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Blue Jackets hope deals lead to better results

Feb 27, 2008 - 1:17 PM San Jose (33-21-8) at Columbus (29-26-9) 7:00 pm EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) - If the season ended on Wednesday, the Columbus Blue Jackets wouldn't be in the playoffs. The Blue Jackets made a pair of deals before the trade deadline in hopes of changing their current position.

Columbus, which faces San Jose on Wednesday, traded captain Adam Foote to Colorado for a 2008 or 2009 conditional first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2009. Foote waived his no-trade clause only for the Avalanche, who he played for his first 13 seasons.

The Blue Jackets also sent veteran center Sergei Fedorov, 38, to Washington for defenseman Ted Ruth. Fedorov is in the final year of a five-year, $40 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Sharks picked up All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell and a seventh-round pick in this year's draft for forward Steve Bernier and a first-round pick this year. San Jose also traded defenseman Rob Davison to the New York Islanders for a 2008 seventh-round pick.

The Sharks also signed goalie Brian Boucher, securing a veteran backup to ironman starter Evgeni Nabokov. Boucher has spent this season with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League.

Wednesday's game will wrap up the four-game season series. San Jose has won two of the first three games as the home team has won each time. Columbus has won two straight, including Saturday's 3-0 victory at Montreal.

The game will be the sixth in an eight-game road trip for the Sharks, who have won their last two road games after dropping the previous three.