Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap: with dark labor-war clouds gathering beyond the trade deadline, bargains exist for teams willing to pay a little now for what might be a big hit later

Sporting News, The, March 1, 2004 by Brian A. Shactman

The analogy of a black hole seems appropriate. The looming darkness of the expiring collective bargaining agreement has 30 teams preparing their Stanley Cup space shuttle a little differently. And so when it comes to the postseason, there's no bigger journey into the unknown than this year's trade deadline.

This year's deadline could be a vortex. Any team with a chance at the playoffs is being sucked in by the temptation to go for it, with the knowledge that there might not be a chance at glory in 2005. The black hole could completely warp the hockey reality.

Mind you, the reward might not match the risk, especially if a team adds players (and their salaries) and doesn't win the Cup. If that team enters a new era of strict salary limitations on the other side of the black hole with a bloated budget and aging talent, it will be in big-time trouble.

Melodramatic enough?

"I don't want to say teams can't move high-priced guys, but it's certainly more difficult," says agent Bob Murray, who represents the Blues' Keith Tkachuk (2003-04 salary: $10 million) and the Stars' Bill Guerin ($8.9 million). "G.M.s are wondering how much a move--or a contract--might handcuff them going into the next CBA."

The unique context of this season brings an array of intriguing possibilities. Usually, the high-end contenders add a piece or two for a run at the Cup. The bottom-feeders provide those pieces in exchange for prospects and draft picks, and teams in the middle wonder what the cost-benefit risk is for picking up salary for what could be a near playoff miss, an early exit or a run that justifies the risk (think Anaheim, 2003).

But with a potential work stoppage looming, these decisions, on every level, carry decidedly more weight. Will fringe teams be inclined to go for the Cup and take financial risks, knowing there will be either no hockey or a far different financial landscape in just a few months? Or do those fringe teams scale back, avoid adding salaries to ensure their payroll isn't bloated when the New Hockey League resumes play, whenever that might be?

The early results indicate a new attitude in the offing. Since the general managers' meetings after the All-Star Game, front-office phones have been ringing more than usual for this time of year. And chances are good they will continue to ring right up to the 3 p.m. ET March 9 deadline.

"It's been very busy. It's a seller's market with so few teams eliminated," says Thrashers general manager Don Waddell, who insists he won't become a seller even if his team is out of the playoff mix.

The consensus is that most of the dealing will happen before deadline day, so the question becomes: What type of players will be switching jerseys? Ultimately, teams will be going after an instant-impact player in the final year of a contract who won't cost too much in return. But that's like saying you want a job in which you're as rich as Mark Cuban, as deft as Billy Beane and as hardworking as Jimmy Buffet.

We all want 'em. Very few get 'em.

"I think there will be a fair amount of movement with the name players," says Lightning general manager Jay Feaster, whose team sits atop the Southeast Division. "But teams are reluctant to take older guys with long-term contracts, two to three years at a high price."

Jaromir Jagr's trade from the Capitals to the Rangers doesn't signal any kind of a trend, for several reasons. First of all, like their baseball counterparts, the Yankees, the Rangers have an atypically large budget and can afford to take on Jagr's $11 million annual salary. In addition, the Capitals will pick up roughly a third of Jagr's contract in its four remaining years. Finally, Jagr still has the potential to be a transcendent star for whichever team he plays for. There are better examples of measuring the market.

"With the CBA and a potential work stoppage, it complicates the trade deadline for everyone.... But I guess Philly getting Sean Burke got the process started," Murray says, referring to the February 9 deal in which Burke ($4.5 million) was traded by the Coyotes with two other players for Mike Comrie ($1.5 million). "(Burke) has a couple of years on a deal and isn't cheap, so they decided they were willing to take that gamble."

Last week's trade by the Capitals of Peter Bondra ($4.5 million) to the Senators for a prospect and a draft pick was a similar gamble. Feaster has shown that next year's potential black hole won't stop him from adding payroll--if it is spent on the right player. Feaster traded Alexander Svitov to the Blue Jackets for defenseman Darryl Sydor, who has more than $8 million due on his contract over the next three years.

"We're looking to be buyers, not sellers," Feaster says. "Take Sydor. He has a few years left, and that's one we didn't hesitate to do--because it was right for us, a guy who was the right fit for our team.... Clearly, no one knows (what the future holds), but we're conducting business as usual.

"Regardless of what the new system is, we are making sure we will be in a good position."