Update 3:30 P.M.

To sum up the day there was a lot of transactions but overall few trades of significance NHL-wise or AHL-wise. Two of the best players considered available, Columbus forward Rick Nash and Buffalo forward Derek Roy did not change teams. Minor changes were made to the Chicago Wolves and Toronto Marlies.

However, Monday was a big day for Nashville, which spent a small fortune of future draft picks to acquire forwards Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad. Vancouver, San Jose, Boston and Chicago also made roster bolstering trades even if the players involved were picked up to fill in depth roles rather than plug significant voids.

For Milwaukee not a single Admirals player was traded in today’s events. However, with the two roster additions up in Nashville, it is expected that a Predator or two will be shipped back to Milwaukee or will be made available on waivers.

So Roundtable . . . What do think of today’s NHL trade deadline? Any reactions to Nashville’s acquisition of Andrei Kostitsyn? What about the Predators’ pick up of Paul Gaustad, one of the most sought after players available at this year’s trade deadline? What will Milwaukee’s roster look like on Wednesday for the Admirals’ Midwest Division showdown with Peoria?

Update 3:00 P.M.

The trade waters seem to have quieted down after a small flurry of last minute deals. At this point 15 trades went down, involving 31 players and 11 draft picks according to TSN’s count. Nashville acquired two of the big fish available (relative to this year’s deadline crop), forwards Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad, without giving up any prospects.

One last minor deal to report: Canucks snag forward Andrew Gordon from Anaheim in exchange for defenseman Sebastian Erixon.

Update 2:38 P.M.

Interesting trade involving Buffalo and Vancouver: The Sabres sent prized rookie Zack Kassian to Vancouver in exchange for the Canucks’ talented first-year Cody Hodgson. With 33 points this year Hodgson is the more established of two former first-round picks, but Kassian has the size Vancouver covets.

The Canucks also pick up defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani, while Buffalo adds former Admirals blue liner Alexander Sulzer. Sulzer played in parts of three seasons for Milwaukee from 2007-2010.

Update 2:29 P.M.

Minor trade involving Toronto and Anaheim. Ducks acquire forward Dale Mitchell, while the Leafs get defenseman Mark Fraser. Looks like G.M. Brian Burke is spending most of his day retooling the AHL Marlies.

Update 2:22 P.M.

Buffalo’s compensation for Paul Gaustad is a first-round draft pick in 2012. This is an extremely high price for an at best third line center. However, the Predators did add a fourth-round pick as well as Gaustad.

The Islanders compensation for Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau is forward prospect Yannick Riendeau and defensive prospect Marc Cantin.

Update 2:18 P.M.

The Boston Bruins have traded defenseman Steve Kampfer to Minnesota in exchange for Wild blue liner, and former Admiral Greg Zanon. From 2003-2006 Zanon played three full seasons in Milwaukee before catching on fulltime with Nashville.

In addition the New York Rangers traded a fifth-round selection to Chicago in exchange for hulking defenseman John Scott.

Update 2:06 P.M.

The trade deadline has come and gone but plenty of trades will be trickling in over the next hour. What I can report is that the Boston Bruins have acquired veteran forward Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau. Meanwhile, Nashville appears to have picked up checking center Paul Gaustad from Buffalo. Compensation on both trades is unknown at this point.

Update 1:25 P.M.

A couple of more recent trades: Vancouver acquires checking forward extraordinaire Sami Pahlsson for a pair of fourth-round picks in 2012. Meanwhile, Chicago trades for hot commodity defenseman Johnny Oduya from Winnipeg in exchange for a second-round pick and a third-round pick, both in the 2013 entry draft.

Update 1:19 P.M.

A flurry of recent deals to update, though none of the significant impact variety: Tampa Bay has been active so far, trading forward Carter Ashton for defenseman Keith Aulie. In a separate deal the Lightning also picked up defenseman Mike Commodore from Detroit in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick and defenseman Brian Lee from Ottawa for fellow defender Matt Gilroy.

San Jose made the move to pick up forwards T.J. Galiardi and Daniel Winnik from Colorado in exchange for Sharks forward Jamie McGinn and prospects Mike Connolly and Michael Sgarbossa.

Update 12:28 P.M.

The Minnesota Wild have acquired former University of Wisconsin defender Tom Gilbert from Edmonton in exchange for fellow blue liner Nick Schultz. Gilbert won a national championship at the Bradley Center in 2006 as a member of the Badgers. Gilbert has 17 points in 47 games this season for the Oilers, while Schultz has put up a paltry one goal and two assists in 62 games.

Update 11:25 A.M.

Things remain quiet at this point on deadline day. Only recent news of significance is that ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Predators G.M. David Poile sent out a text message stating that he is “not trading (Ryan) Suter.”

Update: 9:47 A.M.

Sure enough the Predators are involved in the first trade of the day, acquiring forward Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal in exchange for Nashville’s second-round pick in 2013 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2013.

Kostitsyn will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. He has 12 goals and 24 points in 53 games to date. The best season to date for the former 10th overall selection in the 2003 draft was in 2007-2008 where he scored 26 goals and added 27 assists for 53 points.

Update: 8:50 A.M.

Good morning Roundtable.

Today is trade deadline Monday, the day that marks the last time that teams can change up their rosters via trade prior to the playoff stretch run.

For diehard hockey fans like myself today represents an unofficial holiday, a day to sit back and enjoy the proceedings. So far no trades to speak of, but then again it is before 7 A.M. on the West Coast. The official deadline to submit trades is 2 P.M. central time.

Even though Nashville was already involved in two transactions prior to the deadline, the Predators/Admirals could be active again on Monday. Teams around the league covet top prospect Ryan Ellis, but I believe Predators G.M. David Poile has no interest in moving him. But with the potential to lose defenseman Ryan Suter in the offseason, Poile could be in a go-for-broke mode today.

Here is the recent trade summery for Nashville:

(Feb. 24) Predators trade forward Jerred Smithson for Florida’s sixth-round pick in 2012.

(Feb. 17) Predators trade minor league forwards Blake Geoffrion and Robert Slaney, plus a second-round pick in 2012 to Montreal for defenseman Hal Gill and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2013. Read my thoughts on this trade here.

Big news yesterday as St. Louis traded prized goaltending prospect Ben Bishop. Read my post on that transaction here.

The Peoria Rivermen’s All-Star goaltender Ben Bishop was traded today by the St. Louis Blues to the Ottawa Senators. Bishop, who was stuck on the depth chart behind NHL All-Star Brian Elliott and the more than capable Jaroslav Halak, was dealt for a second-round selection in the 2013 entry draft.

The big news for Milwaukee is that Bishop will be leaving rival Peoria thanks to the trade. The Admirals won the first five games of the season series against the Rivermen, but Peoria has dominated since, taking five in row dating back to a 1-0 decision on New Years Day. Bishop was in the net for three of those victories, posting one shutout and a pair of two-goal against efforts.

Bishop, who was widely regarded as one of the top players in the American Hockey League, signed a one-year, one-way deal with Ottawa as result of the trade and therefore will not be back to the minors anytime soon. Meanwhile, Peoria currently sits in 8th place with a record of 29-24-2-1. Obviously, this trade could have a huge impact on the direction of the Rivermen going forward.

Milwaukee currently stands in 11th place with a record of 27-22-2-2, but owns three games in hand on Peoria. The Admirals have just two games left with their Midwest Division foe.

Adding to what Ryan already posted this morning, here is the lowdown on the return of Ryan Ellis to Milwaukee.

In his first ever National Hockey promotion Ellis skated in 22 games for Nashville, picking up three goals and six assists while registering a plus-eight rating. Not exactly the profile of a player who was going to be demoted to the American Hockey League.

The reason for Ellis return trip to Milwaukee? A blueline log jam with the Predators. Ellis received under four minutes of ice time in Nashville’s 3-2 win over Dallas on February 19 and has not been in the Predators’ lineup since. He was a healthy scratch in Nashville’s 3-1 win over Vancouver (Tuesday) and in the Predators 3-2 shootout loss to St. Louis last night. No surprise Ellis saw a reduction of playing time soon after Nashville made the trade for Hal Gill.

How badly does Milwaukee need Ryan Ellis back? Since the Hamilton, Ontario native’s original promotion on December 26, the Admirals have won just nine out of 25 games posting a record of 9-14-2-0.

So Roundtable . . . How will you welcome back Ryan Ellis? What kind of impact do you expect him to have with Milwaukee?

For the third time this season Admirals forward Chris Mueller has been recalled to Nashville. Mueller joins the Predators just in time for the start of a four-game homestand where Nashville will be hosting Vancouver, St. Louis, San Jose and Los Angeles.

In his two prior promotions this season Mueller skated in four games with Nashville, failing to record a point while registering a plus/minus rating of -1. Last season Mueller played in 15 games for the Predators, recording three assists. The Buffalo, New York native is still looking for that elusive first NHL goal.

Mueller’s promotion gives ample time for the Admirals to prepare for life without their leading scorer, with the team’s next game not coming until Friday night when Milwaukee will play host to Abbotsford.

So Roundtable . . . What do you think of Chris Mueller’s latest promotion? Is this the one that sticks, or will he back for the weekend?

In keeping with the recent run of organizational announcements from the Nashville, the Predators organization made the decision today to extend the contracts of both General Manager David Poile and Assistant G.M. Paul Fenton.

If Poile fulfills this contract, he will be with the Predators until the end of the 2014-2015 season. It has been an amazing run for Poile, who is the only general manager in franchise history.

“Today’s announcement is further recognition by the Predators’ ownership group of the outstanding job David has done as President of Hockey Operations since the franchise’s inception,” Nashville Chairman Tom Cigarran said today in statement. “The consistent success of the Predators on the ice is directly attributed to his ability to assemble and lead a team of management, coaches, scouts and administrators who continually identify, draft, develop and motive an exceptional group of experienced and young players. The ownership group believes that under his leadership, the Nashville Predators will soon achieve its goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”

Poile ranks third all time in NHL G.M. wins (1,049 entering this season), behind only Boston Bruins legend Harry Sinden and current New York Rangers General Manager Glen Sather. Poile will pass Sinden in total games on March 17.

Meanwhile, Fenton is in his sixth season as Poile’s right-hand man. In addition Fenton serves as Milwaukee’s General Manager and has been the man responsible for much of the Admirals’ roster decisions. Since he’s taken on the role Milwaukee has yet to miss the AHL playoffs.

“Paul’s vast experience in the game, from playing at the NHL level to scouting and evaluation, combine to make him an integral and invaluable member of our organization,” Poile said of Fenton in a statement. “We’re thrilled that he will continue to play a key role in our hockey operations.”

So Roundtable . . . What do you think of today’s news? Are you happy with the continued stability, or do you feel like Milwaukee and Nashville have gone stagnant and need fresh voices in the front office?

After allowing 24 hours to let Friday’s transaction between Nashville and Montreal sink in, I thought now would be the perfect time for me to weigh in on the acquisition of defenseman Hal Gill in exchange for Blake Geoffrion, Robert Slaney and the Predators second-round draft pick in 2012.

For the Predators: The price was high, but Nashville general manager David Poile landed one of the top two of three defenseman actually available at this point. Gill brings a boatload of playoff experience as a shutdown specialist on the blueline, and was a key cog for Pittsburgh on their recent Stanley Cup run. Gill then topped that performance during the 2010 playoffs for Montreal where he and the unheralded Josh Georges paired to completely neutralize top offensive units of both Washington and Pittsburgh.

Yes, Gill is 36-years-old and could leave as an unrestricted free agent in the off season. However, Hal Gill is the type of player you win Stanley Cups with. He provides a perfect compliment to Shea Weber and Ryan Suter as a three or four defenseman, offering size and strength to a blueline that needs it. Gill is a weapon shot blocking and playing the penalty kill, and he gives Nashville impressive depth on the point.

Here is Predators general manager on why he acquired Gill:

“Hal Gill brings our team a number of elements – size, penalty-killing ability, depth on defense and playoff experience,” Poile said in a statement. “(Gill) has won a Stanley Cup and played a combined 69 playoff games over the last four years. (His) experience that significantly benefits our team.”

For Montreal: The price Montreal extracted for their rental defenseman was high. Personally, I felt a second round pick or a third round pick and prospect would have been more than sufficient, but the top options available around the deadline were Pavel Kubina, Tim Gleason (recently taken off the market) and Gill. The lack of available players certainly raised Gill’s price.

Personally I think Poile had a choice to trade either a first-round pick or second round pick and prospects. If given that option, I, like Poile would have taken the second-round pick and sacrificed a prospect. With the system well stocked, Geoffrion was expendable.

“You got to give up to make a deal at this trade deadline,” Poile said on media call Friday afternoon. “We did in giving up our second-round pick and Blake Geoffrion.”

Robert Slaney leaves as a throw in. Slaney is player with a little bit of potential, but is hardly significant either way. I am kind of surprised that he was involved.

For Milwaukee: This might be case of addition by subtraction. After last season, Geoffrion wanted to be with the Predators on a full time basis and got his shot to be in the early going. Fighting through injuries and playing in the AHL in 2011-2012, the fire Geoffrion showed during the second half of 2010-2011 was not there on a night in and night out basis. Now Geoffrion gets another shot with another organization, and the Admirals get another spot in the lineup for a player eager to be there.

My final verdict: I think this a great trade for Nashville. The Predators are gearing up for a serious Stanley Cup run this season and realize that 1) they could be down to only more playoffs with both Suter and Weber 2) only two playoffs with Weber if they don’t resign. This trade for Gill combined with the addition of Mike Fisher a year ago, shows that Nashville is committed toward a winning. That might entice Weber and Suter to stay on board after a summer which might have cast some doubts.

For Geoffrion this season equates to setback for the former Hobey Baker winner after a great development year in 2010-2011. But in Montreal Geoffrion gets a change of scenery (Blake is still growing as a player) but more importantly he adds some size and strength to a Canadiens lineup that sorely needs it. Combine that with the legacy factor of Geoffrion’s family and Montreal should be acquiring a player who will be beloved at the Bell Centre.

Poile admitted that Geoffrion’s family history played into the trade, much like acquisition of Mike Fisher a year ago: “If it wasn’t for Montreal, the unique situation with his family . . . I probably wouldn’t have traded him. It’s extremely tough to do because of (Blake’s) obvious ties to Nashville.”

Geoffrion expressed some mixed emotions on the trade via twitter: “Wow..what a day…it’s bitter-sweet, going to miss my hometown of Nashville, but going to where it all started with my family…MONTREAL!!!”

In closing I say a fond goodbye to Blake. It has been great watching you play 5+ years of hockey in the state of Wisconsin. Best of luck fulfilling the Geoffrion family heritage in Montreal.

In the grand scheme of things, one home shutout victory against Houston on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean much, but it sure beats the alternative.

With the win Milwaukee still stands in the same place it has been of late–in 10th place in the Western Conference, trailing teams that are set to play postseason hockey.

The current difference between the Admirals’ spot (49 games played, 25 wins, 53 points) and eighth place Abbotsford’s spot (49 games played, 26 wins, 55 points) is just one victory, but Milwaukee carries at least one game in hand on every team except the Heat (and first place Oklahoma City, which is almost assured a playoff spot) standing ahead of them.

Therefore, Milwaukee is far from dead, but time and the schedule are starting to become a factor. With the AHL campaign reduced by four games in comparison to previous years, Milwaukee has just 27 games  left to make up ground. Realistically, even if the Admirals get on a run, sixth place looks to be about the furthest up within reach.

Here are the teams that stand in the way: Peoria (27-21-2-1, 57 points), San Antonio (27-21-2-0, 56 points), Abbotsford (26-20-3-0, 55 points), Lake Erie (25-22-2-2, 54 points) and Rochester (22-19-6-3, 53 points).

Milwaukee will play none of those teams this weekend, just first place Oklahoma City, standing in the same spot the Admirals enjoyed for most of 2010-2011. The Barons are coasting with a remarkable 32-12-2-3 mark, seven points ahead of its nearest challengers. Two losses would hardly face Oklahoma City, but two wins would go a long, long way for Milwaukee.

So Roundtable . . . What are your expectations for this weekend’s pair of games with Oklahoma City? Are you dreading the match up against one of the AHL’s best, or do you see this as an opportunity?

 

The American Hockey League announced today that the league’s annual All-Star classic will remain out east for the 2012-2013 season as Providence, Rhode Island was selected as the event’s new hosts.

The 2013 All-Star skills competition is set for Sunday, January 27 to be followed the next day by the league’s Hall of Fame Induction Awards Ceremony and All-Star game.

“The American Hockey League is excited to be returning to one of its founding cities for the 2013 All-Star Classic,” said AHL President and CEO David Andrews in a statement. “Providence has been part of the fabric of our league since our first season in 1936, and the Providence Bruins organization has been a cornerstone for the last two decades. We’re looking forward to showcasing our brightest stars to capacity crowds at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and to an international television audience.”

Providence Bruins CEO Jeff Fear expressed delight with league’s decision to pick Rhode Island’s capital after this year’s event in Atlantic City.

“The 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic is the American Hockey League’s premier exhibition, bringing together dozens of hockey’s rising stars for an exciting weekend of competition,” said Fear in a statement. “The Providence Bruins are honored to play host to this special event.”

Moving on to other news, the National Hockey League’s trade deadline is set for February 27. However, there have been a few minor transactions of late that have effected American Hockey League teams.

Here are the National Hockey League trades dating back to January 27:

(Feb. 3) The Minnesota Wild traded forward Casey Wellman to the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Erik Christensen and a seventh round pick in the 2013 draft. Wellman had played in 26 games with Houston prior to the trade, scoring 14 goals and 25 points.

(Feb. 2) The Colorado Avalanche traded forward Mike Carman to Washington in exchange for defenseman Danny Richmond. Carman played 28 games with Lake Erie this season scoring six points. Richmond skated in 24 games for Hershey, picking up four assists and 48 PIMs. On the same day, the Capitals sent former Wisconsin Badger Matt Ford to Philadelphia (Adirondack) in exchange for defenseman Keven Marshall from the Phantoms.

(January 30) Calgary sent defenseman John Negrin to Winnipeg in exchange for forward Akim Aliu. Negrin played in 26 games for Abbotsford prior to the trade, picking up one lone assist.  Aliu had been playing for Abbotsford prior to the trade, but had his NHL rights change hands.

(January 27) Chicago acquired forward Brendan Morrison from Calgary in exchange for defenseman Brian Connelly. Connelly was one of Rockford’s top blue liners prior to the trade (five goals, 36 assists with the Ice Hogs), and now has three assists in three games with Abbotsford.