Snore

Is anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past 18 years surprised at the Canadiens' inactivity at the trade deadline? Did people REALLY expect they'd make a deal for Penner? Do these analysts know anything about the Habs?

That aside, who cares? The trade deadline has become a joke. If people want truly earth-shattering deals, they should lobby the NHL to move the deadline back to late March. THEN we'd see some blockbusters. Dallas doesn't want to trade Brad Richards because it's too early to tell if they'll make the playoffs or not.

Don't like the lack of deals? Blame the Salary Cap, which has made everyone more competitive, and made it harder to move players. Look at the Western Conference for Pete's sake. Eight little points separate the 4th-place from the 12th-place teams.

This is the era of teams tinkering with their lineups, hampered by the salary cap and playoff uncertainty.

So, whatever. We'll always have Free Agency.