Nashville Predators - Nashville has traditionally been sellers at the deadline, but this year they decided to be buyers in a big way. Their blue line first got a boost with the acquisition of veteran defenseman Hal Gill. The Predators then added forward Andrei Kostitsyn to join younger brother Sergei. Finally, they acquired big center Paul Gaustad for some added team depth. The Predators are on the prowl and looking to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
Vancouver Canucks - Vancouver's concern from last year's playoffs was their overall toughness. They were bullied at times by the Bruins in the finals. As a result, they made two somewhat surprising moves to address this. First, they aquired winger Zack Kassian and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani from the Buffalo Sabres. Kassian is a big boy and should help add some toughness to this team. Second, the Canucks added veteran checking center Sami Pahlsson. Pahlsson is no longer in his prime, but worth the additional depth for the limited cost given up.
Losers
Columbus Blue Jackets - The Columbus Blue Jackets are awful. There is no way around that fact. Captain and star player Rick Nash reportedly asked to be traded, but he ended up going nowhere. The Blue Jackets are clearly rebuilding. Nash doesn't fit that mold and should be given the opportunity to thrive somewhere else. Instead, they ended up with nothing to help turn around this abysmal team.
New York Rangers - The New York Rangers were the favorites in the Rick Nash sweepstakes. Since Nash ended up going nowhere, the Rangers had to scramble to get anything done. All they could manage was to bring in barely used winger John Scott. That move isn't the type of one the Rangers needed. The Rangers are still the best team in the Eastern Conference, but that gap just got a little bit smaller. They are on the losers list because they didn't improve much and their competition in the Eastern Conference just got better.
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