Trade Deadline Was Anything But

So now that we are a day removed from the NHL's trade deadline, or, as Tony Kornheiser put it, "a national holiday in Canada", we can objectively look back at what was, in the end, an eventful day for the league.

The Pens acquisition of Marion Hossa from the Thrashers surprised many, as the consensus seemed to be that Montreal or Ottawa were the frontrunners for the sniper's services. But with the addition of Hossa and Hal Gill to the line-up, Pittsburgh is loading up for a championship run this year, which makes sense in the wide open Eastern Conference. I only hope for their sake that trading away such great young talent as Colby Armstrong and Angelo Esposito doesn't come back to bite them.

Staying in the East, Washington seems to be priming themselves for a playoff push, likely followed by a first-round loss. The Caps picked up Cristobel Huet from Montreal for a 2nd round pick, and took Matt Cooke off the hands of the Canucks. Will either of these moves make the Capitals a contender? No. Will the addition of old man Sergei Federov from Columbus? No. But it will be fun to watch, and I for one look forward to seeing both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in the post-season.

In the West, Dallas and my beloved Sharks made big splashes by getting Brad Richards and Brian Campbell, respectively. However, in the deep and talented Western Conference, those moves may end up being moot. Anaheim seems poised for another Cup run, and Detroit is always strong, their recent struggles notwithstanding.

One more point on the deadline; there are a lot of people out there who blame Mats Sundin for not waiving his no-trade clause. Two things to keep in mind: first, he's not the only one, as Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Darcy Tucker, and Pavel Kubina all did the same thing (thankfully, as Kubina was set to go to San Jose on Monday, and, if that happened, no Brian Campbell for my boys.) Second, someone who has dedicated 13 years of his life to one organization, and more importantly, one city, deserves the right to say, "I want to stay." Any Leaf fan that chooses to jeer their captain for exercising his contractual right and stay in the city he loves should be ashamed of himself. Sundin is the best Leaf of the last 10 years, and one of the best ever, and Toronto sports fans should be honoured to have him play in blue and white, not fretting over the loss of 2 top prospects and a first round pick.