Avs deal for Kasparaitis
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com | March. 19, 2002
NEW YORK - Darius Kasparaitis, the highest-profile defenseman available on the trade market, landed in Colorado just an hour before Tuesday's 3 p.m. NHL deadline.
The defending Stanley Cup champions solidified their roster for what they hope will be another long playoff run, sending forward Ville Nieminen and defenseman Rick Berry to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 29-year-old human wrecking ball.
Kasparaitis has two goals and 12 assists in 69 games for Pittsburgh. His value, however, is measured more in his ability to intimidate opposing forwards with his ferocious body-checking ability.
Colorado made a similar move last season, landing All-Star defenseman Rob Blake from Los Angeles a month before last year's deadline. Blake provided some timely offense and a physical presence as the Avalanche defeated New Jersey in a thrilling seven-game series in the Finals.
Blake had six goals and 13 assists in 23 postseason games last year.
Kasparaitis played a huge role in Pittsburgh's surprising march to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Penguins were ousted by the Devils. Kasparaitis had one goal, one assist and 26 penalty minutes in 17 postseason games. He showed his toughness in the postseason, playing his final two games with a broken foot.
For his career, Kasparaitis has 21 goals and 108 assists in 637 NHL games. He also has two goals and seven assists in 60 playoff games, twice reaching the Conference Finals.
His physical battles with the biggest players in the League throughout the years have become legendary. Colorado has been searching for a player like that since losing Jon Klemm to Chicago in this summer's free agency period.
Nieminen has 10 goals and 24 points in 53 games this season with the Avalanche.
The Penguins, still with an outside shot of making the Eastern Conference playoffs, continue a rebuilding process that begin with the dealing of Jaromir Jagr to Washington this summer.
Penguins GM Craig Patrick received two young players in return for Kasparaitis, players that should step right into Pittsburgh's starting lineup.
The 24-year-old Nieminen, a left wing, was one of the feel-good stories of the 2001 playoffs. After joining the Avalanche midway through last season, Nieminen broke out in the postseason, scoring four goals and six assists in 23 games. The Finnish-born Nieminen has 10 goals and 14 assists this season in 53 games.
Berry, 23, is a punishing 6-foot-2, 210-pound defenseman who had finally broken into the Colorado Avalanche starting lineup this year. He had no points and 60 penalty minutes in 57 games.
Kasparaitis was coveted by several teams, but in the end Colorado's package of NHL-ready players forced Patrick to pull the trigger.
