General

Handing Out Trade Deadline Awards to the GMs

Mar 5, 2009, 7:30 PM UTC

Yesterday’s trade deadline didn’t exactly provide the sort of fireworks we’ve seen in previous years. However, we did see a number of general managers make some very smart moves to position their teams for the run to the playoffs and beyond. Here’s a list of general managers who I think deserve some special hardware of their own for their performance at the deadline. â†µ

â†µBest Performance for a Team at the Top of the Standings: Peter Chiarelli, Boston Bruins â†µ

â†µâ†µYou could have forgiven Chiarelli for standing pat at the deadline. Despite some recent stumbles, the Bruins are still on top of the Eastern Conference having given up fewer goals than any other team in the league. Still, there’s nothing wrong with tinkering with your lineup, especially if you can do it affordably. Chiarelli found a way to build on one of his strengths, his defense, by picking up defenseman Steve Montador from the Ducks for the relatively paltry sum of Petteri Nokelainen, a prospect who will now be joining the third NHL team of his brief NHL career. Even better was picking up center Mark Recchi from Tampa Bay, again for a paltry sum of a couple of middling prospects. Depth, especially depth down the middle, is always a big plus come playoff time, especially when it comes in the form of Recchi, a man who boasts multiple Stanley Cup rings.â†µ

â†µ

â†µBest Performance for a GM Planning for Today and Tomorrow: Bob Murray, Anaheim Ducks â†µ

â†µâ†µNo, the Ducks have yet to be officially eliminated, but Murray seems to be operating under the assumption that they’ll be on the outside looking in come the first week in April. Murray actually got started early on the deadline, acquiring defenseman Ryan Whitney from Pittsburgh for Chris Kunitz and a prospect, and then turning around and moving pending unrestricted free agents Kent Huskins and Travis Moen to San Jose for a small return. But the steal of the day has to be Murray acquiring defenseman James Wisniewski from Chicago for another pending unrestricted free agent, Sami Pahlsson. â†µ

â†µâ†µThe word has been out for a while now that Murray wants to move Chris Pronger, and the acquisitions of Whitney and Wisniewski seem to show that Murray’s putting a plan in place for life without Pronger and perhaps Scott Niedermayer too. As for Pronger, it was probably best for Murray to keep him for the balance of the season, as he’s just the sort of asset that could well fetch a nice return at the draft in June. Whether or not the Ducks make the playoffs, it’s clear that Murray has a plan and the team will be on solid ground come the start of next season.â†µ

â†µ

â†µBest Performance for a GM Looking to Shake Up the Playoff Race: Darryl Sutter, Calgary Flames â†µ

â†µâ†µAll season long head coach Mike Keenan has simply had the Calgary Flames playing good, solid hockey. While some of that credit obviously goes to “Iron Mike,” some also has to go to a number of great offseason moves by Sutter, primarily the acquisition of Mike Cammalleri, who has turned in the finest performance of his young career. Still, even with the Flames playing well, all the talk out West thus far this year has been about the San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings. But by brining in defenseman Jordan Leopold and center Oli Jokinen at the deadline, Sutter has sent the message loud and clear to his locker room that he was willing to do what it took to get Calgary mentioned in the same breath as those two other teams on top of the conference.â†µ

â†µ

â†µBest Performance for a GM in the Midst of a Firesale: Don Maloney, Phoenix Coyotesâ†µâ†µ

â†µâ†µWith all the well-publicized trouble the ownership group in Phoenix is having these days, it was hard not to root for the franchise to grab a playoff spot this year. Still, with that goal well out of reach for this season, it was time for the Coyotes to retool yet again. While the biggest haul came in the form of three players coming from New York in exchange for defenseman Derek Morris, the best deal might have been the one where Phoenix shipped Daniel Carcillo to Philadelphia for Scottie Upshall and a second round pick. Safe to say from a Philadelphia perspective the deal is something of a head scratcher. Sure, Carcillo is tough, but Upshall is tough too, and he’s got more than a little offensive upside. As for the Jokinen deal, he never seemed to hit his stride in Phoenix. Getting Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a first round pick in 2009 is just the sort of deal a GM who’s rebuilding always has to make.â†µ

â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

See More: