What looked to be the second NHL trade deadline that MG would sit out, he pulled a few fast moves as the clock struck midnight. First Vancouver moved Joel Perrault and a 3rd rounder in 2011 2012 to Anaheim for Maxim Lapierre and prospect MacGregor Sharp and then tossed Evan Oberg and a 3rd rounder in 2011 2013 at what's left of Florida to extract Chris Higgins (and his broken thumb).
As capgeek tweeted, it likely spells the end of Cody Hodgson and Victor Oreskovich as the fourth line options. It's also quite possible Lapierre and Higgins aren't destined for the fourth line either.
So who the hell are these guys? Let's start with Lapierre (255GP, 35G, 37A, 72PTS, 221PIMS) who can play center or right wing and is one of those pesky agitator-types. He was just traded to Anaheim two months ago but Anaheim's moves today made him an easy casualty. Lapierre should be counted on for 5-10 minutes a game and a truckload of hitting (he was second on Montreal with 104 before he was traded). He'll yap but probably won't fight and expect an undisciplined penalty here and there. Assuming he meets mild expectations, his style of play should make him a quick fan favorite. Joel Perrault, meanwhile, wasn't in any future plans.
Like Lapierre, Higgins (397GP, 103G, 88A, 191PTS, 138PIMS) is also a former Hab who is currently injured and about 2-3 weeks away from returning. Higgins was part of the Gomez deal between Montreal and New York and was bundled with Aleš Kotalík in that still-laughable trade last season between Calgary and New York. With the Flames he was quietly a decent player, but wasn't re-signed. As a Panther this season, he hasn't accomplished much but was at least on the path back to his two-way self before being injured. The good news is that Higgins does represent a player who should be responsible, has some speed, can chip in on the PK and may even score a few times. The bad news is if he could do any of that with a micron of consistency he wouldn't have been moved four times in two years. Oberg's fallen on the depth charts anyway, so it's a reasonable gamble that can't really hurt the Canucks (or maybe this was Tallon's way of sending Steve Bernier back at us...just kidding!).
Lastly, MacGregor Sharp is a 25 year old center/left winger who was born in BC and played with Mason Raymond (2003-07 in Camrose-AJHL and Minn-Duluth-WCHA) as a dangerous one-two punch. A toss in, but an interesting prospect to keep an eye on.
Higgins is a UFA and Lapierre a RFA at the end of the season.