NHL Trade Deadline Breakdown

Oh, Edmonton Oilers, you never cease to make me laugh.

Seriously Steve Tambellini, have you watched Ryan Whitney play over the past two seasons? Whitney is constantly caught out of position, and is prone to looking foolish in his defensive zone - on the reg.

Lubomir Visnovsky is a vastly superior player, and has been one of (okay, maybe the only) bright spot in a horrific Edmonton Oilers lineup this season. At 33, there is little doubt in my mind that Visnovsky will continue to be a prolific performer for the duration of his contract, which still has three years left after this season at a cap hit of $5.6.

Whitney has three years left, too, at a $4 million cap hit. Rebuilding or not, does $1.6 million a year in cap space over the next three seasons justify trading a top pairing, puck-moving defenseman for a player that has struggled mightily since his sophomore season in the big leagues? Definitely not.

If the Oilers are expecting a reincarnation of Whitney's '06-'07 season in Pittsburgh when he notched 59 points, they are in for a rough awakening. As far as I know, he won't be playing with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, and Ryan Malone alongside him with the man advantage anytime soon in Oil Town.

Can Whitney regain his confidence and become a key contributor on the backend in Edmonton? Possibly, but I don't see it. Awful trade for Steve Tambellini and the Oilers.

As for the Ducks, their playoff push just got a big lift. Visnovsky's contract becomes even more feasible when one considers that this is likely Scott Niedermayer's final season in the NHL. Regardless, a $1.6 million increase in payroll (not actual payroll, but "salary cap" payroll) is well worth it for a significant and much needed defensive upgrade. Visnovsky will help them with the man advantage, as well as transitioning out of their own zone...

How many people thought that the Coyotes might find themselves in the position of "buyer" at the NHL Trade Deadline?

Don Maloney pulled the trigger on seven - yes, count 'em, seven - deals this morning. The reacquisition of Derek Morris will add a stabilizing figure to the backend (still don't really understand why the Bruins made this move...Morris is better than Dennis Seidenberg, who they acquired from Florida). Mathieu Schneider - essentially a low cost Hail Mary - will get a chance to bring a much needed boost to the Phoenix power play.

But the most intriguing move made by Maloney was the addition of Wojtek Wolski in exchange for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

Wolski, a pending restricted free agent, is a very interesting player. He's in the midst of a career season, and has the talent to be a top-line winger. But, is he willing to go into the dirty areas and become a go-to guy? He will certainly help Phoenix for the present, and I could see him having a lot of success alongside of Shane Doan.

Mueller needed a change of scenery. As a 19-year old rookie, Mueller potted 22 goals and 54 points under Wayne Gretzky as 'Yotes Bench Boss. But since sustaining a concussion during his second NHL season, he hasn't been the same. His desire to play hockey has also been called into question. If he pans out - and a young Avalanche team with a coach (Joe Sacco) who has shown the ability to put young players in positions to succeed is just the ticket - this trade could be a homerun for the Avalanche. And, it's not as if Kevin Porter is a "throw-in". Porter registered 183 points during his 162 games at the University of Michigan, and has shown the ability to score at the AHL level over the parts of two seasons since...

I like what Caps' General Manager George McPhee did at the deadline, but I still would've liked to see him bring in a veteran stay-at-home type defenseman.

Joe Corvo is a high risk, high reward type player, but could potentially thrive on the backend under Bruce Boudreau. Bringing Milan Jurcina back? Eh, not a big deal.

The additions of Eric Belanger and Scott Walker up front will bring help in the form of solid two-way play and penalty killing. Belanger can be used either on a secondary scoring line or in a checking role. Walker will bring the toughness and sound defensive play that is needed for any team to enjoy a long playoff run.

Still though, adding some more stability on the backend would've helped. I'm not sold that the Capitals can win a cup giving up the number of goals they do. It's not as easy to score in bunches to hide defensive mistakes come playoff time...