No Red Lights: Hockey

http://goo.gl/guMCR

After a fairly quiet trade deadline, it's only fair to go back and look at the long and short term implications. I was a bit surprised by San Jose's move to extend Niemi's contract. He's obviously a qualified goalie and has been playing well of late, so it's more surprising because I am a East Coast follower. Sorry, West Coast - you just don't make the highlight reels as much in my neck of the woods. It is good to see the Sharks begin to stabilize and solidify their top ranking in the West. I'd like to see a good run for the playoffs by them, but I fear that their playoff curse will continue, no matter who is between their pipes.

I also have to talk about my favorite team the Lightning. While I think the Dan Ellis experiment is finally over (*wiping a tear from my eye*), I'm actually shocked that they've stuck with Mike Smith. He's a bit injury prone and is inconsistent (partly due to his injuries). He carries a large salary (over 2 million) and has not lived up to the original plan of becoming a Starting goaltender. I'm sure the Lightning will look to make some moves in the off-season since Roloson is in the twilight years of his career, and Smith has not quite panned out.

http://goo.gl/7aJY6

And the last two goalies of note at the Trade Deadline are two Panther alumni: Craig Anderson and Thomas Vokoun.  The Anderson deal was a very good move by Ottawa.  He's used to seeing lots of shots (thanks to his days with the Panthers) and can help rejuvenate an Ottawa team that has lost their definition. Vokoun, on the other hand, has stayed put, thanks in part to his lofty salary.  We'll have to wait another half season to see where he lands, but look for his fantasy value to go up as he needs to defend his worth.