Fire Sale 2007: The Aftermath

It's over- the trade deadline was yesterday at 3:00. As I watched TSN's tradecenter tracker, a few more trades trickled in after the deadline- more likely due to slow reporting, not illegitimate transactions. For the complete list of transactions, including waivers, call-ups and trades check it out TSN.

Arguably the biggest trade of the day came in right at the buzzer. Edmonton traded Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders for Nilsson, Omara and their 2007 1st round pick. I was surprised and pleased by this transaction. Ryan Smyth was the star of the Oiler squad. After much of their defense departed following their Stanley Cup Finals run last year, Smyth was the dominant force on the team. Trading him truly demonstrates how far Edmonton has fallen since last season's playoffs. Covered in Oil expressed their woes for the departed Smyth in several posts. I can imagine that most fans feel the same way. I don't mind Smyth heading to the Eastern Conference though- he has done a number on our Jackets. It seems like every game he plays against Columbus he manages a point or two. With him securely on the east coast, he shouldn't give us any more problems for a while. After all, we play those teams what, once every third season?

As for the Jackets, only four transactions took place that were worth mentioning on national media. There was one or two moves by Syracuse (the CBJ AHL affiliate) but nothing substantial. For a great evaluation of what MacLean and crew were up against this trade deadline, check out Drew's take at End of the Bench.

Anson Carter - Traded to Carolina for a 2008 5th round pick.
Ty Conklin - Traded to Buffalo to back up Miller (Biron was traded to the Flyers earlier yesterday) for a 2007 5th round pick.
Brian Berard - Placed on waivers. Despite MacLean's best efforts, he can't seem to get rid of this defenseman. Anyone can claim him from waivers.
Brian Boucher - The Jackets grabbed this former Blackhawk goalie off of waivers to fill in the 3rd goalie spot. He's the only addition to the roster, and he's only here because the Jackets needed somebody to fill in Conklin's place.

So the Jackets opened up some salary room for what we can only hope to be some big signings this offseason. I'd really like to see the Jackets pick up a big time player or two- ideally a #1 center and a power #1 defenseman. I can dream, right? There's a bunch of players on waivers right now that have performed better than many CBJ skaters this season. Barring a plague of injuries, or an exceptional opportunity on waivers, I doubt we'll see the Jackets pick up anyone new before summer.

Fire Sale 2007: 2PM Update

No news on any other transactions going through Columbus yet. Berard is on waivers though.

The Red Wings have acquired Todd Bertuzzi from the Florida Panthers. It has not yet been determined what the Panthers will get in exchange.

Aaron Ward has been sent to Boston from the NY Rangers in exchange for Paul Mara.

Atlanta has acquired Pascal Dupuis for a to be determined NY Rangers prospect.

It has been confirmed that the Blue Jackets will receive a 5th round 2007 pick for Ty Conklin.

Fire Sale 2007: 12 Noon Update - Ty Conklin Traded

I'm keeping an eye on today's NHL trades. Here's what has happened up to the moment:

Bill Guerin was traded from St. Louis to San Jose for a first round pick in '07 and a minor leaguer "to be named later."

Georges Laraque waived his no-trade clause to be traded to Pittsburgh for Daniel Carcillo and an 8th round pick.

Martin Biron(G) was traded to the Flyers for some sort of draft pick.

Ty Conklin has been traded to the Buffalo Sabres. It has yet to be announced what the Jacket will get in return.

Carter Traded

Well, the news we've all been expecting. Anson Carter was traded today to the Hurricanes for a 5th round pick in the '08 draft. Now, I expected Carter to be on the trading block, but that means that MacLean has made another boneheaded move...He paid $2.5 mil for 54 games from a 3rd line winger that scored 10 goals and 17 assists. Did I mention a fifth round pick in '08: "With the 165th pick in the draft, the Blue Jackets select some guy I've never heard of from some little ass town in Canada" What a deal! Tyler headlined a post earlier "All players 50% off" more like 75%.

And just like that the dude from Cool Runnings has come and gone, I guess it really was the Sedin twins making him look that good

Fire Sale 2007: All players 50% Off!

Today is February 19. That means there's hardly a week until the NHL trade deadline. We all know it's common for teams without hope of a post season to put on a fire sale of their roster. Columbus is certainly no exception. We at the Jacket Times are bracing ourselves for what could be some major changes in the CBJ roster.

Aaron Portzline's article in yesterday's dispatch discusses Modin, who has become an important player to the team, both on and off the ice. According to the dichotomized duo of Hitchcock and MacLean, they're really trying to hang on to #33, despite several other teams trying to make a deal. MacLean insisted that the deal is almost done on Modin, and he's confident he'll stay in Columbus.

More importantly, Portzline's account also includes a warning that there may be some surprise trades by CBJ administration. By trading away a chunk of the roster, the team may be able to free up some cash for free agents this offseason. They may also try to grab some more picks in this summer's NHL draft, which is going to be held in Nationwide. I've said this before, but I would rather see some solid trades and some offseason pickups than draft picks. Our only draft pick to really move this team forward has been Rick Nash, and he's having a pretty rough year to this point. A bunch more young guys isn't going to get this team moving right away, barring something of a Crosby-Ovechkin anomaly.

So who might be packing their bags that would constitute a 'surprise'?

• Fedorov, for one. He's the highest paid player on the team, making somewhere around six million per year. He has certainly helped our team this season, but has it been six million dollars worth of help? Hard to say. With only 35 points on the season, that's about $171,000 per point. Yeah, I know there's a lot of intangibles to consider with a talent like Sergei, and he's arguably my all-time favorite player, but that's a lot of cash.
• Carter is as good as gone. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at season's end anyways, and has not generated as much offense as expected this season. No surprise here.
  
• Berard, right now, is on the "damaged goods" rack. He has generated interest from other teams, but with his recent surgery is unlikely to fly off the shelves. No surprise here either, whether he stays or goes.
  
• Svitov has potential to move. He's not as tied into the franchise as some other players, and has a rough & tough attitude that bodes well in the playoffs. He would be a good 3rd or 4th line fill-in for any playoff-bound team
  
• I would hate to see the "energy line" broken up because they've been such a solid line for the last month or two, but what about Chimera or Malhotra? Chimera is arguably the fastest guy on the team, and speed is a key weapon of the new NHL. Who wouldn't want a guy who can fly from one goal line to the other in the blink of an eye?
  
• I'd like to see Chimera stay, but would be ok with Malhotra going. Manny's been in and out of the box too many times of late and hasn't been the biggest stick on the line. Frtische' work ethic and Chimera's speed completely overshadow Malhotra, and I don't see Manny as being the glue that holds that line, or the team, together. He could be on the block.
• Beyond Berard, none of the CBJ defensemen would add substantial value to another team. Klesla is becoming a franchise player, and Foote has attained captaincy and seems to be taking root in the Columbus community, thereby making neither of them likely to move out of state. Erikkson and Hainsey are good on the blue line, but wouldn't give a team any more advantage over their current lines.

So that's my take. Let's stay tuned to the trade wires and keep track of arrivals and departures at the ole' CMH.

For another player-by-player analysis at potential trades, check out Drew's take at End of the Bench.