[jumpSeat]

With the NHL trade deadline now only days away, the phone was starting to ring with much more frequency. GM's were calling on player availability and offering potential swaps, all in a bid to add a missing piece that might translate into playoff success. As for us, we'd already made a late season addition, (in Anatoli Semenov), but even if you're not actively in the market, you never want to stop listening, just in case an offer comes along that's too good to refuse.

Of course this meant the GM was far more tied to the phone and away from other duties. Brian Burke, already appointed Assistant General Manager (AGM), was given responsibilities to negotiate contract renewals, so we felt covered there. But the other area of concern was behind the bench. Everyone in the organization had great respect for Pat Quinn, both as a coach and as a human being, so it was a no-brainer to promote him to Associate Coach. This gave Pat increased responsibility to handle the players while also running the entire coaching staff.