While all eyes were on Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Vancouver Canucks stole the spotlight late on NHL Trade Deadline Day.
Just before the 3pm et deadline arrived, the Canucks traded forward Cody Hodgson and defenceman Alexander Sulzer to the Buffalo Sabres for forward Zack Kassian and defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani. Earlier in the day, the Canucks acquired forward Sami Pahlsson from the Blue Jackets for defenceman Taylor Ellington and two fourth round draft picks in 2012 and also picked up forward Andrew Gordon from the Anaheim Ducks for defenceman Sebastien Erixon.
"They've taken a step back in their skill level. That's how they beat teams, with their puck possession, puck management, and offensive plays and that's where Cody Hodgson is better than Samuel Pahlsson and Zack Kassian," TSN hockey analyst Mike Johnson said.
"But where they did get better is winning a specific kind of game - a grinding, physical game, maybe a playoff series. That's where Pahlsson and Kassian can help, and that's why they were brought in: for that specific kind of game, specific kind of series like the one they lost against Boston last year."
"Cody Hodgson is a better skill player than the skill player they brought back, but they need to be a playoff-style team," TSN hockey analyst Marc Crawford said. "They're going to have to play in very physical games in the playoffs. You need players like Samuel Pahlsson and Zack Kassian."
The Canucks host the Sabres in Vancouver on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Nash remains the captain of the Blue Jackets as no teams were willing to meet the price that was set by general manager Scott Howson.
"The price was high and I don't apologize for that. It had to be high," said Howson after the deadline.
You can look back at every single move on our TSN.ca trade list.
In other moves:
The Nashville Predators acquired forward Andrei Kostitsyn from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a second round pick in 2013 and the conditional fifth round pick in 2013 the Predators received from the Canadiens in the Hal Gill trade.
The Predators also added forward Paul Gaustad and a fourth round pick in 2013 from the Buffalo Sabres for a first round draft pick in 2012 just before the deadline.
The San Jose Sharks acquired forwards Daniel Winnik, T.J. Galiardi and a seventh round draft pick in 2013 from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Jamie McGinn and prospects Mike Connolly and Michael Sgarbossa.
The Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Sami Pahlsson from the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenceman Taylor Ellington and two fourth round draft picks in 2012.
The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenceman Nick Schultz from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenceman Tom Gilbert, who is currently injured and not with the Oilers on their current road trip.
The Winnipeg Jets traded defenceman Johnny Oduya to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a second round and third round pick in 2013.
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Keith Aulie to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Carter Ashton. In a minor-league deal, the Leafs acquired defenceman Mark Fraser from Anaheim for forward Dale Mitchell.
The Ottawa Senators traded defenceman Brian Lee to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenceman Matt Gilroy.
The Boston Bruins acquired Brian Rolston, who cleared waivers earlier in the day, and Mike Mottau from the New York Islanders for forward Yannick Riendeau and defenceman Mac Cantin. The Bruins also picked up defenceman Greg Zanon from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenceman Steve Kampfer.
The New York Rangers picked up defenceman John Scott from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth round pick.
The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired defenceman Mike Commodore from the Detroit Red Wings for a conditional seventh round pick in 2013.
On the waiver wire, the Canadiens claimed forward Brad Staubitz from the Minnesota Wild and the Winnipeg Jets claimed defenceman Grant Clitsome from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Eric Boulton of the New Jersey Devils, Ryan Russell of the Blue Jackets and Krys Kolanos of the Calgary Flames all cleared waivers today.
The big question on everyone's minds this year was whether or not Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash would be moved but no team was willing to meet the price that was set.
