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The 2011 NHL Trade Deadline is going to be known for the lack of deals that were made on trade deadline day rather than any of the specific deals that happened. The Buffalo Sabres made their one move at roughly midnight on Monday, acquiring Brad Boyes for a second round pick from the St. Louis Blues. The main question is, was it enough? Here is what the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff contenders did around the trade deadline:
The Rangers made their splash early with the acquisition of Brian McCabe from the Florida Panthers in return for Tim Kennedy. McCabe had five goals and 22 points in 48 games for the Panthers and has yet to play in a game for the Rangers this season. He should be in the lineup on Tuesday when they face off against the Sabres. McCabe has a good shot and will give the Rangers some depth at defense after a rash of injuries.
The Hurricanes made the bulk of their moves well before the deadline, sending defenseman Ian White to the Sharks for a second round pick and getting Cory Stillman from the Panthers for Ryan Carter and a 5th round pick. Their lone deadline deal was sending forward Sergei Samsonov to the Panthers for defenseman Bryan Allen. Stillman has played in two games for the Hurricanes already and has one goal. Sergei Samsonov had 10 goals and 26 points in 58 games for the Hurricanes while Allen has four goals and 12 points in 53 games on defense for the Panthers.
The Thrashers big splash came on the 18th when they got Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart from the Boston Bruins for Rich Peverly and Boris Valabik. Wheeler has one goal and two assists for the Thrashers while Mark Stuart has registered a point, he does have a new contract extension. The Thrashers then sent Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes to the Canadiens for forward Ben Maxwell and a 4th round pick. Maxwell was sent to the AHL Chicago Wolves and hasn't seen action yet for the Thrashers. The Thrashers final move came on deadline day, sending Niclas Bergfors and Patrick Rissmiller to the Florida Panthers for Radek Dvorak and a 5th round pick. Dvorak has seven goals and 21 points on the season for the Panthers and that would line him up as the 10th leading scorer for the Thrashers.
The Maple Leafs usually do make a ton of deals around the deadline and this year was no exception. Toronto acquired Joffrey Lupul, Joe Colbourne, Jake Gardiner, and Aaron Voros along with six picks spread across three drafts. They gave up Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Kris Versteeg, and John Mitchell in the process. Lupul has made the biggest impact for the Leafs, scoring two goals and five points total in the nine games he has played with the Leafs. The Leafs are four points behind the Hurricanes with only 19 games left to play in the season.
All in all, every team chasing the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference made some sort of move to bolster their team heading into the final month and a half of the season. The question is, did the Sabres do enough compared to the rest of the teams to make that final charge.