Less than three hours to go

Catching up on yesterday, I forgot all about Richard Zednik being moved to the New York Islanders. That’s an excellent pick up for the Islanders, as Zednik is a potentially explosive offensive player. The Washington Capitals get a second-round pick out of the deal, and the Islanders continue to load up for a run at the playoffs.

An update to one of yesterday’s trades: the Vancouver Canucks sent a second and fourth-round pick, not a conditional pick as I’d previously written. Still a good deal for the Canucks.

Shifting back to today, it’s been a busy morning with less than three hours to go.

Gary Roberts agreed to waive his no-trade clause and is heading to Pittsburgh for a pick and a prospect. Roberts is over 40, and very much in the twilight of his career, but he brings grit and playoff experience to this young Penguins team, and will help them a great deal as they push for their first playoff run together.

The Buffalo Sabres finally moved Martin Biron, though a year late, and for very little return. They shipped Biron to Philadelphia for an undisclosed pick, which does not equate to a warm body on the short Sabres bench. It’s an interesting trade, and most of the hockey world will finally get to see what Biron can do as a team’s number one goalie.

In response, the Sabres picked up goalie Ty Conklin from Columbus to back up Ryan Miller. The Blue Jackets get future considerations for the backup netminder.

Criticized for a lack of toughness, and a lack of protection for their young stars, the Penguins made another deal today acquiring Georges Laraque from the Phoenix Coyotes. Laraque is widely considered the best fighter in the NHL, and will be asked to protect Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the Penguins’ stable of young guns. Laraque is also a very good defensive forward. His plus-7 rating was second-best with the woeful Coyotes this season.

And the most recent deal of the day saw Bill Guerin go to San Jose for a first-round pick, Ville Nieminen and a player to be named. Guerin is an offensive force when he wants to be, and the Sharks love Guerin’s playoff and Stanley Cup experience. Guerin is a good defensive forward, and shouldn’t hurt the Sharks in their own end (like some of their other forwards do). Playing on the second line with Patrick Marleau, Guerin should flourish in San Jose and will be a key cog in the Sharks machine this year as they look to erase past playoff failures.