Changing Tides In The Atlantic?

Flyers latest addition Nick Boynton.

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, has the anything changed inside the Atlantic Division? Lets start from the bottom and make our way to the top:

The Islanders didn't make any trades. None. They were not a threat to anyone in the Atlantic before the trade deadline, except maybe Mario Lemieux sanity, and they are not a threat to anyone after the deadline.

At the end of February, the Devils were by far the hottest team in the Atlantic, having won 17 out of 21 games. To bad for them that they waited to the mid point of the season to start winning games, but boy did they ever decide to start winning. The Devils were able to cut a 27 point deficit down to nine points, and thus causing them to think that they were not sellers at the deadline, and who can blame them? If the team is capable of playing this well, there is no need to get rid of any key components before next season, or this seasons playoffs.  The Devils' only move was to ship Jason Arnott to the Capitals in exchange for David Steckel. This trade really doesn't help the Devils chances of making the playoffs. They can only afford to lose four of their last 20 games, and trading away their fifth leading scorer and second line center for a third line center with half the offensive production isn't going to help. The Devils might pass a few more teams in the standings, but are still along shot to make the playoffs.

The Rangers made their big trade on Saturday, getting Bryan McCabe without losing anyone off their current roster. The problem for the Rangers is that they have lost a few key players off their roster due to injury. The Rangers' GM, Glen Sather, announced yesterday that Chris Drury will more than likely miss the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery. The Rangers other leading forward, Marian Gaborik, is currently sidelined with a concussion. The latest report was the he was having trouble sleeping through the night, but feeling better otherwise. Sather also announced that back-up goaltender Martin Biron broke his collarbone in practice. This forced the Rangers to recall Cam Talbot from the ECHL to act as Henrik Lundqvist's backup. Lundqvist is likely to start the last 18 games of the year, which would leave him only five starts shy of last years total starts. The Rangers signed Biron in an attempt to take starts away from Lundqvist and have him rested for the playoffs. Mission Failed. So even though the signing of McCabe will bring some much needed veteran leadership to the Rangers' blueline, I don't think it is enough to overcome all the injuries and make them a threat down the stretch. The Rangers hold their playoff destiny in their own hands, and I have a feeling the sequel of last years playoff push will have the same ending.

The Penguins picked up Alexei Kovalev, Matt Niskanen, and James Neal, too bad that doesn't come anywhere close to replacing Crosby and Malkin. The Pens were the greatest threat to the Flyers chances of winning the Atlantic, and injuries have destroyed their chances. The Pens should easily make the playoffs, and Crosby might return in time to help them out, but the Penguins have lost way too much talent to be considered a threat to win the Atlantic this season.

By simply not removing anyone from their line-up, the Flyers remain the best team in the Atlantic, and the addition of Chris Versteeg and Nick Boynton only make the Flyers stronger. Unless the Flyers have a monumental collapse over the last 20 games of the season, they should be able to easily secure home ice for the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Flyers might have a few threats that could overtake them for the top spot in the East, but that is different article. The passing of this trade deadline saw absolutely no shift of power in the Atlantic Division.