It was an insignificant NHL Trade Deadline

Having a day to reflect on the NHL Trade Deadline, I've come to the same conclusion many hockey analysts have: it was an insignificant day. Most NHL teams ended up trading depth players for mid-level draft picks or mid-level prospects.

Don't get me wrong, that's not to say that some of these deals won't have huge future implications as a prospect blooms or a draft pick pans out. Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery for a player to break through.

The most significant deals came from the Boston Bruins who acquired Denis Seidenberg, the Ducks trading Ryan Whitney to the Edmonton Oilers for Lubomir Visnovsky, the Washington Capitals acquiring Joe Corvo, and the Phoenix Coyotes trading Peter Mueller for Wojtek Wolski from the Colorado Avalanche.

The names aren't huge, but the deals still added important depth for each team. For general managers, the toughest part about trade deadline day is the ability to add a player without greatly affecting team cohesion. Luckily, most of this year's trades won't hurt anyone's locker room.

The most compelling trade was Wojtek Wolski for Peter Mueller. Both players are young stars with potentially huge careers ahead. Either one could bust out for a 30 goal season or fade into oblivion. In my opinion, this is the key deal to watch down the road.

It may have been an insignificant NHL trade deadline at first glance, but only time will tell how unimportant the 2010 deadline will remain.

Follow Instant Replay on Twitter.

NHL Trade Deadline is looming

Now that the Olympics are over, it is time for NHL teams to get into stretch drive mode and make some final roster moves.

With big names such as Ilya Kovalchuk and Dion Phaneuf moving already, it's hard to imagine there will be many blockbuster deals at the NHL Trade Deadline. Of course there is always a surprise or two, but who is really left?

The biggest potential, and I am loosely using the term 'potential' deal, could come out of Montreal. The Canadiens could face losing either Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak in the very near future for nothing if they don't make a move soon.

I would have to predict that if the Montreal Canadiens move either goaltender, it will be Halak. Halak is having a strong season and had a great Olympic Games while playing for Slovakia. His value is likely as high right now as it will ever be.

The Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, and Carolina Hurricanes are also all likely deadline players. The Oilers will be looking to flush out several players including Ethan Moreau and Tom Gilbert.

Another, more high profile, name that is being tossed around right now is Nashville's Dan Hamhuis. Apparently the Philadelphia Flyers are very interested in Hamhuis, but if history serves itself, it usually is not the first team rumoured to be in the game that wins. Another factor is, with the injury to Ray Emery, the Flyers might need to spend their extra cap space to acquire a legitimate playoff goaltender. Tomas Vokoun anyone?

Other names frequenting the phone lines include Ray Whitney of the Carolina Hurricanes and Alexei Ponikarovsky of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Either way, I'm sure the next 24-hours will be filled with several interesting trades. Lots of draft picks and cap space maneuvers will happen for sure, but we'll have to watch and wait for the off chance of another blockbuster move.

Follow Instant Replay on Twitter.