ANALYSIS: Petteri Nokelainen bumps Wojtek Wolski as the highest player drafted in the first round of 2004 to be traded on deadline day, 2010.
Nokelainen went 16th overall once upon a time to the Islanders (Wolski was taken 21st overall by Colorado) and has been busy not living up to that potential ever since. You have to believe Phoenix is acquiring him in the hopes he can provide some steady minutes rather than banking on any late-blooming at this point.
Winner: Phoenix. -
RD
TO RANGERS
Anders Eriksson, D
TO PHOENIX
Miika Wiikman, G; 2011 7th round pick
ANALYSIS: Anders Eriksson has played more games in the AHL and in Europe over the past six years than in the NHL. And he blew Toronto’s chances to make it to the Cup final in 2002 by being in the middle of a brutal giveaway in a series-deciding overtime game. Why you’d want to add a guy like this, even if all you’re moving is a small, 26-year-old ECHL goalie is beyond me. Winner: Phoenix. - RB
TO PHOENIX
Alexandre Picard, LW
TO COLUMBUS
Chad Kolarik, RW
ANALYSIS: A swap of prospects saw Columbus deal 2004 first-round pick Alexandre Picard to Phoenix for forward Chad Kolarik.
Picard, selected fourth overall by the Blue Jackets, has played 67 NHL games but never has managed to stick with the big team and currently skates for Columbus’ American League affiliate in Syracuse.
Kolarik, Phoenix’s seventh pick (199th overall) in 2004, sits second on the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate with 17 goals. If either player realizes their potential, the team they do it with becomes the winner of this deal. Winner: Washington. - EF
TO PHOENIX
Lee Stempniak, LW
TO TORONTO
Matt Jones, D; 2010 4th round pick; 2010 7th round pick
ANALYSIS: Phoenix has proved to be the big mover and shaker on the day, with the latest deal being the acquisition of right winger Lee Stempniak from Toronto in exchange for fourth and seventh round draft picks.
Stempniak looked like a promising goal-scorer as a young member of the St. Louis Blues, but took a step back once dealt to Toronto last season. He showed a lot of hustle this season, however, and was even given power play and penalty-killing duties. Having said that, the Leafs have one of the worst PK units in the NHL.
As a UFA this summer, Stempniak comes with little commitment for Phoenix and the Coyotes will hope they get the Stempniak of St. Louis, not Toronto. He can definitely contribute in the right situation.
For the Leafs, all draft picks are good draft picks; getting a fourth- and a seventh-rounder is decent return for a player who largely disappointed. Interestingly enough, Stempniak was one of the last players acquired by the Leafs before GM Brian Burke was hired. Winner: Phoenix. - RK
TO PHOENIX
Mathieu Schneider, D
TO VANCOUVER
Sean Zimmerman, D; conditional 2010 draft pick
ANALYSIS: The Vancouver Canucks were expected to move Mathieu Schneider if there was a deal to be had. Schneider had missed time to injury and was demoted to American League Manitoba in January.
At this point in his career, Schneider is a pure power play specialist and he’ll join an intriguing defense corps in Phoenix that already includes Ed Jovanovski and Keith Yandle. Winner: Phoenix. - RB.
TO COLORADO
Peter Mueller, RW; Kevin Porter, RW
TO PHOENIX
Wojtek Wolski, LW
ANALYSIS: Colorado ownership has been reluctant to spend money this season and the trading of pending RFA Wojtek Wolski to Phoenix confirms that. While Peter Mueller is also an RFA at season’s end, he’s having a poor season and is already making $1.1 million less than Wolski, so he’ll be much cheaper to keep on.
Wolski is having a career year on Colorado’s second unit and is on pace to score more than 20 goals and 60 points. It’s surprising the Avs would trade such a productive player as they close in on the playoffs and hope to make a push for home-ice advantage, but the team is clearly still focusing on the health of the franchise long-term even with this year’s success.
Wolski will be an offensive upgrade for Phoenix and immediately becomes the team’s leading point-getter along with Shane Doan at 47 points. The Coyotes have enjoyed a breakthrough season on the back of strong team defense and the goaltending of Ilya Bryzgalov, but needed an offensive upgrade in a big way; they rank 25th in the NHL in goals-for per game.
The Avs are banking on Mueller, 21, to bounce back from his atrocious season and recapture his form from his 54-point rookie season, though his production has declined each year in the NHL.
Kevin Porter was Phoenix’s fifth-ranked prospect in THN’s
Future Watch issue this year. A Hobey Baker Award winner with Michigan, Porter is a smallish right winger and further bolsters Colorado’s pipeline of youth.
“He can make plays, kill penalties, hasn’t quite found that regular niche yet,” Coyotes GM Don Maloney said for Future Watch.
Winner: Phoenix. -
RB
TO PHOENIX
Derek Morris, D
TO BOSTON
2011 conditional pick
ANALYSIS: Moving Derek means Dennis needs to step up. The Bruins moved Derek Morris to Phoenix – where he played from March of 2004 until March of last year – for a fourth round pick. Morris, traded for the third time at the deadline now, was second in scoring among Bruins defensemen with three goals and 25 points in 58 games. Boston is starved for offense and Dennis Wideman was supposed to provide more of it from the back end this season, but that simply hasn’t happened.
In that regard, it seems like a strange decision for the Bruins to move a blueliner who could wind up with 35 points this year, but Morris has always had his defensive warts and Boston coach Claude Julien is a no-nonsense guy when it comes to taking care of home base.
Phoenix obviously knows what it’s getting in Morris, whose annual contract of $3.3 million expires in July. Getting six weeks – maybe more – of offensive upside from Morris is a gamble worth taking for the Coyotes. Especially for a fourth-rounder. Winner: Phoenix. - RD
