Three Trades, one good for the West, two bad

Maybe the biggest trade today other than the Guerin trade is Ryan Smyth from the Oilers to the Islanders for prospects and a pick. Ryan Smyth was the most recognizable player on the Oilers' roster, and the captain, so trading him sends a huge message to the franchise and fans. The Oilers are currently 9 points out of the playoffs, and the fans seem to think this is is Kevin Lowe throwing in the towel on the season. Keep in mind that Smyth is unrestricted this offseason, so it's not out of the question he would have a triumphant return, but he'll be asking for a significant raise and contract length. This will make playing Edmonton that much easier; keeping Smyth from clogging up the crease is a big job.

But alas, Todd Bertuzzi is coming back to the West. And not to the Blues, to a legit contender, the Red Wings. Bertuzzi hasn't played a single game since he hurt his back last year, so it's a risky deal for Detroit. If the gamble pays off, and Bertuzzi plays the way he did a couple of years ago before the Steve Moore incident, the Wings will be a scary opponent. An opponent the Sharks might have to face in the first round.

Possibly the worst trade from the Sharks' perspective is Mattias Norstrom going to Dallas, another captain on the move. I guess this means the Kings are going to build around Anze Kopitar instead of Norstrom, which is a mistake in my view. So the team nipping at our heels just got a lot better on D. Shit, why didn't we make that deal? I'd take Norstrom over Rivet every day of the week and twice on Sundays.