According to the U.S. government’s weather website, there wasn’t a single earthquake recorded in northern Europe over the last month. But the area around Sweden and Denmark was the epicenter of trade news that shook the hockey world.
Trades involving two of the sport’s top forwards – Alexander Ovechkin and Eric Staal – landed them in Copenhagen and Gothenburg, respectively, in two of seven trades since Dec. 3 involving teams in Sweden or Denmark.
Here are some trades made in Sweden and Denmark between Dec. 3 and Jan. 27. (click to enlarge)
As the EURO League season enters the homestretch, the league’s top team has a decent lead over all others, but coasting isn’t in Copenhagen GM Dylan Callow’s repertoire. In a 10-day period, he traded for Ovechkin, defensive specialist Dave Bolland and top 4 defenseman Mark Giordano. The Giordano deal was the last one made before the league’s trade deadline. Callow gave up some good, younger talent to get them, but now Copenhagen has a better powerplay and penalty killing as they strive to take the one step they couldn’t manage last season when they were defeated in the Cup final by Geneva.
Stockholm, meanwhile, has undergone a complete makeover during a season that GM Tim Wagner would not tolerate. The Spartans sit in last place and might have the first overall pick come draft time. First-liners Miko Koivu, Loui Ericsson and Staal, as well as starting goalie Cam Ward were all given the boot this season, as Wagner has left no question that he has a Perform or Pack philosophy. Wagner dealt for four extra first-round picks, meaning Stockholm will have six of the first 25 picks in the draft.
The purge leaves Stockholm better positioned for the long-term. They now have eight forwards and six defensemen younger than 24 who have signed long-term, 3- to 5-year contracts. In goal, it appears Michal Neuvirth, formerly of Athens, will be have an inside track to the goalie of the future label in Stockholm and it looks like 30-year-old Jonas Hiller, acquired from Copenhagen at the deadline, will be asked to do most of the puck-stopping until Neuvirth is ready. Mika Kiprusoff, 36, is also scheduled to play for the Spartans next season. The former Smurf and Greek cost Stockholm $5.8 million and has 3.48 goals against average this season to go with an 89.1 save percentage. There are some older skaters on the team who must be wondering what they are still doing there. Shane Doan, Daniel Cleary, Ruslan Fedotenko and Jordan Leopold are all 32 or older and except for Cleary, they are under contract for next season.
Gothenburg, meanwhile, was a willing taker to Stockholm’s giving. The Devils shipped Sam Gagner and a first-round pick to the Spartans for Staal. If the season were to end today, that pick would be the 15th overall. Staal has landed between hometown favorite Carl Hagelin and the fabulous Finn, Teemu Selanne on the Devils’ second line. He also will play just about every minute of Gothenburg’s powerplays. Chris Legge’s team would have to make up a 10-point gap over the final 24 or so games to remove St. Petersburg from the top spot in the Kharlamov Division, but they could move to third in the Northern Conference if they can jump over Oslo and Dublin. Minsk is the only team in the conference with a realistic chance of sneaking into the playoff picture from its current 9th place standing.
In the Southern Conference, two teams who finished in the bottom six in the EURO League last season are at or near the top of the conference this season. Paris has already surpassed their point total from last season and lead Munich by a point for the conference lead. They made a trade deadline move in an attempt to widen the gap when they accepted Travis Hamonic from Berlin for Dmitri Orlov and what would be the 14th pick in the draft if the season ended now. The scary part for everyone else in the league and particularly in the Southern Conference is that Paris is in the lead with a defense corps which ranges in age from 18 to 27. On most nights, Les Rouges Eiffels suit up a lineup that includes just one player older than 30.
Athens, which has been an active trader all season after finishing fifth from the bottom a season ago, is currently fifth best in the conference. But they are only 4 points ahead of Zurich which currently occupies the 9th spot. Athens’ roster isn’t as young as Paris’ is, but the Greeks have only a handful of players who a little older than 30.
Madrid made a big, expensive move in attempt to fend off Zurich and the others in the South’s playoff hunt by acquiring Brian Campbell from Berlin for promising goalie Erik Ersberg. Foes now have to put up with the blazing speed of Campbell and Erik Karlsson as a defense tandem, but the move sends 38-year-old Russian Sergei Gonchar to the farm club with the parent club picking up all of his $3.75 million salary.
The Southern Conference remains tight, with most teams just a short losing or winning streak away from a drastic change in the standings.
