Deadline Recap

WINNERS
1. San Jose - The Sharks added two big pieces in Billy Guerin and Craig Rivet. They were Cup contenders before the moves, now they're the clear favorites.

2. Pittsburgh - In getting Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque, the Penguins added the muscle and grit needed to be serious playoff threats.

3. Detroit - Todd Bertuzzi is risky, but it's nice to see the Wings take a chance. It's gonna be even nicer when it blows up in their face.

4. St. Louis - The Blues did a swell job of stockpiling draft picks, and getting Brad Boyes wasn't too shabby either.

LOSERS
1. Buffalo - Dainius Zubrus? Who cancelled?

2. Ottawa - The Senators wanted to get a little bigger and stronger up front, so they added... Oleg Saprykin? Yikes.

3. Anaheim - San Jose got better. Calgary got better. Nashville got better. Anaheim got Brad May. Enjoy the early summer vacation.

4. Dallas - Draft picks don't matter. Oh wait, we're gonna play again next season? Damn.

5. NY Islanders - Paid three first-rounders for the privilege of watching Ryan Smyth sign elsewhere this summer.

BUFFALO
Rarely does a Stanley Cup contender get worse at the trade deadline, but that's exactly what happened to the Buffalo Donald Trumps. First, they sent Martin Biron to the Flyers for a second- round pick, replacing him with Ty Conklin from Columbus for a fifth-rounder. Kind of surprising, particularly since Biron was in the middle of the Ottawa brawl. It's even more surprising since Conklin sucks.

Ravaged by injuries, the Trumps wanted to add a forward, so they sent Jiri Novotny and a first- round pick to Washington for Dainius Zubrus and defenseman Timo Helbling. Zubrus is not the kind of guy you bring in to help win a championship. He's a minus player, he doesn't compete every night, and he's got a bad knee. He's also going to be unrestricted this summer. Worst trade ever. Someone's gonna get fired for this. And don't forget to watch "The Apprentice" Thursday nights on NBC.

DALLAS
The Stars added a quality veteran to their blue line, picking up Mattias Norstrom along with Konstantin Pushkarev, a 2007 third-round pick, and a 2007 fourth-round pick from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jaroslav Modry, Johan Fransson, a 2008 first-round pick, a 2007 second-round pick, and a 2007 third-round pick.

So, in the past few weeks, Dallas has traded two first-round picks for a 35-year-old defensive defenseman and Ladislav Nagy, who scores about as much as a defensive defenseman.

Dallas is going nowhere fast. They'll be one and done again this postseason. Hey, traditions are fun.

DETROIT
The Red Wings finally added some toughness, acquiring Todd Bertuzzi from the Florida Panthers for a conditional draft pick and forward prospect Shawn Matthias. I believe the pick will be a first-rounder if the Wings advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. So rest easy, Detroit fans. At least you didn't give up a first-rounder.

In theory, this is an amazing trade for Detroit. Bertuzzi is exactly the kind of player needed to compliment the skilled but passive Red Wing lineup. If, you know, Bertuzzi was still Bertuzzi. He isn't. He never will be again. Those days are over. They ended the minute he snapped Steve Moore's neck.

And back injuries tend to linger. Don't expect him to jump into the Detroit lineup and make an immediate impact. It's going to take some time to find his legs. This deal will look a lot better if Detroit re-signs him over the summer, because I really doubt he's going to make much of a difference this season. But on the bright side, sales of orange prison jumpsuits and neck braces should skyrocket.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The Isles made a big splash late, acquiring Ryan Smyth from Edmonton in exchange for forwards Robert Nilsson, Ryan O'Marra, and a first-round pick. Nilsson and O'Marra were both first- round selections. In other words, the Islanders traded three first-round picks for Smyth. That would be a bold statement under any circumstances, but when one considers Smyth will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is determined to test the market, the move becomes downright blasphemous.

There is no way Smyth -- who's played his entire career in Canada, who's known as Captain Canada for his service to the national team, who subsists entirely on bacon, maple syrup, and Labatt Blue -- will ever re-sign with the Islanders. It's not gonna happen.

Aw, what am I saying? I'm sure Charles Wang will have him inked to a 15-year contract by morning. Maybe Smyth and DiPietro will jet pack to work together in 2021.

PITTSBURGH
I already talked about the Gary Roberts trade yesterday. Roberts is my boy, and I love the intangibles he brings to a young, impressionable club like the Penguins, but I'm not crazy about giving up the 24-year-old Noah Welch for him. Roberts is going to be 41 in May, making him old enough to be Mark Recchi's dad. But even if Gary can't stay healthy, at least he can impact the team in the dressing room, regaling his young teammates with stories of how he used to ride dinosaurs to school through two feet of snow. As part of the trade, the Penguins will also receive a big bag of hard candy.

While the Roberts move is questionable, only because of his age, there's no denying the brilliance of acquiring Geroges Laraque from the Phoenix Coyotes for minor-leaguer Dan Carcillo and a 2008 third-round pick.

As many of you know, I've been calling for the Pens to get Laraque for weeks, so I love it when a plan comes together. Laraque is not a goon. He's a hockey player. In Phoenix, he was playing about 10 minutes a night, surrounded by absolutely no talent whatsoever, and he produced five goals and 22 points in 56 games. Compare that to the point production of Colby Armstrong (23), Ryan Malone (21), Erik Christensen (20), Maxime Talbot (16), Jarkko Ruutu (14), and Ronald Petrovicky (6). Now who's the goon?

This isn't Andre Roy or Eric Cairns. Laraque's a hard worker, a punishing hitter, and he's capable of a regular shift on the third or fourth line, but he's got enough skill to take an occasional turn with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And when things get chippy, he'll drop the People's Right Hand on every roodypoo candyass in sight.

Speaking of which, how would you like to be Colton Orr? Laraque's first game will probably be Thursday night in New York. You know he's going to want to make a statement. And Orr's just dumb enough to let him. Good luck with that.

The Penguins are a scrappy bunch, and they do a great job of sticking up for one another, but Laraque is the best fighter in hockey. He brings an element they simply didn't have. He gives the team options. He gives the team courage. Everyone gets a little braver, a little more confident. And the fans are gonna love this guy. He'll create excitement in the building, and, from all accounts, he's excellent in the community.

For my money, getting Laraque was the best move made at the deadline. People who disagree have either never played hockey or never been punched in the face. I've done both. Trust me, getting Laraque is huge.

When one of the talking monkeys on TSN asked Wayne Gretzky if getting an enforcer was important for the Penguins, The Great One didn't hesitate, explaining how it immediately eliminates all the pretend tough guys from giving Crosby and Malkin grief. While it would be wonderful to say teams no longer need fighters, pretending something doesn't exist won't make it go away. I know. I've been trying it for years with the IRS.

And while we're at it, let's give Gretzky some credit. I'm guessing he had a little something to do with Laraque coming to the Burgh. It's like he's looking out for Crosby. It almost makes up for leaving Sid off Team Canada. Almost.

In order to free up cap space for Roberts and Laraque, the Penguins moved Dominic Moore to Minnesota for a third-round pick. Moore's speed and feisty nature will make him a great fit with the Wild. He's really the prototypical Jacques Lemaire player, possessing speed and a sound defensive conscience. Moore's ice time plummeted in Pittsburgh, though, falling from 16 and 17 minutes a night early in the year to about seven minutes a night over the past month. Talbot made him expendable.

Assuming Roberts is healthy and has something left in the tank, the Penguins have become much tougher, grittier, and just harder to play against. They've become a playoff team.

Keep in mind, both Roberts and Laraque had to waive no-trade clauses to come to Pittsburgh. Do you think that would have happened a few years ago? It's a sign of things to come. Wait until free agency. And it's all because of Crosby.

SAN JOSE
The Sharks, having already added Craig Rivet, continued to build for a serious Cup run, sending Ville Nieminen, forward prospect Jay Barriball, and another first-round pick to St. Louis for Bill Guerin.

How many first-round picks do the Sharks have? It's like they're printing them in their basement or something. But this is a great trade. It solidifies the Fish, giving them someone to play with Patrick Marleau on the second line. And this is San Jose's chance. Unlike Atlanta, the Sharks are legit Cup contenders. They're going for it. You gotta respect that.

And you have to love what the Blues are doing. Granted, draft picks are meaningless unless they're used wisely, but getting rid of Guerin and Keith Tkachuk will give the Blues the chance to rebuild the right way, following the same blueprint as Quebec and Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately, John Davidson packaged all the first-round picks and traded them to the New York Rangers for some Brian Leetch memorabilia.

TORONTO
The Maple Leafs acquired Yanic Perreault for the third time, getting the crafty centerman and a fifth-round pick for defenseman Brendan Bell and a second-rounder. Toronto wanted to make some more moves but couldn't decide which players to give up on and then re-acquire a few years later. Incompetent management is trickier than it looks.

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