Archives for March 2017

New York Rangers Recall Pavel Buchnevich

March 2, 2017 at 10:02 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

Well that didn’t take long. After sending Pavel Buchnevich down to the Hartford Wolfpack two days ago, the New York Rangers have deemed him necessary once again. He has been recalled to the NHL ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins tonight.

Buchnevich scored two goals and recorded an assist in the Wolfpack’s 4-3 victory last night, making it five points in the four games he’s spent in the AHL this season. In his 21 NHL contests, the 21-year old Russian forward has registered 15 points.

Drafted in the third round in 2013, this is Buchnevich’s first year on North American ice. He played in the KHL the past four seasons including alongside Ilya Kovalchuk and several other former NHLers on St. Petersburg at the end of last year. The rail-thin forward has magic hands that can do pretty much anything with the puck, and like other Russian snipers that have come before him has a howitzer from the circle.

Though the adjustments are still being made to the NHL game and ice, Buchnevich should be a good player in the league for a long time. His recall comes after news that Jesper Fast will miss a few weeks after being injured in practice. The Rangers added defense at the deadline, but will use Buchnevich as their forward addition.

The Day After: Racing To The Bottom

March 2, 2017 at 9:09 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL trade deadline came and went yesterday with little excitement. Yes, some (but not all) of the rentals that were expected to move went to interesting destinations, but we didn’t have a single blockbuster move or real hockey trade. So now the quest begins for the Stanley Cup with much of the teams and players that we had a week ago, with a Steve Ott here and a Lauri Korpikoski there.

Now for many fans of teams who have been holding out hope for a late playoff push; those who sold many of their assets yesterday in a waving of the white flag for the 2016-17 season, a new journey begins. The quest for the first overall draft pick.

There is no fight, some might say, because of the Colorado Avalanche’s death-grip on last place in the NHL. They have just 37 points through 61 games and have a legitimate shot at becoming the first team to compile fewer than 50 points in a full season since the 1999-00 Atlanta Thrashers, an expansion team that won just 14 games. Colorado will finish last in the league, of that there is no doubt. But that by no means guarantees them the first overall pick

This year, with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights the last place team will have just a 17.9% chance to select first, not a very good chance at all. The Arizona Coyotes are likely going to finish with the second worst record. With just 51 points they have an eight point “lead” on the Vancouver Canucks and have traded away several pieces.

But that’s where it gets interesting. From the current third last team—those Canucks, who may have had the best deadline out of anyone—to the tenth worst is just six points. Beyond that the playoffs are just another handful of points away. The race for that third last spot is alive and well, and it could come with a big prize.

The 2017 draft class has been called weak, shallow and lacking impact talent. While it does in comparison to the past two—which featured generational talents not just first overall but second as well—it may be. But to think that it doesn’t house some incredible future NHL talent is ludicrous. It’s not like there are only third-line players available this season, and the battle for the top five should be as fierce as ever.

For teams that lack center depth (which is most of the NHL), this year gives you a choice of at least three phenomenal talents at the top of the board. Nolan Patrick, Nico Hischier and Gabe Vilardi all play very different styles, but will all likely have long and prosperous NHL careers. The rest of the first round is littered with talent down the middle: Michael Rasmussen, Casey Middelstadt, Cody Glass and Ryan Poehling all will likely go somewhere in the top half of the draft and all play mostly center.

While Vegas has thinned the odds slightly for everyone after that top pick, coming 28th in the league would still give you a 10% chance at drafting first, and even better odds at landing in that top three. Make no mistake, all the teams that sold yesterday—Vancouver, Detroit, and New Jersey in particular—are after that spot. They’ll say the right things, and the players won’t take a single second of any shift off, but in the back of the GMs mind he’s hoping that Bill Daly opens that card on lottery day and they see their logo emblazoned in gold.

The day after the deadline, and the race for the bottom has begun.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Pacific Division

March 1, 2017 at 9:51 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the upstart Pacific Division:

Winners

Anaheim Ducks:

Acquired Patrick Eaves from Dallas Stars for conditional second-round pick

The Ducks had one real need at the deadline and that was another top six winger. By getting ahead of the market and making the deal for Eaves earlier this week, Anaheim was already a winner at the deadline. The conditional second-rounder, which can become a first, is a steep price. However, given that Eaves is having a career year, the market value had yet to be set, and the Ducks desperation had grown due to the Antoine Vermette suspension, they were right to swing a deal when they had the chance. It was a quiet deadline day in Anaheim, but this is still a team that could make a lot of noise down the stretch.

Arizona Coyotes:

Acquired 2017 third-round pick and conditional 2018 fifth-round pick from Calgary Flames for Michael Stone
Acquired 2017 first-round pick, 2018 second-round pick, conditional 2019 fourth-round pick, and Grayson Downing from Minnesota Wild for Martin Hanzal, Ryan White, and 2017 fourth-round pick
Acquired Teemu Pulkkinen from Minnesota Wild for “future considerations”
Acquired Joe Whitney from Colorado Avalanche for Brandon Ranford

The Coyotes messed up by not trading Radim Vrbata (and might have been able to get more for Stone), but put that aside and what they were able to get from the Minnesota Wild is pretty extraordinary. The team wanted to re-sign Hanzal, but when talks fell apart, it became a foregone conclusion that he would be moved. Yet, that inevitability never drove the prices down and the Wild ended up offering an amazing deal for the career Coyote. The Avalanche should take note because this is how you work the trade deadline as one the league’s worst teams. In exchange for impending free agents who were not coming back in Hanzal and Stone, Arizona ends up with five picks and two prospects (assuming, as it often does, that “future considerations” means nothing) and the team has suffered almost no loss. If GM John Chayka has decided to deal Vrbata, he likely would have added another pair of good picks to that mix, but as it stands, the Coyotes still did pretty well.

Calgary Flames:

Acquired Michael Stone from Arizona Coyotes for 2017 third-round pick and conditional 2018 fifth-round pick
Acquired Curtis Lazar and Mike Kostka from Ottawa Senators for 2017 second-round pick and Jyrki Jokipakka

Yes, the Flames are a fringe playoff team that gave away their second and third-rounders this June. Normally, that would make them losers and if Stone leaves in free agency and Lazar never pans out, they will be. For now, they’re winners because both players could have long, successful careers in Calgary. Lazar is a former first-rounder who needed a change of scenery and a better environment to develop in. The young, speedy Flames squad is the perfect fit and the “big picture” thinking of Brad Treliving strikes again. On the same note, Stone has never played anywhere but Arizona, but will need a new home in 2017-18 and beyond. By bringing him in at the deadline, Calgary gets a head start on convincing the young puck-mover to sign with them and it would be no surprise at all if he does. The Flames will need another top four defenseman next year, after Dennis Wideman and Deryk Engelland leave, and Stone fits the bill. The Flames could have done more to improve their playoff chances this year, but they are a young team whose true contender future is still down the road. No use spending when you don’t stand much of a chance in the powerhouse Western Conference at this point in time.

Vancouver Canucks:

Acquired Jonathan Dahlen from Ottawa Senators for Alexandre Burrows
Acquired Nikolay Goldobin and conditional 2017 fourth-round pick from San Jose Sharks for Jannik Hansen

Vancouver GM Jim Benning is the MVP of the trade deadline and, despite being sellers, the Canucks are the ultimate winners with deadline day having come and gone. Other than goalie Ryan Miller, Vancouver’s only other real trade bait players were long-time Canucks Burrows and Hansen. Burrows was an impending unrestricted free agent who was unlikely to be re-signed and Hansen had one year left on his contract but was a prime candidate to be exposed in the Expansion Draft. Benning took these two players, essentially throwaways to the franchise, and turned them into former first-round and second-round prospects and a pick that can go as high as a first rounder. Dahlen was just named the best player in Sweden’s junior league and Goldobin is already tearing up the AHL. Both players project to be top-six wingers, and soon. It’s an incredible and almost unthinkable return for two aging bottom-six skaters. Benning deserves all the credit in the world, and you can bet that the Canucks are now the Sharks biggest fans, as a Stanley Cup title in San Jose adds a first-rounder to the deadline haul.

Losers

Edmonton Oilers:

Acquired David Desharnais from Montreal Canadiens for Brandon Davidson
Acquired Justin Fontaine from New York Rangers for Taylor Beck

Like the Calgary Flames, the Oilers are a team whose best days lie ahead and no one was expecting them to go all-out at the deadline. Unlike Calgary though, the Oilers could have actually been a factor in the 2017 postseason if they had made the right moves. Trading a young defenseman for a washed-up center is not the right move. Davidson needed to be moved for Expansion Draft reasons, but GM Peter Chiarelli could have gotten a lot more than Desharnais. They needed a backup goalie, a top-nine forward, a penalty kill specialist, and honestly could have used a veteran depth defenseman as well. They ended up with none of that. If Edmonton decided they were going to stand pat at the deadline, that’s fine. However, if you’re going to trade a promising asset like Davidson, at least get something you need in return.

Los Angeles Kings:

Acquired Ben Bishop, a 2017 fifth-round pick, and a conditional 2017 pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Peter Budaj, Erik Cernak, and a 2017 seventh-round pick
Acquired a conditional 2018 fourth-round pick from Montreal Canadiens for Dwight King
Acquired Jarome Iginla from Colorado Avalanche for conditional 2018 fourth-round pick

Unlike most of the major losers at the deadline, L.A. was an active participant. The only thing is their moves made no sense. All season long, the Kings got unexpectedly excellent goaltending from Budaj and just last week got star keeper Jonathan Quick back from injury. The defense has also been great and the team has been near the top of the league in goals against all season. Where they’ve struggled in 2016-17 is scoring. The team needed some speed and some play-makers on the power play. So what does GM Dean Lombardi do? He trades Budaj and promising prospect Cernak to Tampa for the best goalie on the market in Bishop. He then trades away Dwight King, who has been a staple of the Kings’ recent playoff success, and instead of using the cap space to acquire a quick, dynamic scorer, he adds 39-year-old Iginla, who is noticeably slower and has failed to produce points all season long. You can certainly make an argument that that the Kings got better, personnel-wise, but they didn’t improve in the areas of need. L.A. is currently outside of a playoff spot and, now even more unfortunately with fan-favorite Iginla in the fold, it’s difficult to see that changing unless the team’s existing play-makers step up their game.

San Jose Sharks:

Acquired Jannik Hansen from Vancouver Canucks for Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional 2017 fourth-round pick

It’s difficult to call the Sharks losers because they have such a complete team and didn’t have many needs at the deadline to start with. San Jose needed a top-nine forward or two and maybe a backup goalie. It’s even more difficult to call them a loser because Hansen is a solid top-nine player who had a great 2015-16 campaign and will help the team this year and next. However, Hansen doesn’t really fill the need for a scoring forward. He’s more of a two-way forward good for about 15 goals and 15 assists in a good year. You know who is more of the goal-scoring forward they need? Nikolay Goldobin. Goldobin is a 2014 first-round pick and nearly a point-per-game player in the AHL. Give him another year or two and he’s surely a top-nine player for the Sharks. San Jose just really didn’t need to make a big move and would have been fine just to stand pat or add a guy like P.A. Parenteau or Drew Stafford for cheap. Instead, they drastically overpaid for Hansen with Goldobin. Add in that the conditional fourth becomes a first if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup, and this deal goes from bad to worse.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Central Division

March 1, 2017 at 8:28 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

Winners

Chicago Blackhawks:

Acquired Tomas Jurco from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick
Acquired Johnny Oduya from Dallas Stars for conditional 2018 fourth-round pick and Mark McNeill

Of course the Blackhawks are winners on deadline day. Did you expect any less? Although they didn’t make any major moves, Chicago brought in two players via trade that can help them immediately. Oduya, a former Blackhawk, is still familiar with the system and has played with many of the current players. Oduya should be able to step in right away, play major minutes, and form a shutdown pair with Niklas Hjalmarsson (when he’s healthy). Just like the good ’ol days. Meanwhile, like nearly any forward, Jurco has a skill set that will fit in well with Chicago’s star forwards and for just the cost of a third-rounder, could represent a long-term fit with the Blackhawks.

Dallas Stars:

Acquired conditional 2017 second-round pick from Anaheim Ducks for Patrick Eaves
Acquired 2017 fourth-round pick and Greg Pateryn from Montreal Canadiens for Jordie Benn
Acquired conditional 2018 fourth-round pick and Mark McNeill from Chicago Blackhawks for Johnny Oduya
Acquired Dillon Heatherington from Columbus Blue Jackets for Lauri Korpikoski

The Stars are a tough team to place at the 2017 deadline. They are in the midst of an unforeseen epic collapse of a season and have done well to trade their impending free agents. If Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Adam Cracknell weren’t all hurt, Dallas would be a deadline loser for not moving them. As it stands, they did hold on to Jiri Hudler, but traded their three other healthy upcoming UFAs. Eaves earned them great value in return and Korpikoski, a late off-season addition, nets a promising young defenseman in Heatherington. Even McNeill and a fourth-rounder for Oduya is a pretty good deal. So for those three moves anyway, GM Jim Nill did well. With that said, the Benn trade was ill-timed and doesn’t make your team better. Benn still had term on his contract and was the team’s best defensive defenseman and, of course, captain Jamie Benn’s older brother. Dallas will likely regret that move. The Stars are teetering on the edge of winner and loser, but they’ve been through enough this season, so we’ll call them winners.

Minnesota Wild:

Acquired Martin Hanzal, Ryan White, and a 2017 fourth-round pick from Arizona Coyotes for 2017 first-round pick, 2018 second-round pick, conditional 2019 fourth-round pick, and Grayson Downing
Acquired “future considerations” from Arizona Coyotes for Teemu Pulkkinen

The Wild did give up a lot to get the big Coyotes pivot Hanzal. This trade could even turn out to be a disaster. For now though, Minnesota has to be a winner for going out and getting the top forward on the trade block. Many expected the Wild to be quiet at the deadline and instead they swooped in and stole Hanzal right out from underneath several other hungry contenders. The move gives Minnesota undeniable depth down the middle for the stretch run and postseason and may just make all the difference in the playoffs this time around. If the Wild win the Stanley Cup in 2017, no one will be that worried about losing three years of high picks.

St. Louis Blues:

Acquired 2017 first-round pick, conditional 2019 draft pick, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone from Washington Capitals for Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley

The hardest thing for a GM to do is to trade an impending free agent star in the middle of a playoff race. Doug Armstrong deserves a lot of credit for having the guts to move Shattenkirk with the Blues in the thick of the Western Conference wild card race. Could he have gotten more for Shattenkirk this summer or even earlier this season? Yes. However, the return he ended up getting is a strong one, especially considering the Capitals see Shattenkirk as a rental instead of a long-term investment. The 2017 pick and Sanford will help St. Louis to rebuild on the fly. After moving Shattenkirk, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see the Blues target some extra help on the blue line or use the cap space on a rental scorer, but neither of those players would put St. Louis over the top as a contender this season, so no use wasting capital.

Losers

Colorado Avalanche:

Acquired Brendan Ranford from Arizona Coyotes for Joe Whitney
Acquired conditional 2018 fourth-round pick from Los Angeles Kings for Jarome Iginla
Acquired Sven Andrighetto from the Montreal Canadiens for Andreas Martinsen

If you’re looking for the trade deadline’s biggest loser look no further; not because they held on to Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog – those are more of off-season deals – but because they held on to almost everyone else. When you’re the worst team in the league (by a mile) what reason do you have to not trade any impending free agent that has any value at all? Joe Sakic succeeded in moving Iginla, to his credit, but sat on his hands regarding a multitude of other pieces. It’s hard to believe that no one made a suitable offer for any of Blake Comeau, Joe Colborne, John Mitchell, Rene Bourque, Fedor Tyutin, or Patrick Wiercioch. If any of those players could have been moved for picks or prospects, it would have benefited the franchise. Instead, a team with just 37 points on the year will head into the 2017 NHL Draft with just seven picks.

Nashville Predators:

Acquired P.A. Parenteau from New Jersey Devils for 2017 sixth-round pick

Parenteau is a nice player and GM David Poile got him on sale due to his injury in giving away just a sixth-rounder. Nashville simply needed more at the deadline. The team has won four in a row and is playing perhaps their best hockey of the season right now. However, many expected them to be much better than their current pace. In it’s current composition, the Predators would likely be a long-shot to knock off the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs, and that’s if they can hold off the St. Louis Blues for that divisional spot. Scoring is an issue in Nashville and the team needed a bona fide top-six scorer, which Parenteau (and his 27 points) is not. If anyone was going to make a big play for an Evander Kane, Tyler Johnson, or one of Colorado’s two stars, it would have been Nashville. Instead, Poile decided to play it safe and it could come back to bite him.

Winnipeg Jets:

Acquired conditional sixth-round pick from Boston Bruins for Drew Stafford

Luckily, the Jets at least made one move at the last minute, or they would have been even bigger losers. Winnipeg is out of the playoff race and should have been all-out sellers. They don’t have much in the way of trade capital, but they certainly have more than just Stafford. Did they offer up impending UFA forward Chris Thorburn? How about cast-off goalie Ondrej Pavelec? Did they dangle Shawn Matthias? Did they push Mathieu Perreault or Toby Enstrom? It was all quiet on the Winnipeg front today. No team was less involved in the deadline than the Jets, at least until half an hour or so after it was over. It’s unclear what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s plan was today, but hopefully this wasn’t it.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Metropolitan Division

March 1, 2017 at 6:42 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 10 Comments

Winners

Carolina Hurricanes:

Acquired 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo from Pittsburgh Penguins for Ron Hainsey
Acquired 2017 third-round pick from the Ottawa Senators for Viktor Stalberg

Not all that much happening in Raleigh, but what GM Ron Francis did do, he did well. Both Hainsey and Stalberg brought back returns that were greater than their market value. It was also nice of Francis to send Hainsey to a team where his career-long playoff drought would definitely be snapped. Not sure why Jay McClement wasn’t moved, but there simply may not have been interest. The Hurricanes have a ton of salary cap space and have to dip into their depth on defense sooner or later, but this year’s deadline was definitely not the time for big moves. Expect Carolina to be a major player in the off-season trade market.

New Jersey Devils:

Acquired Dalton Prout from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Kyle Quincey
Acquired 2017 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators for P.A. Parenteau

The Devils didn’t really have any trade capital today other than Quincey and Parenteau, so good on GM Ray Shero for doing what he could with what he had. It’s strange that New Jersey was able to get a higher pick from the Predators for Vernon Fiddler earlier this season than they did for Parenteau, but injuries may have played into that. A full season of production and a draft pick in compensation isn’t that bad a return for an early-season waiver claim. The Quincey deal was the real star of the show though. The Devils went from taking a risk on an older, washed-up defenseman this off-season to trading him for a young, strong defensive defenseman who can be a starter for years with the team. Shero played the long con on the league this year, and it paid off.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Acquired Ron Hainsey from Carolina Hurricane for 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo
Acquired Mark Streit from Tampa Bay Lightning for 2018 fourth-round pick
Acquired Frank Corrado from Toronto Maple Leafs for Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy, and a 2017 fourth-round pick

Sure, the Penguins didn’t get Kevin Shattenkirk or Martin Hanzal, both of whom they were targeting. They also didn’t add a single forward. Oh, and they never moved Marc-Andre Fleury. But are you really worried? Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2016-17 with an almost identical group. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the fold, they simply make due up front. Matt Murray has been lights out and the team can deal with Fleury after the fact. The only real issue facing the Penguins was injuries on defense and they responded by acquiring three defensemen, two of which are bona fide starters and the other could be a long-term addition. GM Jim Rutherford didn’t plan on having a big deadline this season and he carried out that plan. Pittsburgh is ready for the postseason.

Washington Capitals:

Acquired Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley from the St. Louis Blues for a 2017 first-round pick, a conditional 2019 draft pick, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The best team in the NHL went out and got the best player available and did so without having to give up all that much. A first-rounder is always tough to surrender, but that is the going rate for top-of-the-line rentals. Sanford is a good prospect and will be a good player. However, he and whoever St. Louis selects at #31 will mean nothing if and when the Capitals take home the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Losers

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Acquired Kyle Quincey from New Jersey Devils for Dalton Prout
Acquired Lauri Korpikoski from Dallas Stars for Dillon Heatherington

The Blue Jackets weren’t expecting to be in the position they are right now, but the reality is that they are in this position and they should have made the most of it. While the Capitals add Kevin Shattenkirk and the Penguins load up on defensive depth, the Blue Jackets simply swap Prout for Quincey in what very well could be a lateral move. If Columbus had added Quincey without losing Prout, then they at least would have bolstered their depth, but the one-for-one trade was confusing. As for Korpikoski, he is a solid player having a comeback year in Dallas, but he’s not all that exciting from an offensive standpoint. Is he really worth a 2013 second-round pick in Heatherington? An odd deadline for sure for Columbus, who both simultaneously overpaid and didn’t do enough.

New York Islanders:

No trades

A good tip when you’re in a tight playoff race but your team has major needs: do something. By standing pat as the Panthers and Maple Leafs (and Bruins and Senators and Canadiens) all got better, the Islanders have crippled their own playoff hunt. Currently tied with Florida for ninth in the Eastern Conference and just one point behind Toronto, the postseason is a real possibility for an Islanders team that struggled mightily earlier this season. Despite a miraculous comeback, New York still needs talented top-six forwards, depth on the blue line, and probably could have looked at a backup goalie. Instead, the team did nothing. If they though they didn’t have a chance this season, the Islanders should have at least accepted an offer on Jaroslav Halak or shopped Dennis Seidenberg. By virtue of everyone around them improving, either in the short-term or long-term, New York is one of the 2017 deadline’s biggest losers.

New York Rangers:

Acquired Brendan Smith from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick and 2018 second-round pick
Acquired Daniel Catenacci from Buffalo Sabres for Mat Bodie
Acquired Taylor Beck from Edmonton Oilers for Justin Fontaine

Much like the Blue Jackets, the Rangers really didn’t do enough to keep up with the Capitals and Penguins. The trade for Smith was likely an overreaction to Washington adding Kevin Shattenkirk; at least the high price they paid would indicate that they were desperate. Smith is a good player, but definitely not a game-changer. The Rangers have been hurt in the past by giving away too much at the deadline, but if the Eastern Conference standings hold, New York has an easier shot at the conference title through Montreal and Ottawa/Boston than their division rival do having to battle each other. With that in mind, the Rangers should have made more moves again this season with an eye on that elusive Stanley Cup. All that said, nice move by GM Jeff Gorton to quickly add Beck upon hearing the news of Jesper Fast’s injury status.

Philadelphia Flyers:

Acquired Valtteri Filppula, a 2017 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick from Tampa Bay Lightning for Mark Streit

The Filppula trade is really not that bad. It makes a confusing Expansion Draft situation even more confusing, but Filppula may be the consistent, veteran presence – on and off the ice – that the Flyers need to get their talented forwards playing to their potential. Filppula may work out really well in Philadelphia in fact. It was still a bad day for the Flyers, though. Impending free agent defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Nick Schultz were not moved, and the team likely could have gotten more from the Lightning if they had simply traded Streit to the Penguins themselves. There was also little talk of the team moving Matt Read or Scott Laughton, one of which will likely instead be selected in the expansion draft for nothing. Steve Mason will also walk in free agency. However, the worst part of deadline day for the Flyers were those extensions. The team overpaid for both Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Michal Neuvirth on two-year deals. There had to be better ways to deal with impending expansion then two give those two more money than they deserve.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division

March 1, 2017 at 4:44 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 8 Comments

Winners

Boston Bruins:

Acquired Drew Stafford from Winnipeg Jets for conditional 2017 sixth-round pick

GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.

Detroit Red Wings:

Acquired 2017 third-round pick from Chicago Blackhawks for Tomas Jurco
Acquired 2017 third-round pick and 2018 second-round pick from New York Rangers for Brendan Smith
Acquired 2018 sixth-round pick from Montreal Canadiens for Steve Ott
Acquired 2017 third-round pick and Dylan McIlrath from Florida Panthers for Thomas Vanek

As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.

Montreal Canadiens:

Acquired Jordie Benn from Dallas Stars for 2017 fourth-round pick and Greg Pateryn
Acquired Brandon Davidson from Edmonton Oilers for David Desharnais
Acquired Steve Ott from Detroit Red Wings for 2018 sixth-round pick
Acquired Dwight King from Los Angeles Kings for conditional 2018 fourth-round pick
Acquired Andreas Martinsen from Colorado Avalanche for Sven Andrighetto

Whether GM Marc Bergevin’s obvious plan to tailor his roster to new head coach Claude Julien’s style works out remains to be seen. However, adding five NHL-caliber players is a feat in itself, and doing so without losing much is even more impressive. The numerous Expansion Draft questions aside, the Habs added too long-term defensive options for two players they had grown tired of and a mid-round pick. The same applies to Martinsen for Andrighetto. King for a fourth-rounder could also end up as a bargain for a tough, postseason battle-tested player.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Acquired Peter Budaj, Erik Cernak, and a 2017 seventh-round pick from the Los Angeles Kings for Ben Bishop, a 2017 fifth-round pick, and another conditional 2017 pick
Acquired 2017 second-round pick and Byron Froese from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brian Boyle
Acquired Mike McKenna from the Florida Panthers for Adam Wilcox
Acquired Mark Streit from the Philadelphia Flyers for Valtteri Filppula, a 2017 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick
Acquired 2018 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Mark Streit (flipped)

Like the Red Wings, the Lightning are not familiar with fire sales, but GM Steve Yzerman got the job done. Dumping Filppula by flipping Streit was a genius move and, all things considered, really only left them down a conditional last-round pick. A second-round selection for Boyle was also an excellent deal. The Bishop trade was strange (for both sides), but the Bolts were ready to let him walk anyway and now have promising blue line prospect Cernak to show for it. Yzerman tried to move Jason Garrison as well, but it’s no surprise there were no takers.

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Acquired Brian Boyle from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2017 second-round pick and Byron Froese
Acquired Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy, and a 2017 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Frank Corrado

Many fans were afraid that the young Toronto Maple Leafs would overpay in promising prospect talent or multiple draft picks, but GM Lou Lamoriello, one of the greats, did no such thing. Boyle solved a season-long problem at fourth-line center and brings a much-needed veteran, two-way presence. A second-round pick was well worth it to them for that addition. Corrado was hardly playing in Toronto and had become a nuisance really, so getting Fehr, who solves an Expansion Draft exposure problem, and a fourth-round pick for him was nice deal.

Losers

Buffalo Sabres:

Acquired Mat Bodie from New York Rangers for Daniel Catenacci

The Buffalo Sabres are out of the playoff hunt and should have been full-blown sellers at the deadline. Instead, they made one minor hockey trade. There was interest in defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson and golatender Anders Nilsson, but GM Tim Murray didn’t get any offers that he likes. Unfortunately, he’s not really in any position to be picky. Both Kulikov and Franson have been disasters in Buffalo and you take whatever you can get for them. Unless you’re committed to re-signing Nilsson, you move him too. Murray treated deadline day like a lazy Sunday.

Florida Panthers:

Acquired Thomas Vanek from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick and Dylan McIlrath
Acquired Adam Wilcox from Tampa Bay Lightning for Mike McKenna
Acquired Reece Scarlett from New Jersey Devils for Shane Harper

Does Vanek improve the Panthers? Absolutely. Was a third-rounder a good price for his services? Yes. Are the Panthers a player away from being a contender? No. In fact, Vanek may not even help them make the playoffs. Scoring and the power play are Florida’s biggest weaknesses and those will improve with Vanek. However, the Panthers face a brutal schedule the rest of the way and just one player likely won’t help them win enough games to make a difference. They needed to go all out if they were buyers. As it stands now, they still need help from other teams just to get into the postseason. A team in that situation should have given more though to trading one of Mark Pysyk or Alex Petrovic before they lose him for nothing in the Expansion Draft.

Ottawa Senators:

Acquired Alexandre Burrows from Vancouver Canucks for Jonathan Dahlen
Acquired Viktor Stalberg from Carolina Hurricane for 2017 third-round pick
Acquired 2017 second-round pick and Jyrki Jokipakka from Calgary Flames for Curtis Lazar and Mike Kostka

Burrows for Dahlen has shades of Martin Erat for Filip Forsberg. Then extending the aged and somewhat ineffective veteran for two years made it worse. Meanwhile, the Panthers get Vanek for a third-rounder and the Bruins get Stafford for a sixth-rounder and you give up a third-round selection for Stalberg, who is objectively worse than either of those players? Bad over-payment on the part of GM Pierre Dorion. You can’t blame the team for moving on from Lazar, but you can blame them for letting it get to that point and for not holding off for a better offer. After three notable trades, have the Senators really gotten any better?

Anaheim, Chicago Complete Minor-League Deal

March 1, 2017 at 3:46 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

In what seems like the last deal of the trade deadline, the Anaheim Ducks have sent Kenton Helgesen and a seventh-round pick in 2019 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Spencer Abbott and Sam Carrick.

Abbott and Carrick have been playing for the Rockford IceHogs where they lead the team in scoring with 38 and 25 points respectively (Carrick was actually tied with another recently traded IceHog, Mark McNeil). Both have limited NHL action but are excellent minor-league players. The San Diego Gulls—Anaheim’s affiliate—are headed to the playoffs and will use both as depth for a Calder Cup run.

The fact that Chicago gained a seventh-round pick is kind of surprising, as a player like P.A. Parenteau earned New Jersey just a sixth-rounder. Helgesen is a 22-year old winger who has spent the season in the ECHL and is unlikely to ever make it to the NHL.

Devils, Panthers Swap Minor Leaguers

March 1, 2017 at 3:07 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The second-to-last deal announced on deadline day was a minor deal between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. The Devils will receive forward Shane Harper, while going the other way to the Panthers is defenseman Reece Scarlett.

Though 28 years old, Harper is in his rookie season in the NHL and had three points in 14 games with Florida this season. An undrafted free agent out of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Harper worked his way through the minors to finally get his NHL shot and now will get to show that he should stay at the highest level when he joins the Devils.

After trading away Dylan McIlrath earlier in the day, the Panthers have filled his spot in the organization with Scarlett. A 2011 sixth-round pick, the 23-year-old blue liner was never given an NHL shot in New Jersey, despite years of decent offense in the AHL, and is likely happy to get a change of scenery.

Bruins Acquire Drew Stafford From Winnipeg

March 1, 2017 at 2:34 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

After watching all of their Atlantic Division rivals add pieces this week, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney was able to stay true to his goal of not overpaying this deadline, as he did last year, but still added some quality depth by bringing in Winnipeg Jets winger Drew Stafford for a conditional 2017 sixth-round pick. The return becomes a 2017 fifth-round pick if the Bruins make the playoffs and a fourth-round pick if the Bruins win at least one playoff round and Stafford plays in 50% of postseason games.

Stafford is having the worst season of his NHL career, yes. However, that is also due in part to only playing in 40 games due to injury. Stafford is just one year removed from a 38-point season and scored 40 points or more four times earlier in his career. The Bruins are certainly familiar with his body of work with the rival Buffalo Sabres and were able to bring the scoring winger in at a very low cost. Boston has been rolling lately with a 7-1 record under new head coach Bruce Cassidy, but rookie winger Peter Cehlarik and streaky Jimmy Hayes have also been playing in top-nine roles nearly every night. If Sweeney had gone through the deadline without adding any additional depth to banged-up Matt Beleskey, he would have been risking the Bruins’ good momentum falling apart if either Cehlarik’s or Hayes’ play fell off. Stafford adds some excellent insurance for Boston down the stretch, as they look to return to the postseason for the first time in three years.

Dallas Stars Trade Lauri Korpikoski To Columbus

March 1, 2017 at 2:33 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

As the trades all pour in after the deadline, the Dallas Stars have traded Lauri Korpikoski to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Dillon Heatherington.

The Blue Jackets added Kyle Quincey on the back end earlier today, and now give themselves some depth up front. Korpikoski has been an effective bottom-six winger for almost a decade in the NHL, providing some consistent secondary scoring and penalty killing ability. He’ll fit in nicely for head coach John Tortorella who Korpikoski briefly played for in his rookie season.

The team has put together everything they need to go and win a playoff round for the first time in their existence. Tied with Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan division, adding some experience will help them keep pace down the stretch.

For Heatherington, this is probably a great chance to make the NHL sooner than later. Since being drafted in the second round in 2013, he has been stuck in the AHL behind a very good group of defense. In Dallas, he’ll immediately become a nice option for the team as soon as next year as they try to rebuild their defense corps. Not an offensive defenseman, Heatherington uses his long reach and physical stature to win puck battles and clear the zone effectively.

For Columbus, it’s a worthwhile move to add depth in a year that almost everything has gone right. While Korpikoski is on just a one-year deal, he may be an option to re-sign in the summer and grow with this group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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