Disappointing Forwards and Decent Defensemen

That's the story of the 2006 NHL trade deadline.

With a few exceptions - like Brendan Witt to Nashville and Willie Mitchell to Dallas - the defensemen traded today are mostly aging, workaday types. If Eric Weinrich can play 15 minutes a game without anything bad happening, the deal is a success.

The forwards dealt are a more intriguing lot, especially those falling into two categories.

There's the usual handful of failed prospects, like one-time Rangers' phenom Jamie Lundmark, seeking yet another fresh start in Calgary.

Then you have the guys who are stalled in mid-career. There was a time when the Bruins would have refused all offers for Sergei Samsonov. Today he went to Edmonton for a third-line center and spare parts. But perhaps that's a bad example. I challenge anyone to decipher what the Bruins are up to at the best of times.

All in all, a yawner of a deadline day. But who's to say that the key to the Stanley Cup might not be hidden in the fine print? After all, did anyone expect Stephane Matteau to emerge as a New York hero when the Rangers quietly picked him up back in 1994?