NHL 2011: Which Defenseman Traded Will Have the Biggest Impact?

The dust has settled from the 2011 NHL draft.

Seven rounds and 211 picks later, teams are filled with hope for next season and seasons to come with the prospects that they have taken in this year's draft.

But the real story as far as major implications are concerned are the defensemen that were moved by the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames, respectively.

In a playoffs seemingly dominated by quality defensemen (or the lack thereof), teams scrambled to make Draft Day acquisitions before being caught up in the hustle and bustle of next week's Free Agent frenzy on July 1st.

This article will examine which team stands to gain the most from the defenseman that they received during this years Draft.

San Jose Acquires Brent Burns and Picks for Setoguchi and Coyle

The San Jose Sharks offense ranked 6th in the NHL last season in goals for. But one thing that became more clear as the playoffs wore on is that their defense was severely lacking.

Despite ranking 10th best in the league in goals against, San Jose could not shut the door in the playoffs, giving up an astonishing 3.22 GAA in the playoffs.

That being said, Sharks GM Doug Wilson had to make a move, and seeing as how free agency is a lottery whether players sign with your team or not, Wilson got aggressive and traded the young forwards Devin Setoguchi and Charlie Coyle for Minnesota's rising star defenseman Brent Burns.

Burns, a 2003 draft pick of the Wild spent has spent his entire career playing for the Wild putting up 183 points in 453 games over seven seasons.

Burns also played over 80 games last season for the first time since 2007-08.

In those 80 games Burns picked up 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points with the Wild.

Burns will play with the high powered offensive Sharks next season, and could possibly see those lofty offensive numbers rise even further.

His 6'5", 219 pound frame will also make him a solid first line pairing with current San Jose Sharks defenseman 6'3" 240 pound Douglas Murray.

Pound for pound, this could be the biggest, strongest shut down pair in the entire league next year.

Florida Acquires Brian Campbell for Rostislav Olesz

Current Florida GM (and former Chicago GM) Dale Tallon did it again with Brian Campbell.

Tallon sold Campbell on joining the Blackhawks as a free agent back in 2008, and he has done it again by convincing him to waive his no movement clause and be traded to the Florida Panthers for forward Rostislav Olesz.

The Panthers were bare in the cupboard on the blue line with the exception of Dmitry Kulikov. With the exception of his $7.1 million cap hit, (per CapGeek.com) the addition of Brian Campbell will significantly improve the Panthers blue line corps.

Unfortunately for Florida, although they have made a significant acquisition in convincing Campbell to allow himself to be traded to Florida, the Panthers have a long way to go before the becoming a playoff contender is a realistic possibility for them.

This trade is the start of a long road back for the Panthers in terms of trades and free agent acquisitions. Panthers GM Dale Tallon must work some magic as he did in Chicago, setting up the 2010 Blackhawks squad for a Stanley Cup, if he hopes to erase the Panthers' title (along with the Maple Leafs) as the laughing stock of the league.

Sabres Acquire Regehr, Kotalik, 2012 2nd Round Pick for Byron and Butler

Robyn Regehr is a not a flashy offensive defenseman, but he is a solid choice as a defensive defenseman because of his grit, and his willingness to get nasty and dish out hits.

Calgary was caught in between a rock and a hard place for the salary cap because they were locked into no-trade contracts.

But after Regehr's brief conversation with the Sabres management, and consent by Regehr and Kotalik, they were both on their way to Buffalo.

This deal works out nicely for Buffalo, because even though Regehr has a cap hit (according to CapGeek.com) of $4.02 million, he brings a tough, gritty piece to the Sabres back end.

Combined with Buffalo star offensive defenseman Tyler Myers, Regehr could fit in very nicely as a possible number one pair with Myers. Myers is in the last year of his contract, and could obviously benefit a lot from playing with the veteran Regehr.

Regehr's gritty style also brings some force and toughness to the back end, something that Buffalo never really possessed.

The Best of the Deals

Without a doubt, the team that stands the most to gain from the respective trades is San Jose.

San Jose was a serious playoff contender this year, but their defense let them down in the long run in the playoffs.

After squeaking by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round, almost blowing a 3-0 series lead, the Sharks were overwhelmed by the Canucks' offensive power.

San Jose will greatly benefit from Burns' toughness, stature, size and offensive ability.

He will also be the best overall acquisition during the draft in the long run for the Sharks.