FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH: GRADES FOR TRADES

by E. Spencer Kyte, Bugs and Cranks

Tuesday was a National Holiday here in the Great White North, as the NHL Trade Deadline came and went. Coverage started at 4:30 a.m. and ran all day long, ending somewhere around 2 the next morning, just in case any late deals slipped under the wire.

With baseball season just getting under way, basketball entering the stretch drive and the unexciting, over-scrutinized NFL Scouting Combine all falling in the same week, chances are you might have missed a deal or two. Or maybe you just don't care. Either way, it's time to hand out grades on the Deadline Deals.

Brad Richards & Johan Holmquist to Dallas for Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern and a 4th Round Pick
Yes, this move immediately makes Dallas a Stanley Cup contender. For years, the knock on Dallas has been that they don't get it done come playoff time. Marty Turco silenced those critics last year battling with Roberto Luongo in a terrific seven game series and now they acquire a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

Smith has the chance to be a good #1 goalie, which Tampa clearly needed, but the biggest part of the deal for them is getting out from under the $7.8M contract they gave Richards this past summer, something Dallas is willing to accept for a solid playoff run.

If you have any doubts about how smart a move this was for Dallas, Richards notched 5 assist in his first game.

Grades: Dallas A+ Tampa Bay B+ (Could improve over time with Smith)

Marian Hossa & Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christenson, Angelo Esposito and a 1st Round Pick
I didn't like this deal when it was first announced. I like it even less after Hossa got hurt during his first game last night, but that is coincidental.

Here is the thing: Hossa is a rental, flat out, because Pittsburgh hasn't got the scratch to pay Hossa the money he'll demand, what with having to give Evgeni Malkin just a shade less than what they gave Sid the Kid. As such, why give up so much? If the Pens don't win the Cup this season with Hossa, this trade is downgraded from bad to horrible.

Armstrong and Christenson were contributors for Pittsburgh and will continue to have that opportunity in Atlanta. They're young, energetic and Armstrong had built a solid rapport with both Crosby and Malkin over the season. On top of that they give up Esposito who, while his stock has dropped since being heralded as a stud when he was 16, is still young and talented. Trading away first round draft picks always sucks too.

Grades: Pittsburgh C+ Atlanta B+

Brian Campbell to San Jose for Steve Bernier and a 1st Round Pick
Hello Win-Win situation.

San Jose gets the mobile, puck-moving defenseman that it desperately needed and give up a player who had fallen out of the top six forwards on their deep front end.

Buffalo - PR hit aside - moves a guy who was destine to sign elsewhere this summer and gets a player who is a perfect fit for their up-tempo system who immediately slides onto their second line. While the first rounder will be low-ish, this draft is fairly deep and drafts are really crapshoots anyway...

Grades: San Jose A Buffalo A

Cristobal Huet to Washington for a 2009 Second Round Pick
Lemme hear it Habs fans!

Listen, this was a good deal. It would have been a great deal if the second trade that was supposed to accompany this (Hossa) worked out, as I'm positive Johan Hedberg would have been sporting le bleu, blanc et rouge for the rest of the year.

Even though it didn't go down that way, this is still a good decision.

Carey Price is legit. Trust me on this. He is a winner. That's what he does. What benefit is there to alternating with Huet on a nightly basis? None. Play him. Price is the best chance they have at winning the cup this season anyway. Here is why:

1. I don't think they have a legit chance to begin with, but really, anyone could get hot and win the East, just like in the NBA.
2. Do you actually see Cristobal Huet getting hot and carrying Les Canadiens? No.
3. Could you see Price doing it, a la St. Patrick? Uh-huh. Doesn't hurt that he did it in Hamilton last season with the Baby Habs...

Things didn't shake down exactly how Bob Gainey would have liked, but this still makes sense. Deal with it Habs fans.

Grade: A+

Those are the big ones. Now we'll take a quick run through the little moves...

Washington adding Sergei Fedorov would have been great if it was 1993. Now, it's useless. Adding Matt Cooke to the fold was a solid move and it got no coverage whatsoever.

Ken Holland plays it safe and adds another top six defenseman to hold Detroit over while Lidstrom and Kronwall recover. Two years ago, everyone wanted Brad Stuart. Now Holland gets him for a couple of picks.

I think Chicago gave up on Tuomo Ruutu too early, shipping him to Carolina for grinder Andrew Ladd. Yes, he's injury prone, but so is Martin Havlat. At least Ruutu gives you some grit. Nice pickup for Carolina.

Philly added nice depth with Vinnie Prospal and Jaroslav Modry for picks.

I like Calgary adding Jim Vandermeer. You can never have too many big, strong defensemen.

And just so they're not left out entirely, Toronto only managed to get out from under one horribly bad contract, shipping Hal Gill to Pittsburgh for two picks. Honestly, if Pittsburgh offered me twelve rolls of tape and a bag of used pucks I would have been happy. Picks are a bonus...