Phoenix Coyotes
Grade: A
The Coyotes were surprisingly the busiest team at the deadline, making six trades in total, bringing youth, skill and veteran leadership to the organization. Phoenix started the day by bringing back veteran defenseman Derek Morris from the Bruins and added another veteran offensive-minded rear guard in Mathieu Schneider (from Vancouver).
The Desert Dogs then loaded up at the forward position, acquiring Colorado forward Wojtek Wolski. They also added former Bruin Petteri Nokelainen (Anaheim), Alex Picard (Columbus) and Lee Stempniak (Toronto). The Coyotes were already fifth in the conference and could move into a home-ice playoff spot after these solid moves at the deadline.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Grade: A-
You have to give GM Ray Shero credit. He knows how to set his sights on targets and go get them. In 2008, he got Marian Hossa at the deadline. Last season, when they won the Stanley Cup, he acquired Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz and, this season, Shero struck again, beating other GMs to the punch and making deals on Monday and Tuesday while others waited until closer to Wednesday's deadline.
On Monday, Shero dealt for defenseman Jordan Leopold (from Florida), and then on Tuesday night, he got one of the most coveted scoring forwards on the market in Alexei Ponikarovsky (Toronto).
The great get better and the worse get worse it seems.
Washington Capitals
Grade: B+
Already one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the Capitals were one of the busiest teams at the deadline even after ownership and management warned that they wouldn't be. The Capitals added good depth up front and also improved their offensive-minded blue line.
Forwards Scott Walker (from Carolina) and Eric Belanger (Minnesota) will provide great experience and grit for a team that lacked that in last season's postseason run. Meanwhile, Joe Corvo (Carolina) and Milan Jurcina (Columbus) — who started the season with the Capitals before being traded late in December — will add some extra punch to a defense that can already bring the puck up ice and create offense.
As for the losers on deadline day? Well, most of the 27 other clubs made quiet deals and remained relatively quiet in terms of impact moves.
But still, the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks fit the "losers" bill better than anyone else. The Bruins, the lowest scoring team in the league, only came away with a defenseman in Dennis Seidenberg (from Florida), not the scoring forward they needed. The Blackhawks and Flyers both have shaky goaltending situations yet were unable to come away with a solid netminder like the seemingly available Tomas Vokoun of Florida or Dwayne Roloson of the Islanders.
