Deadline Day

Now some injury news comes out, as the GM’s are done their posturing – Eric Staal is expected back this weekend; Jordan Hendry is out for the season with a torn ACL (thus the Campoli trade); Martin Biron is out for the season with a broken collarbone (the Rangers did not pick up a goaltender though – Cam Talbot recalled); Milan Michalek is probably out for the season.

Join myself and other fantasy hockey fanatics in a live chat today starting at 11am ET. Read some of the idiocy we spew forth, or feel free to contribute your own! What better way to spend your deadline day?

Still talking on the live chat until it dies down…join us!

Vancouver trades Joel Perrault and a third rounder to Florida for Chris Higgins. Nice depth acquisition, but Higgins lost his touch a good two years ago.

Max Lapierre to the Canucks for a third rounder and prospect d-man Evan Oberg, who is two/three years away.

Fredrik Modin has been traded to Calgary for a seventh rounder.

Arnott to the Capitals for Steckel. Analysis forthcoming…

Brad Winchester to Anaheim for a 3rd rounder per TSN

Reports on Reasoner to Vancouver are apparently false. Stay tuned.

Ottawa apparently acquires Ryan Potulny and a conditional second rounder for Campoli. Excellent opportunity for Potulny, who has had a rough go of things these last two years.

Chicago has acquired Chris Campoli for a draft pick and a minor leaguer…

Vancouver has acquired Marty Reasoner from Florida for a third rounder. Florida is cleaning house! Great depth guy for the Canucks, who are scary good. No fantasy impact, other than the fact that we won’t see the kids get called up now (Shirokov, Hodgson, Schroeder)

Allen is a solid acquisition for the Canes for the stretch run for a little-used player.

Salary deal – Florida trades Bryan Allen (one year left at $2.9 million) to Carolina for Sergei Samsonov ($2.5 million this year, UFA in the summer). No fantasy value, not even Samsonov getting more ice time in Florida. I would be shocked.

Justin Williams has signed a four-year extension with the Kings.

The Oilers have sent Shawn Belle to Colorado for Kevin Montgomery

Upshall and Lepisto to Columbus for Klesla. Analysis forthcoming

Waiver movement – Atlanta has claimed Rob Schremp off of waivers. This is a huge boom or bust opportunity. Put your money on bust, as that’s the easy answer. But “boom” intrigues me.

Calgary has claimed Brett Carson off waivers and Ottawa has claimed Curtis McElhinney.

Panthers trade Dvorak to Atlanta for Bergfors and Rissmiller. Good trade for Florida. Analysis to come.

The only Eric Staal info that I was able to find was just what I felt was posturing by the team. I didn’t trust it so I didn’t mention it here originally. But the bottom line is that he will be tested today, but they don’t feel it is serious and that he should be back soon. To me, I felt that it was too broad/general a response and that if it is a concussion, we won’t know about it until it is too late, much like Crosby and Richards.

Teddy Purcell has 15 points in his last 13 games. This, despite playing just 13/14 minutes per game still.

Brandon Prust has points in three straight games, but hasn’t been in the sin bin for seven games.

Jonathan Blum scored his first career NHL goal. The Sulzer trade ensures that he will remain in the NHL for good methinks.

Grant Clitsome has points in five straight games and 12 of his 19 games on the season. He has 14 points in those 19 games. Not bad for an unheralded defenseman.

Matt Calvert’s four game point streak totals eight points in that span. He has 10 goals in his 21 career games.

James Reimer, Toronto’s “savior”, left yesterday’s game with a head injury after Evander Kane crashed the net. Reimer had an 18-save shutout going before he was forced to leave. Then, of course. JS Giguere came on and lost the game in overtime. If there’s no more Reimer this year, the Leafs will be lucky to win nine more games going forward.

Blake Wheeler has a point in three of his four games as a Thrasher.

Take Chris Phillips off the trade market. He re-signed with Ottawa for three more years at $9.25 million.

Anaheim acquired Brian McGrattan from the Bruins. They also got Sean Zimmerman, and sent Boston Stefan Chaput and David Laliberte. Imagine McGrattan and Parros on the bench together watching Jarkko Ruutu piss the other team off. Then when the other team starts going after Ruutu, the Parros/McGrattan duo simply hops onto the ice and scares the hell out of them.

Nearly eight years after he was drafted 12th overall, Huge Speciman made his NHL debut for Florida. He had two shots in 9:31 of ice time.

So which team is icing the most players who were in the AHL in 2009-10? Toronto, Ottawa or Florida? I know Florida iced Sulzer, Santorelli, McArdle, Jessiman, Repik, Thomas and Garrison.

Tuukka Rask has won his last three starts. He just doesn’t get enough of ’em.

Ryan Malone, who is out with a stomach muscle injury, is expected to miss all of March, but return for April. His absense has proven a boon for Teddy Purcell, as noted above.

One thing about Brad Boyes in Buffalo – look for a huge start there. He does it every time – his arrival in Boston, St. Louis – all impactful initially. An excellent first season in Boston, and a horrible second year. Then a good first two seasons with St. Louis followed by weak next two seasons. I think he’ll get at least 15 points going forward with Buffalo and he’ll have a good year next year if the trend holds. Just what the doctor ordered.

Considering how strong Atlanta started the season, it’s amazing how the Maple Leafs have now tied them in the standings.

The Penguins sent Dustin Jeffrey back to the AHL. I thought he was up for good, but with players filing back into the lineup and with their two new forwards, the writing was on the wall.

The Denver Post puts the odds of Paul Stastny being moved at “zero”.

The Calgary Herald puts the kibosh on a rumored Bouwmeester for Parise swap.

Daymond Langkow has been cleared for workouts, his first actual activity in over a year. All this means is that next season a return is possible.

This will be my sixth year covering the trade deadline and as the old-time readers of this site know, we’re fast with the fantasy analysis of all of the deals. I invite you to also join us for the live chat, which will be up for 11am ET.

Unlikely fight – Cogliano vs. Marchand. PS – play-by-play hockey guys do not need to give us the blow by blow during fights. Just watch the fight and shut up. I don’t need you to tell me that Player X threw a right at Player Y.

Great fight here – Lucic vs. Vandermeer. Lucic is getting killed and mounts a nice comeback. Again with the idiot announcer though.

End of the game, check out this hit by Umberger on Weber. Suspendable?