Before the Olympic trade freeze, there were a total of six trades made by teams hoping to get a jump start before the break. So here I am giving you a rather belated review of those deals.

Matt Cullen (F) to Ottawa, Alex Picard (D) and a 2^nd round pick to Carolina

What is perplexing about this deal is that Cullen, primarily a center is not what Ottawa really needed. That is not to say Cullen will not help; he will add some secondary scoring, reliable defensive play, along with depth and experience that is desired by playoff bound teams. The price is a little high, a second and a young defenseman, but such is the cost of a deadline rental. Picard has had a rough year but is still young enough he can improve. A second round pick could develop into a future mainstay for the Hurricanes.

Dominic Moore (F) to Montreal, 2^nd round pick to Florida

There is a reason most people are shaking their head on this one. Moore is a reliable third line center, but nothing more. He does not have the skills to anchor a top line nor does he provide much scoring prowess. The price of a second round pick is high for a lower line player, and he will not have the kind of impact that Montreal currently needs to elevate their play.

Cam Barker (D) to Minnesota, Kim Johnsson (D) and Nick Leddy (D) to Chicago

Facing a cap crunch next year, Chicago decided to relieve it some and gear up for a playoff push. Barker, a young defenseman was seeing his time decline with the rise of other young defensemen like Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Able to see more time on the Wild he can further develop his skills while becoming a mainstay on the blue line for years. Chicago meanwhile gets the veteran Johnsson whose contract expires after the year and will provide a greater boon than Barker. Leddy, a first round pick in the 2009 draft has been having a subpar year but is far from a bust. Many claim the trade to be lopsided in Chicago’s favor, but if Leddy busts and Johnsson fails to deliver the Wild will have landed themselves a young defenseman who is already developed.

Jody Shelley (F) to New York Rangers, Conditional pick to San Jose

Other than spite towards Donald Brashear I cannot see any reason for this deal. Even thought eh Rangers needed to get tougher, other than a few fights Shelley brings nothing to the table. Brashear recently requested a trade and after being put on waivers discovered what everyone but Glenn Sather knew: Brashear is not worth the two year, $2.8mm contract he was given. The pick, a 6^th rounder to start and a 5^th if the Rangers resign Shelley is unlikely to pan out, basically a low chance pick for a spare part.

Kari Lehtonen (G) to Dallas, Ivan Vishnevsky (D) and 4^th round pick to Atlanta

With injuries and the emergence of Ondrej Pavelec, Lehtonen, once the top goaltending prospect in the league, was the odd man out in Atlanta. Dallas, with long time goaltender Marty Turco an unrestricted free agent and no one in the system to replace him, needed a younger goaltender to step in. The deal makes sense for both teams really, Atlanta getting a young offensive defenseman to bolster their blue line while Dallas gets a potential starter should Lehtonen be able to overcome his injuries. It also likely signals the departure of Turco at the trade deadline.

Niclas Wallin (D) and a 5^th round pick to San Jose, 2^nd round pick to Carolina

Initially Wallin refused to waive his no trade clause, but Carolina was able to convince him to do so. Wallin is the kind of rugged and experienced defenseman teams crave at the deadline and will be a valuable addition to San Jose. While Carolina also had to give up a 5^th round pick, they have a chance at landing an good player with the second round pick, though it will be later in the round from San Jose’s high ranking.

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