Unsurprisingly, activity around the league has picked up considerably with the trade deadline right on the horizon. Here are the biggest stories from the past week.
1) The Brassard Kerfuffle: Center Derick Brassard was dealt to Pittsburgh…twice. After the Pens, Sens, and Golden Knights reached a three-way trade, the deal was vetoed by the NHL. That led to hours of speculation about whether or not the trade could be reworked. In the end, a revised swap consisting on three separate trades was agreed on and approved with Ottawa landing a first-round pick along with prospect goalie Filip Gustavsson, defenseman Ian Cole, and Pittsburgh’s 2019 third-round choice. Vegas, meanwhile, adds rugged winger Ryan Reaves along with and Vancouver’s 2018 fourth-rounder in exchange for retaining 40% of Brassard’s contract plus minor league winger Tobias Lindberg (who also wound up in Ottawa when all was said and done). In Brassard, Pittsburgh lands a top-six caliber center that they will use on their third line, giving them considerable depth at position for this season and next. The Penguins also received Ottawa’s 2018 third-round pick in the trade.
2) Extensions: The Islanders have locked up an important unrestricted free agent, agreeing to terms on a new six-year, $30MM pact with winger Josh Bailey. The 28-year-old has played alongside pending UFA center John Tavares this season and has already put up career numbers across the board, tallying 15 goals and 47 assists in 59 games; his 62 points rank 17th overall in the NHL. Even if Bailey can’t maintain this level of production moving forward, this should still be a pretty good contract for New York if he can hover around the 45-50 point mark in the years to come.
Meanwhile, Vancouver reached an agreement to keep one of their defenders around for the foreseeable future, inking Erik Gudbranson to a three-year, $12MM pact. The stay-at-home blueliner has had trouble staying healthy and has seen his role reduced this season but the Canucks believe that he can still be a quality fourth or fifth defender for a few more years.
3) Nash To Boston: As expected, the Rangers parted with veteran winger Rick Nash, sending him to Boston for a sizable package. In return, New York acquires the Bruins’ first-round pick in 2018, left wing/center Ryan Spooner, winger Matt Beleskey, prospect blueliner Ryan Lindgren, and a 2019 seventh-rounder. The Rangers are retaining 50% of Nash’s contract while Boston is doing the same with Beleskey which is notable as he is signed at a $3.8MM cap hit through 2019-20. Nash should bolster Boston’s second line while New York picks up a pair of key young assets in the first-rounder plus Lindgren and could conceivably look to flip Spooner as well in advance of the deadline.
4) Goalie Swaps: After injuries took out both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth, the Flyers moved quickly to secure a replacement, acquiring Petr Mrazek from Detroit in exchange for a pair of conditional draft picks. The Red Wings will receive a 2018 fourth-rounder at a minimum; that pick becomes a third if the Flyers make the playoffs with Mrazek winning five games and shifts to a second-rounder if Philadelphia makes the Eastern Conference Final and Mrazek wins six games. Detroit will also land a 2019 third-round selection if the Flyers re-sign the 26-year-old.
This wasn’t the only goalie move of the week, however. The Coyotes picked up Darcy Kuemper from the Kings in exchange for winger Tobias Rieder and netminder Scott Wedgewood (who was subsequently waived and cleared). Kuemper then agreed to a two-year, $3.7MM extension which gives Arizona a bit of stability between the pipes with starter Antti Raanta eligible for unrestricted free agency in July. Meanwhile, the Kings land a versatile winger in Rieder who should help bolster their attack for the stretch run.
5) Devils/Rangers Deal: For the first time ever, the Devils and Rangers made a trade with each other as New Jersey picked up winger Michael Grabner from New York in exchange for the Devils’ 2018 second-round pick and defenseman Yegor Rykov. Grabner has been one of the top even-strength scorers this season with 24 of his 25 tallies have come in that situation. The speedster should slot in as a middle-six winger as the Devils look to lock down a playoff spot in the very tight Metropolitan Division.
Since it has been a very busy last few days, here’s a bonus key story:
6) News From Montreal: It hasn’t been a good year for Montreal and the tough news kept on coming. After feeling some discomfort in his injured foot when he tried to resume skating, the team has shut him down for the remainder of the season and he will undergo surgery to repair a tendon in his left foot. He finishes up 2017-18 with 16 points (6-10-16) in only 26 games. Meanwhile, goaltender Carey Price has been diagnosed with a concussion and is out indefinitely. For the time being, the Canadiens will go with veteran Antti Niemi (unless he is traded by the deadline) and youngster Charlie Lindgren between the pipes.
Meanwhile, Montreal dealt their one prominent pending free agent in center Tomas Plekanec (along with minor league winger Kyle Baun) to Toronto in exchange for the Leafs’ second-round pick in 2018 plus youngsters Rinat Valiev and Kerby Rychel. The Canadiens are also retaining 50% of Plekanec’s $6MM contract. In Plekanec, Toronto gets a strong checking center that should play a key role on the penalty kill plus strengthen their depth down the middle while Montreal picks up their fourth second-rounder for the upcoming draft plus a couple of younger players who could benefit from a change of scenery.
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