It happened with stunning frequency last week. A bunch of players involved in NHL deadline deals had Colorado connections of one sort or another.
Start with this one that was a bit under the radar: This must really have raised the eyebrows of University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky. The Vancouver Canucks, who essentially last summer coaxed defenseman and Pioneers captain Brett Skinner into skipping his senior season at DU so he could spend a season in the American Hockey League and be schooled in the pro game, never played a game for the Canucks. Vancouver included Skinner, who had been playing with the Manitoba Moose, in the package that went to Anaheim for Keith Carney and Juha Alen.
Big brother: Yan Stastny, the older brother of DU star Paul Stastny and the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, had been playing for Iowa of the AHL, but Edmonton sent him to the Bruins as part of the Sergei Samsonov deal. Yan, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound center, switched over to Providence of the AHL. Yan is one of those speedy guys who seems typecast as a minor-leaguer, but perhaps the Bruins will give him a shot.
Former Avs: The trade of former Avalanche defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, the wandering Latvian, from Anaheim to the Rangers was viewed as risky for New York, which has had great chemistry this season. But Ozolinsh gives the Rangers what they lacked – a serious second-wave threat or even generator on the back line. (Sound familiar, Colorado?) The Rangers also shipped out ex-Colorado winger Ville Nieminen, whose flightiness can be entertaining for a while, but then becomes aggravating. He went to the Sharks, who are running out of time to make a run at a playoff spot. Martin Skoula, a one-time favorite target of Pepsi Center boo birds, moved on from Dallas to Minnesota. Finally, Mark Parrish, an Avalanche draft choice who never played here, was considered a possibility to come to Colorado, but he ended up going from the Islanders to the bolstered Kings.
Most underplayed deal: The Predators, who were sorely in need of a physical defenseman to add some grit, accomplished that by picking up Brendan Witt from Washington. Nashville has been slipping since a fast start, and this might again help make the Predators a significant playoff threat.
