Avs' Lacroix is the real deal when it comes to G.M.s.(Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix)

Fans in 29 other NHL cities still are wondering why the general managers of their teams didn't pull off a trade for All-Star defenseman Rob Blake--or wondering why their G.M.s didn't react quickly to the move by Avalanche G.M. Pierre Lacroix.

"I hope the Blues don't stand pat like they did last year," one fan said last week after the Avalanche acquired Blake and rookie center Steve Reinprecht from the Kings for right winger Adam Deadmarsh, defenseman Aaron Miller, a first-round draft choice and future considerations (which could be a significant player if Colorado re-signs Blake for next season).

"Why can't the Blues be out there making deals down the stretch like Colorado has the past three years?" the fan added.

The answer: Some G.M.s have the ability to finish a deal; others don't. And Lacroix has the confidence he can finish a deal the way a top-notch forward capitalizes on a scoring opportunity.

"I pride myself on being able to put together a great staff that can produce a surplus of talent that gives me the ability to make a deal if I think it will help our team," Lacroix said last September in talking about his ability to acquire Theo Fleury two years ago and Ray Bourque last season to help make his team better for the playoffs.

Lacroix doesn't have a Stanley Cup to show for those deals, but he has the appreciation of Avalanche fans and the admiration of those G.M.s who are a lot like used-car salesmen--they talk and promise a lot but don't take action.

A year ago, Lacroix traded prospects for Bourque. This time, the task was producing the best four-man defensive rotation in the game: Bourque, Blake, Adam Foote and the improving Martin Skoula. Lacroix had to surrender a solid, hard-working defenseman in Miller, who might begin to flourish outside of the shadows of Bourque and Foote, plus Deadmarsh, who someday might be the 30- to 40-goal-scoring power forward the Avs always hoped he would become.