A Lot Or a Little?

It's hard to say when the NHL trade deadline became the monster is has become.

Check back with Damien's blog tomorrow at noon for a live Q&A on all the trades and what it means moving forward. Click here to submit a question now for tomorrow's discussion.

I'm thinking it really began gathering steam about five years ago, but its worth nothing that it's been 16 years since the number of trades on the final day numbered in the single digits. That was the winter of '93 and the big deal on deadline day was Murray Craven to Vancouver from Hartford for a package that included winger Robert Kron and draft picks.

In recent years there have been some biggies - Marian Hossa last year - but it's the sheer number of transactions that has exploded. Since 1997, the number of deals on deadline day has dipped below 17 only once (12 in 2000). In the last five years, there have been 24, 20, 25, 25 and 25 trades on deadline day.

So there's an undeniable dynamic working here, and in most of those years there were warnings beforehand that there wasn't going to be much action. Then there was.

So stay tuned.

The Leafs will be active, although Dominic Moore surely got the message by being scratched last night that the club is serious about dealing him. There's still a contractual deal to be done, but Moore has to come to the Leafs, not the other way around.

Chris Pronger, Jay Bouwmeester, Martin St. Louis - there are some big names out there, plus lots of less significant ones more likely to be moved. There's some certainties - Bill Guerin, Derek Morris - and some players who will be stunned to find by 3 p.m. today they have a new address.

We'll be back with the deals when they happen.

Comments

[Peter]

good pick up for Ottawa. but why on earth did Colombus give up a 2nd rounder for Vermette as well as Leclair?