Tomas Kaberle

The Montreal Canadiens traded for defenseman Tomas Kaberle Friday in a foolish move that will hurt their team now and in the near future.

The Sporting News is reporting that Kaberle was acquired from Carolina for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek.

The shopping spree for goalies and defensemen was fast and furious as soon as the free-agent stores were open for business. 

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is tomorrow, and the Vancouver Canucks currently have a 1-0 lead against the Boston Bruins.

Both teams have a few players that can make or break their team this series, and if they play well, chances are, their team will too.

These are the X-factors that may or may not come through for each side.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, and there's no denying the excitement for everybody involved. 

However, for the rest of the league, while we are all enjoying the great competition, there are a couple other things that are on our mind.  The draft and free agency.

We all get to have fun talking about who the best available players are and where they are going to end up. 

So here's a look at the top 25 available players, and where they will end up.

Fantasy hockey rule No. 496: A player’s fantasy value normally goes up when he is traded to a different NHL team. 

With the NHL trading deadline several weeks behind in our rear view mirrors, let’s see if the above rule is holding true.  Here is a look at many of the major names dealt at the deadline and how their fantasy values have fared since they changed uniforms. 
   

Tomas Kaberle, Boston Bruins

When you look at the Toronto Maple Leafs' season, it is easy to point to their eight-game slump in late October through early November as the catalyst as to why they are so close, yet so far away from a playoff spot this season.

On the other hand, last night’s game against the Florida Panthers is another example of a missed opportunity to further their chances at making the playoffs for the first time since what seems like a decade ago.

I know, I am a Red Wings Featured Columnist, but I was asked by the lovely people at BR to do a Leafs article.

And as much as you may not like it, I equally or more so didn't enjoy doing it.

But I did it.

The Leafs have played great and even though their playoff dream may be over, being six points out and having the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres heating up, like the old saying goes, there is always next year.

But before next year, there are free agents to be had, come Jul. 1.

The Boston Bruins have had some of hockey's most highly skilled defensemen dating back to Eddie Shore and progressing to other Hall of Famers such as Brad Park, Ray Bourque and of course the man who revolutionized the game with his offensive skills, Bobby Orr. 

The Bruins have lacked a defenseman who could pass the puck with precision since Bourque was traded to Colorado in 2000.

The NHL has a notoriously late trading deadline considering it comes with only 20 games left in the season, so teams in the thick of the playoff hunt have not wasted any time getting the guys they wanted a few days before February 28.  

So how have the fantasy values of the big-name players that were traded in the past two weeks changed now that they are on different teams?  Here is a look at whose fantasy values have shot up, dropped down and stayed the same post-trade.     

Note: I originally wrote this piece for SportsHaze.com, but technical difficulties have prevented it from posting there. Due to the soon-to-be-dated nature of the piece, I am posting it here instead.