March 6, 2011, HockeyPrimeTime.com Atlantic Division Notebook on the Rangers, Flyers and Penguins after the NHL trade deadline

Rangers, Flyers, Pens look stout after trades

Atlantic

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, March 05, 2011 01:05

The top three teams in the Atlantic Division could have stood pat at the trade deadline. None did, and came out looking that much stronger for the stretch run. Brian Burke was front and center on television screens across the United States and Canada Monday afternoon. The general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs had his tie undone and an irritated look etched upon his countenance. There were phone calls to make, discussions to be had, and this was an unwelcome interruption. An interviewer with TSN asked Burke why the NHL trade deadline had been fizzle rather than fireworks, and his response was two-pronged: AROUND THE ATLANTIC • Multiple deals had been made beginning in January. • Executives were loathe to give away assets as conference playoff races were as deep as any in recent memory. Then Burke offered his stock opinion on the trade deadline, one that he would repeat hours later to the platoon of journalists that report on his team on a daily basis. “A lot of teams make mistakes on deadline day,” Burke said. “We’re trying to avoid that.” Three of Burke’s Atlantic Division rivals did a good job of that: Glen Sather (Rangers), Paul Holmgren (Flyers) and Ray Shero (Pittsburgh). Each appears to have improved his team for the stretch run without having damaged the franchises’ futures. Sather played — and won — a game of chicken with Dallas counterpart Joe Nieuwendyk as it pertained to UFA center-to-be Brad Richards. Reports stated Nieuwendyk demanded multiple young players, including core NHLers, for Richards. The Rangers are seventh in the East with 72 points, trailing sixth-seed Montreal by six points. They lead eighth seed Carolina by one. While coaches, players and executives compete for championships, the truth is that professional sports franchises exist to make money. A healthy Brad Richards centering Marian Gaborik, when the latter returns from a concussion, could help the Original Six franchise qualify for the playoffs, while earning at least two home dates and possibly more. The easy answer would be to mortgage tomorrow for today. However, for an organization that is not that far removed from having missed the playoffs seven straight years while having followed that philosophy, that was not a pathway it was prepared to traverse. Not when the top-line center can be had for cash starting July 1. Instead of paying a ransom that might paralyze the franchise in the long term, Sather decided to add veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe from Florida for AHLer Tim Kennedy and a third-round pick on Saturday, and sent a seventh-round pick to Toronto for utility forward John Mitchell. The Rangers may or may not make the playoffs — the belief here is that they will — but by standing pat, Sather set up his team to be successful in coming campaigns. Two teams that will make the playoffs reside in Pennsylvania. The Flyers are merely the NHL’s second-best team – hockeyprimetime.com profiled why Philadelphia has been successful last week – while the Penguins have been competitive despite myriad injuries Holmgren has constructed hockey’s closest thing to flawless a team and as a result really did not have to add players before the deadline. But when you are the GM of a franchise that last won a Stanley Cup in 1975, it’s understood that patience is not a virtue. So a first- and third-round draft pick were dealt to Toronto for Kris Versteeg. Versteeg adds depth to Philadelphia’s forward corps, as he is a top-nine forward who can play power play and penalty kill. Holmgren also picked up physical defenseman Nick Boynton off of waivers from Chicago. Both have Stanley Cup experience from the 2009-10 Blackhawks, which beat Holmgren’s Flyers in six games. Pittsburgh is the most recent Atlantic Division franchise to win a Stanley Cup Championship; 2008-09 is not all that long ago and the Penguins are still a young group. Shero added enticing youth by sending defenseman Alex Goligoski to Dallas for power forward James Neal and steady defenseman Matt Niskanen. With an eye toward the long-term injuries to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Shero also acquired Alex Kovalev from Pittsburgh for a seventh round pick. New Jersey dealt Jason Arnott to Washington for David Steckel and a second-round pick. The Islanders lost Rob Schremp to Atlanta in the waiver process. Notes Islanders enforcer Trevor Gillies was suspended 10 games for his hit to the head of Minnesota’s Cal Clutterbuck in a the Isles’ 4-1 win Wednesday. Gillies had just returned from a nine-game suspension for elbowing Penguins forward Eric Tangradi. … Penguins RW Eric Godard was also suspended 10 games for his role in the Feb. 11 donnybrook with the Islanders, and is eligible to return Tuesday. … Penguins C Sidney Crosby still isn’t symptom-free since suffering from a concussion, head coach Dan Bylsma said Wednesday. … New Jersey D Henrik Tallinder's plus/minus rating was at minus-26 for the Devils' first 40 games. Since then, he has been plus-20. … Including his overtime goal Friday against Pittsburgh, Devils LW Ilya Kovalchuk has six-game winners in the Devils' last 12 games. … LW Zach Parise skated Thursday for the first time since undergoing surgery Nov. 2. … Newsday reported that Rangers RW Marian Gaborik (concussion) did not experience headaches immediately after a hard skate Friday. … Rangers D Marc Staal logged 21:38 Friday against the Ottawa Senators in his first game back from a knee injury. On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photos by Getty Images

http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/atlantic/rangers-flyers-pens-look-stout-after-trades