Vancouver Canucks Trade Deadline Preview: Deals Made in Post-Lockout Era
It's that time of the year again, the National Hockey League trade deadline, and arguably is one of the most exciting times of an NHL season.
It is a television spectacle with Canada's major sports networks TSN and Rogers Sportsnet dedicating a whole day's coverage to the deadline.
Both networks compete for viewers and strive to be the first network to break a trade.
Canadian hockey fans are either glued to the coverage on television or anxiously await the text alerts hoping for a big trade.
Hockey players use television to find out about the big trades as well.
Pascal Leclaire found out his he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2009 by watching TSN's coverage of the deadline.
Another year and another trade deadline with the Canucks as buyers.
We take a look back at the deadline deals have made since after the lockout in anticipation of the 2011 NHL Trade Deadline.
2010: Andrew Alberts from the Carolina Hurricanes
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The Trade: Acquired defenceman Andrew Alberts from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in 2010.
Regular Season Statistics: 14 GP, 1 G, 1 A, -1, 13 PIM
Playoff Statistics: 10 GP, 1 A, +1, 27 PIM
Currently Playing: Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
Bust or Success: Bust
Due to the uncertainty of Willie Mitchell's status, the Vancouver Canucks had to pick up a defenceman to solidify their top six.
Andrew Alberts struggled last season to adjust to the new Canucks system and the tighter-checking Western Conference after he was picked up from Carolina.
He was a penalty magnet in the playoffs, leading the team with 27 penalty minutes despite averaging 12:26 minutes a game.
While Andrew Alberts has had a tremendous bounce-back season with the Vancouver Canucks this season, he was a bust last year for a player brought in to be a top six defenceman.
He sat out two of the remaining three games as a healthy scratch in favour of Aaron Rome and minor leaguer Nolan Baumgartner.
The Canucks also picked up forward Yan Stastny from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie, and Sean Zimmerman and a sixth-round pick in 2006 from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for defenceman Mathieu Schneider.
2009: Ossi Vaananen from the Philadelphia Flyers
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The Trade: Claimed defenceman Ossi Vaananen off re-entry waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Regular Season Statistics: 3 GP, 1 A, +1, 0 PIM
Playoff Statistics: 3 GP, +/- 0, 2 PIM
Currently Playing: Jokerit (SM-liiga)
Bust or Success: Success
Ossi Vaananen was a player Vancouver Canucks associate coach Rick Bowness was familiar with. Bowness coached him in Phoenix from his rookie season in 2000-01 until his trade to Colorado in 2003-04.
Brought in at the price of $13,125 (the cost to claim him off waivers) from the Philadelphia Flyers, Vaananen provided depth for the team looking to make a deep playoff run.
Prior to his arrival, the Canucks already boasted a potent defence with Mattias Ohlund, Sami Salo, Willie Mitchell, Kevin Bieksa and Shane O'Brien making up the top six.
However, their depth was questionable having used minor leaguers Rob Davison and Lawrence Nycholat as their seventh and eighth defenceman for most of the season.
Vaananen was a success. He was brought in as a depth player and he played decently in the games that he did suit up.
2008: Matt Pettinger from the Washington Capitals
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The Trade: Acquired forward Matt Pettinger from the Washington Capitals in exchange for forward Matt Cooke.
Regular Season Statistics: 20 GP, 4 G, 2 A, +/- 0, 11 PIM
Playoff Statistics: Team did not qualify
Currently Playing: Kölner Haie (DEL)
Bust or Success: Success
With deteriorating relationship with head coach Alain Vigneault, Matt Cooke requested a trade and was accommodated with a trade to Washington by general manager Dave Nonis.
Still hoping to make the playoffs, the Canucks flipped Matt Cooke for Matt Pettinger hoping he could return to the 20-goal form he displayed in the 2005-06 season and add some scoring punch to the lineup.
The scoring never materialized despite having a turn with Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison on the second line.
However, Pettinger was able to bring to the table some of the things the departed Cooke brought: mainly penalty killing and some physical play.
He will be best remembered as the guy who clocked Jonathan Toews and giving him a concussion.
While it was hoped he could score some goals, it was an added incentive if he could. He was meant to be a third-line player and he was a good one in his short time. A success.
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2007: Brent Sopel from the Los Angeles Kings
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The Trade: Acquired defenceman Brent Sopel from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second-round pick in 2007 and a fourth-round pick in 2008.
Regular Season Statistics: 20 GP, 1 G, 1 A, +/- 0, 10 PIM
Playoff Statistics: 11 GP, 0 G, 0 A, +1, 2 PIM
Currently Playing: Atlanta Thrashers (NHL)
Bust or Success: Success
Brent Sopel, who infamously hurt his back picking up a cracker during the 2006-07 playoffs, was brought in to help out the top four defence.
At the time, the Canucks had a relatively inexperienced defence with the 24-year-old Lukas Krajicek, 26-year-old Kevin Bieksa in his first full NHL season and 21-year-old Alexander Edler in his first season of North American professional hockey.
He also provided with the Canucks option on the power play with his booming right-hand shot.
Sopel averaged nearly 20 minutes a game and had 18 blocked shots.
Although, he wasn't a game changer for the team, he played solid defensively making it a successful deadline deal.
2007: Bryan Smolinski from the Chicago Blackhawks
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The Trade: Acquired centre Bryan Smolinski from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a second-round pick in 2007.
Regular Season Statistics: 20 GP, 4 G, 3 A, -7, 8 PIM
Playoff Statistics: 12 GP, 2 G, 2 A, +2, 8 PIM
Currently Playing: Retired
Bust or Success: Bust
Brought in to be a do-it-all forward for the Vancouver Canucks, it was hoped he could be a faceoff specialist, the right-hand shot for the Sedins on the power play and a key contributor on the penalty kill.
Smolinski was dismal in the faceoff circle at an efficiency of 46.2 percent in the playoffs, behind the incumbents at centre.
He was tried as the right-hand shot with the Sedins on the power play, but the chemistry never materialized and head coach Alain Vigneault decided to revert back to the formation with Trevor Linden as the right-hand shot at the side of the net.
Smolinski was on the most part ineffective on the penalty kill due to his inability to win the faceoff.
He was on the ice for 13 goals against in 20 games in the regular season.
Bust.
2006: Eric Weinrich from the St. Louis Blues
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The Trade: Acquired defenceman Eric Weinrich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Tomas Mojzis and a third-round pick in 2006.
Regular Season Statistics: 20 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -16, 8 PIM
Playoff Statistics: Team did not qualify
Currently Playing: Retired
Bust or Success: Bust
Who could forget Eric Weinrich's yellow visor and short-lived blue visor?
At the time, the Canucks had lost Ed Jovanovski indefinitely to abdominal surgery and Sami Salo to a shoulder injury sustained at the Olympics; a tremendous blow to the Canucks defence.
The top four consisted of veteran Mattias Ohlund, first-year NHLer Nolan Baumgartner, rookie Kevin Bieksa and the 25-year-old Bryan Allen.
Career minor leaguers Sven Butenschon, Prestin Ryan and Tomas Mojzis all took turns on defence as did enforcer Wade Brookbank.
Considered one of the top rental defenceman available at the 2006 NHL trade deadline, the Canucks brought him as part of the defence makeover.
Lauded as a puck-moving defenceman, Weinrich failed to produce for the team, picking up zero points in 20 games. He was easily muscled off the puck and struggled to keep up with the pace of the game.
Needless to say, this move was a bust.
2006: Keith Carney from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
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The Trade: Acquired defenceman Keith Carney and defenceman Juha Alen from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in exchange for defenceman Brett Skinner and a second-round pick in 2006.
Regular Season Statistics: 18 GP, 0 G, 2 A, -5, 14 PIM
Playoff Statistics: Team did not qualify
Currently Playing: Retired
Bust or Success: Success
Along with Eric Weinrich and Sean Brown, he was part of the 2006 defence makeover.
It was hoped Keith Carney would help alleviate some of the load from Mattias Ohlund, who had become the team's sole top rearguard in the absence of Ed Jovanovski.
Carney would become the team's designated shutdown defenceman and his experience to the Stanley Cup Finals with the Anaheim Ducks in 2003 would help the team in the playoffs.
He was miscast as a second power-play unit defenceman with Eric Weinrich, but otherwise provided solid stay-at-home defence for the Canucks averaging 24:30 of ice time.
He was a mild success.
2006: Sean Brown from the New Jersey Devils
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The Trade: Acquired defenceman Sean Brown from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2006.
Regular Season Statistics: 12 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -3, 8 PIM
Playoff Statistics: Team did not qualify
Currently Playing: EC KAC (Austria)
Bust or Success: Success
The forgotten man from the 2006 NHL trade deadline, Sean Brown was brought in from the New Jersey Devils as depth.
The new top six consisted of Mattias Ohlund, Bryan Allen, Kevin Bieksa, Keith Carney, Eric Weinrich and Nolan Baumgartner.
Decent top six on paper, but no depth. The team relied on enforcer Wade Brookbank, who mainly played on the wing, as the seventh defenceman as well as farmhands Prestin Ryan, Sven Butenschon and Tomas Mojzis.
The trade was a success. He was meant to be depth and he filled in admirably in the 12 games he did play while bringing some pugilistic support.
2006: Mika Noronen from the Buffalo Sabres
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The Trade: Acquired goaltender Mika Noronen in exchange for a second-round pick in 2006.
Regular Season Statistics: 4 GP, 1 W, 1 L, 3.53 GAA, .870 SV%
Playoff Statistics: Team did not qualify
Currently Playing: Lukko (SM-liiga)
Bust or Success: Bust
No. 1 goaltender Dan Cloutier was lost in late November to knee surgery and the Vancouver Canucks had been riding first-year backup goaltender Alex Auld the entire season until the trade deadline.
Maxime Ouellet was picked up from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick back in December, but he was far from an established National Hockey League goaltender.
Canucks head coach Marc Crawford also had no confidence in the young Ouellet and he wound up only starting in two games.
The Canucks had to pick up an NHL goaltender and Mika Noronen was the guy.
I remember the predictions and how excited the Canucks fans were.
Many thought he was a guy with loads of potential just looking for an opportunity.
They predicted he would become the next Miikka Kiprusoff, in the sense that he would be a Finnish goaltender that comes out of nowhere to lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Like Ouellet, Crawford did not show any confidence in Noronen. He would only start in two games.
One of these starts came in the last game of the regular season when it was known the Canucks would not make the playoffs.
Remember? Anson Carter tied the game late and Brendan Morrison scored the winner in overtime? Todd Bertuzzi also scored. It was the last game in a Canucks uniform for these three and Noronen.
The following season, the Canucks had hoped he would return to back up Roberto Luongo. He balked at that idea and has been playing in Europe since.
He was never given a chance to succeed and the Canucks gave up a second-round pick for this guy, so bust.
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