (with Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov also possibilities). They're actually deeper defensively on the roster and in the system than many realize, but I still wouldn't call it an area of strength. Many want them to take a centre, but between RNH and Gagner (who I think will get signed) plus the likes of Lander, Pitlick and Martindale in the system, I think they're OK there. Nurse gives them size (which he uses very well), excellent skating for a big man, strong offensive potential and and the ability to eat up minutes.

8. Buffalo Sabres - Sean Monahan, C
The Sabres did take Grigorenko and Girgensons last year, but Monahan is too good to pass on. He's not going to win any scoring titles, but he brings an extremely balanced game with good skating, excellent hockey sense and a defensive conscience. He's competitive and not far away from the NHL. He can also play the wing, which could be very useful to Buffalo down the road.

9. New Jersey Devils - Hunter Shinkaruk, C/LW
The Devils' farm system is hurting everywhere and Shinkaruk fills a big void with his scoring prowess and drive to succeed. The Medicine Hat Tigers' captain plays bigger than his 5'10, 181 frame and can be electrifying when he gets going. He brings a complete offensive package to a Devils club that has seen its once-strong forward group begin to crumble. New Jersey is tempted to grab blue chip goalie Zach Fucale here, but taking a goalie this high doesn't often work out.

10. Dallas Stars - Nikita Zadorov, D
Although they have a few strong prospects, the Stars' farm system needs some work everywhere. A tough choice with the likes of Zadorov, Ristolainen, Max Domi, Bo Horvat, Ryan Pulock and Alexander Wennberg available. One of several big defencemen in the first round, Zadorov skates very well and plays a physical game. The 6'4", 200-pound London rearguard uses his reach effectively and has a promising offensive arsenal, including a booming shot.

11. Philadelphia Flyers - Rasmus Ristolainen, D
12. Phoenix Coyotes - Max Domi, C
13. Winnipeg Jets - Anthony Mantha, LW
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Bo Horvat, C
15. New York Islanders - Zach Fucale, G
16. Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Pulock, D
17. Ottawa Senators - Samuel Morin, D
18. Detroit Red Wings - Mirco Mueller, D
19. Columbus Blue Jackets - Valentin Zykov, LW
20. San Jose Sharks - Alexander Wennberg, C
21. Toronto Maple Leafs - Curtis Lazar, C
*22. Calgary Flames - Josh Morrissey, D
23. Washington Capitals - Andre Burakovsky, LW
24. Vancouver Canucks - Adam Erne, LW
25. Montreal Canadiens - Frederik Gauthier, C
26. Anaheim Ducks - Ryan Hartman, RW
27. Columbus Blue Jackets - Nic Petan, C
*28. Calgary Flames - Kerby Rychel, LW
29. Dallas Stars - Morgan Klimchuk, LW
30. Chicago Blackhawks - Robert Hagg, D

Honourable mention:
Shea Theodore, D; Jason Dickinson, C; J.T. Compher, LW, Madison Bowey, D; Emile Poirier, LW; Jacob De la Rose, C.

*I accept no responsibility if Jay Feaster uses any of his picks to go off the board and take a HUGE SLEEPER PICK from Liechtenstein

A tough anniversary

Today marks two years since my uncle, George, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

George and I always had a special bond. He was a brother to me and he was the one person who always had my back no matter what. He was a hell of a guy: funny, caring, smart, athletic. He always seemed to do the right thing, and in a lot of ways he was my hero.

George had an uncanny ability to connect with people and make them feel valued. He meant the world to a lot of people in Canada and Australia, where he was a teacher for about 15 years. I was overwhelmed when I realized how many co-workers and students were mourning his loss. He left a void that will never be filled.

Although he was 46 when he died, George was a big kid at heart. He was so full of life. That made it even harder to accept he was gone.

It's almost as hard to believe that it's been two years since our lives were turned upside down.

Tragically Hip coming to Estevan

OK, so the music and twitter posts I tried to start doing every week kinda bombed. It turns out I don't have the discipline to do anything regularly on here. So instead I'll just try to throw up a music post every now and then, whenever I think of it or whenever a song hits me as something that should be shared.

The Hip are playing in Estevan on July 8, so in honour of that I thought I'd throw out a few songs that don't quite get the attention or airplay of some of their big hits.

Small Town Bringdown (Tragically Hip - self-titled)

My favourite song from a tremendous debut album that often gets overlooked. And the chorus is, I think, some of their best lyrics ever: 

It's a sad thing

Bourbons all around

To stop that feeling when you're living in a small town

You're long and lean
Things don't get you down
You're a top ten kingpin in the borders of your hometown

Boots or Hearts (Up to Here)

Twist My Arm (Road Apples)

Always been one of my favourite Hip songs...

Three Pistols (Road Apples)

Pigeon Camera (Fully Completely)

Never really discovered this until a few years ago, but it's just a great track. Plus, the background (both the reference to pigeon cameras used in war, and how the song came to be) makes it that much better.

Lionized (Fully Completely)

Great lyrics, simple as that.

Nautical Disaster (Day for Night)

Great song, for a lot of the same reasons I like Pigeon Camera. It's been disputed what the story refers to, but I always think of it being about Dieppe.

I could also list about 10 songs off World Container and We Are the Same. I thought both those albums were grossly underrated. Sure, they're both kind of a departure from earlier Hip, but they both had a lot of great tracks. 

From World Container, I actually really didn't like In View. But others, like The Lonely End of the Rink, Yer Not the Ocean, Family Band, and World Container, were simply great.

We Are the Same is definitely more of a mellow album... but it turns out the Hip do mellow pretty well too (as seen in the title track on Now For Plan A). Songs like Country Day, Morning Moon, Speed River and Coffee Girl are good for certain moods, and at least for me, it's hard not to feel optimistic in general listening to them. I dunno, they just have that effect on me. That's not to mention Love Is a First, which is a great, great song if you ask me.

While I'm here I may as well say that I cannot STAND Ahead By A Century. I never understood why it was so popular. I just don't like it, never have, and it's the only Hip song I will ever skip on a CD.

NHL trade deadline thoughts

It was looking like another slow NHL trade deadline today, but a flurry of moves in the last hour - including a few big ones - changed that in a hurry. Here's what I thought of each move made.

To Tampa Bay: G Ben Bishop
To Ottawa: F Cory Conacher, 4th round pick

Ben Bishop's a promising goalie who finally arrived in the NHL over the past year, and he's a good addition for the Lightning. But I can't believe they gave up Cory Conacher. The diminutive winger is a legitimate Calder Trophy contender and has been lighting it up. Considering Bishop would've been Ottawa's #3 goalie after Anderson gets back, they got a phenomenal return.

To Philly: G Steve Mason
To Columbus: G Michael Leighton, 3rd round pick

Mason simply needed to get out of Columbus, both for his own sake and the team's. It had grown to be somewhat of a toxic situation and with Bobrovsky's play this year, Mason lost the starter's job for good. I'm very surprised they managed to get a third rounder for him, plus a decent backup in Leighton.

To Columbus: RW Marian Gaborik
To NY Rangers: C Derick Brassard, RW Derek Dorsett, D John Moore

This was obviously the big shocker of the day. Columbus was expected to add, not sell, but Gaborik? No one expected them to go after a player of that calibre. I think this is a great deal for both teams. The Jackets have lots of depth up front, but no real star power. Gaborik gives them that, and with guys like Anisimov, Atkinson, Dubinsky, Foligno, Johansen, Calvert, Prospal, etc, they can ice two solid scoring lines. And the Rangers got a great return for a slumping, high-salaried player who had been dropped to the fourth line. While Brassard and Moore were expendable for Columbus, they're good pieces for the Rangers, not to mention Dorsett, who was the most surprising player to move. I know a lot of Columbus fans didn't like the deal for the sole reason of losing Derek.

Ironically, my best friend, who works in the Jackets' front office, is away for personal reasons and didn't know about this. Even he was shocked by the deal when he found out.

Looking at the last two deals, it's funny how things worked out. Last summer, the Jackets traded a star in Rick Nash to the Rangers for a package of three players and a pick. Now they acquire a star from NYR for three players. They're very similar deals, but I would take Anisimov, Dubinsky and Erixon over Brassard, Dorsett and Moore.

Meanwhile, last summer they acquired Bobrovsky from the Flyers for draft picks. Now they send the goalie Bobrovsky stole the starting job from, back to the Flyers for a pick. There's zero question the Jackets won that exchange, as Bob is emerging into a Vezina candidate.

To Minnesota: RW Jason Pominville
To Buffalo: LW Johan Larsson, G Matt Hackett, 1st round pick, 2nd round pick

Another deal I absolutely love for both teams. Pominville is a big-time pickup for the surging Wild, a guy who can put up big numbers and plays an all-around game, and wore the C in Buffalo. He should be a great fit in Minnesota. They paid a huge price, but they could afford to do it because the Wild have built up just a phenomenal group of prospects. Neither Larsson nor Hackett were among their top prospects. They still have the likes of Coyle, Granlund, Zucker, Phillips etc up front, and guys like Brodin and Dumba on the back end, as well as Darcy Kuemper and Johan Gustafsson for goalie prospects. Still, Buffalo hit a home run here.

To Columbus: LW Blake Comeau
To Calgary: 5th round pick

Low-risk, potentially high-reward move by Columbus. Comeau scored 24 goals for the Islanders two years ago and at age 27, I wouldn't be surprised to see him rediscover that form. He'll likely get third line minutes in Columbus. I'm a bit surprised Calgary didn't keep him, give him some of the ice time vacated by Iginla, and see what he could do.

To San Jose: LW Raffi Torres
To Phoenix: 3rd round pick

Torres doesn't need any introduction. Despite the many suspensions and controversial incidents, he can definitely play. I'm not really sure where San Jose is going though, after trading Clowe and Murray but adding Torres and Hannan. I know the former two were pending UFAs, but the Sharks seem a bit directionless right now.

To Toronto: D Ryan O'Byrne
To Colorado: 4th round pick

I felt the Leafs' biggest need was a defensive-minded blueliner, preferably a top four guy. O'Byrne is more of a third pairing guy but he's certainly a stay-at-home type, which is more what Toronto needed than an offensive guy. He fills needs in terms of eating some minutes (19 per game this year), killing penalties (2:32 per game) and just adding some experience and depth. Beyond Phaneuf, the Leafs are a bit inexperienced on the back end, so I like the O'Byrne pickup.

Even more, I like what the Leafs didn't do. Honestly, if not for the length of Roberto Luongo's contract, I would be all for getting him. But it has nine years left, and that's a big burden to take on. It's a big risk. It's just too bad it's not a three or four year deal, as he said today in his presser. As for Kiprusoff, to me he seems like a goalie on a steady decline and anything beyond a platoon and a mentorship role to Reimer would be too much. Not to mention whatever the price might have been.

To Boston: D Wade Redden
To St. Louis: conditional 7th rounder

Similar to the O'Byrne deal, although Redden obviously brings more experience to the table. He's certainly not what he used to be, but you can never have enough D heading into the playoffs. Interesting to see him and Chara on the same team again.

To Anaheim: C Matthew Lombardi
To Phoenix: LW Brandon McMillan

Honestly, I'm surprised Phoenix managed to get McMillan for him. Lombardi was in Toronto last season and, granted, he was coming off a serious concussion, but he really didn't bring much to the table other than his speed.

To New Jersey: RW Steve Sullivan
To Phoenix: 7th rounder

The Coyotes continued to trim the fat, sending the veteran winger (who just played in his 1,000th NHL game) back to the team that drafted him in 1994, before sending him to the Leafs in the Gilmour trade, followed by said Leafs frittering him away for nothing for effing Dmitri Khristich. Ahem... anyway, I can't say I've seen enough of Sullivan lately to say whether he's bringing much to the table, but the minimal return probably answers that.

To Nashville: RW Filip Forsberg
To Washington: RW Martin Erat, C Michael Latta

I'd like to know what George McPhee is smoking. Yes, Erat's a pretty good addition and should help the Caps, but you can't give up a kid like Forsberg for him. Erat isn't THAT much of a difference-maker; he's a second liner with a career high of 58 points. At the very least, if you're going to trade Forsberg, go after a guy like Pominville. Latta seems an average prospect, drafted in the third round and currently in his second AHL season.

I'm not going to do the dumb winners and losers thing, other than to say Columbus was a huge winner. Like I said, the Rangers did get a very good return that will help give them depth, but from the CBJ perspective, Brassard was underachieving and expendable; Dorsett, while a fan favourite and a heart and soul type, is replaceable; and Moore, while he should become a good d-man, is also kind of expendable with the likes of Ryan Murray, Tim Erixon, David Savard, Dalton Prout, Cody Goloubef, etc, also in the system. Columbus also got a great deal on Mason and took a flyer on a decent player in Comeau.

Also, between the Pominville deal today and trading Regehr earlier, Buffalo did an extremely good job of restocking their cupboard with prospects and picks. Kudos to Darcy Regier for that. Getting Hackett from Minnesota also raises the question whether Ryan Miller will be gone this summer and they go with Enroth and Hackett.