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Photo: Alan Sullivan

Arguably the most dreaded day for many in the National Hockey League, the trade deadline. It’s the day where a player could wake up in Toronto as a Leaf, but find themselves falling asleep in Dallas as a Star. No one is truly safe. Deadline day racks up frequent flyer miles, blood pressure and speculation in crushing force. Similar to past seasons, the 2014-15′ deadline brought some disappointment, with notable moves skating in well before the 3 p.m. cutoff, the day lacked a certain “blockbuster” trade element. This season proved to be a sellers market, and the buyers, with the exception of the Arizona Coyotes, just weren’t there.

Flashback: The 2013-14′ NHL Deadline Day saw 20 trades, involving 38 players and 24 draft picks. Undoubtably the most memorable trade from that day, the Columbus Blue Jackets bidding adieu to Marian Gaborik, sending the forward straight into the clutches of Lord Stanley and the 2014 championship LA Kings.

It’s hard to pinpoint if a similar spark occurred, no one will know for sure until the Stanley Cup Playoffs face off in April, but with the movement of some notable names, Keith Yandle, James Wisniewski, Max Talbot and Braydon Coburn, it is a possibility. If a player has been lacking on their current team, there is no better way to start a fire and hopefully fuel a desire for the playoff push, than a trade.

While the 2014-15′ deadline lacked in the blockbuster department on a grand scale, 24 trades, involving 48 players occurred prior to 3 p.m., eclipsing last trade deadline totals.

A complete list of trades via the NHL:

Anaheim traded D Ben Lovejoy to Pittsburgh for D Simon Despres.

Anaheim traded LW Rene Bourque, C William Karlsson and Anaheim’s 2nd-round

pick in the 2015 NHL Draft to Columbus for D James Wisniewski and Detroit’s

3rd-round pick in 2015 (previously acquired).

Anaheim traded D Eric Brewer and Anaheim’s 5th-round pick in the 2016 NHL

Draft to Toronto for D Korbinian Holzer.

Anaheim traded D Mat Clark to Colorado for C Michael Sgarbossa and a

conditional draft pick.

Arizona traded D Zbynek Michalek and a conditional draft pick to St. Louis

for C Maxim Letunov.

Arizona traded D Mark Louis to NY Islanders for G David Leggio.

Boston traded RW Jordan Caron and its 6th-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft

to Colorado for C Maxime Talbot and C Paul Carey.

Boston traded C Jared Knight to Minnesota for C Zack Phillips.

Buffalo traded C Torrey Mitchell to Montreal for LW Jack Nevins and

Montreal’s 7th-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Buffalo traded G Michal Neuvirth to NY Islanders for G Chad Johnson and a

3rd-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Buffalo traded RW Chris Stewart to Minnesota for Minnesota’s 2nd-round pick

in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Buffalo traded C Brian Flynn to Montreal for Montreal’s 5th-round pick in

the 2016 NHL Draft.

Calgary traded LW Sven Baertschi to Vancouver for Vancouver’s 2nd-round

pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Chicago traded RW Ben Smith and a conditional draft pick to San Jose for C

Andrew Desjardins.

Colorado traded D Karl Stollery to San Jose for C Freddie Hamilton.

Columbus traded D Jordan Leopold to Minnesota for D Justin Falk and

Minnesota’s 5th-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Edmonton traded D Jeff Petry to Montreal for a 2nd-round pick in the 2015

NHL Draft plus a conditional draft pick.

New Jersey traded D Marek Zidlicky to Detroit for conditional draft picks.

NY Islanders traded C Cory Conacher to Vancouver for C Dustin Jeffrey.

Philadelphia traded D Braydon Coburn to Tampa Bay for D Radko Gudas and

Tampa Bay’s 1st- and 3rd-round picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. (If Tampa Bay

fails to make the playoffs in 2015 and ends up with the first overall

selection, Philadelphia will receive the New York Rangers’ 1st-round pick

in 2015, previously acquired, in lieu of Tampa Bay’s own 1st-round

selection).

Pittsburgh traded D Robert Bortuzzo and its 7th-round pick in the 2016 NHL

Draft to St. Louis for D Ian Cole.

St. Louis traded C Joakim Lindstrom and a conditional draft pick to Toronto

for C Olli Jokinen.

San Jose traded C Tyler Kennedy to NY Islanders for a conditional draft

pick.

Tampa Bay traded RW Brett Connolly to Boston for Boston’s 2nd-round pick in

the 2015 and 2016 NHL Draft.

 

 

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The big question for Seattle Washington is: NHL or NBA? Seattle is thinking of getting their own professional sports team. So far the choice is either hockey or basketball. What do you think? First issue, arena Space:

There are two big spaces not being used right now near the city. One space is 66 acres just south of the Boeing Field. This piece of real estate is owned by the real estate magnate David Sabey.  (Mr. Sabey’s idea is to bring the Phoenix Coyotes to Seattle). This part of town is called Tukwila, who knew?

Second piece of real estate is somewhat owned by a company called IntraVest Development, another part of the land is city-owned — this area is called Bellevue. Both venues need around $500 million from private funding to update the land.

Will the floor be covered with the ice of the NHL or the floor boards of the NBA? Will the location be in Bellevue or Tukwila? So many questions need to be addressed before any league steps into any arena. As of today, the NHL has the better chance of having a team in Seattle than the NBA.

But is Seattle Washington ready for their own hockey team? Could this be the new home of the ‘Phoenix Coyotes’? Would this sit well in Seattle? The NHL would let the Coyotes play 3 seasons at a key arena if they relocate to Seattle. But, the NHL won’t sign anything official until a group announces itself as owners of a team.

There is money in Seattle and it looks like there is space for a professional rink around town. It also seems to be a strong market. To me it seems like Seattle is ready for a professional hockey team of their own. Could Seattle take a team like the Coyotes and spin them around, turn them up-side-down and make them shine? Only time will tell. But, I am rooting for a new and bold team in the West. A team that will make the Eastern teams shake in their skates!

 

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The Philadelphia Flyers have traded two of the longest-tenured defensemen on the team just three days apart.

Braydon Coburn was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday in exchange for defenseman Radko Gudas, a 2015 first round draft pick and a 2015 third round draft pick.  On Friday night, the Flyers traded Kimmo Timonen to the Chicago Blackhawks for two more draft picks, one in 2015 and the other in 2016.

Coburn had played in only 39 games for the Flyers this season due to injury.  He broke his foot, two separate times this season while blocking a shot.  In those 39 games, he has one goal, eight assists, nine points, is a minus one and averages 20:14 of ice time per game.  He isn’t known for his offensive ability, but he can skate, and move the puck up ice. Coburn isn’t very physical with just 56 hits on the season.

Coburn played at even strength, and he also killed penalties for the Flyers.  He averaged over 3:00 of ice time per game on the penalty kill.  The defenseman will block shots (56) and can log a ton of minutes.  In his almost nine season  with the Flyers, Coburn averaged 21:57 of ice time per game. He will turn the puck over (19 giveaways), which usually lead to prime scoring chances or a goal for the opposing team, since he or his defensive partner were caught out of position. A big plus is that he can play either side of the ice.

The Flyers needed cap space relief going into next season, and got some with the trade of Coburn.  The will clear $4.5 million off the cap for the 2015-16 season.  Ron Hextall, the Flyers general manager, doesn’t have much cap space to work with due to the bad trades, and contract extensions that former general manager, Paul Holmgren, made.

The other defenseman, Radko Gudas, is only 24-years-old, and only has a cap hit of $992,000 for next year.  He becomes a restricted free agent after next season.  He is 6’0″, 204 pounds and was drafted by the Lightning in the 2010 draft.  Gudas is currently recovering from knee surgery, which will keep him off the ice for the rest of the season.

Gudas only played in 31 games for the Lightning before getting injured.  He recorded two goals, three assists, five points, was a minus five, and averaged 17:00 of ice time per game.  The young defenseman also blocked 63 shots, had 12 giveaways, and stole the puck nine times.  Gudas played at both even strength and on the penalty kill.

The 24-year-old  is not afraid to throw his weight around.  He had 115 hits in just 31 games played this season.  He will hit people either along the boards or in open ice.  Due to his physical style of play, Gudas will try to throw opponents off their game.  He plays an aggressive style of hockey, which could lead to taking more penalties than necessary.  One area that needs improvement is his decision- making when the puck is on his stick.

The Flyers got ride of a contract to free up cap space for next season, and were able to get more draft picks for 2015, so it wasn’t a bad first trade deadline for the Flyers and Ron Hextall.

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(photo: allhabs.net)

As we say goodbye to a frigid February and brace ourselves for the trade deadline on March 2 and the final regular season rush to playoffs, here are the NHL’s Three Stars of the Month:

First Star: Devan Dubnyk, G, Minnesota Wild

Dubnyk, 28, has just finished playing his first full month with the Wild, and already he is making a huge impact; he becomes just the first Wild player ever to earn NHL Player of the Month accolades.  Dubnyk put up huge numbers in February with a record of 11-2-1 (3 shutouts) to go along with a 1.64 GAA and .939 SV%.  He started all 14 games for the Wild as the team climbed the rankings; they now sit in the final playoff spot for the Western Conference.  This has been a career season for Dubnyk, who has set career highs in wins (24) and shutouts (3) while ranking in the top five in the NHL in shutouts (t-2nd), GAA (3rd), and SV% (5th).  Since arriving in Minnesota in January, Dubnyk has started all 20 games with a 15-3-1 record, 1.64 GAA, .937 SV%, and five shutouts.

Second Star: Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens

Price, 27, continued his run for the Hart Trophy this season with solid performances in net through the month of February.  Price went 9-1-1 with a 1.34 GAA, .949 SV%, and two shutouts for the Canadiens while extending his franchise-record road winning streak to 10 games.  He is the first goalie to achieve such a streak since Evgeni Nabokov in 2009-10 with the San Jose Sharks.  Price currently leads the NHL in wins (36), GAA (1.88), and SV% (.936), and he is tied for second in shutouts with six.  He is two victories away from his career high, set in the 2010-11 season.

Third Star: Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

After a strong February, Ovechkin, 29, is back in the lead for the Rocket Richard trophy.  He led the league this month in goals (10), points (t-17), power play goals (5), and shots on goal (68) as the Capitals took hold of the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.  Ovechkin also put up four multi-point games and found the back of the net for two game-winning goals (vs. Ottawa, Feb. 5 and vs. Winnipeg, Feb. 19). He currently leads the NHL in goals (41), power play goals (18), game-winning goals (tied, 8), and shots on goal (312).

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(Photo: NHL)

Going into this past weekend, Mats Zuccarello looked to be the New York Rangers player most likely to be traded before the March 2nd deadline.  But by 3pm on deadline day, Zuccarello and the Rangers’ front office had reached a deal: 4 years, $18 million ($4.5 mil/year) with a no-trade clause for the first year.  Zuccarello’s priority had been getting a long-term deal, one that would show that the Rangers organization had faith in him.  And after much negotiation these past few days, the two sides compromised, and Rangers fans across the board sighed in relief.  Madison Square Garden will not be rid of its “ZUUUUUUUUUUCC” cheers just yet.

But while Zuccarello is here to stay, at least for the forseeable future, John Moore, Anthony Duclair, Lee Stempniak, and a couple of picks have left the building.

The Rangers picked up Arizona Coyotes defensemen Keith Yandle and Chris Summers, as well as fourth-round pick in 2016, in exchange for Moore, Duclair, a first-round pick in 2016, and a second-rounder in the upcoming 2015 draft.  Yandle, 28, has four goals and 37 assists in 63 games.  Summers, 27, has three assists in seven games, and he has spent time with the Portland Pirates (Coyotes’ AHL affiliate) this season as well.  He will most likely finish the season with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack.

This is a trade that shows the Rangers are putting all their focus in the present as opposed to the future; with the Eastern Conference wide open this season and Henrik Lundqvist at his peak (once he returns from his injury, at least), the time for the Rangers to bring home the Cup is NOW.

“That’s what we all want, an opportunity to win the big prize…the way our team is built, this is our window to compete,” Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault told the press earlier today.

After an underwhelming season thus far for Stempniak, the third-line winger will join the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for 24-year-old Carl Klingberg.  Klingberg has spent the majority of this season with the St. John’s IceCaps (AHL), where he has 15 goals and 15 assists in 51 games.  He will join Summers in Hartford.

Late Sunday night, the Rangers made one final move.  They picked up center James Sheppard from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2016.  Sheppard, 26, has five goals and eleven assists in 57 games this season.

The Rangers sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with an overall record of 38-17-6.  They host the first-place Nashville Predators tonight (March 2) in the fight for another important two points.

 

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USA Hockey has announced Meghan Duggan will captain the U.S. Women’s National Team as they get ready for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, from March 28-April 4 in Malmo, Sweden.

Duggan is a native of Danvers, Massachusetts. Alexandra Carpenter of North Reading, Mass., and Brianna Decker of Dousman, Wis., will serve as alternate captains. Duggan and Decker are teammates on The Boston Blades (CWHL).

“Meghan has been a valuable leader in the past and will continue to set a great example for our team moving forward,” said Ken Klee, head coach of the 2015 US Women’s National Team. “All three of our captains provide the necessary characteristics and perspective that are essential to having a successful team.”

Duggan is a two-time silver medalist from the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. She was captain of the 2014 Sochi Olympic team, where she  has one goal and five assists from 7 games in the CWHL with the Blades this season. She is also an assistant coach at Clarkson University.

“I think from when I was a little kid, hockey was always my dream. It was always my top priority; my number one sport and I loved it,” Duggan, who also served as captain on the 2014 Sochi Olympic team, told USA Hockey Magazine. “I did a lot of those other sports because I loved athletics. I loved being competitive.”

Cosmopolitan featured Duggan as “The Toughest Woman at the Olympics,” as she worked to battle back from a major concussion that left her sidelined in 2012. Her ceremonial first pitch at a Red Sox game in April 2014 went viral after she mocked Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda.

Duggan played college hockey at Wisconsin from 2006-2009, tallying 238 career points in 159 games.  She helped the Badgers capture two NCAA championships in 2007 and 2009. She has represented the United States in five IIHF competitions, seven Four Nations Cups, and one IIHF Twelve Nations tournament.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Duggan told USA Hockey Magazine. “When I was in high school I never imagined that four years from then I’d be here playing for the National Team and winning national championships in college.

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of great teams and it’s a great feeling, and I look forward to being apart of more of it in the future.”

Duggan is an alumna of Cushing Academy. She is currently in her third season with the Boston Blades.

Alternative Captain–and Duggan’s Blades teammate–Decker currently leads the Blades in points, with 16 goals and 16 assists in 12 games.

Alternative Captain Carpenter is currently a junior at Boston College. She has 32 goals and 41 assists in 32 games this season.

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