Patrick King

Perhaps no other year has the CHL trade deadline been cast over with so many ups and downs.

From world junior goaltender Jake Allen to Swiss Olympian Luca Sbisa, this year’s Canadian Hockey League trade deadline did not disappoint.

Given the latest National Hockey League trade deadline and the imminent conclusion to the regular season, it’s now time to look back on how some of the earth-shaking CHL trades have fared.

Québec Major Junior Hockey League

Perhaps the most notable trade was the Allen one. The goaltender spent his entire career with the St. John’s Fog Devils/Montreal Juniors franchise before being dealt to the defending league champion Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Many wondered how Allen would fare after a career-defining moment in the world junior gold-medal game. Allen was pulled in that game after misplaying a dump-in which resulted in the fourth Americans goal.

After experiencing such heartbreak, it would have been easy for Allen to falter down the stretch.

That was not the case.

Allen had been inconsistent to start his career in Drummondville, but has since turned into the dominant goaltender his reputation had preceded. The Voltigeurs’ starter posted the second-longest shutout streak in league history at 188 minutes and 47 seconds, a streak that was snapped by his former team, the Juniors, on Sunday.

Drummondville is the league’s hottest team with 11 straight wins and is a true threat to repeat as champions, and Allen is the main reason for their success.

He was acquired in exchange for two first-round picks from Montreal. However, the cost was cheaper when considering one of those picks had been acquired from P.E.I. early this season for overage goaltender Marco Cousineau.

Essentially, the Voltigeurs gained an overage spot -- which was filled by the now healthy Chris DiDomenico -- and sent their first-round pick for Allen.

With the team on a roll and their goaltender hot, the Voltigeurs walk away as big winners at the deadline.

Another major move has since been cast over with controversy. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies acquired forwards Patrice Cormier and Jordan Caron from Rimouski for two young players, three first-round picks and a second-round pick.

Cormier played just three games in a Huskies uniform before seeing his season come to an end. The captain of the Canadian world junior team delivered a vicious elbow to Mikael Tam’s head in that third game, and the league handed down its harshest punishment: a season- and playoff-long suspension.

Rouyn-Noranda head coach and general manager André Tourigny does not regret making the trade, in spite of the heavy price he paid. The Huskies appealed the suspension; the appeal was denied but they will now take their case to an independent arbitrator.

Caron has been a star since joining the Huskies, but the trade was made mostly for Cormier. The Huskies remain a strong team but will be hard-pressed to capture the league’s title without their prized acquisition.

With less than two weeks remaining in the season, it’s safe to say this is a trade that hasn’t panned out.

Ontario Hockey League

Suspensions remain at the forefront in the OHL. The defending league- and Memorial Cup-champion Windsor Spitfires dealt promising sophomore forward Austin Watson and two second-round picks to Peterborough for Zack Kassian.

Kassian played in even fewer games than Cormier since his trade. The power forward was handed down a 20-game suspension for an elbow to the head of Barrie’s Matt Kennedy. Kassian isn’t eligible to return until Sunday’s game against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

The Colts felt the suspension wasn’t long enough while the Spitfires felt it was too harsh. Perhaps not coincidentally, both teams are atop their conference and predicted to battle it out for the league championship in May.

Sensing his team lacked grit for a long playoff run, Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel traded for the local forward. Kassian scored in his first game in Windsor, but more importantly continued to establish himself as a physical forward. If nothing else, he should be fresh for the playoffs.

Ironically, the Petes had not been able to enjoy the fruits of this trade, either. Watson suited up in three games after the trade before returning to Windsor for the Top Prospects Game. He broke an ankle while blocking a shot, and only recently rejoined the Petes’ lineup.

As for the Colts, they wasted little time scooping up top-end talent in their trades. Among those was Alex Pietrangelo, the top defenceman from the recently completed world junior tournament.

Pietrangelo began the season with the St. Louis Blues and was a coveted asset on the trade market. He was the main piece in a blockbuster trade with the Niagara IceDogs and has not disappointed. Pietrangelo gives the Colts another mobile puck-rushing defenceman, which was once considered the team’s weakness heading into the season.

Western Hockey League

It has taken some time for the top two trades in the WHL to play out. The Portland Winterhawks acquired two-way defenceman Luca Sbisa from Lethbridge, while the Memorial Cup host Brandon Wheat Kings added Travis Hamonic.

Sbisa was injured at the time of the trade, rehabbing a torn abdominal oblique muscle which he suffered at the world juniors. Like Pietrangelo, it was a surprise to see Sbisa back in junior this season, which gave his team a chance to add assets.

The now 20-year-old Sbisa suited up in six games for the Winterhawks prior to the Olympics. He is back in Portland where he will be an integral part on the young and rising Winterhawks.

His numbers aren’t staggering since joining Portland -- two goals, one assist and a minus-3 -- but his value will play out in the playoffs.

Sbisa is known reputedly as a great locker-room presence. As a veteran of 47 NHL games, the Winterhawks know the best is yet to come from this deadline deal.

Hamonic was the next big name on the move. The Wheat Kings acquired his rights from the Moose Jaw Warriors, who were perhaps more inclined to trade the stalwart defenceman after he was injured at the world juniors. Hamonic separated his shoulder in the dying moments of the semi-final and remained out of the lineup until Feb. 20.

As the Wheat Kings are hosting the national championship and had the ability to wait for Hamonic, it was a deal they were willing to make. Considering the bulk of Moose Jaw’s return came in the form of draft picks -- a first- and two second-round picks -- Brandon didn’t feel his absence.

The physically imposing two-way defenceman picked up two assists and a plus-1 in five games since joining the Memorial Cup hosts.

Although the Wheat Kings would like to go to the Memorial Cup through the front door as league champions, having Hamonic healthy and in their lineup for the tournament is crucial.

Perhaps no other year has the CHL trade deadline been cast over with so many ups and downs.