Thursday's trade deadline forced the hand of many franchises looking to bolster their rosters for the playoffs. With the top five teams in each conference basically locked up, the bottom three will fight over the next 20 games, and some boast some new acquisitions to get them geared up.
The San Jose Sharks, currently ranked 11th in the West, acquired Finnish left wing Ville Nieminen from the New York Rangers in a third round pick. Nieminen, who has not been particularly impressive during the regular season, apparently caught San Jose's eye while playing for the Finnish Olympic team. Nieminen played with the Stanley Cup Finalist Calgary Flames in 2003-04, and his playoff experience, tenacity and leadership make him a smart addition to San Jose's roster.
The Sharks have struggled this season despite their trade for Joe Thornton in November and the subsequent play of Jonathan Cheechoo. They are eight games out of a playoff spot with a month to go.
The Minnesota Wild have been stuck with a goalie controversy all season long. The 36-year old former All-Star Dwayne Roloson has been playing second fiddle to Manny Fernandez, who recently signed a $13 million, three-year extension. Fernandez is ranked fifth in the league with a 2.23 goals against average. He is third in the league in save percentage, at 92 percent. The Wild are currently fighting for the coveted eighth playoff spot in the most competitive division in the NHL, the Northwest.
On Wednesday, the Wild traded Roloson to their division rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, for a first-round pick in this summer's draft. The Wild freed up much needed cap room, cementing Fernandez as their number one man as they begin their playoff run.
Roloson is not the only goaltender to be traded this week. After his performance in the Olympics, Swiss goalie Daniel Aebischer of the Colorado Avalanche has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens for former league MVP goaltender Jose Theodore. Theodore, who fractured his right heel last month, is expected to return to the ice in April, and the Avs hope he will help them reach another Stanley Cup Final.
Recently, the Canadians have turned to France native Cristobal Huey, who has looked spectacular for them since Theodore's injury, managing a .922 save percentage. The trade for Aebischer should provide them with much-needed depth in the net as they attempt to hold on to that eighth playoff spot in the East.
Defensemen have been the other hot commodity, especially for the New Jersey Devils, who moved three this week. Ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, the Devils acquired veteran Ken Klee from the Toronto Maple Leafs for minor leaguer Aleksander Suglobov. They also added Brad Lukowich from the dismantled New York Islanders for a third-round pick this summer before promptly sending unproductive Sean Brown to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick. Lukowich won Stanley Cups with both the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning and is exactly the caliber of player that the Devils will need to make another run.
The Islanders, meanwhile, seem to have chalked this season up as a loss. Along with Wednesday's trade with New Jersey, the Islanders also sent forward Mark Parrish and defenseman Brent Sopel to the Los Angeles Kings for 22-year old defender Denis Grebeshkov and 21-year old winger Jeff Tambellini. The Islanders, nine games out of a playoff spot with three teams ahead of them, appear to have given up their push to make their fourth straight playoff appearance.
The final notable deal involved Columbus Blue Jacket captain Luke Richardson. The 36-year old was drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1991 and it appears his career will end in Toronto as well. Richardson, whose constant blunders cost the Philadelphia Flyers numerous games several years ago, is good at taking penalties and not much else. In 1,300 career games, Richardson has recorded nearly 2,000 penalty minutes, but has only seven points so far this season.
