A Moving Experience in the NHL

The NHL’s annual fire sale ended Tuesday and, as expected, the league’s better off franchises stepped up the most, Colorado, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers making the best deals to boost their playoff runs.

Colorado picked up defenseman Darius Kasparaitis from Pittsburgh for forward Ville Nieminen and defenseman Rick Berry. Philadelphia acquired veteran center Adam Oates from Washington for goalie prospect Maxime Ouellet and the Flyers’ first-, second- and third-round picks in this summer’s draft. The Rangers added defenseman Tom Poti and center Rem Murray from Edmonton for left wing Mike York and a 2002 fourth-round pick.

New Jersey and Dallas, teams that replaced Stanley Cup-winning coaches this season, were involved in a blockbuster deal. The Devils sent forwards Jason Arnott and Randy McKay, along with a first-round pick, to the Stars for forwards Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner.

“Over the last few years, there has been a lot of activity around the trade deadline,” said a Western Conference general manager, whose team is in the thick of the playoff race. “But the big thing about this year’s deadline was that we didn’t see a lot of big name players who will be unrestricted free agents this summer get moved.

“You didn’t see [Bill] Guerin or Byron Dafoe get traded out of Boston, or Tony Amonte with Chicago or Teemu Selanne with San Jose. It seems that their teams have decided to keep them for now and then take their chances trying to sign them after the season.”

One team that always seems to be ready to deal at the last minute is Colorado, and Avalanche General Manager Pierre Lacroix didn’t disappoint this time around. By landing Kasparaitis, the Avalanche got a high-profile defenseman late in the season for the second consecutive year. Last year, they won the Stanley Cup after acquiring Rob Blake from the Kings.

Kasparaitis is a great acquisition for Colorado, not only because he is a tough and physical player but also because the Avalanche kept Western Conference rival Detroit from getting him. The Red Wings have been cruising all season but their defense has lacked a player like Kasparaitis.

After failing to land Kasparaitis, Detroit traded for Atlanta defenseman Jiri Slegr, who has played in only 38 games this season because of various injuries. Slegr, who has 51 penalty minutes and a minus-21 rating this season, has played in 34 playoff games, compared to 60 for Kasparaitis.

The key to the deal was that Lacroix was the only general manager willing to offer the Penguins two NHL players, not just prospects. That was a high price, considering that Kasparaitis will probably become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Red Wings still remain the team to beat, but the gap between them and the Avalanche just narrowed.

It’s a tossup, trying to figure whether Dallas or New Jersey got the better of their deal.

“First of all, it’s quality for quality. Let’s not look at it any other way,” New Jersey President Lou Lamoriello said. “Both teams are in similar situations, coming off long, successful runs, but they needed to make a change. It’s not change for change’s sake, though.”

The Stars and Devils are fighting to make the playoffs.

Dallas, which fired Coach Ken Hitchcock earlier this season, is fourth in the Pacific Division and trails Vancouver by one point for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. New Jersey, which fired Larry Robinson, is seventh in the Eastern Conference.

With the additions of Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner, the Devils may benefit the most immediately, but in the long run, the Stars should end up with the better deal because Arnott, 27, is not only bigger and stronger than Nieuwendyk but also eight years younger.

In the East, Philadelphia becomes a much stronger playoff team with Oates, who will also be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Flyers needed a quality forward to offset the recent injuries to Jeremy Roenick and Keith Primeau, both expected to be sidelined at least two weeks.

The Rangers also made some good moves to help their playoff chance. With the recent addition of Pavel Bure, who was acquired from Florida on Monday, and the trade for Poti and Murray, the Rangers will have one of the most dangerous offenses in the East.