And so it Begins...

Deadline day is here. And while the TV networks have blow this made for TV drama out of proportion in Canada at least, the day becoming almost a national holiday, it is an important day for the league and can impact the fortunes of many teams, sometimes for years to come. A list of key players in the last many years to help their team win the cup include Brad Stuart in Detroit, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz in Pittsburgh and Mark Recchi and Doug Weight in Carolina. Not huge names, but solid players who contributed to team success. Do you rick trying for the home run and screwing up the chemistry of your group? Conventional wisdom suggests this may not be the way to go as those adding big name players at the deadline haven't fared well historically. While fans may be pushing for a big move, the parody in the league and the fact that so many teams are still in contention for the playoffs may quell and rampant or rushed trades. There are young teams like Columbus and Ottawa planning for the long term and those like San Jose and LA for whom the future is now. Others like Tampa and Washington have underperformed and are looking to shake things up. So now, we wait...