NHL Pacific: Grading Each Team's Deadline Moves, Non-Moves

And just like that, the Pacific Division is again the most competitive in the NHL.

On Wednesday, January 4th, the San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. The win gave the Sharks a record of 21-11-4. The loss gave Anaheim an NHL-worst record of 10-22-7.

Since then, the Ducks have gone 17-4-3 and the Sharks have struggled going 11-11-3. The 19-point gap that separated the two teams is now a mere seven.

Exactly one month after the Ducks game, the Sharks played the Phoenix Coyotes. San Jose lost 5-3, and what ensued next is dramatic. 

Phoenix is 10-0-1 since that game. The Sharks are 3-8-1. San Jose's 12-point lead over the Coyotes has become a two-point deficit.

The rest of the division has been more temperate.

The Los Angeles Kings have underachieved this season, but done so pretty consistently. They fired Terry Murray after a 13-12-4 start. John Stevens was 2-2 as the interim coach before Darryl Sutter was hired. The team has gone 13-8-8 under Sutter, or in other words, has matched the 13-16 win-loss mark that they had under Murray.

Many people ignorantly expected the Dallas Stars to be near the bottom of the Western Conference this year, but the Stars have stayed put at just above or just below .500 all season long, and currently sit at eighth in the West, one point behind San Jose.

It may never be widely accepted that this is the NHL's best division, but it's impossible to argue that it's the league's most competitive. Given the fact that all five teams are in the hunt, the 2012 trading deadline presented a make-or-break point for each club.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks' amazing run over the past 24 games could end up being a curse in disguise.

Back on January 3rd, the team was in shambles. They were not only the NHL's worst team, but one of its most disappointing. After a 99-point season and fourth-place finish in the West last year, the Ducks were supposed to compete for the Pacific Division title this season.

Fingers were being pointed every which way. Coach Randy Carlyle was fired, and star forwards Bobby Ryan, Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf were all subject to heavy trade speculation.

The team's 37 points in their last 24 games have gotten them back into the playoff picture; the Ducks sit only six points behind Dallas for the No. 8 seed.

The climb back into contention led GM Bob Murray to stand pat this deadline. Unfortunately for him, more losing could ensue because of his inaction.

The Ducks may make the playoffs, but after being thoroughly overmatched by Nashville in the first round of last year's postseason, one would have to question Anaheim's chances of making any noise. The Predators are much better than they were last season, and are still only a fifth-place team right now.

As a GM, you don't want to give up on your team before they've given up on themselves. The Ducks are playing with a lot of confidence right now, and breaking up the core would make Murray look to many like an extreme pessimist.

However, the Ducks' lack of prospects and depth is so alarming that Murray's inaction simply hurt his team. The haul Anaheim could receive for a player of Ryan or Getzlaf's caliber and age is simply massive. The ancient Teemu Selanne would have brought in less, but trading him would have made even more sense due to his age.

As it stands now, Anaheim has four amazing forwards, zero depth, and zero chance at a Stanley Cup.

Grade: D. Hockey-wise, they deserve an F, but Murray did what the vast majority of GM's would do—prioritize his job over his team's long-term success.

Dallas Stars

The Stars didn't move Brad Richards last offseason in what was a very questionable decision to try and contend. The team ended up missing the playoffs by two points, and Richards predictably bolted for New York.

What most people didn't realize, however, is that Richards was not the Stars. They were a deceptively deep, balanced team, and after signing Michael Ryder and losing Richards, they are about as good this year as they were last.

Which means they should've traded Brad Richards. They would likely be benefiting already from the youth he would've brought in, and that could've had them atop the Pacific Division considering they're only three points back as is.

Shoulda. Woulda. Coulda.

But they didn't, and that left Dallas in a very tricky position this time around. The team is still about where they were last year—good enough to sneak into the playoffs, but still a good two or three tiers below the best teams in the league.

Given that, they should theoretically do what they didn't do last season and make their team better long term. Only they don't have a trade chip like Brad Richards, and their best players aren't going to be free agents after this season.

Believe it or not, the Stars are a team that is heading in the right direction. Young players like Jamie Benn, Philip Larsen, Alex Goligoski, Kari Lehtonen and Loui Eriksson have the Stars poised to stay competitive for a number of years.

Dallas did move defenseman Nicklas Grossman to Philadelphia for two draft picks 11 days before the deadline. This move could help them down the line, and does not significantly affect them right now.

They aren't close to good enough to contend for a Cup yet, but unlike Anaheim, have the youth and depth to build around. Because of this, a big trade was completely unnecessary.

Grade: A. While most teams on the bubble should buy or sell, Dallas' lack of star power (no pun intended) and quality young players make them more like a really bad team that simply isn't bad.

Los Angeles Kings

After a big offseason, the Kings came into 2011-12 looking to many like Pacific Division favorites.

Los Angeles was a defensive machine last year, and had a surplus of depth. What they lacked was a big-time winger in their top six. But GM Dean Lombardi seemed to think that a centerman was their true need.

L.A. went hard after Brad Richards, obviously to no avail. Immediately after he signed with New York, the Kings pulled the trigger on a major trade, bringing in Flyers captain Mike Richards. The Kings gained an elite second-line center, while losing scoring depth in Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn.

Ryan Smyth also left via free agency, and the Kings were down three wingers that could have really helped them this season. They went out and signed Simon Gagne, but he didn't nearly make up for their losses.

The Kings are scoring half-a-goal per game less than they did last season, and are the NHL's most anemic offensive team. Their top-line wingers are scoring like second-line wingers, and their second-line wingers are scoring like depth forwards. Don't make me talk about their depth forwards.

So the team was obviously in need of a goal scorer this deadline. They are very strong down the middle with Aze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll.

They likely pursued Rick Nash, but settled on Jeff Carter due to a lower asking price from Columbus. They also sent young star defenseman Jack Johnson (along with a first-round pick) to the Blue Jackets.

So the Kings added a ton of offense. Except that Johnson has more points than Carter this season.

Granted, the Kings are looking for goals more than points, and Carter's 15 scores in 41 games this season certainly add some potency to L.A's offense. And although Carter is a centerman, his scoring touch is his greatest skill, making his placement on the wing very doable for Darryl Sutter. To top it all off, his chemistry with Mike Richards is well documented.

So all in all, the Kings added the goal-scoring winger that they desperately needed, but not before weakening their offense so much since last season. In other words, even if Carter improves the offense by a massive half-goal per game, L.A. will be right back to where they were last year.

With the loss of Jack Johnson, the Kings improved defense and weakened offense puts their season in an unwanted stalemate.

Grade: C. Los Angeles undid the damage done last offseason, but lost a first-round draft pick in the process.

Phoenix Coyotes

Many parallels can be drawn between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Dallas Stars.

Both teams contended last season despite moderate roadblocks like, you know, bankruptcy and potential relocation. Both teams' bankruptcy led to them losing players (Brad Richards in Dallas, Ilya Bryzgalov in Phoenix) that were perceived to be the hearts of their clubs. And both teams continue to succeed this year, despite being labeled "cellar dwellers" before the season. 

The reason both teams succeed is also similar—depth and coaching, which is the key to any successful low-budget team in this league.

The Coyotes may be the NHL's best example of this—Shane Doan led last year's team with 20 goals, but they still finished 14th in the league in scoring. This is due to six guys besides Doan who scored between 16 and 19 goals.

The nature of any sport is that stars cost more than they should in a pure statistical sense. There is good reason for this: In the biggest moments during a game or season, when everyone bares down, the best players will make the plays that are often the difference between winning and losing.

However, this also makes it possible for a low-budget team to be competitive. By compiling a roster of a lot of good players who fill different roles, a team can produce similarly to a higher-budget team that is overpaying for stars.

So while Phoenix has little chance at winning a Stanley Cup with Doan and Radim Vrbata leading the way, their efficient use of money allows them to keep on winning season after season, Bryzgalov or no Bryzgalov, Ed Jovanovski or no Ed Jovanovski.

Given that, this team was in no position to pursue a big name this trading deadline. To fit a Rick Nash into their budget, they'd end up having to give up far more offense than they'd be adding. 

Although improving a weakness is the normal approach for deadline buyers, the Yotes added exactly what they have a surplus of: 20-goal scorers. Antoine Vermette is a solid second-line winger that fits Phoenix's budget and improves an offense that is slightly down since last season.

Most teams present themselves in one of two ways: They are either A) doing everything they can to win the Stanley Cup, or B) rebuilding, and setting themselves up to win a few years down the line. In reality, there is a third approach that quite a few teams take, which is to simply remain competitive, make the playoffs and keep fans interested.

Phoenix takes this third approach. But because they are owned by the NHL, they are the only team that can get away with it.

Grade: A. The Yotes should theoretically be the NHL's worst team. The decision not to be sellers and the addition of Vermette gives them an excellent chance of ending San Jose's run of four straight division titles.

San Jose Sharks

Looking up and down each team's roster, the Pacific should not be the NHL's most competitive division.

The main reason for this is the San Jose Sharks, who feature six players that have been All-Stars since 2009, the 2010 Stanley Cup-winning goalie and role players who other GMs wish they could build their teams around.

Obviously, the game isn't played on paper, but San Jose's dominance of the Pacific does indeed go beyond their roster. They've won the division four straight years, which ties them with Washington for the longest current streak.

Like Washington, that divisional dominance has not lead to a Stanley Cup Finals berth, and neither team is close to satisfied. Also like Washington, San Jose seemingly fixed their glaring roster holes this offseason.

And finally, like the Caps, they are in serious danger of not only losing their run atop their division, but potentially missing the playoffs altogether.

So what's a team like this to do? The only thing they can do—keep trying to find the right mix. 

Let's not forget that most teams would kill to be in San Jose's position. Gaining a position of power in the league is not just helpful for winning during a given season; it sets a team up for potential long-term success. And while Doug Wilson hasn't struck the perfect mix of players like Ray Shero, Pete Chiarelli or Stan Bowman/Dale Tallon, he has used his team's status to keep them in power.

Like Capital(ism).

This deadline, Wilson made a move that is very tough to accept as a fan who demands a Stanley Cup, but is very smart from a business perspective. San Jose sent Jamie McGinn, Michael Sgarbossa and Mike Connolly to Colorado for Daniel Winnick, T.J. Galiardi and a seventh-round pick.

San Jose's position as an incredibly deep, talented team allowed them to move three forwards with potentially bright futures to acquire even more weapons. Connolly and Sgarbossa are buried so deep in San Jose's forward depth chart that they could be moved for a player that can improve their NHL club right now (Daniel Winnick).

McGinn's career season and age makes him very valuable to a Colorado team looking to make the playoffs and grow. But Galiardi is likely a better player who will help the Sharks more down the line. The addition of Winnick for the needless prospects made McGinn expendable, and Galiardi is a guy who they can lock up for a relatively cheap price this offseason due to his down year.

Grade: B. San Jose may not have gotten what they ideally wanted, but Wilson used the Sharks' wealth of talent to help the rich get richer, rather than letting his team's desperation force a bad business move.