March 14^th, 2004

To BLACKHAWKS: Lasse Pirjeta, DET 2004 Rnd 8, DET 2005 Rnd 8
To WINGS: Dimitri Yushkevich

Yushkevich is a good acquisition for the Wings as his defensive presence can help them.  It was also a nice move for the Hawks as they shed some salary and grabbed a couple of low-round picks.  The Wings definitely got better value for their team overall though.  Winner: Wings

March 16^th, 2004

To BLACKHAWKS: Ron Tugnutt
To LIGHTNING: Patrick Ehelechner, CHI 2005 Rnd 4

Having decided to rebuild, the Lightning had no use for Tugnutt and got a bright young goalie in Ehelechner.  The 4^th round pick is an added bonus.  The Blackhawks get a much-needed competent backup who is not too expensive.  Winner: Blackhawks

To HURRICANES: Ryan Getzlaf, EDM 2004 Rnd 4, FLA 2004 Rnd 6
To LIGHTNING: Ty Conklin

Many thought that Conklin would be with the Hurricanes for a long time, but their need for forward help and the fact that they already have Rick Dipietro made Conklin available in a deal like this.  Getzlaf is a superbly talented youngster who can play any forward position.  Conklin will probably take over starting duties for Marc Denis next season in Tampa Bay.  Winner:  Lightning

To HURRICANES: Kip Miller, Scott Young, Alexander Drozdetsky, Cory Urquhart, NIKITA KOROVKIN
To FLYERS: Adam Johnson, BRIAN SIPOTZ, Davis Parley, Jaakko Harikkala, KARRI AKKANEN, KONSTANTIN BARANOV, Mika Hannula, Vladimir Sapozhnikov, $3.500.000

The Hurricanes helped out the Flyers with their financial problems here and the Flyers helped the ‘Canes par down their prospect list.  Though the Flyers did not acquire any superb prospects, they all have a chance to make the WCFHL one day and 3.5 million dollars is a big help to them.  They were also able to move over 5 million dollars in salary by trading Miller and Young.  The Hurricanes have no use for either of those guys, but they got 3 very interesting prospects in Drozdetsky, Urquhart and Korovkin.  However, it seems like they gave up a little bit too much cash in this deal.  Winner: Flyers

March 17^th, 2004

To CANADIENS: Vesa Toskala
To SHARKS: MTL 2005 Rnd 1

Toskala has proven he can play, but not at any higher level than “quality backup.”  He is still young and may be a starter eventually, but I personally think a 1^st round pick is a little too much to give up for him, especially considering that the Habs might finish next year close to where they finished this year, putting that pick possibly in the lottery.  Winner: Sharks

March 18^th, 2004

To AVALANCHE: David Aebischer
To RANGERS: Patrick Lalime

A very surprising deal considering the Rangers had been touting Aebischer as their goalie of the future.  Lalime has proven he can win in the WCFHL but he still has his detractors, as many people view him as a goalie who is successful more because of the system that he is in rather than his overall talent.  Considering what the Avs have paid in the past for NHL Avs, it’s a surprise the Rangers couldn’t wrangle a 1^st round pick or 2 in to the deal.  Winner:  Rangers

To KINGS: Sean Burke, NYR 2004 Rnd 3
To RANGERS: Johan Hedberg, Manny Malhotra, Eric Fehr

Burke has been the best goalie in the league this year so this deal was a shock to many people.  It is clear that the Rangers must want Hedberg to be their backup, but I think their old combo of Burke/Aebischer would serve them better than Lalime/Hedberg.  Picking up 2 recent 1^st round picks in the deal definitely gives it to the Rags though.  Winner: Rangers

March 20^th, 2004

To CANADIENS: COL 2005 Rnd 6
To AVALANCHE: Peter Skudra

Skudra may never be back in the NHL, so this was a good deal for Montreal.  Winner: Canadiens

To THRASHERS: Andrew Ference, Jonathan Girard, VAN 2004 Rnd 2
To DEVILS: Jon Klemm, DAL 2004 Rnd 7, ATL 2005 Rnd 5

Klemm will definitely help the Devils defense, but was acquiring him really worth two good young defenders and a 2^nd round pick?  Winner: Thrashers

To STARS: Mike LeClerc, COL 2005 Rnd 1
To AVALANCHE: Matthew Barnaby

One of the worst deals of the year.  Nothing against Barnaby, who is a solid 3^rd line guy, but this isn’t the type of deal you make for a solid 3^rd line guy.  Winner: Stars

To DEVILS: Greg deVries, Kip Miller, Aleksander Suglobov, Brandon Reid, JOAKIM LINDSTRÖM, PETR KANKO, Shawn Belle, Thomas Vanek, CHI 2004 Rnd 2, CAR 2004 Rnd 3, ANA 2004 Rnd 3, CAR 2005 Rnd 1, CAR 2005 Rnd 2, CAR 2005 Rnd 5, CAR 2005 Rnd 6
To HURRICANES: Andre Roy, Claude Lemieux, Mike Zigomanis, Nikolai Zherdev, NJD 2004 Rnd 6, CAR 2004 Rnd 6, NJD 2005 Rnd 1, NJD 2005 Rnd 5, NJD 2005 Rnd 6

Most likely the largest deal of the year.  The Hurricanes tried hard to trade up in the draft to pick Zherdev and were unsuccessful, so they ended up paying a very high price for him later.  DeVries and Miller were not in the Hurricanes long-term plans and though they did give up some great prospects in Suglobov, Kanko, Vanek, Belle, Lindstrom and Reid, it is very possible that none of those players will end up as good as Zherdev, who scored 16 points in 13 NHL games after being acquired by Carolina.  The Hurricanes gave up some very good draft choices in each of the next two drafts, though they also swapped 1^st, 5^th and 6^th rounders with New Jersey in 2005.  If the Hurricanes can somehow come out ahead of the Devils next season this might be a win for them, but on clear numbers and overall amount of talent, this one goes to Jersey.  Winner:  Devils  

To PANTHERS: SERGEI ANSHAKOV
To SABRES: Ivan Baranka

These guys were selected in the exact same spot in the draft in consecutive years, but I have to say I think Anshakov has a lot more upside than Baranka.  He has not exactly been tearing up the Russian league, but once he makes it to North America I think we will see fast improvement to his game and offensive numbers.  Winner:  Panthers

March 21^st, 2004

To AVALANCHE: Ossi Vaananen
To ISLANDERS: Dick Tarnstrom

Another lopsided deal by Colorado to acquire an NHL Av.  Advice:  If you have players who don Colorado sweaters in the NHL, trade them to me, I’ll make sure they make it to Duke.  Winner:  Islanders

To CANUCKS: Derian Hatcher, Marco Sturm, $950.000
To STARS: Jamie Langenbrunner, Janne Niinimaa, Andrew Hutchinson, NAS 2004 Rnd 1, NAS 2004 Rnd 3

Sturm is a nice piece for the Canucks re-building movement, but was it really worth what they gave up to acquire Sturm and Hatcher?  Langenbrunner had a sub-par season and Hutchinson fell off after a quick start, but Niinima is younger than Hatcher and nearly as good (though each are stronger in different aspects of the game).   How could the Canucks give up 1^st and 3^rd round picks in this deal?  Dan once again gets the absolute most possible out of his players.  Winner: Stars

March 22^nd, 2004

To HURRICANES: NYI 2004 Rnd 6
To WINGS: Rob Dimaio, TOR 2004 Rnd 8

The ‘Canes move up two rounds by moving a player who really didn’t have a place in their lineup, while the Wings acquire a solid veteran presence for the playoffs and move down two rounds.  Winner: Push

March 24^th, 2004

To HURRICANES: Bob Wren, Jim McKenzie, Shawn Heins, FLA 2004 Rnd 2
To DUCKS: Andre Roy, Nolan Pratt, Scott Young, DAL 2004 Rnd 4, FLA 2004 Rnd 6

The Hurricanes wanted to get another pick in the 2^nd round and they accomplished that by moving 3 guys they did not need and two low-round picks.  Though dealing Pratt has now made their defense paper-thin and paper-tough, it was worth it overall for this team.  None of the 3 players the Hurricanes acquired will make a difference, though the guys the Ducks acquired may not either.  Winner: Hurricanes

March 25^th, 2004

To ISLANDERS: DET 2005 Rnd 7
To WINGS: Adam Graves, NYI 2005 Rnd 8

Another round-hopping deal, though this time it’s only a difference of one year and the picks are in 2005.  The Isles had no need for Graves, so why not do it?  Winner:  Push

To PANTHERS: Dan Fritsche, Darren Langdon, Steve Kariya, FLA 2004 Rnd 4
To DUCKS: Michal Grosek, CHRISTOPH BRANDNER, $12.500

Isn’t Fritsche just about ready for the WCFHL at just 18 years old?  How the heck did the Panthers get a draft pick back in this deal? Winner: Panthers

To DEVILS: Marcus Ragnarsson, MIN 2004 Rnd 5, MIN 2004 Rnd 6
To WILD: Maxim Kuznetzov, JAY HARRISON, KYLE WELLWOOD

The Devils continue to solidify their defense, while the Wild pick up a solid defender and two good prospects.  Kuznetsov may have a full-time WCFHL spot one day, but at 27 it’d better happen for him soon.  Both Harrison and Wellwood are a few years away.  Winner: Devils

To CANUCKS: Petr Nedved, NYI 2004 Rnd 1, $600.000
To WINGS: Darren Van-Impe, Jeff O'Neill

Was the upgrade from O’Neill to Nedved really worth a 1^st round pick?  Not if Jeff doesn’t have a major bounce back next season, especially considering the way Nedved played towards the end of the year.  Winner:  Canucks

To DEVILS: JP Vigier
To WILD: Andreas Dackell

Vigier seems almost to be a younger version of Dackell, though probably not as talented defensively.  Winner: Push

To HURRICANES: Patrick Marleau, SERGEI MOZYAKIN, Staffan Kronwall, $1.500.000
To RANGERS: Marc Savard, EDM 2004 Rnd 4, VAN 2004 Rnd 5, TOR 2004 Rnd 7

The ‘Canes gave up a great playmaker in Savard, though they also gave up a guy who is injury-prone and has been known as a locker-room pest.  Marleau is a leader and a goal scorer who has missed just 16 games in 7 seasons.  Mozyakin and Kronwall are both dark-horse type players, but both could make the WCFHL and them plus the cash included probably offsets the 3 draft picks acquired by the Rangers.  It will take at least another year or two to really see who won this deal, but the fact that the Rangers have now lost Savard indefinitely to a hernia pushes this one out of their favor.  Winner:  Hurricanes

To AVALANCHE: Steve Moore
To RANGERS: Jed Ortmeyer

You’re always a winner when you pick up someone named Jed.  Winner: Rangers

March 26^th, 2004

To OILERS: Brian Gionta, Dimitri Yushkevich
To WINGS: Martin Straka

This was probably the best deal the Oilers could get for Straka, and it is pretty good.  Gionta has proven that he can score at the pro-level and should continue to improve.  Straka has fallen off greatly over the last 3 seasons and he will still make 5.1 million next year, which make this a win for the Oil.  Winner:  Oilers

April 2^nd, 2004

To DEVILS: Sergei Berezin, CBJ 2004 Rnd 5, CBJ 2004 Rnd 6, CBJ 2004 Rnd 7
To JACKETS: Andrei Nazarov, Marty McInnis, ANA 2004 Rnd 3

Berezin can still score, but now that the Devils have missed the playoffs they probably regret having to give up a 3^rd round pick in this deal.  Berezin should be cut loose in the off-season.  Winner: Jackets

To WINGS: Mikael Tellqvist, LOS 2004 Rnd 1
To KINGS: Martin Prusek

Is Prusek really a 1^st round pick better than Tellqvist, especially considering the fact that he’s 4 years older and probably will not be a starter next season?  I agree with Shon.  Winner: Wings

April 5^th, 2004

To BRUINS: Ilja Bryzgalov
To DEVILS: $3.000.000

The Devils needed cash and the Bruins always are looking for young players.  Byzgalov had a very good year in the AHL and could be ready for action next season.  Winner: Bruins

To BRUINS: CAR 2004 Rnd 3
To DEVILS: Josh Holden, TBL 2004 Rnd 6

Holden has not spent much time in the pros since his 30 game stint in the ‘98-’99 season, so I don’t think he was worth a 3 round drop, especially considering the Hurricanes pick will be in the top 5 of the 3^rd round.  Winner: Bruins

To OILERS: Derek Walser, Mark Smith, Mike Zigomanis, ARTEM TERNAVSKY, DIMITRI KAZIONOV, Dmitri Upper, Lou Dickenson, Regan Kelly, COL 2004 Rnd 5, DAL 2004 Rnd 5, $1.500.000
To HURRICANES: Martin Lapointe, Mike Dunham, Oleg Tverdovsky, Marek Svatos, EDM 2004 Rnd 3

Another deal by Edmonton to try and get out of their potentially horrendous financial situation.  They were able to move over 9 million dollars in salary while acquiring only around 1 million.  Kazionov is a legitimate center prospect, and Ternavsky and Kelly both have a good shot to make it as low-line WCFHL defensemen.  The Hurricanes made this deal with hopes of being able to move the guys they acquired for draft picks and younger players, but the gem for them in this deal is Svatos, a talented right wing who could be in the WCFHL full-time next year.  Though Edmonton helped themselves immensely in this deal, the amount of talent they gave up, needed or not, makes it hard to call it a push.  Winner: Hurricanes

To STARS: Martin Lapointe, NAS 2004 Rnd 7, $60.000
To HURRICANES: Ken Sutton, NAS 2004 Rnd 4

Dan was unwilling to throw Mike Bales in to this deal to stay under the roster limit, and instead demanded compensation in return for Sutton.  What a bastard!  Lapointe could help the Stars in the playoffs.  Winner:  Stars

To HURRICANES: TOR 2005 Rnd 4
To LEAFS: Oleg Tverdovsky

The Leafs needed a cheap puck-moving defenseman for the playoffs and Tverdovsky was the perfect fit, especially since he can easily be let go next season.  The Hurricanes were looking for a pick in this year’s draft, but at least they got one at all.  Winner: Leafs

To THRASHERS: Petr Sykora, Shayne Corson
To DEVILS: Marcel Hossa, Teemu Selanne, NYR 2004 Rnd 2, VAN 2004 Rnd 2

The Thrashers got out from under Selanne’s horrible contract, though it cost them a lot to do so.  However, Sykora is a competent replacement and Hossa has not come close to living up to his hype.  Winner:  Push

To DUCKS: Tommy Salo, $1.300.000
To BLACKHAWKS: Chris Osgood

Salo has fallen off a bit this year while Osgood has put up solid numbers.  Good deal for the Blackhawks to get a more solid goalie for the playoffs.  Winner:  Blackhawks

To HURRICANES: Anders Eriksson, Denis Hamel, Kent Manderville, Ron Tugnutt, ANA 2004 Rnd 7, CHI 2005 Rnd 3
To BLACKHAWKS: Brad Werenka, Mike Dunham

The ‘Canes move the 3^rd of their big-budget acquisitions from the Oilers, while in return receiving two draft picks and a couple of spare parts.  Tugnutt could serve as a good backup to the Dipietro in the future, though Manderville and Hamel do not have much of a place on the team.  I predict Anders Eriksson will get traded.  The Blackhawks really solidified their backup goalie position, and Osgood/Dunham is a much better goaltending unit than Salo/Tugnutt.  Winner: Blackhawks

To HURRICANES: Alexander Karpovtsev, VAN 2004 Rnd 3
To ISLANDERS: Anders Eriksson, CHI 2004 Rnd 4, NYI 2004 Rnd 6

The Hurricanes re-acquired Karpovtsev in order to get another 3^rd round pick.  Though many think Karpovtsev will not be re-signed next season, it would not be a surprise to see him get a similar deal to his current one if the ‘Canes can afford it.  Eriksson is a better offensive player but Karpovtsev is miles better defensively.   Winner:  Hurricanes