The frenzy of the last hour or so of the 2015 NHL trade deadline day has now calmed and the dust has settled. It was the most active deadline day in five years for the league, seeing 24 deals consummated involving 43 players.
The Blue Jackets waited until later in the day to make any moves, but they did make some trades and sign an extension. They are not in full-on rebuild mode, so there was no need to "blow up" the roster. Minor tweaks were the order of the day to move an expendable player out and stockpile the cupboards for the deepest draft in years.
How did Columbus' Metropolitan Division opponents fare leading up to the deadline? Not everybody within the division made distinguished moves, but there were a few standout moments.
The New York Rangers are still wondering what hit them last June in the Stanley Cup Finals. But here they are, poised to make another run for the Cup. GM Glen Sather is acting like the window is closing on their chances of winning it all for the first time 21 years. And it just may well be, with an aging roster on their hands.
The big move for the Rangers was in landing offensive-defenseman Keith Yandle from the Arizona Coyotes, even getting the 'Yotes to pick up half his salary. He's signed through next season and his cap hit is now merely $2.625M. The hope is that he'll be the push they need to win their first Stanley Cup since 1994. In 64 games this season, Yandle has posted 4-37-41 (-32).
The cost was high, in that they sent one of their top-prospects in Anthony Duclair, along with a first-round pick and a second-round pick. If this doesn't work out for Sather and the Rangers now, the effects will be felt for a longer period of time.
The Philadelphia Flyers were the other big movers in the division, trading defenseman Braydon Coburn to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Radko Gudas and Tampa's first and third round picks in this years' draft. This leaves just Claude Giroux as the only remaining active player on the Flyers roster from the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
This is arguably a bigger trade than the Yandle deal, just for the fact that Flyers GM Ron Hextall was able to get the Lightning to pony-up a first round pick. In 31 games for the Lightning this season, Gudas is 2-3-5 (-5). Flyers right wing Jakub Voracek was raving about his Czech countryman after the trade was announced, telling Comcast Philly, "Fans are gonna love him here."
Philadelphia is on the outside looking in on the playoffs, and will most likely remain in that position to finish the season. This deal didn't hurt them in the short-term but has the potential to be big in the long-term.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been active for a while now, adding David Perron from the Edmonton Oilers and Maxim Lapierre from the St. Louis Blues earlier this year. GM Jim Rutherford also acquired Daniel Winnik from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week.
On Monday, they traded defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and their seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft to the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Ian Cole. They also added D-man Ben Lovejoy from the Anaheim Ducks for D Simon Despres. These moves help them now and moving forward.
GM Garth Snow and the New York Islanders took advantage of the "fire sale" in Buffalo. They traded goalie Chad Johnson and a third-round pick in the 2016 draft to the Sabres in exchange for goalie Michal Neuvirth. Frankly, Neuvirth was too good to stay in Buffalo as part of the tank job taking place there, almost guaranteeing the Sabres picking either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.
The Islanders also acquired C Tyler Kennedy from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional draft pick, C Dustin Jeffrey from the Vancouver Canucks for C Cory Conacher and D Mark Louis from the Arizona Coyotes for G David Leggio.
Snow and the Islanders have secured themselves a table at the post-season dance and are made moves to secure their place in the top-three within the division.
The Washington Capitals were so-so with their moves, acquiring Curtis Glenncross from the Calgary Flames and aging defenseman Tim Gleason from the Carolina Hurricanes. It didn't make them better or worse and it looks as if the Caps are securely in a wild card position with 18 games to play.
The New Jersey Devils shipped defenseman Marek Zidlicky to the Detroit Red Wings for conditional draft picks. Like the Flyers, the Devils and GM/coach Lou Lamoriello are on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
At this point, for the teams not in the playoffs, it's time to finish out the season and hope for the best when the draft lottery takes place. This includes the Blue Jackets as they hope for a healthy finish to their final 20 games and a much healthier season next year. And really, neither the Blue Jackets or the Flyers, when both are healthy, should be considered out of contention for a top-three position in the Metro.
The Metropolitan Division didn't get markedly better with the moves made by the teams leading up to the trade deadline. For all intents and purposes, the division is still a muddy place to be, with no clear front-runner. That doesn't look like it's going to change for next season.
