The Anaheim Ducks have traded forward Petteri Nokelainen to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a 6th round draft pick.

The last trade of the day was a reflection of today’s boring deadline. A 4th line centre moves teams within the Western Conference. Seriously, who cares?

This has been the most lack luster trade deadline that I’ve witnessed in the NHL in years.

The New York Rangers have acquired defenceman Anders Eriksson from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for goalie Miika Wiikman and a 7th round pick in 2011.

Yes, Anders Eriksson is still in the NHL.  He will become the team’s 7th defenceman and play very little with the Rangers unless someone in the top 6 is injured.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have dealt forward Alexandre Picard to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange forward Chad Kolarik.

The “other” Alexandre Picard (the one who hasn’t been traded 80 times in the past 2 seasons). Doug MacLean must be sad that his former first round pick didn’t pan out in Columbus.  Picard never stuck with the big club in Columbus as he only played 67 games with the team over the course of 5 seasons. He gets a new start in Phoenix, but at this point he is a bust.

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forwards Stephane Yelle and Harrison Reed from the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll and a 6th round draft pick.

Yelle gets the chance to finish off his career with the team where it all started in Colorado.  The Ottawa native is approaching the end of the road and will have an opportunity to play in the post-season. He’s been a solid 4th line centre for a long time and knows his role within his hockey team.

The Edmonton Oilers have dealt defenceman Steve Staois to the Calgary Flames for defenceman Aaron Johnson and a 3rd round draft pick.

Can you remember the last time these two rivals swung a deal? It’s been a long time for sure.

Staios is a steady blueliner and a great leader who will be a welcomed addition for a team in need of a morale boost. This Flames team is starting to look very different from the one that started the season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired prospect Chris Peluso from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 6th round draft pick.

Brian Burke admitted that he knows very little about Chris Peluso and that he’s an extreme long shot to ever make the NHL. The deal was essentially a favour for the Leafs taking Skoula, then flipping him to the Devils.

The Calgary Flames have traded forward Dustin Boyd to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 4th round draft pick.

The Edmonton Oilers have traded defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for blueliner Ryan Whitney.

The second most intriguing deal of the day sees a couple of defenceman switch places within the Western Conference. The Ducks have a retooled blueline now with Visnovsky and Ward in the mix. Visnovsky is a highly skilled defenceman who put up huge numbers in Los Angeles. He had a rather forgettable stint in Edmonton where he missed 32 games because of injury. The Ducks have undergone quite the makeover once again and like last year they need a big late season push in order to make the playoffs.

Whitney never really seemed to find his place in Anaheim after playing 82 games with the club spread out over the course of two seasons. He gets a fresh start with a rebuilding team in Edmonton.

The Carolina Hurricanes have dealt Andrew Alberts to the Vancouver Canucks for a 3rd round draft pick.

Hey look, another depth defenceman!

With injuries to Kevin Bieksa and Willie Mitchell, the Canucks were in need of help on the blueline. Alberts is a big, rugged defenceman who fills in some of the void lost in the absence of Mitchell.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt minor league goaltender Joey MacDonald to the Anaheim Ducks for a 7th round draft pick in 2011.

It looks like Joey Mac will be in a similar spot in the Anaheim system than he has been in Toronto, very similar.  Firstly, the Ducks don’t have a minor league team so if he doesn’t get called up, he’ll probably remain with the Toronto Marlies.  The Marlies have been taking Ducks’ prospects on loan all season (see Kyle Calder and Brendan Mikkelson). 

Secondly, he’ll be in a similar situation in the Anaheim pecking order.  Jonas Hiller is the starter.  Curtis McElhinney was acquired today from the Flames and looks to be the back-up.  Therefore, MacDonald will be in the same three-spot in Anaheim that he was in Toronto.