Trade Deadline Eve

Sorry to usurp Zach, who wrote a quality preview of tomorrow's trade deadline. I just wanted to make a few quick points...

- It's hard to say what to make of all of today's waiver activity. Some big names were unceremoniously dumped, players Zach (and many others) believe could have fetched at least late-round picks from contending teams. In my eyes, the problem is that so many teams have screwy cap situations that they have no choice but to waive these players. So if I'm Ray Shero and I'm calling you, an opposing GM, in an attempt to deal Miro Satan, and you know I'm trying desperately into the playoffs, and you also know I'm right up against the cap, you might try to play hardball with me. If you play hardball with me, I might not be able to make a deal. And since I can't go out and get the reinforcements I need until I clear out some cap room, the only thing I can do is waive Satan, even though he might have gotten me a decent draft pick even one year ago. While some might say it's because of "the economy" - and really, what isn't these days - but it's more because most NHL GMs are too stupid to plan ahead.

- Speaking of NHL GMs, it is my steadfast belief that Islanders GM Garth Snow understands the CBA better than perhaps any other general manager. Aside from the Rick DiPietro deal, in which Charles Wang bypassed Snow and negotiated directly with DiPietro, Snow has never been stuck with a bad contract he can't move. The closest thing we've seen is the recently-waived Jon Sim, who is signed with the Islanders for $1 million for 2009-10, but would probably get that same amount (if not more) if he became a free agent. The point is, Snow knows exactly how long he needs players and, therefore, how long he should sign them. Snow's record in letting players walk away when it's not worth keeping them is exemplary, as evidenced by Tom Poti (42 total points in two seasons at $3.5M per), Viktor Kozlov (27 total goals in two seasons at $2.5M per), Jason Blake (37 total goals in two seasons at $4M per), Ryan Smyth (37 total goals in two seasons at $6M per), Miroslav Satan (16 goals in one season at $3.5M), and Ruslan Fedotenko (13 goals in one season at $2.5M). That's pretty good. Only Blake has gone on to have any real success in his new digs, while Satan has been waived and Smyth is on the block yet again.

The point is this - Snow knows exactly who he's keeping and who he isn't. And with no playoff push to speak of, outside of the need to meet the salary floor, there's no point in keeping any unnecessary players around. So anyone who Snow isn't going to keep will be shopped heavily tonight and tomorrow. We know Bill Guerin's as good as gone; Doug Weight could be right behind him. Guys like Andy Hilbert and Radek Martinek are suddenly being discussed. The Islanders find themselves with a ton of bargaining power and no shortage of suitors; with a litany of reasonable, expiring contracts, the Islanders could build up quite the nice haul of draft picks for the upcoming 2009 Entry Draft, which is said to be the strongest since the epic 2003 draft.

- Part of me totally expects the Rangers to buy, buy, buy. They've invested too much in the team to wave a white flag, and the fanbase could revolt with another disappointment in the playoffs. While there are a ton of teams better than the Rangers in the East, none of those teams (except the Devils) have a difference-maker like Henrik Lundqvist. For this reason, the Rangers will never believe they are very far away. The problem is, they don't have the organizational depth to really do any damage. They only have a handful of significant prospects and really can't afford to lose any of them. It's going to be an interesting deadline for these Rangers - and standing pat with just Sean Avery to show for the deadline is NOT a good idea, if for no other reason than that nobody knows what Sean Avery the Rangers are getting. Are they getting the same old pest who won them 50 games over parts of two seasons? Or are they getting a kindler, gentler Avery who lacks the mean streak the Rangers need? The Rangers would do well to cover themselves either way, but not at the risk of whatever future they have left.

---

Enjoy the deadline dealings. We'll be around tomorrow to make sense of it all.