2006 NHL TRADE DEADLINE DEALS

In 1995 the Colorado Avalanche picked up a highly-regarded goaltender from the Montreal Canadiens at mid-season and went on to win the Stanley Cup. Hockey fans in Denver are hoping that scenario plays out again in 2006, with Jose Theodore playing Patrick Roy’s part in the story.

However, there is one big difference this year, as Theodore could miss the rest of the regular season with the broken heel he suffered during the Olympic break. And with David Aebischer on his way to Montreal to complete the trade, the Avs will have to rely on the tandem of Peter Budaj and Vitaly Kolesnik down the stretch.

That should be enough to ensure Colorado holds onto its playoff spot, but it sets up an odd situation where the Avs’ supposed savior in net might not have played a game for the team prior to the postseason. And if Theodore only returns to the form that caused Montreal to give him the boot, Avs GM Pierre Lacroix will come under fire for the move.

The Theodore-Aebischer swap was actually made public on Wednesday night, but the majority of this year’s trade deadline moves weren’t announced until closer to the cutoff time of 3pm ET on Thursday afternoon. In fact, what looked like a dud of a dealing day turned around when a flurry of late trades came to light as the deadline passed.

The biggest moves were made by the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers, who bolstered their attack by picking up scoring forwards. The Sens liberated Tyler Arnason from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Brandon Bochenski and a second-round pick. The Canes picked up Mark Recchi from the Pens, sending Niklas Nordgren, Krys Kolanos, and a second-round pick back to Pittsburgh.

And the Oilers grabbed Sergei Samsonov from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, and a second-round pick. Edmonton also picked up Dwayne Roloson from the Minnesota Wild for a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick on Wednesday night, which should finally put an end to their season-long goalie drama.

The Nashville Predators made the deadline day’s most predictable trade, acquiring disgruntled defenseman Brendan Witt from the rebuilding Washington Capitals for disappointing prospect Kris Beech and a first-round pick. The New York Rangers rolled the dice on another defenseman, picking up the troubled Sandis Ozolinsh from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the cost of a third-round pick.

Goaltender Mika Noronen was dealt from Buffalo to Vancouver for a second-round pick, giving the Canucks a better backup for starter Alex Auld and the Sabres some relief from their three-goalie logjam. Vancouver also picked up defensemen Eric Weinrich (from St. Louis), Keith Carney (from Anaheim), and Sean Brown (from New Jersey).

The Devils added two defensemen at the deadline, Brad Lukowich from the New York Islanders and Ken Klee from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Klee had been made expendable by Toronto’s acquisition of veteran Luke Richardson from Columbus on Wednesday.

Lame-duck Islanders general manager Mike Milbury shipped three players off Long Island at the trade deadline, with Oleg Kvasha going to Phoenix and both Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel going to Los Angeles. Prospects Denis Grebeshkov and Jeff Tambellini were sent back to New York from Los Angeles in the deal.

The Dallas Stars picked up defenseman Willie Mitchell and a second-round pick from the Minnesota Wild, sending defensemen Martin Skoula and Shawn Belle up north. The Philadelphia Flyers added defenseman Denis Gauthier from Phoenix and forward Niko Dimitrakos from San Jose. And Anaheim added forward Jeff Friesen (from Washington) and defenseman Sean O’Donnell (from Phoenix) to their roster for the stretch drive.

Other players on the move prior to the deadline were Jason Wiemer (Calgary to New Jersey), Jamie Lundmark (Phoenix to Calgary), Jim Dowd (Chicago to Colorado), Steve McCarthy (Vancouver to Atlanta), Cory Cross (Pittsburgh to Detroit), Jamie Rivers (Detroit to Phoenix), Ric Jackman (Pittsburgh to Florida), Todd Simpson (Chicago to Montreal), and Ville Nieminen (New York Rangers to San Jose).

Time will tell who the big winners were on trade deadline day. But if Theodore comes back strong and leads his new team deep into the playoffs, the Avs will have pulled off the steal of the season. The former Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner has been brilliant at times in the past; Colorado is gambling that he’ll recapture that form this year.

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