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While several blockbuster transactions went down at the NHL's March 3rd trading deadline, the majority of them occurred well in advance of that date; Dion Phaneuf packed his bags for the Toronto Maple Leafs on the final day of January, Olli Jokinen was dealt to the Big Apple to kick off the February deals and Ilya Kovalchuk left for the New Jersey Devils only a few days later. The deadline itself, while disappointing, brought a flurry of trades involving defensemen and depth forwards. Were the major deals in advance of the deadline and the minor trades around March 3rd worth it for the teams trying to win now? Let's take a look.
The Deal: Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils
Was the deal worth it?
No. The Atlanta Thrashers surrendered Anssi Salmela and Ilya Kovalchuk in exchange for Niclas Berfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier and New Jersey's first-round pick in 2010. During the season, the impending free agent was on roughly a point per game pace -- which is subpar by his standards, though he faced above average opposition while on the ice. The winger was heavily utilized by Jacques Lemaire on the left point and given a high amount of ice time in his brief stay in the Garden State.
In other words, the Devils used him in the same fashion as Atlanta did. However, despite the similar usage, Kovy wasn't as productive in New Jersey, posting .19 GVT per game, instead of his normal rate of .25 GVT per game when he was in Atlanta. They were below average in goal scoring before they acquired him, and remained so, plus the Devils gave up an uninspiring 2.64 Goals Against while he was on the ice. That's hardly what you're looking for when you trade for one of the game's top players.
The Deal: Wojtek Wolski to the Phoenix Coyotes
Was the deal worth it?
Yes. This trade appeared to be an absolute steal for Phoenix at the time the deal was made considering that Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter were the only parts going Colorado's way. However, Mueller turned out to be pretty good for the remainder of the season in Colorado, putting up 20 points in 15 games along with a 5.3 GVT. In receiving the 21st overall pick in 2004, Phoenix instantly added a top-six forward who would be well-coached under Dave Tippett.
Wolski helped to improve Phoenix's offense -- as well as its power play unit -- in his first couple of months in Arizona. The former Avalanche brought a point per game (18 points in 18 games) to the team in the desert, contributed a 2.2 GVT and was also an integral part of Phoenix's ability to create shot opportunities. Against Detroit in the first series of the postseason, Wolski again contributed significantly by finishing second on the team in points with five and first on Phoenix in goals with four. While neither team got past their first round opponent, this is a deal that both teams should be proud to have made.
The Deal: Olli Jokinen to the New York Rangers
Was the deal worth it?
Yes. With the Rangers, a team which was 17th in Offensive GVT and 13th in Defensive GVT for 2009-10, Jokinen contributed 15 points in 26 games at the end of the year. The Finnish forward, under the bright lights of New York, almost helped the Rangers make the playoffs when they went 13-9-4 after his acquisition. He immediately aided New York's man advantage unit, contributing a sixth-best 2:24 minutes of ice time per game during five on four play.
But don't get too carried away with overstating the impact he had in the Empire State -- his ability to get off solid one-timers at the point helped him accumulate only a 1.2 GVT in his time with the Rangers. To be fair though, his puck carrying and passing skills were a massive upgrade over the two players who were sent Calgary's way.
When Flames fans found out Sutter was dealing Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust for Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins, they were stunned by the lack of value they were receiving in return. Despite New York making yet another move for a veteran to patch a team weakness, they actually did well to only surrender a guy, in Kotalik, who has been horrific at even strength and gets by on chances only because teams love his size, hands and cannon of a shot. Higgins, another piece in the deal, has turned out to be a run-of-the-mill left winger who could be replaced by Calgary starting next year. Combined, they contributed -0.2 GVT over 38 games. That's not exactly what Calgary was looking for.
The Deal: Joe Corvo to the Capitals
Was the deal worth it?
No. The Capitals have three main flaws on their team: goaltending, defense and penalty-killing. Neither were addressed in this deal, so it's no surprise that this deal ended up being largely ineffective. The former Carolina Hurricane added size, experience and a mean one-timer to the Washington blue line, in addition to giving the Caps another weapon on the power play.
In Washington, Corvo contributed a negative Defensive GVT and was marginally above replacement-level overall, but at least he added depth to the defense. The 32 year-old contributed 1:30 minutes with the man advantage per game, including three power play points in 18 games. Those numbers could improve if the veteran defender could learn to keep shots from the point from going high and wide. The one good aspect for Corvo is that he usually faced the opposition's most difficult lines on the Capitals; however, that doesn't help when you're allowing a heinous 2.69 Goals Against per 60 minutes. To put that in perspective, top defenseman Chris Pronger had a 1.96 GA/60, Nicklas Lidstrom had a 2.24 GA/60 and Zdeno Chara had a 1.97 GA/60.
On a positive note, Corvo was able to create opportunities against opposing teams, though he did get to spend much time in the opposition's zone. Further, the penalty killing still remains a problem and the defense hasn't gotten much better. The Illinois native might have been considered a steal for Carolina two years ago when they dealt for him from Ottawa, but now he's just an easily replaceable piece to a talented roster.
The Deal: Dennis Seidenberg to the Boston Bruins
Was the deal worth it?
The 2008-09 Boston Bruins team shooting percentage regressed -- and then some -- this season, which led to a need for help on both offense and on the power play. However, if Dennis Seidenberg was the type of player Boston GM Peter Chiarelli was seeking at the trade deadline, then it would have made sense for the Bruins to just hold onto Derek Morris.
Leading up to the deadline, both defensemen had comparable point-per-game averages (Seidenberg: 17 points in 45 games, .38 PPG; Morris: 25 points in 58 games, .43 PPG), both are capable of playing the point on the power play and they each move the puck in an efficient manner. Boston made the postseason despite using its resources on such a marginal move and on a player that would later suffer a season-ending injury, but this is a team that could have used a bigger offensive threat -- such as Ilya Kovalchuk -- to improve its chances going forward.
A version of this story originally appeared on ESPN Insider  .
Andrew Rothstein is an author of Hockey Prospectus.
You can contact Andrew by clicking here or click here to see Andrew's other articles.
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