Tasser’s Take: NHL trade deadline brings winners, losers

The National Hockey League trade deadline quietly came and passed this week, adding a second… The National Hockey League trade deadline quietly came and passed this week, adding a second consecutive slow year.

For the second year in a row, only 16 trades were completed, down from 31 moves two years ago. There was a lot of hype over where Columbus Blue Jacket star winger Rick Nash would end up, but the Columbus management’s high demand for him won over any potential suitor.

The Winner: Los Angeles Kings

The Kings acquired another legitimate scoring threat in Jeff Carter. Carter, who spent a thoroughly unproductive season in Columbus, was reunited with former teammate Mike Richards. Carter spent his entire career with Richards on the Philadelphia Flyers before this season. These two have great chemistry and will make the Kings — currently in a three-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West — much stronger offensively down the stretch run.

The Loser: Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets, far and away the worst team in the league, were unable to move their biggest asset, captain Rick Nash, in an attempt to rebuild. It was revealed after the deadline passed that the low-key Nash had demanded a trade to a Cup contender, which surprised many people. Now they must wait until the offseason to trade their disgruntled star, but his value has already peaked. In the midst of another losing season, playing in a city where he doesn’t want to be with a poor supporting cast will not make him any more productive. The Jackets missed the boat and should have taken the best possible deal for him.

The Gambler: Nashville Predators

The Preds solidified their lineup and made it clear that they are in this season for the long haul. Sitting at fifth place in the West, they added mammoth defenseman Hal Gill, winger Andrei Kostitsyn and face-off specialist Paul Gaustad, giving up only draft picks but big ones.  They traded a 2012 first- and 2013 fourth-rounder for Gaustad and a 2013 second-rounder for Kostitsyn. They acquired Gill last week in a move that also involved draft picks. They filled all of their holes without giving up anything in terms of personnel. But if these moves don’t pan out for them, they certainly won’t be rebuilding through the draft.

The Silent One: Pittsburgh Penguins

For the first time in general manager Ray Shero’s six-year career, he didn’t make a move at the deadline. And you know what? He didn’t need to. The team is playing spectacular hockey at the moment, featuring the hottest line in hockey with Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal.  The only problem is that the New York Rangers have been on a season-long tear. So it looks like the Penguins will have to settle for, at best, a fourth seed. They are in the position to make a deep run with the group they have with the possibility of one gigantic acquisition to come: superstar Sidney Crosby’s return from a concussion, just in time for the playoffs.