NHL Trade Deadline: Handing out Awards for GM Decisions

Each trade deadline we discover what each GM's plan is for his team. 

Some make moves for the future, while others are focused on this season and this season only. 

But every year there are winners and losers on this day. General managers will be praised or face scrutiny as their deals are executed.

At the end of the regular season, awards are doled out to the players for their play throughout the year, but just one award goes to a general manager. 

If there were awards for general managers at the trade deadline, they would go as follows.  

Smartest Deals

Winner: Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning

The main reason this trade deadline was so uneventful is because there are only two or three teams that can definitively say, "we won't make the playoffs."

Too many general managers believe their team will make the playoffs. With the increased number of buyers, the asking price for assets goes up.  

With Tampa Bay just five points out of a playoff spot, it took a lot for Steve Yzerman to cave and become a seller, but it was the right move.  

Tampa Bay is close, but they likely won't make the playoffs, and Yzerman saw an opportunity to look to the future while keeping his core players (Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone etc.).  

While keeping its stars, Tampa Bay acquired a first-round pick, two second-round picks, a fourth-round pick, Mike Commodore and four prospects including Brian Lee and the talented Keith Aulie from Toronto. 

They now have cap space to address their needs this summer, as well as a plethora of draft picks to either use or deal away.  

The Lightning may not reach the playoffs this season, but they most likely will for many years to come, and fans can thank Yzerman for that.  

Runner-Up: Steve Tambellini, Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers were quieter than expected on deadline day. Many expected Alex Hemsky, Sam Gagner or both would be on their way out, which was not the case.  

Tambellini did deal Tom Gilbert for Nick Schultz. Tambellini identified the fact that his forwards are going to provide all the offense for the foreseeable future. 

In knowing that, he traded a somewhat offensive defenseman for a purely defensive, consistent, intelligent player.  

With players like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring plenty of goals per game, having Schultz's expertise at the other end of the ice is going to be huge for the team in the coming years.  

Edmonton won't be making the playoffs this season, but it will be the last time for a long time. 

Riskiest Move

Winner: David Poile, Nashville Predators

David Poile was the boldest GM on deadline day. With his star defensive pair headed to free agency, there was speculation that either Shea Weber or Ryan Suter would be dealt.  

Instead, Poile took a different approach. He picked up assets to create a winning environment—an environment that Weber and Suter would want to come back to.  

What makes this so risky is that this may not work out. The Predators could end up exiting the postseason early, or they could do very well but still not retain their defenders.  

If one or both of Weber and Suter leave, the Predators will find themselves with a gap on the blue line, and missing a first-rounder, two second-rounders, a fifth-rounder, a sixth-rounder and three prospects. 

That's a lot to put on the line with so many variables headed into the postseason and summer.  

On the other hand, if the scheme does work, Poile could be lining himself up to be the GM of the year.  

Runner-up: Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks

The biggest trade of the day saw Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer go to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Zach Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani.  

This trade was essentially two unproven players for a Calder Trophy candidate. While I do believe this will work out and both Kassian and Gragnani will be stars, it's incredibly risky to move a fan favorite with the potential of Hodgson for two players who may not make an impact.  

Only time will tell if Gillis is a genius or if the Canucks lost a future star for nothing.  

Best Non-Move

Winner: Bob Murray, Anaheim Ducks

The stars on the Ducks roster were the first to hit the rumor mill this year, as the team was off to a terrible start to the season.  

Since appointing Bruce Boudreau head coach, the team has turned it around, surging back into the playoff picture.  

After all the rumors around their stars, I'm sure there were plenty of calls coming in about Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.  

It was a great move by Bob Murray to decide to keep his winning team in tact.  

What was an even better move was avoiding the temptation to pick up a player. At six points out of the eighth and final playoff position, Anaheim is still a long shot to make the postseason, and they don't want to give away draft picks to pick up a player down the stretch if they don't make it in the end. 

Not to mention, there wasn't a player on the market that could help the team play better than they have been.  

Runner-up: Ray Shero, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are sitting comfortably in fourth in the East, and are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. 

They have the leading scorer, and if all goes as planned, they'll have the two best players in the league on their roster come playoffs.  

The Penguins are winning in the absence of Sidney Crosby, so why make a trade? In addition, Crosby remains confident that he'll be back in the lineup before the season is over, and is making steps to do so.

If Crosby is able to return for the playoffs, the Penguins won't just be a tough team to beat; they'll be favorites for the Stanley Cup.  

Worst Non-Move

Winner: George McPhee, Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are in the midst of a disappointing season to say the least. In the games leading up to the trade deadline, their performance was particularly pathetic.  

The Capitals are in eighth place in the East, despite having won three games in a row. They are unexpectedly in a neck-and-neck race with both the Florida Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets, with Tampa Bay and Carolina not too far behind.  

When McPhee put Nicklas Backstrom on the long-term injured reserve list the day before the deadline, freeing up more than enough money to be a major player, he was expected to do something significant.  

That was not the case.  

If the Capitals miss the playoffs this season, the blame will surely fall on Alexander Ovechkin—a lot of which is deserved. But McPhee should face equal scrutiny for his reluctance to make a move to save the season.  

Washington was the team that most needed something major, and one of the few teams who did nothing.

Runner-up: Jay Feaster, Calgary Flames

Jay Feaster needs to make up his mind. He has an aging roster with a rebuild on the horizon, but is in denial. 

When he acquired Mike Cammalleri, it was an indication that he planned to make the playoffs this season, but it wasn't enough.  

The deadline was a good opportunity to make the decision.  

He could have gone for it and picked up more assets, or caved into selling and picked up high draft picks for the future.  

He didn't do either, and they will suffer from the results for years to come.  

Best Move

Winner: Bryan Murray, Ottawa Senators

Ottawa started the season with no expectations, a probability of finishing last in the league more than to simply make the playoffs.  

As they kept winning, people thought it was impressive but wouldn't last.  

But here we are, at the beginning of March, and the Ottawa Senators sit in fifth in the West, just one point behind the former Stanley Cup champs for the Northeast lead.  

This team is for real.  

Prior to the deadline, Murray acquired goalie Ben Bishop from St. Louis to back up Robin Lehner while Craig Anderson is injured, but that wasn't all.  

On deadline day, the Senators were involved in a trade that swapped Brian Lee for Matt Gilroy. 

Gilroy had been ineffective on the Tampa Bay Lightning, causing many to forget what a great defenseman he's capable of being.  

It's a similar situation, to me, to that of Keith Ballard: tons of talent, but trapped in an organization that doesn't suit him.  

Now on the Ottawa Senators, I believe Gilroy will thrive, and the Senators will only get better and more dangerous along the way.  

Runner-up: Greg Sherman, Colorado Avalanche

One of the more coveted players available this year was Steve Downie. The combination of physicality and skill he possesses is rare in hockey.  

Greg Sherman didn't waste any time, adding the right winger six days before the deadline. They lost Quincey in the deal, but Downie provides what they need.  

Since the trade, the Avalanche have gone 4-0-0, and Downie has picked up seven points in four games.  

The team is now just one point out of the playoffs, and a once-impossible postseason is now looking good.  

Worst Move

Winner: David Poile, Nashville Predators

As mentioned earlier, David Poile made numerous deadline deals to create a winning environment. Whether it was good or bad on the whole will be seen when we find out which teams Ryan Suter and Shea Weber will be on next season.  

Whether they come back or not, there was one deadline deal that Nashville lost regardless.  

While watching deadline coverage, it was announced that the Buffalo Sabres were asking for a first-round draft pick in exchange for Paul Gaustad, which is insane. Gaustad is a good third-line center, but he is not worth that amount.  

Apparently David Poile disagrees.  

He bucked up and parted with his first-rounder to get Gaustad. Gaustad could help Nashville be a better team, but I guarantee you that first-rounder will have a more successful team and contribute more to his club than Gaustad will to Nashville.  

Runner-up: Paul Holmgren, Philadelphia Flyers

It was well-known that Paul Holmgren was going to pick up a defender to help fill the void left by Chris Pronger, which he did in acquiring Nicklas Grossman. The second- and third-round draft picks made up a pretty good deal for the Flyers.  

But then he went out and got Pavel Kubina, giving up a fourth-rounder, a conditional second-rounder and a prospect.  

After acquiring Grossman, the next issue to address was a goaltender. The team has six great defensemen not counting Pronger, but unless Ilya Bryzgalov comes out of his little world and starts actually playing hockey, Philadelphia is still going to have a high GA/G, and won't find success in the postseason.