Deadline Deals

So, back from a rather unnecessary hiatus, the NHL trade dead line will bring us into 2008's posts. There were once again a great number of deals(24) and players(43) changing places yesterday including several prized rentals and some rather strange moves. The strangest of which comes out of Montreal where they traded away starting goaltender Christobal Huet. This was strange in itself, but understandable with the goal tending talent they have coming up and that he was a free agent at years end, but they only got a second round pick for him...I mean, surely there was a better offer on the table then that, I hope they at least threw in a bag of pucks...The best pick up was Brad Richards to Dallas, a very solid, and proven player who will fit in well and they paid a fair price for him, Mike Smith is good, in defensively sound Dallas, hopefully this continues for him in Tampa but it will certainly be a bigger challenge with their back line, though keeping Dan Boyle will help. Else where Brian Campbell went to San Jose, offers were tendered from several teams including many in the east but with Buffalo in the middle of a playoff race, he was going west no matter how good a deal the likes of Ottawa may have tendered. Keeping with the east Marian Hossa went to Pittsburgh. No doubt this is an expensive proposition for Pittsburgh, though they also got Pascal Dupuis who is a solid young player, but Hossa is not a proven playoff performer. In his Ottawa days he was like a ghost come April, so it may prove to have been a costly rental indeed for the steel city, getting Sindey Crosby back will no doubt have a bigger impact. So, with the deals done, I have to say Dallas has solidified themselves as a front runner for the cup, if only because Detroit is older, more European, yes I said it! and Dallas is playing the best hockey in the league right now, along with New Jersey and no one wants to face Brodeur the way he is playing.