She Did It Again!

Every time Lucy puts that football down, and every time she yanks it away just as Charlie Brown is going to kick it. So it is with trades and the NHL draft. Every year, it is the year when we are going to see a lot of trades around draft time, and every year it fails to materialize to any degree approaching what folks anticipate.

This year, from Monday through Saturday, there were a total of nine deals that involved players for players or players for picks (collected from the transactions posted at tsn.ca):

- Minnesota acquired right wing Brad Staubitz from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

- Boston acquired forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Dennis Wideman, a first-round pick in the 2010 Draft and a third-round pick in 2011.

- Edmonton acquired forward Colin Fraser from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

- St. Louis acquired the 16th pick in the 2010 draft from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman David Rundblad.

- Chicago acquired forward Jimmy Hayes from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the 43rd pick in the 2010 draft.

- Carolina acquired forward Riley Nash from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for the 46th pick in the 2010 draft.

- Carolina acquired defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti from the New York Rangers in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2010 draft and Washington's second-round draft pick in 2011.

- Carolina acquired forward Jonathan Matsumoto from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Washington's seventh-round pick in the 2010 draft.

- Boston acquired defenseman David Warsofsky from the St. Louis Blues for center Vladimir Sobotka.

Good thing Carolina did more than its share (and that Washington Capitals picks found a home).  Combined, these deals might register a 2.5 on the NHL Richter scale (no, not Mike Richter) – generally not felt, but recorded. And, if not for the Boston-Florida deal, seismometers would have a hard time recording the effect of these trades.

Everyone seems to have short memories in this regard – journalists, fans, and those of us who scribble at keyboards (in a manner of speaking) in our spare time. When will we learn?

Well, at least we have the week ahead, when teams will sign that one free agent that will put them over the top and…

Damn! Fell for it again!!