T’WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE NHL TRADE DEADLINE:

T’was the night before the NHL trade deadline,

when all through the league not a GM was supposed to stir,

when suddenly more than 10 deals were made and the quiet was but an echo

as teams began making deals in the days prior to deadline day.

Hockey fans and media alike thought themselves ready for the circus

while they made dream predictions for their teams and their prospective playoff hopes

and coaches hoped that the difficult decisions would not be theirs to make or break the team

as they prepared for the media storm that would inevitably follow a busy trade deadline.

When all of a sudden one team made a move that shook league to the core,

fans and media sprung to sports centre and social media to share their collective reactions

as the players looked to each other as to what this would mean to their team and their playoff hopes,

and the hours became minutes, and the minutes became seconds as the eve of the trade deadline slipped away as all must now see what will follow each move.

These are but a few thoughts surrounding each team tonight as we all wait to see what tomorrow’s circus shall bring. We do not know what it means just yet, but many teams have begun to make big moves prior to the big day which is slightly out of the norm.

So far the notable moves are these:

Jarome Iginla was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospects and a 1st round draft pick.

Brendan Morrow was traded from the Dallas Stars to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a prospect and a draft pick.

Douglas Murray was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for two draft picks.

Jaromir Jagr was traded from the Dallas Stars to the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospects & a draft pick.

Kent Huskins was traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a draft pick.

Jordan Leopold was traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the St.Louis Blues in exchange for two draft picks.

Michal Handzus was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a draft pick.

Jay Bouwmeester was traded from the Calgary Flames to the St.Louis Blues in exchange for two prospects and two draft picks.

Robyn Regehr was traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the LA Kings in exchange two draft picks.

Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Adam Hall and a draft pick.

Derek Roy was traded from the Dallas Stars to the VANCOUVER CANUCKS in exchange for a prospect and draft pick.

Ryane Clowe was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the New York Rangers in exchange for three draft picks.

There is bound to be a media storm in the final minutes of the deadline tomorrow as the clock winds down to 12 PM[pacific time]. What will happen? Will your team be improved? Will favourites be moved? Will new favourites emerge? Will one team steal all the thunder with one big move? Will any teams stand pat? All will be revealed and once that clock strikes 12, all rosters will be set until the end of the season. We will have to wait and see what this trade deadline has in store for us!

I would like to say WELCOME to CANUCK NATION, Derek Roy! We look forward to seeing you help the Canucks down the stretch this year! This is a great pick up by the Canucks and will help address a gaping hole in centre and also allow the option of having Kesler play wing when he returns. Rumor has it that MR.RK17 could be slipped back into the line-up this week. Roy is expected to arrive in Vancouver for practice with the team tomorrow. In acquiring Roy, the Canucks gave up defense prospect Kevin Connauton, best of luck in Dallas!

In other Canuck news, today marks Chris Higgins re-signed with the team. He signed a 4-year $10 million contract extension[an annual hit of $2.5 million]. This guy plays with so much heart, great to see him get rewarded.

The Canucks are officially 3/4 through this shortened season. The team sits tied with the Minnesota Wild in points and are locked in a battle for the division title. The stretch drive begins now. #GoCanucksGo!

Keep your eye on the trades tomorrow as you never know what will happen, and the most active time will be in that final hour as some teams may surprise us!

As always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.