A few trades that caught my eye

Trades are always fun. They give you an idea of where a franchise sees itself and it's interesting to see how that stacks up against reality. The best trades work in multiple ways and usually don't cripple you for the future. The worst trades usually involve losing high draft picks that turn out to be great players later, or taking on a contract that was negotiated by Glen Sather. So here are a few thoughts on some of the trades over the past week.

Nashville picks up Filip Forsberg

The biggest name in this trade was probably Martin Erat going to Washington (along with some dude named Michael Latta), but it really surprised me that the Caps would part with Forsberg. When he was drafted there was buzz he could be a top five pick and I thought Washington was very fortunate to nab him all the way down at 11. Knowing he was coming along one day made the decision to let Alex Semin walk over the summer seem a little more understandable. Apparently the allure of Erat and his consistent 50 points a season were too strong to resist.

It's looking more likely that the Caps will actually make it into the playoffs from the putrid Southeast division. But still, is Erat going to be the difference this year? Do the Caps really think they could win the cup? If they end up missing the playoffs or being knocked out early, this move easily swings in favor to Nashville. And now that Shea Weber is locked up for the next 100 years, Nashville is free to shed cap space and bring in one of the top prospects in hockey to help the team down the road.

 

San Jose begins pre-playoff mind games, acquire Raffi Torres

I know that Torres can actually score a few goals when he's not being suspended, but this move clearly is just intended to troll the Chicago Blackhawks. I think it's safe to say based on this move the Sharks believe any road to the cup will go through Chicago.

New York dumps Marian Gaborik

This one was pretty much a straight up salary dump by the Rangers and for some reason Columbus agreed to be a part of it. I guess this will help them reach the salary floor next year. Gaborik is hugely overpaid, but Columbus pretty much sent a case of beer and some extra rolls of tape back the other way. So it's not like they can regret this move all that much. Just once I wish the Rangers were forced to keep one if Sather's terrible contracts all the way through to the end.

 

The Flyers continue to misunderstand the goalie position, trade for Steve Mason

If Mason's luck holds out this might finally be the year that he pushes the first number in his goals-against average below 3. Mason is terrible and his continued employment in the NHL is a testament to just how poorly some franchises can be run. At least his contract is up after this year. The fact that the Blue Jackets got anything for Mason amazes me. A third round pick is actually useful if your team knows how to draft. Also, I guess Michael Leighton counts for something. He might even be better than Mason. But what makes this deal even more hilarious is that the Blue Jackets were able to move Mason because they finally found a decent goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky, who they acquired from the Flyers.

Ottawa understands the goalie position, sells high on Ben Bishop

I'm a big believer that goalies are mostly inconsistent and small variations in good or bad luck can swing a goalie's stats wildly one way or the other. That is how you have Brian Elliott being terrible one year, the best goalie in the league the next year, and then back to terrible this year. There are a few guys that are super human and actually consistent from year to year, but they are expensive. Also, you don't need a great goalie to win the Stanley Cup. Not long ago Chris Osgood and Marc-Andre Fleury played each other in the cup final in back-to-back years. Read that one more time and remember that every time you hear about the need for winning goaltending come playoff time.

So Ottawa sends out a young goalie for Corey Conacher, who might win the rookie scoring chase, and a fourth round pick. Not too shabby. Both players involved are pretty unproven so this could tip either way. But the extra pick gives Ottawa a little more room for error.

Detroit does nothing, continuing in rebuilding mode

I am pretty happy that Detroit made no moves. They are very likely heading back to the playoffs but their aging squad has been too injured to see what they really have. A deep cup run is unlikely and adding Jaromir Jagr was not going to tip that balance. And they actually kept their first round pick in what everyone is calling a deep draft. And I think it's pretty clear they are rebuilding. Ken Holland has not talked about winning the cup at all this year. It's all about being in "transition" and just trying to be in the top eight. They might not be tanking like most teams do when they rebuild, but they are rebuilding. The big signings over the summer never came. The trade for the new top four defenseman never came. But I'm fine with that. I've been hearing forever about the young guys in the system and at some point you need to give them a look and see what you've got. This doesn't mean Detroit can't be back gunning for the cup next year or the year after. I expect they will. But for now, they're very well positioned for the salary cap roll back next year.

If anything, I would have rather seen Detroit sell off some players. Ian White and Valtteri Filppula are free agents after this season. White seems like the odd man out in the Detroit defense. But trading him now probably would not have brought in much and could have hurt the playoff push. Filppula on the other hand could have drawn some heavy interest. He's Jiri Hudler all over again. Perhaps Detroit re-signs him in the off-season, but the reports that he wants more than $5 million per year to stay put him in my "No thanks" category. This guy has cracked 40 points only twice in his career. He's likely going to be overpaid in his next contract and I'd rather it be by someone else. Would Washington have sent Forsberg to Detroit for Filppula? I don't know, but something similar could have been out there for the taking. Thomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist belong on the Detroit roster next year and moving Fil to make room would have made sense.

All of that being said, if Phoenix had moved Keith Yandle and Detroit missed out, I would have lost it.