Winnipeg Jets Acquire Jordie Benn
The Winnipeg Jets have landed their defensive upgrade right at the deadline, acquiring Jordie Benn from the Vancouver Canucks according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Jets will send a 2021 sixth-round pick to Vancouver.
The quality of the player and the timing of the deal point in one direction: GM Kevin Cheveldayoff ran out of time and options. There was perhaps no team in the NHL with a more identifiable need than the Jets and their blue line. The team has needed another defenseman all season and was expected to be in the running for the best available names. The team even signaled that a trade was on the way by moving Nathan Beaulieu to Long-Term Injured Reserve to open up more cap space.
Instead, they leave cap room to spare and leave their fans wanting more with the addition of Benn. In fairness, the respected veteran is having a good offensive season by his standards and brings experience and leadership to the fold. However, he has only been playing bottom-pair minutes in Vancouver this season and has been regularly exposed on defense. Benn is simply a depth addition for Winnipeg, not the game-changing presence that was hoped for.
Washington Capitals Acquire Michael Raffl
The Washington Capitals have acquired Michael Raffl from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers will receive a fifth-round pick (VGK) in return and will retain 25% of his remaining cap hit.
It’s not quite the Anthony Mantha trade, but the Capitals still add some physical forward depth by bringing in Raffl, who has played all 504 of his career games with the Flyers. A one-time 20+ goal scorer, the 32-year-old forward has just eight points this season in 34 games this season.
He won’t be playing big minutes in Washington, but Raffl does replace the depth that went out the door when Richard Panik was cleared off the books. The difference is that even before the salary retention, Raffl carries just a $1.6MM cap hit through the end of this season and is then an unrestricted free agent, not affecting the Capitals salary structure down the road.
For the Flyers, adding a fifth for a player that wasn’t making much of an impact is a win, even if the playoffs aren’t necessarily off the table at this point.
Anaheim Ducks Acquire Haydn Fleury
The Anaheim Ducks have landed a coveted young player, acquiring Haydn Fleury from the Carolina Hurricanes according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Jani Hakanpaa will be going the other way with a sixth-round pick.
This is one of the stranger moves of the day, part of a puzzling deadline approach for the team currently sitting in second place in the NHL standings. The Hurricanes essentially stood pat on deadline day, switching out one defenseman for another. One could even call them sellers, as they arguably gave up the better player and netted a draft pick as part of the deal. Yes, Carolina was seeking a right-shot defenseman and Hakanpaa fits the bill. He has also adjusted his defensive game well in what amounts to his first full NHL season, providing physicality and sound checking on the Anaheim blue line. He’s surely not a bad acquisition.
With that said, it’s difficult to see this being considered a net gain for the Hurricanes. Fleury has been underutilized and underwhelmingly this season, but in the past has shown to be a very capable defenseman. The 24-year-old, who was the seventh overall pick in 2014, skates well, contributes in all three zones, and has been a positive possession player in every season of his NHL career. In contrast, Hakanpaa provides little support in the offensive end and is not relied on as a puck mover, due in no small part to some turnover struggles. Fleury seems to be the better, more well-rounded defenseman and is four years younger with term on his contract and team control remaining beyond that point as well. By most measures, Anaheim gets the better player. Sure, Carolina avoids losing him for nothing in the Expansion Draft, but could they not have done better than a limited rental with little NHL experience and a late pick? And why did they not make any other additions to the roster? These are questions that the Hurricanes hope their fans won’t be asking if the playoffs don’t go as expected.
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Alexander Barabanov
So much for the big KHL signings. The Toronto Maple Leafs have now traded both Mikko Lehtonen and Alexander Barabanov after just a handful of games in the NHL, with the latter going to the San Jose Sharks at the deadline. The Sharks will send Antti Suomela to Toronto in return.
Barabanov played just 13 games for the Maple Leafs after signing his one-year entry-level contract. A strong KHL performer who recorded 46 points in 2018-19, he came to Toronto this season with an eye on regular NHL minutes and wasn’t ever really able to secure them. Even when dressing he averaged fewer than nine minutes a night, and though there were flashes of skill, Barabanov failed to score even a single goal.
With Nick Foligno acquired recently and top prospect Nicholas Robertson back up with the team, there wasn’t going to much more playing time for Barabanov with the Maple Leafs. He’ll try to get some extra playing time in San Jose, but the reality is that a return to the KHL could be coming fast. The 26-year-old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year.
Suomela, 27, shouldn’t be considered much of a return for the Maple Leafs, even though he does have 51 games of NHL experience. He’s a depth forward that hasn’t even dominated at the AHL level, meaning he’ll be hard-pressed to crack the Maple Leafs skilled forward group.
Erik Gudbranson Traded To Nashville Predators
The Ottawa Senators have flipped another depth defenseman, trading Erik Gudbranson to the Nashville Predators for a 2023 seventh-round pick and minor league defenseman Brandon Fortunato according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
It wouldn’t have been a trade deadline if Gudbranson didn’t move. The 29-year-old defender has now been dealt for the fifth time, including four times since his current contract began at the start of the 2018-19 season. With that deal about to expire, it was all but certain that the Senators would move Gudbranson before the deadline, the second such time he has been moved on the last day to do so.
Unfortunately, Gudbranson’s play this season didn’t warrant much of a return. Gudbranson has just three points and is a -13 so far this season, looking slow and ineffective on the ice. While he started to show signs of slowing down last season in Anaheim, it was very apparent in Ottawa this season. As a result, a player who was traded straight up for Tanner Pearson just two years ago and cost a fifth-round pick for Ottawa to acquire this summer, the Senators were only able to land a seventh-rounder and an unheralded prospect for a short stretch of Gudbranson. Fortunato, 24, has done little in the pros since signing with Nashville in 2019 and does not appear to be a legitimate NHL prospect.
Perhaps the low cost is why the Predators took a shot at the veteran. Nashville was expected to be a major seller not long ago and even after climbing back into the Central Division playoff picture, they were not thought to be a buyer. However, adding some depth and experience on the blue line for next to nothing is not a bad move for GM David Poile and company if they do indeed qualify for the postseason.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Ben Hutton
The Toronto Maple Leafs had already acquired some depth at forward and in net, but there was still a need to shore up the defensive group. They’ve done that now, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Maple Leafs have acquired Ben Hutton from the Anaheim Ducks. Frank Seravalli of TSN tweets that it will be a 2022 fifth-round pick going back to Anaheim.
Hutton, 27, has been connected to Toronto in the past but signed a one-year $950K contract with the Ducks this season where there was a much easier path to playing time. He has suited up in 34 games this season, but will likely be facing a fight for playing time in Toronto. He should put some pressure on Travis Dermott for that bottom-pairing role next to Zach Bogosian, but more importantly gives the Maple Leafs some insurance in case of injury.
There’s a lot of things Hutton can do, as he has contributed on both the powerplay and penalty kill throughout his career, but he doesn’t have a standout skill that helps him force his way into the lineup. He’s big but not overly physical, a good skater but not an excellent one, and a capable puck-mover but not a dynamic offensive presence. The Maple Leafs will certainly take that kind of depth, but it’s hard to say their group really improved with the deal.
For the Ducks, cashing in Hutton was a no-brainer, even if he only landed a fifth-round pick. The team has plenty of young defense coming and is still collecting draft picks for the rebuild.
Montreal Canadiens To Acquire Erik Gustafsson
The Montreal Canadiens lost Victor Mete on waivers today, but they’re bringing in some more defensive depth. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Canadiens have acquired Erik Gustafsson from the Philadelphia Flyers. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Canadiens will send a 2022 seventh-round pick, while the Flyers are retaining 50% of Gustafsson’s remaining cap hit.
It might seem amazing that a defenseman who scored 17 goals and 60 points in the 2018-19 season could be grabbed for a seventh-round pick, but that’s just how poorly Gustafsson’s defense is regarded around the league. There’s no doubt he can be an offensive catalyst, but he has played his way out of the lineup for three different teams now with his inconsistent ability in his own end.
Luckily, the Canadiens won’t be asking Gustafsson to be playing heavy minutes given how the depth chart looks right now. Instead, he’ll come in along with the recently acquired Jon Merrill to give the bottom-pair rotation a different look or fill in for any injuries.
Florida Panthers Expected To Acquire Sam Bennett
The Calgary Flames have begun to move out some of the disappointing core, working on a trade that will send Sam Bennett to the Florida Panthers according to several reports including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Flames will receive a 2022 second-round pick and prospect Emil Heineman. Florida will also get a 2022 sixth-round pick.
Bennett, 24, was the fourth overall pick in 2014, the same draft the Panthers took Aaron Ekblad first. The grinding forward just hasn’t been able to turn himself into any sort of an offensive player, scoring just 140 points in 402 career games. This year he has four goals and 12 points in 38 games, just not anywhere near effective enough to stick around in Calgary’s long-term plans.
The interesting thing with Bennett is that almost every time the Flames have taken the ice in the postseason, he has been one of the most effective players in the game. In 30 career playoff games he has 11 goals and 19 points while racking up a whopping 107 hits, and 71 shots on goal. If Bennett could find a way to bring that level of play to every night of the regular season, he could be a huge presence in the Florida lineup.
At this point though, it’s surprising that the Flames landed even a second-round pick for Bennett, let alone a prospect as well. Heineman isn’t one to overlook either; he was selected 43rd overall in 2020 and is coming off an impressive season in the SHL as a teenager. Heineman hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet, but he’s a nice prospect to add to the cupboard for Calgary.
Florida is obviously betting that they can turn Bennett’s career around, but they also have to deal with a contract negotiation this summer. The 24-year-old will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of the year and will need a $2.55MM qualifying offer from the team.
It’s that playoff production that the Panthers are likely betting on, as Florida has their sights set on really contending for the Stanley Cup this season. Even if Bennett can just give them a boost in this year’s postseason he would be a worthy rental, if an expensive one.
Scott Laughton Signs Extension In Philadelphia
One name that has been thrown around in recent weeks is Scott Laughton, a physical forward for the Philadelphia Flyers who was getting closer to free agency. As it turns out, free agency will have to wait. Laughton has signed a five-year extension with the Flyers which will carry an average annual value of $3MM.
Laughton, 26, hasn’t ever been a huge offensive producer, but there’s a lot of other positives in his game. Able to capably play the center position and line up against the other team’s best, he brings size, speed and physicality to the ice every night. In 38 games this season he has seven goals and 17 points, while recording 99 hits and averaging more than 15 minutes a night.
There was some speculation that Laughton might even bring a first-round pick back to Philadelphia if he were traded today, as the interest was high from around the league. Whether a pick that high was ever actually offered isn’t at all clear, but it won’t matter anyway as Laughton is staying in Philadelphia for another huge chunk of his career.
At just $3MM, he can fit into the bottom-six without impacting the salary cap negatively for Philadelphia and continue to anchor the team’s penalty kill. Getting fie years is a huge win for Laughton, who will now be under contract through his age-31 season.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Carl Soderberg
The Colorado Avalanche are bringing back a familiar face, acquiring Carl Soderberg from the Chicago Blackhawks. The Avalanche will send Josh Dickinson and the draft rights to Ryder Rolston in return.
“Soda” as he’s affectionately known in Colorado, spent four seasons with the Avalanche earlier in his career. That included two great years and two disappointing ones but ended with a career-high 23 goals in 2018-19. The 35-year-old center has just seven goals and 15 points in 34 games with the Blackhawks this season and is on a one-year contract.
That deal carries just a $1MM cap hit, certainly reasonable for a depth forward like Soderberg that can still contribute in a limited role. He’ll get a chance to change his postseason reputation this season; Soderberg has just two goals and 12 points in 41 career playoff matches.
Instead of acquiring draft picks in return, the Blackhawks get a couple of names that are lottery tickets at best. Dickinson went undrafted out of the OJHL and has split time between the AHL and ECHL this season. His entry-level contract expires at the end of this season and he likely won’t receive a qualifying offer.
Rolston though is interesting, if perhaps underwhelming. The 2020 fifth-round pick had six points in 28 games as a freshman for Notre Dame, but does have NHL bloodlines–his dad Brian Rolston played more than 1,200 games in the league–and some upside. Who knows at this point if he ever reaches that level with the Blackhawks, but it was clear that Soderberg’s time in Chicago was coming to an end.