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4:23 p.m.: Turns out we weren't quite done. A couple of other minor trades slipped through the cracks.
Los Angeles traded backup goalie J.S. Aubin to the Ducks for a seventh round pick.
Also, from the "Who really cares?" department, Atlanta traded defenseman Alexandre Giroux for defenseman Joe Motzko.
Chew on those for a while. I'm going to go back and do some analysis for earlier trades.
4:10 p.m.: In what looks like the last move of the day, the Nashville Predators made a minor move today, dealing a seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay for one-time 28-goal scorer Jan Hlavac.
Analysis: The Predators, currently holding down eighth place in the Western Conference, gave up very little and got a nine-goal scorer in return. Hlavac, 31, scored 28 goals for the Rangers in 2000-01. Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it, Rangers fans?
4:01 p.m. Florida officially gets the "What the heck?" award for their activity this year. They have acquired center Chad Kilger from Toronto for a third-round pick. Check back later for analysis.
6:50 p.m. Analysis: This one I really don't understand. True, the Panthers are only six points out of a playoff spot, but they would have to leapfrog five other teams to get there.
Given their lifeless performance in a 5-0 loss to the Rangers on Sunday, I assumed they were ready to pack up their tents and start planning for next year. But even a few hours after the deadline, I still don't know what the heck they are thinking.
First they acquired tough guy/defenseman Wade Belak from Toronto, which I assumed would be a prelude to them trading away another defenseman. Sure enough, an hour later, they sent impending free agent Ruslan Salei to Colorado for a third-round pick. But it wasn't quite a salary dump, as they also picked up veteran d-man Karlis Skrastins in the process, who is signed through next year and only makes $600,000 less than Salei. And to top it all off, they gave up a third-round pick (I'm not sure if it's the same pick they got from Colorado in the Salei deal) for Chad Kilger.
Panthers GM/coach Jacques Martin said that with Richard Zednik out with a throat injury, "We needed a big, fast and skilled winger to play on one of our top lines... [Kilger] is a gritty, character veteran that will bring experience and a positive attitude to our locker room.''
Skilled? The guy has 10 goals this year. Sure Kilger may have a few intangibles, but if the Panthers were looking to add someone who could get them over the hump, they badly miscalculated. Maybe Martin's head was still spinning from that Rangers game.
3:57 p.m. Playing catch-up now... The Kings have traded defenseman Brad Stuart to Detroit for a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder. Analyis later, so come on back.
6:36 p.m. Analysis: This is an important move for Detroit. The Wings defense' is really banged up right now, with injuries to Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios and Niklas Kronwall. Stuart gives them some veteran stability, not to punch legitimate scoring punch.
When you consider the quality of the players who are out, and the size of the hole they have to fill, parting with second- and fourth-round picks doesn't seem like too big of a sacrifice for the Wings.
Smart move by the Kings, who are last in Western Conference and were going to lose Stuart to free agency anyway.
3:50 p.m. The Islanders have traded defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to Anaheim for a third-round pick.
Check out Greg Logan's blog for analysis of this move and the Chris Simon trade.
3:29 p.m. Newsday's Steve Zipay just confirmed a very interesting move by the Rangers. They have traded former first-round pick Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for right wing Fredrik Sjostrom, tough guy/winger Josh Gratton and goaltender David Leneveu.
LeNeveu is apparently a former student of Rangers goaltending guru Benoit St. Allaire.
5:27 p.m. Analysis: The reason this move is so interesting is because the Rangers gave up their top goaltending prospect, Montoya, and didn't get back anything resembling an impact player. I'm sure plenty of Rangers fans out there are wondering, Why couldn't we get more for him.
The answer is that Montoya's stock had fallen by a considerable degree this year due to injuries and inconsistency in the minors. Consider also that the Rangers recently signed Henrik Lundqvist to a long-term, big-money deal, which means that every team in the league knew that Montoya was never going to have a fair shot to be a starting goalie in New York.
Combine those factors, and you've got a pretty good idea of the forces at work here. Let's talk about who the Rangers acquired in the deal.
Gratton is a depth player -- a minor-league enforcer. Just check out his penalty minutes on Hockeydb.com and you'll see what I mean. LeNeveu, 24, doesn't appear to be much of a prospect. His goals against average has hovered around 3.00 in the American Hockey League, but who knows what Allaire can do when get gets hold of him.
Sjostrom is a former first round pick. He's 24 and he brings some decent speed and grit to the lineup. Look for him to bump either Ryan Hollweg or Petr Prucha into the press box. To me the most disappointing aspect of this move is that it failed to help the Rangers on defense, where they had their biggest need. We'll see if Sjostrom can bring some energy and scoring to the rink, because that's really all the Rangers needed from a third- or fourth-line player.
3:14 p.m. Color me shocked. The Islanders actually found a team stupid enough to take Chris Simon off their hands. Minnesota picked him up for a sixth round pick. Simon just last week came off a 30-game suspension for deliberately stepping on the foot of Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu in a game in December.
5 p.m. Analysis: Well, by now you probably know I'm pretty surprised the Islanders got anything for Simon. I'm just wondering what the hell Doug Risebrough and Jacques Lemaire are thinking up in Minnesota. Sure, Simon can still score the odd goal and can be a physical presence when he's got his head on straight. But wasn't there another player of similar 'skill' available today? I know it's only a sixth-round pick, but come on.
Great job by Garth Snow dumping Simon. The Islanders now have room to get Jeff Tambellini back in the lineup.
Kind of amazing when you think Snow got a sixth-rounder for Simon, but couldn't get any good offers for Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko.
Wow... Pittsburgh just became a serious Stanley Cup contender. They have reportedly acquired superstar winger Marian Hossa (and winger Pascal Dupuis) from Atlanta in exchange for a 2008 first-round pick, forwards Colby Armstrong and Ryan Christiansen, plus the 20th overall pick in 2007, Angelo Esposito.
Analysis: Listening to the talking heads on TSN, they feel the Penguins gave up a lot for one player who is eligible for free agency on July 1. Rangers fans will remember that Hossa was completely invisible during the first round of last year's playoffs, but still....
Allow yourself for a moment to imagine a line of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa. Putting aside the chemistry factor, what a line that would be.
There are questions surrounding the potential of Angelo Esposito, who was once projected to be one of the top five picks in last year's draft. Christiansen and Armstrong are solid players, but neither is a future star.
The bottom line is, it's a gamble, just as every trade is a gamble. If Hossa helps the Penguins go deep into the playoffs, it's a brilliant move. If not, it's a disaster. But it sure will be fun to watch. Rangers and Islanders fans can't be happy about this...
2:57 p.m. The Rangers made their first trade of the deadline, acquiring defenseman Christian Backman from St. Louis for a fourth round pick.
4:58 p.m. Analysis: Well, this isn't quite the big move Rangers fans were hoping for, but they did manage to add a useful NHL player without giving up anything off their active roster.
Backstrom, 27, recently came back from a left foot injury that kept him sidelined for 10 games. When healthy, Backstrom is a decent defensive defenseman who can give the Rangers some depth. He has 10 points in 45 games this year.
It's hard to say what this means for Rangers defensemen Marek Malik, Paul Mara and Jason Strudwick, all of whom could lose a lineup spot with this acquisition, depending on how Tom Renney wants to use Backman.
One interesting note: Backman played on the same Swedish championship team as Henrik Lundqvist during the 2004-05 lockout and on the same Swedish team that won the gold medal in the 2006 Olympics. So there's some familiarity there on Lundqvist's part.
For more on Backman, read Steve Zipays's blog.
2:55 p.m.: Pittsburgh has acquired Hal Gill from Toronto for a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder. Trades coming in fast now, so I'll come back for analysis as soon as time permits.
4:33 p.m. Analysis: Gill, 32, is a rangy, physical defenseman who Toronto typically used against opposing teams' top players. He has 20 points in 63 games this year, but don't count him to provide the Pens with much offense.
This is a good supplemental move for a team that is going for broke in this year's playoffs. Toronto's not going anywhere, so they were smart to pick up a couple of picks for a guy they would have lost in free agency anyway.
If you're keeping track at home, Pittsburgh today gave up its first, second and fourth round picks in this year's draft. Guess they're done rebuilding.
According to Sportsnet.ca, it's looking more and more like Pittsburgh will emerge as the winners of the Marian Hossa sweepstakes. Crosby, Malkin and Hossa on the same team? Bad news for the Eastern Conference.
2:49 p.m.: Things have been suspiciously quiet for the past hour. My guess is that a lot of GMs are doing plenty of last-minute bargaining. I'm expecting a huge flurry of activity in the next 45 minutes.
Wouldn't be surprised if Atlanta GM is doing some major-league negotiating right now for Marian Hossa. I still think he'll be gone by the end of the day.
Remember, the deadline is 3 p.m., but trades may be announced as late as a couple of hours afterwards, depending on how backlogged the league offices get.
2:20 p.m.: TSN reported a few minutes ago that trade speculation surrounding Panthers center Olli Jokinen "is on the cooler side." Looks like Marian Hossa may be the only big name left that has a good chance to change addresses.
2:13 p.m. Steve Zipay reports in his Rangers blog that nothing much new is happening at the MSG training facility today. A couple of Rangers offered thoughts on the Brad Richards and Cristobal Huet trade, but so far no movement on the trade front.
Steve did offer a list of defenseman the Rangers may still be trying to acquire.
2:10 p.m. Newsday's Greg Logan posted some food for thought on Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko in his Islanders blog a short while ago. Looks like they remain the prime candidates to be traded within the next 50 minutes.
2:04 p.m. The Washington Capitals have traded winger Matt Pettinger to Vancouver for winger Matt Cooke.
Analysis: Not much to say here. Cooke, 29, is a good third-line penalty killer. Pettinger, 27, is a more physical third-liner and a former 20-goal scorer. Hard to see how this trade shakes up the balance of either team.
2:36 p.m.: Cooke just did an interview on TSN in which he claimed there was "a shift" two years ago, after which he felt he wasn't a part of the Canucks plans. Reading between the lines, Cooke was likely referring to Alain Vigneault replacing Marc Crawford as head coach, which occurred nearly two years ago. Cooke said he was looking forward to going "somewhere where they want me." Interesting.
1:51 p.m.: Finally got those details on the Adam Foote-to-Colorado trade.
The Avalanche gave up a conditional first round pick (in 2008 or 2009 depending on whether they make the playoffs this year), plus a conditional pick which will depend on whether or not they re-sign Foote.
Foote grew up in the Avalanche organization, spending his first 12 seasons there. He makes an unsightly $4.6 million, but he'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
It seems like Colorado gave up an awful lot on a gamble that Foote will help them make the playoffs. They're currently four points behind eighth-place Nashville in the West, but I'm not sure Foote is the kind of impact player they needed. Giving up a first-round pick seems a little much. Have to give the edge here to Columbus.
1:41 p.m.: TSN reports that the Islanders have acquired defenseman Rob Davison from San Jose for a seventh round pick.
Analysis: With Andy Sutton, Brendan Witt and Chris Campoli all out with injuries, the Islanders needed some depth on the blueline, and that's what Davison will provide.
Davison, 27, has played just 15 games this year and has no points. He'll probably play only until Brendan Witt returns sometime in the next two weeks, at which point Ted Nolan will have to decide between Davison, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard for a lineup spot.
1:16 p.m.: Here's an interesting one. The Columbus Blue Jackets have reportedly traded center Sergei Fedorov to the Washington Capitals. In return, the Blue Jackets will get 2007 second-round pick Teddy Ruth.
Analysis: Washington isn't fooling around. They've been one of the best teams in the league since December, and they're only five points out of the lead in the Southeast Conference. Fedorov is nowhere near the player he was in Detroit, but he can still help the Caps fill the void left when center Michael Nylander went down for the season.
Fedorov is in the last year of a five-year, $40 million deal, which means he's basically an expensive rental.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, have begun dismantling. There was some thought earlier today that they could be in the running for Brad Richards, but after failing to get him, it seems the decision was made to sell off their impending UFAs. Getting a former second-round pick and dumping his salary was a pretty good move for them.
1:03 p.m. Rogers Sportsnet in Canada is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche have acquired Adam Foote from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Not sure yet what the Blue Jackets will get in return.
The Avalanche appear to be loading up on physical blueliners. More to come...
12:59 p.m.: Brad Richards waived his no-trade clause and his headed to Dallas.
Read more about the Richards-to-Dallas trade here.
12:46 p.m. TSN is now reporting the Ottawa Senators have made their first move of the deadline, picking up forward Martin Lapointe from Chicago for a sixth-round pick.
Analysis: Lapointe, 34, isn't much more than a fourth-line player at this point in his career.
I guess the Senators, who have become obsessed in recent years with adding gritty players at the deadline, felt they needed the help. They've been in a tailspin lately, and last night's 5-0 brutal loss to the Maple Leafs sparked a lot of panic up North.
Lapointe has a reputation as a good guy in the locker room, but he makes $2.4 million and only has three goals this year. How valuable could he be? This sounds like a panic move by GM Brian Murray. Bad deal.
12:38 p.m. TSN reports the Blackhawks have acquired winger Andrew Ladd from Carolina for Tuomo Ruutu.
Analysis: This move has "change of scenery" written all over it. Ruutu, 25, a former No. 9 overall pick, scored 23 goals four years ago with the Blackhawks but has been a major disappointment this year (six goals in 60 games).
Ladd, a former No. 4 overall pick, is only 22, but the Hurricanes had hoped he would emerge as a better scorer by now. They've experiemented with him on their top scoring lines and their power play, but he's been in and out of the lineup with injuries and has just nine goals this season.
It makes sense that the rebuilding Blackhawks, who have lots of young talent at forward, would gamble on the slightly younger player, while the Hurricanes, who are in a tight battle for first place in Southeast Division, would want the more experienced of the two.
12:26 p.m.: The Colorado Avalanche have reportedly acquired physical defenseman Ruslan Salei from the Florida Panthers for defenseman Karlis Skrastins and a third-round pick.
12:36 p.m. Analysis: No big surprise here. Colorado strengthens its defense with the physical Salei. The Panthers get a third-rounder. Salei makes about $3 million, but his contract is up after this season. Skrastins makes about $600,000 less than Salei and is signed through next year, so the Panthers don't get much salary-cap help.
11:56 a.m.: The Canadiens have reportedly traded goaltender Cristobal Huet to Washington for a second round pick.
Analysis: I'm not entirely sure why Washington felt they needed a goaltender. Olaf Kolzig is still reliable. Maybe they feel he can step in when Kolzig is ready to hang 'em up? But as one of our commenters pointed out, he's 32 years old. Who knows?
As for the Habs, they have been increasingly leaning on 20-year-old former first-round pick Carey Price in goal, so from their perspective, this trade is not as surprising.
Another thing that wouldn't be surprising would be if the Habs took that pick and packaged it in a deal for Marian Hossa. Stay tuned...
11:43 a.m.: This is a big one. Dallas is reportedly awaiting word on whether Richards will waive his no-trade clause.
According to TSN, the trade is: Richards and goalie Johan Holmqvist to Dallas for goalie Mike Smith, winger Jussi Jokinen and center Jeff Halpern.
Analysis: Just spoke to Newsday's Steve Zipay about this one, and he likes the move for Tampa. I happen to agree.
Tampa gets major salary cap relief by freeing themselves of Richards' huge contract ($7.8 million per year for the next three years) and Smith who could be the answer to their goaltending problems. Jokinen's only 23 and should develop into a very good second-line scoring winger for the rebuilding Lightning. Halpern has a reputation as a good third-line center who can score and play on the penalty kill.
Since their Stanley Cup win in 2004, the Lightning have had trouble filling out their second and third line with talented support players. They've also had major problems in net. This trade addresses both concerns.
The Stars, meanwhile gave themselves a huge upgrade on the attack. Richards is a top-notch playmaker who makes Dallas' offense (tied for third-most goals in NHL) that much more dangerous. Holmqvist steps into the backup role vacated by Smith, a role tow which he's much better suited to than the starting role he had been thrust into in Tampa.
Mike Modano's only got two years left on his contract and the Stars are moving to secure a core of young forwards to take the reins when their all-time leading scorer is gone. They've already got Mike Ribeiro and Brendan Morrow inked through 2010-11; add Richards' name to that list.
11:35 a.m. And we have finally have our first blockbuster of the day. The package is reportedly Sharks winger Steve Bernier and a first-round pick.
11:50 a.m. Analysis: Not a bad deal for the Sharks if you ask me... They give up a first-round pick and a good young winger in return for a guy who can really help their 20th-ranked power play. Bernier will be just 23 next month and has already proven he can score in this league (15 goals last year, 13 so far this year). Still, the Sabres are in the thick of a playoff race and it's too bad they had to give up Campbell, who was due to be an unrestricted free agent and couldn't come to terms on a new deal to stay in Buffalo.
Bernier will certainly help them long-term, but short-term, this is a great trade for a Sharks team with legitimate Stanley Cup dreams.
11:31 a.m.: Just spoke to Rangers beat man Steve Zipay, who informs us that everyone on the Rangers' roster except Paul Mara (facial surgery) and Colton Orr (upper body injury) practiced this morning, meaning that no trade is imminent at this time.
We'll keep you informed on that one...
11:22 a.m. Here's an odd one: The Panthers, assumed to be sellers in this year's trade market, have reportedly acquired Toronto enforcer/defenseman Wade Belak for a fifth-round draft pick.
Analysis: My guess is the Panthers are planning to dump some of their top defenseman (Ruslan Salei, Jassen Cullimore are two possibilities) and added Belak as insurance. He only makes $650,000, so keeping him on the roster wouldn't be a big deal if they fail to trade Salei or Cullimore. And if they do make a deal, Belak can play as a sixth d-man and be a deterrent to teams that try to take advantage what could be a truly lousy defense in the last 20 games.
I find it hard to believe the Panthers really think they have a chance to make the playoffs.
11:03 a.m. It's not exactly a blockbuster, but TSN.ca is reporting the Devils have picked up defenseman Bryce Salvador from the Blues in exchange for physical forward Cam Janssen.
Analysis: Salvador, 32, is a physical blueliner who has averaged a little under 20 minutes per game in St. Louis. He should give New Jersey's young defense some depth and a better physical presence. It's a good move by Devils GM Lou Lamoriello for two reasons:
First, he only had to give up a marginal player in Janssen, who just came back from a shoulder injury. Second, because Salvador is the kind of player the division-rival Rangers probably were looking at in their quest to get tougher on the blueline. So the Devils get stronger and prevent the Rangers from helping themselves. Smart.
10:28 a.m. All quiet so far. Seems like everyone is just waiting for the dominoes to fall. While you wait for news to break, check out this interesting blog on the Toronto Globe & Mail web site. It's written by an NHL insider and gives you a feel for what happens during the deadline. Apparently it's not always as exciting as it seems to outsiders.
9:29 a.m. I just finished a quick audio report with Newsday's Steve Zipay. He still thinks the Rangers are most likely to pick up a defenseman or two, and touted Columbus' Ron Hainsey as one under-the-radar name the Rangers might want to investigate.
He said that if the Rangers did pick up two defenseman, the second would most likely be a depth player, not a big-time impact guy. He also offered some predictions about where Tampa's Brad Richards, Atlanta's Marian Hossa and Buffalo's Brian Campbell might ened up. Listen to the full report.
8:55 a.m. Newsday's Greg Logan reports that Mike Comrie has signed a one-year extension worth $4 million. So he is officially off the trade market. Read Greg's blog entry on the signing.
8:35 a.m. According to TSN.ca, the Islanders have re-signed Mike Comrie.
8:01 a.m. Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night so I thought a little Aerosmith might help get the blood flowing.
You won't see any early-morning updates until around 9 a.m., at which time I'll be posting some audio of an interview I'll be doing with Newsday's Steve Zipay at 8:15. We'll talk about the Rangers' plans for the deadline and where some of the big names might end up. Should be interesting, so come on back.
Greetings hockey fans!
It's that time of year again -- the NHL trade deadline day.
Will the Islanders unload their other impending free agents? Will the Rangers make a move to shore up their defense? Let's find out...
By Mark La Monica
For all those who once wondered when women's sports would reach the same level as men's sport, it just happened.
For all those who once wondered if women's sports would reach the same level as men's sport, it just happened.
Candace Parker announced on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, that she is foregoing her final year of eligibility and turning pro for this April's WNBA draft.
The Tennessee Lady Vol, the woman who elevated above the rim like none before her in women's hoops, is a redshirt junior who will graduate this year. But she's skipping her final year of eligibility to be the No. 1 pick this year. (If the L.A. Sparks don't pick her, Congress better step in with some hearings!)
A woman ready for the pro game jumps early? Substitute "man" for "woman" and that sentence generates zero blips on the sports radar. It might make the crawl on ESPN at night. But when a woman turns pro early, it's news. And it's good news.
Parker is no doubt ready to make the jump, but the significance here is huge for women's sports. She's blazing a trail, from winning the McDonald's All-American slam dunk contest in high school, to dunking twice in a game and in the NCAA tournament, to being one of if not the first woman to forego her final year of eligibility for the pros.
Of course, the rules of eligibility for women are still different than that of the men, so don't expect much preventive legislation attempts like we saw in the NBA recently. Not everyone has Parker's skills. But those who come close can seriously consider foregoing a final year of college eligibility, and that is just about as equal as we can get in sports (aside from money).
So give props to Parker for making the decision to leave college early and go pro.
By Mark La Monica
Let's start with three statements of fact and follow it up with two questions and two comments.
Fact 1: This past Wednesday, the NCAA levied accusations that Indiana Hoosiers hoops coach Kelvin Sampson committed five major rules violations.
Fact 2: A school investigation last year revealed that Sampson had made more than 100 impermissible phone calls to recruits.
Fact 3: He made those phone calls while he was on probation for doing the exact same thing 577 times while the coach at Oklahoma.
Question 1: How much longer can Indiana president MIchael McRobbie wait before firing Sampson for subjecting the school to future sanctions from the NCAA that will cripple its recruiting for several years after Sampson is gone?
Question 2: How much longer until some other stupid school athletic director and president hires Sampson to coach - and destroy - another program?
Comment 1: You know some other school will sell its soul in a few years and hire Sampson, who will then go through his coach's rehab checklist and say he's learned his lesson, he's happy to have another opportunity and he wants to restore a winning tradition at insert school name here.
Comment 2: Although Indiana will have to man up and deal with the NCAA sanctions and its effect on the program's success, the school is in the rare position of not losing much face or regard in the court of public opinion. Typically when a school gets hit with a recruiting scandal, the school's image suffers. Not so in this case. This will be looked at as Sampson besmirching another school's reputation.
Ah, karma.
Four days after a balky clock got stuck at 0.2 and allowed Tennessee to beat Rutgers on two free throws, 59-58, LSU rebounded from a 21-2 deficit to deal the Vols their worst conference loss at home since 1985.
LSU didn’t just win, the Tigers went for the Tennessee jugular with its stifling defense and forced 15 steals in the 88-62 victory. LSU shot 60 percent to Tennessee’s 28.6 percent in the second half. For the first time in team history, six LSU players scored in double figures, led by 6-6 center Sylvia Fowles with 17 points and 14 rebounds. The win puts LSU atop the SEC as the only conference unbeaten and will surely wipe Tennessee from the No. 1 spot.
Yeah, you know what they say about payback.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said earlier in the week that her team was physically and emotionally spent after the Rutgers game.
“I can’t figure this group out,” she said after the LSU game. “We got a win over Rutgers. They went in understanding that we could win the league tonight if we took care of business. That didn’t seem to matter
very much.”
Hey, you can’t fight karma.
Here’s a piece of justice: After the post-game foul on Monday handed the game to Tennessee, LSU on Thursday took advantage of 17 Tennessee fouls in the second half, sinking 17 of 26 at the line.
Somewhere in New Jersey, C. Vivian Stringer and her Scarlet Knights must be smiling.
