I, like many of you, spent a not-so-insignificant portion of my Monday afternoon alternating between refreshing Twitter, looking at the time, and checking work emails (not necessarily in that order, but also not NOT necessarily in that order.) Not too long after the clock hit the all-so-critical 3:00 pm eastern, marking the official Trade Deadline But Not Actually, the news broke: Washington had pulled the trigger on a highly-anticipated move, acquiring Anthony Mantha from Red Wings in exchange for first- and second-round picks, Richard Panik, and of course Jakub Vrana.
To say that initial reactions to the deal were dispirited would be a bit of an understatement.