I enjoy checking in on players immediately after they were traded. It’s like watching someone at their first day of work:

• Mark Recchi hit the ground running in Boston. It helps that after he was traded to Carolina, they won the Cup. Shockingly, he spent some time in last night’s loss to Phoenix bouncing around the top lines.
• Equally shocking, was Bill Guerin’s riding with Sidney Crosby. Sometimes, when you’re a kid, you want something brand specific: a toy, an article of clothing, or maybe even food. And a lot of the time, your caregiver would get you the product you asked for, but not the right brand, often because of cost. And you would freak out, because while jeans are jeans, what was brought to you were not the right jeans. Or the right hamburger. And the absence of the correct brand probably just upset you no end. This is what Crosby is feeling with Guerin by his side.
• Gary Roberts was waived by Tampa, but neither claimed nor traded. Right now, he’s just hanging out with the team, which seems sad. I hope the Lightning will at least give him some coaching responsibilities if they’re not going to play him.
• You don’t just discuss trades after deadline day. You also discuss deadline coverage. Jim Kelley is very impressed Matthew Barnaby had the guts to report Olli Jokinen was considered a negative influence in the Phoenix locker room. Calgary coach Mike Keenan? Not quite a fan of Barnaby’s spunk.