Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy knowing that the Carolina Hurricanes almost made the playoffs because Ottawa slept through the month of March!

While teams were jockeying for positioning -- getting into the playoffs, having a higher seed once they start, or going for that all-important lottery draft selection -- it's was time for me to start looking back.

So without further delay, let's take a look at who made a comeback, who fell behind, and who wishes they made a bigger deal at the trade deadline this week.

IT'S A MANAGEMENT ISSUE
The trade deadline is past and rosters are, for better or worse, set for the postseason. So as part of my preparation for the playoffs, I thought I'd take a moment to rank the general managers of the NHL's 26 clubs on the job they did in guiding their teams this season. From worst to first, these are an LCS staple, SUBJECTIVE rankings. Disagreements can be directed straight to me, because I can't be dissuaded by our own management structure from what I'm sure will anger and agitate a bunch of you folks.

26. Phil Esposito, Tampa Bay Lightning. Sports Illustrated called them "Team Turmoil," and that about covers the season the Bolts have had. It began with the Chris Gratton fiasco, in which Espo partially acquitted himself by nabbing Mikael Renberg from Philly. Unfortunately, Renberg got hurt, and little was done to correct that. Throw in a bad batch of a chemistry experiment gone wrong when Brian Bradley and Dino Ciccarelli were teammates at each others' throats, a joke of a pay hike to Stephane Richer, and contract talks with Rob Zamuner which, while they were eventually settled, probably ruined Tampa's relationship with their best asset. Sure, most of these problems have been dealt with, i.e. swept under the table, but the Lightning still went from a promising group of youngsters just two years ago to a waste of ice this season.

25. Jack Ferreira, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The only thing keeping Captain Jack from sitting in last place is the understanding we all have that he was little more than, in Disney terms, Pinocchio to the parent company's Gepetto. Morale and skill were both tossed out the window heading into this season when Ron Wilson, who everybody other than the backup goalie loved, was sent packing and Paul Kariya went unsigned for the first third of the campaign. Already in a hole, Ferreira overestimated the skills of Scott Young, Guy Hebert and Tomas Sandstrom and did a head in sand impression in not working harder until the season was already all but lost to turn things around. The long-term deal with Teemu Selanne gives Ferreira the inside track on moving up a few notches next year, for now, the blame for this team's demise from a second round playoff squad a year ago rests on Ferreira's shoulders. Oh, and Pierre Page as the guy he always wanted to coach a hockey team? Quack!

24. Neil Smith, New York Rangers. If you want to take a class on how to get the least return on the most money spent, give this guy a call. Rather than scouting players, Smith apparently built his team based on the ratings some video game assigned these guys. Yes, Gretzky still scores like a machine and Pat LaFontaine, up until he started seeing stars, was a huge reclamation project. But Smith's failure to see the warning signs early on and dump his huge contracts for younger, hungrier players should cost him his job. It won't. Another candidate for the bottom spot, Smith saved himself that honor by unloading Mike Keane and Brian Skrudland at the deadline. The Rangers didn't get better with Bob Errey and an injured Todd Harvey, but at least they got a lot cheaper.

23. Bryan Murray, Florida Panthers. It may not be all his fault, but Murray moved in the wrong direction. The idea of trying to ice a veteran team from the start to win fan support with a surprisingly competitive product has, a few years later, produced a squad bereft of young talent. Workhorse John Vanbiesbrouck finally gave out, and Murray, who knows he's going to lose Beezer to free agency anyway, failed to move him when he had the chance. Bringing in castoffs like Kirk Muller, Dave Gagner and Dino Ciccarelli should have made Murray ask why they were castoffs in the first place. And Ed Jovanovski and Rob Niedermayer are simply too young and have been too rushed to carry a team themselves. Murray is another guy who can make amends in the off-season, but for now, he's Panther food.

22. Bob Murray, Chicago Blackhawks. Hey, there's only so much room at the bottom. The Hawks bite. Hands down. And while a lot of that is due to things which happened before Murray took over the position, the fact is they got lucky when Jeff Hackett proved himself to be a legitimate starting goaltender. After him, Chris Chelios and Tony Amonte, who had a rough year, are the only legitimate threats. This team suffers from a tremendous lack of talent and some really bad scouting. Hopefully head coach Craig Hartsburg won't be blamed for the end of the longest playoff streak in hockey, because he's the only reason they even thought about qualifying for the playoffs.

21. Mike Smith, Toronto Maple Leafs. There is no excuse for needing such a total youth movement in the hotbed of hockey. Maple Leaf Gardens will close without a playoff game in its final season. There is reason to believe the talented youth on this team will be a bright spot in the future, but for a team which routinely made it deep in the playoffs just a few seasons ago, there needs to be more of a sense of purpose. Montreal wouldn't tolerate this team. Why should the home city of the Stanley Cup?

20. John Paddock, Phoenix Coyotes. I may be a bit harsh with Paddock here, because the number of "yeah, but" scenarios his team has had to contend with is staggering. Still, even before injuries took their toll, there was little indication that this poor man's version of the Rangers (a whole lot of paper talent, not a lot to show for the payroll) was worth it. Oleg Tverdovsky's holdout was much more than such a player deserves. Jeremy Roenick, while a much better player than Alexei Zhamnov was all-around, is not his former 50-goal self, but was such a tradable asset at the deadline, there's no telling what could have happened. This team can pull together and make me eat my words, but ultimately this squad is a flawed experiment.

19. Mike Keenan, Vancouver Canucks. Great. So now Iron Mike has gotten rid of most dissenting voices. Still, he couldn't pull off that Mogilny trade and now Pavel Bure wants out. This downward spiral the Canucks rode this season began long before Keenan's arrival, but he didn't have his usual stabilizing effect on the team, either. For all the turmoil that comes with Mike Keenan, you need to have better, more tangible results, and that hasn't happened. Trust Keenan to make a huge improvement (or at least a lot of changes) in the off-season, but for this year, he was kind of a disappointment.

18. Al Coates, Calgary Flames. Small markets. They have a competitive disadvantage. But give Brian Sutter anything to work with! The eventual blossoming of Hnat Dominicelli and the future potential of Tyler Moss are plus signs for the scouting department. But that's not nearly enough to compete in this league. Coates sits at such a high point on this list simply because of handicapping for budget problems. But for all the fear the Oilers were headed to Houston, it's the Flames who are most in need of a new market. Only then can Coates be expected to compete with his rival executives in icing a good club.

17. Jim Rutherford, Carolina Hurricanes. Hey, the Gary Roberts reclamation project was a huge success, and Keith Primeau has really begun to blossom. Trevor Kidd was a great acquisition. And the Sergei Fedorov offer sheet (see Detroit later) would have really put this team over the top...or at least into the playoffs. Dumping Geoff Sanderson before his value plummeted further was a good thing. Still...another year, another early finish. At least nobody in Greensboro seems to care. They need a fan base fast, because Rutherford's aggressive free-agent signings (or attempts, anyway) could really improve this team this summer.

16. Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers. He did a lousy job assembling the Canadian Olympic team when he designed it just to beat the Americans, who were even worse. This year's Flyers squad was designed just to beat the Devils...but their 0-5-1 record against New Jersey makes you wonder just how effective Clarke's tinkering can be in any situation. His insurance against another Ron Hextall playoff flop is Sean Burke, who hasn't won a playoff game since he was a rookie 10 years ago. He gave away his power play when he sent Janne Niinimaa to Edmonton for Dan McGillis. While he did a good job getting the team up to this level, he may also be responsible for their quick exit this spring.

15. Pierre Gauthier, Ottawa Senators. Their goal was to improve after their first playoff season, but instead the Sens have limped into the postseason because nobody bothered to bump them out down the stretch. Getting rid of the Alexandre Daigle headache was a good thing, but is the Pat Falloon headache any better? And isn't Radek Bonk a bigger problem? No significant improvements to a mid-range team is the same as taking a step back. Unless they pull off a very unlikely upset of the Devils in the first round, Ottawa's season will be considered a step in the wrong direction. But it could have been worse.

14. Darcy Regier, Buffalo Sabres. The best thing this rookie GM did was not trade Dominik Hasek. The players and fans all hated the Dominator, but Regier didn't try to make his mark as a rookie executive by pulling the trigger, even when Hasek struggled early. Sanderson may have tanked in Carolina and Vancouver, but he could quietly blossom in Buffalo. Dumping Jason Dawe after already losing Pat LaFontaine for a song earlier this season was a questionable decision, but the fact is, the Sabres may be the best bargain in hockey, even with Hasek's new contract. Stability seems to have returned to this squad, and Regier gets credit for bringing that about.

13. Mike Milbury, New York Islanders. Man, have they been good since they were eliminated from playoff contention! "Next year" is getting to be a bit old on the Island, but the fact is that Tommy Salo's Olympic performance and the late-season acquisition of Trevor Linden makes this team next year's likely Cinderella story. For this year, hey, rebuilding the right way takes time. But this is all the slack Milbury will be afforded. Ziggy Palffy sure looks good, though.

12. Dean Lombardi, San Jose Sharks. It took some time for this team to gel, but, starting with luring Darryl Sutter back into coaching, Lombardi has made some great moves. He brought in Sutter-style players in John MacLean, Dave Lowry, and Mike Ricci, and maybe even some offense if Joe Murphy can regain his form here. The scariest playoff team is one which had a so-so season but came on strong at the end. The Sharks, which Lombardi has completely reinvented this year, are the most likely team to pull off an upset in the first round.

11. Harry Sinden, Boston Bruins. Sinden got lucky in a lot of cases. But after all his years in this job, maybe it wasn't just luck. He somehow brainwashed Ray Bourque into not wanting to retire from the Bruins, but that was years ago. This year's accomplishments include hiring Pat Burns, who will likely win the Adams Trophy, and drafting Sergei Samsonov, who is the odds-on favorite for the Calder. Sure, Joe Thornton was hardly a breakthrough first- overall draft choice, and Jim Carey bombed, but Jason Allison and Anson Carter have made the dumping of all this team's viable assets at the end of the year last year look like a stroke of genius. And hey, they're back in the show.

10. Rejean Houle, Montreal Canadiens. Brining in Andy Moog settled his goaltending situation by giving the Habs a reliable veteran and taking the pressure off Jocelyn Thibault, who has been better ever since. Realizing that Stephane Richer is better elsewhere was a good thing. Unfortunately Igor Ulanov got hurt right off the bat, but his return in time for the playoffs gives the Canadiens some serious balance that can cause a few headaches in the Eastern Conference in the off-season. This team makes up in balance what they lack in breakthrough talent, though the return of Shayne Corson both to the city and to his top form makes Houle a top-10 executive in my book.

9. Glen Sather, Edmonton Oilers. Finally, he may get some cash. In the meantime, this year he managed to get some other things. Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin from New Jersey for disappointing Jason Arnott would have been a great deal, except that Sather raised the bar on himself when he stole Niinimaa from Philly. Add to that the pick up of Roman Hamrlik for some slowly developing prospects, and this guy's had a great year. The real litmus test, of course, will be seeing if they have the toughness to pull off another upset like they did last year in the first round. Hopefully, he'll be able to persuade Curtis Joseph to stick around after the season ends. But no matter what, Sather has done a great job with this team.

8. Pierre Lacroix, Colorado Avalanche. Even though they've stumbled down the stretch, the `Lanche still go into the playoffs with the second seed in the West. It may have been a disastrous year on the executive level, but picking up Warren Rychel and Tom Fitzgerald at the deadline probably saved Colorado's season. When Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg show up healthy for the playoffs, it will all come together. Still, weakness were exposed this season, and how good a job Lacroix really did in terms of team building will be tested when we see if and how they get bumped early from the postseason.

7. Craig Patrick, Pittsburgh Penguins. Stu Barnes is starting to look like his best trade since Ron Francis came over from Hartford. Kevin Constantine was a brilliant choice for a head coach who has made the post-Mario era look a heck of a lot brighter than it did heading into this season. One could easily criticize Patrick for not being able to resign Petr Nedved, but thank God an executive took a stand against a guy trying to inflate the league's salary structure. The Pens haven't missed Nedved, and that contract money sure helps, seeing as how Lemieux is still one of the highest paid hockey players even though he retired last year. How can you argue with a team written off as an also-ran which still pulled off first place, anyway?

6. George McPhee, Washington Capitals. Ron Wilson is a great coach, certainly better than Jim Schoenfeld. Esa Tikkanen and Brian Bellows were two top-notch late season acquisitions and Jeff Brown always seems to improve a team when he arrives at the trade deadline. Injuries are probably the only reason the Caps weren't better than the Flyers this season, but they can cause some serious damage early in the playoffs. Not a bad rookie season for a GM on a team which has been accused many times in the past of underachieving.

5. Dave Taylor, Los Angeles Kings. What a difference a year makes! Last year the Kings were at the bottom of the Western Conference. They were too small to compete. They couldn't put the puck in the net. Taylor got promoted and instantly made his mark. He brought back former Kings Luc Robitaille and Gary Galley and pulled off one of the best trades of the year when he unloaded locker room problem Dimitri Kristich and superfluous goalie Byron Dafoe for Josef Stumpel, who has been one of the top-scoring centers all season, and Sandy Moger, who has really found himself playing in LA. Stealing Russ Courtnall from obscurity was an ace's move, too, and if the Kings can get healthy for the playoffs, they have the second-largest lineup in hockey, and came very close to unseating Colorado for the Pacific Division title.

4. Jim Devellano, Detroit Red Wings. This guy went both ways with his fiscal sense this year. In realizing it was time to give Chris Osgood a chance to shine, he made the right decision when he let Mike Vernon go as a free agent. Yet, when the Wings had a contending team already in place, he made the boneheaded move to double his payroll when he matched Sergei Fedorov's offer sheet from Carolina. Fedorov definitely makes them better, and they may even be more likely to win the Cup. But are they twice as good? Probably not. This all may be beating a dead horse, since plenty of good hockey minds are picking them to repeat as Stanley Cup Champs.

3. Larry Pleau, St. Louis Blues. Sure, it was Mike Keenan who traded for Chris Pronger, but Pleau brought back Steve Duchesne and brought in Todd Gill in solidifying the blue line for this squad. A well-balanced team which is no longer surprising anybody, Pleau has been at the helm, bringing in the same sense of stability in the front office that his coach, Joel Quenneville has brought to the ice in the post-Keenan fallout. How he handles the Brett Hull situation this summer will be very telling in terms of just how good a general manager he is, but for now, this team he put together could be a real dark horse to emerge from the Western Conference.

2. Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey Devils. Under the tutelage of Dave Andreychuk and Doug Gilmour, Lamoriello's top acquisition this season, Jason Arnott, may finally develop into the power forward Edmonton never saw him become. Consider this a great trade for both teams. But "Big Lou" has, over time, become a very respected member of this 26-man club. A few years back he scared the Detroit Red Wings into throwing Randy McKay into a compensation package for lowly Troy Crowder. McKay has blossomed into a serious scoring threat, as has Lamoriello's other favorite acquisition of the nineties, Bobby Holik. The Devils are a solid, four-line team with a solid power play, thanks to guys like Doug Bodger and Gilmour, a couple of Lamoriello's most recent pick-ups. And he's kept Jacques Lemaire and coaching prospect Robbie Ftorek both behind his bench. Not bad at all, Lou.

1. Bob Gainey, Dallas Stars. But, even though Barry Melrose thinks Lamoriello is the top guy, I'd give my vote to Bob Gainey. Before the season started, he upgraded his goaltending from "darn good" to near perfect when he stole Ed Belfour away from San Jose as a free agent. Belfour responded with the best GAA in the league this year. The rest of his pieces have meshed well, too, and even though Derian Hatcher hasn't had his best season, Sergei Zubov has. Mike Modano is perfectly complemented by Joe Nieuwendyk down the middle, and the wingers are solid, from feisty Pat Verbeek on out. But Gainey's coup des graces must have been his theft of both Brian Skrudland and Mike Keane, exactly the kinds of role players who win your team a Stanley Cup, from the Rangers at the trade deadline. A lot of folks like the Red Wings this Spring. I like Dallas.

MISCELLLANY
On what planet did Peter Karmanos deserve the Lester Patrick Award for service to American hockey? Last I figured, he ripped out the very lifeblood of a community that rallied to sell more season tickets in Hartford then he gets game tickets sold in Greensboro. Brian Leetch grew up in Whaler Country. Who grew up in Hurricane Land? Karmanos also shot the salary structure through the roof with his offer sheet to Fedorov. This man is a cancer to American hockey. Is there any way to pull an Eagleson and get him tossed off this honor roll?

Congratulations on at least one piece of hardware to the New Jersey Devils. Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer won't likely take the Norris Trophy. Jacques Lemaire has too many Pat Burns- and Kevin Constantine-types around to win the Adams and Martin Brodeur will most likely come in second behind Dominik Hasek in voting for the Vezina again this year. Patrik Elias will make the all-rookie team, but will probably finish behind Mike Johnson, Sergei Samsonov and Matthias Ohlund for the Calder. But nobody can take away New Jersey's Jennings trophy, which Brodeur will share with Mike Dunham for the best team goals-against average, finishing with one less goal against than Belfour and Jim Waite allowed in Dallas.

For anyone whose team did not make the playoffs this season, take heart. The free agent spending spree will begin in July. A lot of top-notch players are unrestricted free agents, like Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, Doug Gilmour, John Vanbiesbrouck and Mike Richter.

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