2008 Trade Deadline Look-back

We continue a week-long feature, looking at past trade deadlines and seeing how they affected the teams and players involved...

The Blockbuster: Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh: Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis
Atlanta: Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, 1st round pick (Daulton Leveille)

Just moments before the deadline came and went, Penguins GM Ray Shero pulled off the biggest blockbuster of the 2008 trading season. Marian Hossa was long-rumored to be traded as the Thrashers were out of the hunt and looking to get a return before Hossa hit free agency in the summer.

Shero acquired Hossa, who jelled very well with Pittsburgh down the stretch. He was a catalyst come playoff time as he carried the team’s offense in stretches. In total, Hossa racked up 26 points in 20 playoff games. I don’t know if the Pens would have gotten to the finals without him.

A lost player in the deal is Pascal Dupuis, who has found his niche with the Penguins. He has seen some time on every line as his versatility has come in handy. Dupuis has a plus-21 rating since arriving in the Steel City.

Atlanta didn’t necessarily get robbed in the deal, but they didn’t do as well as I’m sure they hoped they could have. Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen were nice players but have since moved on. Angelo Esposito and Daulton Leveille remain in the organization, but aren’t expected to be big contributors in the NHL.

The Blockbuster, Part 2: Brian Campbell to San Jose
San Jose: Brian Campbell, 7th round pick
Buffalo: Steve Bernier, 1st round pick (Tyler Ennis)

Another blockbuster that went down on deadline day in ’08 was San Jose acquiring defenseman Brian Campbell. This was before the team traded for Dan Boyle, so Campbell was a highly sought after puck-mover by GM Doug Wilson and company.

Like Hossa in Pittsburgh, Campbell immediately fit in with Team Teal. He had 19 points in 20 regular season games, and also contributed in the postseason. With Campbell quarterbacking one of the league’s top power plays, the unit even improved and scored almost every game that Campbell was in the lineup.

As it turned out, ‘Soupy’ was just a rental for Wilson. Campbell turned down a contract with the team in the off-season and chased the big bucks in Chicago. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as San Jose picked up a better D-man in Boyle later that summer.

At the other end of this deal, Buffalo is still reaping the benefits. Campbell was going to be too much money to hang on to, and the draft pick turned in Tyler Ennis, who has a high ceiling and a bright future. Steve Bernier wasn’t the best fit under Lindy Ruff; but with that said, his whole career has been a disappointment compared to the high expectations.

The Steal: Brad Richards to Dallas
Dallas: Brad Richards, Johan Holmqvist
Tampa Bay: Jussi Jokinen, Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern, 2009 4th round pick

The Lightning were in selling mode at the 2008 deadline and decided to part ways with Brad Richards, who won the Conn Smythe in 2004 with the team. Richards was under the same contract he is today, but Tampa Bay was looking to dump his salary and move on.

Dallas willingly stepped to the forefront and grabbed the playmaking center. Richards is currently the centerpiece of a playoff-contending team, and had 91 points a year ago.

And here’s thing… the pieces that the Stars had to give up have turned out to be duds in Tampa. Jussi Jokinen (as noted in yesterday’s piece about the 2009 deadline) was dealt for basically nothing a year later. Jeff Halpern was dealt at this time last year. Mike Smith is on the block as he’s the third goaltender on the depth chart.

Meanwhile, Richards is helping lead the Stars to what could be their first playoff appearance in three years.

The Win-win: Andrew Ladd for Tuomo Ruutu

Chicago: Andrew Ladd

Carolina: Tuomo Ruutu

The change of scenery has definitely benefitted both Andrew Ladd and Tuomo Ruutu.

Ladd won a Cup in Carolina as a role player, but was an even bigger piece to the puzzle during Chicago’s pair of playoff runs in 2009 and 2010 as a key third-liner and special teams contributor. He has since moved on to Atlanta where he is the captain and playing a lot of minutes.

Ruutu was a first-round pick of Chicago’s in 2001, but wasn’t quite panning out after a successful rookie campaign. He has been a great fit with the Hurricanes since the trade. Ruutu had his best season with 54 points in 2008/09 and is currently on pace for a new career-high this season.

The Cup Champion’s acquisitions…
Detroit Red Wings:
Acquired: Brad Stuart
Traded: 2nd round pick, 4th round pick

The lone move that GM Ken Holland made at the deadline was acquiring Brad Stuart from Los Angeles. Since the trade, Stuart has played of the best hockey of his career in Detroit, especially in the 2008 playoffs when the team won the Stanley Cup. In 21 playoff games that spring, Stuart boasted a plus-15 rating and chipped in seven points.

Other notable deals…
Ottawa: Cory Stillman, Mike Commodore
Carolina: Joe Corvo, Patrick Eaves

Philadelphia: Vinny Prospal
Tampa Bay: Alex Picard, Conditional draft pick

St. Louis: Cam Janssen
New Jersey: Bryce Salvador

Washington: Cristobal Huet
Montreal: 2009 2nd round pick

Washington: Sergei Fedorov
Columbus: Ted Ruth

Florida: Karlis Skrastins
Colorado: Ruslan Salei

Colorado: Adam Foote
Columbus: Conditional draft pick

Washington: Matt Cooke
Vancouver: Matt Pettinger

NY Rangers: Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton, David LeNeveu
Phoenix: Marcel Hossa, Al Montoya, Conditional draft pick

Nashville: Jan Hlavac
Tampa Bay: 7th round pick

Anaheim: Marc-Andre Bergeron
NY Islanders: 3rd round pick

Pittsburgh: Hal Gill
Toronto: 2nd round pick, 2009 5th round pick

Photos credit: Getty Images