CRANBERRY, Pa. -- People grade these things.
I mean, moments after they're done, they give out honest-to-gosh grades.
Trade deadlines in all sports have evolved into such grand theater that, for many fans, they can feel like an end result as opposed to just another step in the process. Which, I guess, makes sense in a way. When we now watch talent shows on TV, or reality shows, or even cooking shows, they're all framed in some form of competition. And by the end of the contest, whether it's a masked singer, a puppy chasing its tail, or someone's quiche trying to get the best of Bobby Flay, the outcome is both instant and final.
Well, here's a friendly reminder on this NHL trade deadline day: The only outcome of consequence in hockey still occurs in early June.
Did the Penguins or Jim Rutherford win this deadline?
Hell, no.
They acquired two defensemen, one of them as underwhelming as he is overpaid, the other plucked right from the AHL. Erik Gudbranson, 27, was a league-worst minus-27 in Vancouver, and his advanced analytics were ugly enough to make Jack Johnson look like the King of Corsi. Chris Wideman, 29, is about to join his fourth NHL organization this season, and he isn't valued enough to make the parent team here -- assigned already to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton -- despite half the defense corps here being hurt.
So yeah, that's all a big blah. And for those who get up for these deadline days like some popcorn-popping event, it's akin to being chopped up on Flay's block.
Here's what matters, though: What's the impact on the Penguins toward that only outcome of consequence?
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