Well, the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and, if you're looking for a big winner out of the proceedings, look no further than the Northwest Division. While Edmonton made a small splash by jostling around some players, notably getting Patrick O'Sullivan, it was the division leading Calgary Flames that burned the brightest in the league. First, they made a move with Colorado, bringing Jordan Leopold back to the team, and giving them a good puck-handling defenseman. Then came the big news of the day, as the Flames reeled in Olli Jokinen, drawing him away from Phoenix.
These trades make Calgary a legitimate contender to win the Stanley Cup this year, but could cripple their chances for much next season. They were already riding a bit of a hot streak, and running away with the (weak) Northwest Division. Now, they can secure their sights on San Jose and Detroit, and possibly catch both teams before the season ends. It wouldn't be shock, especially after today's dealing, to see Lord Stanley's Cup being fought over in Calgary at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild, a team that couldn't afford to do nothing, did exactly that. Rumors swirled that attempts were made to move Marian Gaborik, but the chances of that were somewhere between slim and none. The Wild themselves claim to have been involved in a major deal, but that it fell through. Was this another case of putting all of their eggs into Jokinen's basket, only to get burned again? Minnesota has left itself crippled through mismanagement of trades and draft picks in the past, and are looking at this upcoming summer without either a second- or third-round pick. They might be able to move Josh Harding after the season to get one of those back, but they are also in severe danger of losing a few UFAs for nothing (Gaborik only being the best known out of the bunch). The Wild could have taken a chance at today's deadline to confirm that they have started to look at rebuilding. Instead, through inaction, the front office has written off the rest of this season (pending a miracle by the players), and hoped against hope that next season can be career years for everyone currently under contract.
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