As the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline fast approaches, all eyes will be on the general managers.
A trade made by an NHL GM can help bolster his team’s roster for a deep playoff run, help get his club into the postseason with a key rental player or, lastly, begin the process of rebuilding a hockey club.
When it comes to Canada’s seven NHL teams, the GM is responsible for not only getting his team into the playoffs, but satisfying rabid, intelligent fan bases in a competitive market. This season, the Vancouver Canucks have all but secured a playoff spot, so if they make a deadline deal, it will likely be to bolster their roster for the postseason.
The Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, and Toronto Maple Leafs will likely have to fight right through the season’s final weeks to qualify for a spot this season. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers look once again to focus on rebuilding; it appears 2011-12 will be another playoff-less season for the young and talented Oilers.
Let’s take a look at how the current GMs of the Canadian NHL teams have fared at past trade deadlines.
Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks
With the firing of Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis at the end of the 2007-08 season, Mike Gillis was introduced by the club as Nonis’s successor on April 23, 2008.
Since then, Gillis has made the Canucks both a Northwest Division powerhouse, not to mention a Stanley Cup finalist last season. However, the bulk of the Canucks’ success cannot be attributed to trade deadline action.
Gillis has a history of making moves in the off-season rather than the deadline. Considering the players the Canucks already boast, this should come as no surprise as there really is no need to tinker with the lineup too much. Sometimes no play is the best play.
That said, one successful thing Gillis did at a trade deadline occurred back in March of 2009, when he re-signed forward Alexandre Burrows to a four-year, $8 million contract. Burrows is an integral part of this team and has proven to be worth every penny so far.
Grade: B
Steve Tambellini, Edmonton Oilers
When it comes to Edmonton and the trade deadline, it always seems like Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini is interested in selling off players in hopes of building for the future.
In 2009, Tambellini sent Erik Cole to the Carolina Hurricanes for Patrick O’Sullivan. He also acquired Ales Kotalik from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2009 second-round pick. Both of these players are no longer with Oilers, while Cole went on to have a successful few seasons with the Hurricanes and is putting up solid stats this season with the Montreal Canadiens.
In 2007, Edmonton arguably made the biggest splash at the deadline by trading “Captain Canada” Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders in exchange for forwards Robert Nilsson, Ryan O’Marra and a 2007 first round draft pick (Alex Plante). The Islanders won the deal as Smyth helped get the Islanders into the postseason. But that trade was made by Kevin Lowe and predated Tambellini’s tenure.
The past two seasons have been quiet for the Oilers at the trade deadline, as the team was out of playoff contention by that time. If anything, Tambellini’s team looks like it will be a seller.
Grade: D
Jay Feaster, Calgary Flames
Since being given the general manager reigns to the Flames back on Dec. 28, 2010, things have been like a roller coaster in Calgary.
The Flames failed to make the playoffs last season and, right now, are in danger of doing the same thing should they not excel down the stretch.
At the 2011 trade deadline, Feaster sent a seventh-round draft pick to the Atlanta Thrashers for Fredrik Modin. Modin played in just four games with the Flames and did not pick up a point, easily making the trade a bust for Feaster.
However, in trade deadlines past, Feaster has been able to make good deals. In 2002, Feaster was able to acquire Ruslan Fedotenko from the Philadelphia Flyers. Fedotenko would become a key cog in the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2004.
That said, Feaster is also responsible for giving up the likes of Brad Richards, Dan Boyle, and Brad Lukowich. However, some of these moves were made when new ownership came in, so we hesitate to load all the blame on Feaster for his bad deals.
Grade: B-
Kevin Cheveldayoff, Winnipeg Jets
For Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, the 2012 deadline will be his first experience of the well-known day in the NHL.
As such, we cannot grade him yet because this is his first deadline. That said, we can take a look at what his strategy appears to be.
“We’ve been very open and candid about our situation: we’re always going to be buyers for things that are going to help us in the future,” Cheveldayoff told the Winnipeg Free Press. “That’s the approach we’ve taken, and that’s the approach we’re going to continue to take.”
For a first-time NHL general manager, this seems like the sensible approach. Hopefully, it will be one that ends up paying dividends as the team has an outside chance at clinching a playoff spot this season.
Grade: N/A
Brian Burke, Toronto Maple Leafs
With the Toronto Maple Leafs lingering around a low-seed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, it will be interesting to see what general manager Brian Burke has up his sleeves this year.
As the Leafs’ GM, Burke has made plenty of deals in his tenure. Before the 2010 deadline, Burke made the first big splash by acquiring defenceman Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie in exchange for Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, and Ian White. Captain Phaneuf, an all-star, has been a big reason for the Leafs’ solid play this season.
Burke was also able to acquire Joe Colburne (an AHL all-star this season) by dishing defenceman Tomas Kaberle to the Bruins. Colburne has been tearing it up in the AHL this season and is seen as the big power centre of the future.
Another solid deal that Burke made was trading defenceman Francois Beauchemin to the Anaheim Ducks for Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner, and a conditional fourth-round pick. Lupul is one of the league’s leading scorers this season, while Gardiner surprised everyone by making the team out of training camp.
Burke, however, will always be remembered as the GM who traded two first-round picks and a second-round pick to the Boston Bruins for Phil Kessel. While Kessel is having a fantastic season, one of the two first-round picks, Tyler Seguin, won a Stanley Cup last season and the other first-round pick, Dougie Hamilton, could end up being huge for the Bruins in the future.
Should be interesting to see what kind of moves Burke makes this season, if any, given his history of deals before or at the deadline.
Grade: C+
Bryan Murray, Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators have been one of the league’s surprising stories this season, as they have a strong chance of securing a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference.
As such, one should not be surprised if Murray either holds still at this year’s deadline or looks for a potential upgrade to help bolster his team’s roster for the postseason.
Prior to the deadline last season, however, Murray was extremely busy as the club had already fallen out of the race. Murray made a flurry of trades, shipping out the likes of Brian Elliott, Jarkko Ruutu, Chris Kelly, and Mike Fisher.
While those players have gone to play well for other teams, the Senators are doing just fine without them. Despite a recent slump, goaltender Craig Anderson (acquired in the Elliott deal) is finding his form while the team’s youngsters are getting a chance to make their mark under head coach Paul MacLean.
Grade: B
Pierre Gauthier, Montreal Canadiens
Since his tenure as the Montreal Canadiens’ general manager began, Pierre Gauthier has changed the Canadiens’ hockey club from a playoff squad to a team that is on pace to miss the postseason for the first time in four seasons.
Since taking over the reins in Montreal, Gauthier is arguably Canada’s most scrutinized GM. This is especially true when it comes to the deals he has made as the club’s general manager.
While he was able to acquire a solid forward in Rene Bourque from the Calgary Flames, Gauthier had to give up sniper Michael Cammalleri to do it. Gauthier also gave up defenceman Jaroslav Spacek to the Carolina Hurricanes for Tomas Kaberle. Remember, Spacek played a significant role on the team’s blue line in 2010, helping the Habs reach the Eastern Conference finals.
With the Canadiens still fighting for a playoff spot, it will be up to Gauthier to make the right moves to help make that happen. However, based on the deals he has made thus far as Canadiens GM, that might not happen.
Grade: D
Based on past Trade Deadline performance, to which GM would you award the highest grade?
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