by Brian Marshall Trade Deadline Analysis Capitals trade: Adam Oates Flyers trade: Maxime Ouellet, G. (AHL Phantoms) 1st round pick, 2002 NHL Entry Draft 2nd round pick, 2002 NHL Entry Draft (conditional) 3rd round pick, 2002 NHL Entry Draft (conditional) With the trade deadline came the customary flurry of trades, and the Capitals for the second year in a row made a splash. One year after he dealt winger Richard Zednik and center Jan Bulis to Montreal for center Trevor Linden and winger Dainius Zubrus, Capitals GM George McPhee finally traded looming unrestricted free agent center Adam Oates, to the Philadelphia Flyers. In return, the Capitals received Maxime Ouellet, one of the most promising young goalies in the AHL, as well as Philadelphia's 1st round pick in the June 2002 entry draft. Should the Flyers resign Oates this off-season, the Capitals will also receive the Flyers' 2nd and 3rd round picks as well. Trade Analysis: With Oates the only #1 center available at the trade deadline, and several teams with pressing needs, the normally slight trade value for "rental" players headed for unrestricted free agency in the summer was elevated. McPhee played it cool and down to the wire, and got a great return on his player. Ottawa, Phoenix, and reportedly Colorado, were seriously interested in Oates. Yet Colorado opted to trade one of their few tradable assets, talented young Finnish winger, Ville Niemminen, earlier in the day to Pittsburgh for Darius Kasparaitis. Ottawa reportedly had discussions with McPhee, but no team was as desperate (and accordingly willing to overpay) for a center as was Philadelphia. In a fit of very poor timing, Philadelphia lost #1 and #2 centers Jeremy Roenick and Keith Primeau to injury on 18 March 2002. Though both are expected to be ready by the beginning of the playoffs, there was enough doubt as to their condition that Flyers GM Bobby Clarke felt he had no choice but to deal for a center. That was why the Capitals were able to rake Philadelphia over the coals, and reap a future star goaltender and a first round pick, in exchange for a 40-year old rent-a-player. Should Oates sign in Philadelphia, the extra two draft picks will simply be gravy on this deal. For the record, George McPhee has now stringed together three fantastic trades. First, he got Zubrus and Linden (whom he turned into a first round pick in June 2002) for Zednik and Bulis. Then he turned three prospects into Jaromir Jagr. Now he has traded an Adam Oates for the successor to Olaf Kolzig, and another first round pick. That is a formidable track record. For the second straight trade, analysts are referring to a McPhee trade as a "steal" for the Capitals. Ouellet was the AHL's player of the month for December. As the premier hockey scouting website, Hockey's Future, says with regard to Ouellet, he is quite simply a franchise goaltender. The Future? First and foremost, the trade signifies that the Capitals will miss the playoffs this season. That has appeared to be a foregone conclusion for at least a month, however. For the rest of the season, the Capitals plan to try out 6' 4" Dainius Zubrus at center, a position the young Lithuanian has been eager to play, according to GM George McPhee. To bolster the wing, the Capitals on 19 March acquired fill-in winger Benoit Hogue from Boston.
Pavel Bure Rangers trade: Igor Ulanov, D Filip Novak, D 1st Round pick, 2002 NHL Entry Draft Somewhat puzzling, this one. Florida probably could have got more from Dallas, also rumored to be interested in Bure, but in any event, the floundering franchise with the small payroll sheds $10 million/yr, which it will be able to use this summer to build a more successful franchise. The Rangers get one of the league's most explosive players, who has wanted to play in Manhattan for years. It should be a good match, and Bure should be a Ranger for many years to come. This will fuel speculation that the Rangers will let troubled winger Theoren Fleury become a free agent this summer. In his first move, Bure signalled his desire to wear #9, in honor of Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Bure has twice won the Rocket Richard trophy, awarded to the player who scores the most goals in a season. After former Ranger Adam Graves let it be known, following Bure's concerns that it might be perceived as an insult, that Graves would not mind Bure wearing Graves' old Ranger number, Bure, the "Russian Rocket," duly donned #9. He has gone on to score at least one goal in his Rangers debut, a day after his trade. Brian Marshall Please send e-mail to the following address. Feedback, and hockey subject requests for future articles, is always welcome! Click here to E-mail Caps' Corner |
