Monday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline came and went and there were no blockbusters consummated — at least not on deadline day. With many big deals made in the two weeks prior to the deadline, there wasn’t much left for NHL general managers to do on what became an anticlimactic Monday, with plenty of buildup and little payoff.
There were barely half the number of deadline-day trades this season compared to last (16 to 31), and what was lacking in quantity was not made up for in quality. The hottest names in the rumor mill — such as Brad Richards and Tomas Vokoun — stayed put. The biggest names that moved, including Tomas Kaberle, Brad Boyes, Kris Versteeg and Erik Johnson, all switched teams before deadline day.
Monday’s biggest deal involved the Kings acquiring Dustin Penner from the Oilers for defenseman prospect Colten Teubert, a 2011 first-round pick and a conditional pick in 2012. The ultimate winner in this trade, as with seemingly all of Monday’s deals, will not be known for years with no exchange of stars going down.
Indeed, Monday’s suspense and drama ended not with a bang but with a whimper — several whimpers. No offense to the players who were traded, but names like Chris Campoli, Rostislav Klesla, Scottie Upshall, Niclas Bergfors, Dennis Wideman and Brad Winchester do not move the needle. They are not considered major difference makers. Who knows? Come May or June, one or more of them might help a team win in the playoffs. But for now, they don’t look like much more than complimentary players.
In fact, perhaps the biggest losers on Monday were the TV and radio commentators left to fill hours of air time with news that typically is covered in less than three minutes.
With deadline day now behind us, the message is patience. Short-term success will be determined in June in the playoffs. Long-term success will be determined over years. And for fans of deadline day, there is this to look forward to: Next deadline day almost has to be more exciting than Monday.
