Until Monday, it had been a sleepy trade season in the NHL, with Shane Hnidy for Brandon Bochenski qualifying as a blockbuster.
But Carolina took a sledgehammer to the market Monday by dealing top-six forward Cory Stillman and hard-to-play-against defenseman Mike Commodore - both ring-bearers from the Hurricanes' 2006 Stanley Cup run - to Ottawa for injured forward Patrick Eaves and puck-moving blue liner Joe Corvo.
Stillman and Commodore will be unrestricted free agents after this season. Eaves will be a restricted free agent, while Corvo will have two years remaining with an annual cap hit of $2.625 million.
Corvo, wearing No. 77, skated 25 shifts for 19:03 of ice time and recorded one assist in Carolina's 3-2 win over the Bruins last night. Eaves (shoulder) didn't play.
"I don't know if it was a message," said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette, whose team took over the Southeast Division lead with the win. "We picked up a couple players for some needs that we have on our team.
"With Eaves, we get a bit younger and a little quicker. There's potential for him to possibly develop into an offensive player. Corvo we're throwing on the power play, a guy that can shoot a hundred miles an hour and is a righthanded shot.
"I don't know that it was necessarily a message."
Stillman and Commodore had combined to record a goal and an assist in the Bruins' two previous meetings with Carolina. In the first meeting, Commodore leveled P.J. Axelsson with a heavy hit, then took on Mark Stuart when the defenseman came looking for revenge.
The deal also alters the dynamic of Boston's matchup with Ottawa, as the Bruins have three games remaining against the Senators.
In Boston's 4-1 win over Ottawa Jan. 31, the Senators were missing snipers Daniel Alfredsson (hip flexor) and Dany Heatley (shoulder), allowing Zdeno Chara to neutralize top-line center Jason Spezza.
Stillman (21-26 -47, 10 power-play goals) will give Ottawa more offensive depth and discourage coaches like Claude Julien from focusing their defensive efforts on shutting down Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley.
"If one of those guys gets hurt, it's trouble for Ottawa," said Corvo.
"When those guys were hurt, they'd lose games. They need those guys healthy. And when they're not, they need secondary scoring, which was basically Mike Fisher and not much else. They'll get some help with Stillman."
Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray had been hunting for a top-six forward, and with depth on the blue line, he made Corvo and his 15 power-play points available.
The Senators lose some firepower on the back end, but Commodore will bulk up an already stout defense led by Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov.
Yesterday, Eaves was the last Hurricane off the ice after the morning skate.
Neither Eaves nor Laviolette had a timetable on the ex-Boston College star's return. Eaves, Ottawa's first-round pick in 2003, had 32 points in 73 games last season.
He projects to be a top-six forward, but the 23-year-old has been dogged by shoulder injuries.
"It was kind of out of the blue for me," Eaves said of the trade. "But it was probably the best move for them and the best move for me. I'm coming to a team that's a high-offense team that plays an up-style tempo. I couldn't ask for better than that."
Schaefer a no-go
Peter Schaefer (shin) missed his second straight game. He did not travel with the team last night and will not play against the Penguins tonight . . . Bobby Allen, currently the No. 7 defenseman, hasn't played since Dec. 22 because of back spasms, but said he's ready to go if needed. Allen skated with the team yesterday morning . . . Phil Kessel, dropped from the first line in the second period, saw time on the third and fourth lines. Kessel played a total of 14:42 with one shot and one missed shot. Kessel was on the ice for ex-Bruin Sergei Samsonov's game-winning goal . . . In the first period, Vladimir Sobotka was dropped by an elbow from forward Andrew Ladd, a hit that drew blood. Ladd wasn't penalized and Sobotka returned later in the period . . . Former Toronto GM John Ferguson was at the Garden; he is now a scout for Team Canada's 2008 World Championship club.
