NHL Trade Deadline - Penguins and Capital are the Big Winners

NHL Trade Deadline Day 2010 lacked the blockbuster moves and big name guys to really be all that exciting. But there were still 30 moves, just all of them seemingly involved draft picks and prospects. All in all, 52 players were packing their bags on Wednesday, the majority of whom were completely unknown commodities to hockey fans.

Still, a move is a move and some teams came out as the winner on Deadline Day, and some did not. Here is the A-Team, or your winning teams this year.

The Pittsburgh Penguins once again make some very impressive moves at the deadline to bolster an already stellar line-up. Ray Shero, GM of the Penguins, isn`t scared to go out and get a guy even though his team is playing solid hockey all around. Many teams go with the ``if it’s not broken, don`t fix it`` mentality, but Shero isn`t necessarily fixing anything, he`s just upgrading. Look at it as putting new rims on your BMW.

Landing hulking forward Alex Ponikarovsky for prospect Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula was a great move on two accounts. They know exactly what they`re getting in Ponikarovsky, a guy who works hard every night and has the skill to put it in the net, just a solid all around player come playoffs. The other part of the deal was dumping Skoula`s salary, because he knew Burke wanted Caputi, so he made him take Skoula so he didn`t have to deal with him. Smart play.

They also snagged Jordan Leopold from a Florida Panther team that was in fire-sell mode. He`ll fill some of that veteran leadership that leaves with the Skoula and Hall Gill.

Don`t look now, but he best team in the league just got better. The Washington Capitals were very busy at the deadline bringing in a lot of bodies, we`re just not sure if they`re going to have enough stalls to fit everybody. They brought in one of the classic glue guys in the NHL, in Scott Walker from Carolina. He brings grit and experience to the line-up and you know he`ll lay down in traffic to help this team win.

Bringing in Eric Belanger from the Wild is one of those moves that you wonder about because the Caps are pretty solid at center; but he is just another solid two way guy that adds depth to an already deep roster.

Milan Jurcina is on his way back to Washington in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's a banger, and GM George McPhee likes bangers on his blue line, especially come playoff time when the physicality picks up. The other move they made on their blue line is another one that is a bit puzzling.

Bringing in Joe Corvo doesn`t make all that much sense because you have a very offensive defenseman in Mike Green, and neither he nor Corvo are really known for their defensive prowess. Still, Corvo has all kinds of talent and they didn`t have to give much up to get him. I guess when you`re just bringing in bodies without much going the other way, it has to be a win.