Hockey's 2008 Better Trades

He shoots. He scores! There was a lot of that going on around the NHL's trade deadline in 2008, with some big names being moved to different franchises, as general managers were working to make better trades for several days. There were some excited people, who were able to go from a poor team to a playoff contender. Others got the bad news: No playoff check for you! Go to the back of the line, knave. Alas, these are the better trades that break your heart.

The Atlanta Thrasher gave up on their season and traded Marian Hossa to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Pascal Dupuis, for the trio of Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen and Angelo Esposito. Hossa was a great offensive addition to the Pens, making it one of Pittsburgh's better trades, since it added even more firepower to their already potent offense. It was another disappointment for Atlanta, which entered the season with such excitement after making the playoffs for the first time. This trade signaled the white flag of surrender, since the Thrasher knew they would be unable to retain the rights to the high-scoring Hossa.

Tampa Bay traded Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist to the Dallas Stars for Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and a draft pick. It gives Richards a new start and helped Dallas add some much-needed mojo to their offense. Richards was the MVP of the playoffs when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Holmqvist was the starting goalkeeper in Tampa, but became the backup to Stars starter Marty Turco. This one had the better trades tag written all over it for the Stars.

In another big trade, Buffalo moved all-star defenseman Brian Campbell to San Jose in exchange for forward Steve Bernier and a first-round pick. San Jose gave up a lot, but gets the better trades nod for pickup up one of the NHL's best two-way players in Campbell, who knows how to run a club on the ice. The move was not embraced by Buffalo fans, who appreciated the homegrown Campbell. The Bills hoped the trade would rejuvenate the career of Bernier, a former first-round pick who was sold to the fans as a high-scoring, physical forward. But Bernier turned out to be a huge disappointment and was deemed to be an underachiever.

Montreal traded veteran goalie Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals for a draft pick. Huet had been the Canadiens' No. 1 goalie, but was in the final year of his contract. The trade made way for 20-year-old goalie Carey Price to move into the starting lineup. Will be this one of the Capitals' better trades? Only time will tell.