THE TRADE DEADLINE: DEALING DRAFT PICKS

The NHL trade deadline (Wednesday at 3:00pm) is the final chance for teams in prime playoff position to load up for the stretch run. Oftentimes teams will deal future picks for players that can help them now, without fear of what those picks may or may not become. Sometimes the draft pick becomes meaningless, just another player toiling in the minors who wasn't quite ready for prime time. But other times, those players become franchise icons, all-stars, or even hall-of-famers, it's all just a luck of the draw kind of thing. Here are four deadline deals in which the draft picks panned out far beyond expectation.

The Hartford Whalers acquired Glen Featherstone, Michael Stewart, a 1995 first round pick, and a 1996 fourth round pick from the New York Rangers for Pat Verbeek- March 23, 1995
The 1995 first round pick that went from New York to Hartford ended up being JEAN-SEBASTIAN GIGUERE, the 2003 Conn Smythe winner and 2007 Stanley Cup Champion goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Andrei Nazarov and Florida's 1998 first round pick (previously acquired) from the San Jose Sharks for Bryan Marchment, David Shaw, and Tampa Bay's 1998 first round pick- March 24, 1998
This deadline deal in 1998 landed the Lightning the first overall pick from San Jose, which had previously been acquired from the Florida Panthers. The Lightning selected VINCENT LECAVALIER, their current captain who led them to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, where they defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games.

The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Sandy McCarthy, a 1998 third round pick and a 1998 fifth round pick from the Calgary Flames for Jason Wiemer- March 24, 1998
On that same day they picked up the first round pick from San Jose, Tampa added a third round pick, which they used on BRAD RICHARDS. Richards went on to win the Conn Smythe trophy for Tampa Bay during that same Cup run in 2004.

The Buffalo Sabres acquired Rhett Warrener and a 1999 fifth round pick from the Florida Panthers for Mike Wilson- March 23, 1999
That fifth round pick was a goalie out of Michigan State by the name of RYAN MILLER. Miller, now Buffalo's starting netminder, is one of the NHL's best and will probably be one of Team USA's goalies in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

GM's shouldn't be so quick to sell off their draft picks for quick returns this season. If the deals don't pan out the way they want to, the draft picks might just turn into all-stars down the line.