Hockey trades create winners, losers

March 13 marked the last day NHL teams could beef up their roster before the playoffs. Surprisingly quiet were the freewheeling New York Islanders and Rangers, who decided to build around the youth already in their systems. \nWithout further adieu, here are the winners and losers of the NHL trading season:\nThe winners\n1. Colorado Avalanche -- the league's best team only intensified its push for the Cup by adding annual Norris candidate Rob Blake. Steven Reinprecht might make the Kings pay as one time blockbuster throw-in Daymond Langkow has done to the Tampa Bay Lightning.\n2. St. Louis Blues -- gave up a lot of youth, but Keith Tkachuk is the only man who could potentially outperform Blake in his new uniform. He gives the team the power forward it desperately wanted, while Scott Mellanby and Cory Stillman make up for the offensive depth lost in dealing for Tkachuk. Defenseman Alexei Gusarov has Cup experience but question marks remain in goal with untested Brent Johnson and inconsistent Roman Turek.\n3. San Jose Sharks -- showed an astonishing amount of confidence in rookie goaltender Evgeni Nabokov by trading Steve Shields, but Teemu Selanne catapults this team of up-and-comers to the elite of the Western Conference. Newcomers Bill Lindsay and Jeff Norton will add invaluable experience to this young team.\n4. Washington Capitals -- The Caps' lack of depth at forward has been their Achilles heel for quite some time. That should change as long as pick-ups Trevor Linden and Dainius Zubrus stay healthy. Linden makes the league's best faceoff team even better. Alexei Tezikov is a promising young defenseman, but getting rugged Jason Marshall from Anaheim helps the team more now.\n5. New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators -- quiet contenders reaffirmed their thriving policy of building through the draft. Mike Sillinger and Curtis Leschyshyn give Ottawa much needed experience while Sean O'Donnell and John Vanbiesbrouck add to the Devils' already scary depth. All were acquired without losing any significant young talent.\nthe Losers\n1. Phoenix Coyotes -- traded two of their three superstars (Tkachuk and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin) without getting a future franchise player in return. Ladislav Nagy, Michal Handzus and Paul Mara all have great potential, but none as great as Tkachuk. That problem will be magnified if and when their third star, Jeremy Roenick, hits free agency this summer. But they might have stolen a future captain in Todd Simpson from Florida.\n2. Philadelphia Flyers -- Kudos to the Flyers for letting Eric Lindros sit the whole year and watch millions of dollars float away. But the Flyers could have made themselves contenders by dealing Lindros, and might have blown their last chance at the Cup with John Leclair contemplating free agency. \n3. Anaheim Mighty Ducks -- Often criticized for relying too much on their two superstars, the putrid Mighty Ducks are now down to one. Tezikov was a good pickup, but it will take a lot more than that to right this sinking ship.\n4. Pittsburgh Penguins -- By failing to address an atrocious goaltending situation, the league's most offensively skilled team set itself up for yet another early playoff knockout.\n5. Atlanta Thrashers -- even in a rent-a-player situation, you have to get more than a no-name prospect and a fourth round pick for a man who sits at 21st in league scoring (Donald Audette).