It is Canada's unofficial holiday. If you missed work, skipped school or cancelled some other engagement, all is forgiven. Hockey fans everywhere know that trade deadline day is the biggest event on the hockey calendar for those who like to see rosters shaken up. Unfortunately though, this year's version was more of a snooze-fest than anything else.
So much hype surrounded this year's TDD, but not much even happened. Like going to see Titanic just because there were rumours of nudity, you sit through much of the same nonsense, and when the moment finally arrives, you're so underwhelmed, even angry, that you regret you wasted all that time. That perfectly describes TDD 2010.
All the names that were allegedly locks to be dealt remain with their respective teams, and they are likely doing as much head-scratching as everyone else. Here are my picks (in no particular order) for biggest non-movement surprises of TDD 2010:
1) Marty Turco: This seemed like a no-brainer until a few days before the deadline. Speculation of Dallas moving the veteran goaltender with tons of playoff experience was running wild. His contract was expiring, so Dallas would need a young goalie to replace the grizzled vet. When they dealt for young goalie Kari Lehtonen, a Turco trade seemed imminent. Then it fell apart. Suddenly, back-up Alex Auld was waived and claimed by the Rangers, and the Stars’ goaltending situation become confusing. Turco was a commodity, but one that the Stars no longer wanted. Since teams like Philadelphia, Washington and Ottawa could have used the help, the trade potential was ripe. The trade likely never happened either because the asking price was too high or Dallas might have convinced Turco to re-sign at a diminished role as a mentor to the young Lehtonen. I rate this non-move as not terrible, if it was done for the right reasons. However, he still should have been dealt to Philly.
2) Ray Whitney: Once Ilya Kovalchuk was taken off the market before the Olympic break, you could practically hear Carolina licking its chops in anticipation for a heated bidding war for their prized forward. Though he's a grizzled 37, Ray Whitney is still an offensive force with experience and leadership qualities as well as an ideal rental for a playoff contender. Think of how effective Bill Guerin was for the Penguins when they won the Cup - Whitney is that, but better. The fact that he is on the wrong side of 35 could mean that the terrible Hurricanes are trying to rebuild, and he was their the bargaining chip. Rumours of him going to Pittsburgh died once Alexei Ponikarovsky landed there, but the word was Boston was desperate for a scorer. The day passed, and Carolina dealt many players, but Whitney was still a Hurricane at 3 p.m. Even though they kept him, Carolina really had no reason to. Smart money would say that this was an issue where the asking price far exceeded what people wanted to offer. I'm thinking the asking price was along the lines of two early rounds and a top young player/prospect. In the cap age, that is a heck of a lot to give up for just one player. Verdict: Very bad move, he should have gone to Boston. Will they re-sign him? Perhaps, but with the other moves Carolina made, they are looking at a three or four year plan. Ray Whitney will be well into retirement before the fruits of that labour finally blossom.
3) Scott Niedermayer: If a contending team were to land Niedermayer at the deadline, their playoff chances would instantly jump. I know what you're thinking, yes he wanted to stay in Anaheim, and yes, Anaheim wants to keep him, but the reality is that Anaheim isn't doing too well and they're slated to lose both Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. They'll need to re-stock somewhere, and their best bet was to deal the guy who I thought might’ve been the best “available” player on TDD. The guy captained a Stanley Cup team, an Olympic gold-medal winning team and he still has game. He is a leader, a winner and he clearly knows how to perform when it counts. When I think of places for Niedermayer to go, the one obvious spot was Washington. If I was the general manager of Washington, I would’ve make a hard push to acquire Scott. With tradable guys like Brooks Laich, Eric Fehr and even Tomas Fleischmann, the price seemed right for Anaheim. With the addition of Niedermayer and his abilities on the power play, the already strong Caps would become Stanley Cup favourites. So why didn't this deal happen? I'm sure it was tossed around, but with both Anaheim and Niedermayer not yet ready to part ways, the price must have been astronomical. Once Washington acquired the cheaper Joe Corvo to do exactly what Niedermayer would’ve done, the chances of Niedermayer landing in Washington dropped to zero. But should Anaheim still have dealt him? I think so. Emotions aside, there were grounds for some good dealing. Keeping him seems like the proper thing to do, but it is hard to keep such a valuable asset on a mediocre team who will only get worse. Besides, hasn't he already retired once?
4) Dan Hamhuis: This one was a surprise mainly because of all the hot rumours circulating that a deal was almost in place. Philly was in hard on this guy, and the deal just never surfaced. This alleged "done-deal" simply never got done.
5) Tomas Kaberle: Leafs GM Brian Burke has a knack for doing the unthinkable. First, he shocked everyone by adding Dion Phaneuf. Then he managed to ditch two huge salaries by trading away Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake. It wouldn't surprise me if he had managed to convince Kaberle to waive his no-trade-clause. Kaberle actually came very close to waiving it if Burke were to negotiate with three specific teams. Those teams remain a secret, but my feeling is that they were Washington, New Jersey or San Jose. Nothing happened, and the debate about the Toronto no-trade clause disaster rages on.
All in all, TDD 2010 was not the frenzy we hoped for. It may have been the largest ever TDD in terms of quantity, but it lacked some serious quality.
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