Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jets Rumors

Expected Extensions Prior To Expansion

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Over the next few weeks, leading up to  June 17th, when each team must submit their list of protected players from the Expansion Draft, there is going to be a flurry of activity. The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to make several side deals regarding the selection process, while the other 30 teams will be working through trade proposals with one another as well. Many teams will also make smaller moves, such as extensions and buyouts, to make the expansion process easier on themselves. Examples could include potential extensions by Carolina or San Jose if they decide they would like to protect Lee Stempniak or Mikkel Boedker respectively. However, there remain several teams that must re-sign a current player, following logic anyway, prior to Saturday the 17th, or else risk having to expose and possibly losing a major piece instead. Each team must expose two forwards and one defenseman that played in at least 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons and also have term remaining on their contract. While meeting these quotas is not a problem for some teams, others lack the roster depth in long-term contracts to do so. No team wants to be pressured into exposing a valued player just to fill that quota, so instead they will sign another current player with the caveat that he will be left unprotected in the Expansion Draft. Such situations played out all year long, with Blackhawks’ forward Jordin Tootoo, Hurricanes’ defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, and, the most publicized of all, Flames’ defenseman Matt Bartkowksi. Yet, unsolved situations still exist. Below are some of the most dire situations and who could benefit from an extension in the near future in order for their team to comply with Expansion Draft rules:

Team: New Jersey Devils

Situation: The re-building Devils nonetheless have a solid core of forwards that they would like to keep together: Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, and Mike Cammalleri. New Jersey should be within their means to protect this group, expect that it leaves only Devante Smith-Pelly as a forward meeting the 40/70 qualification. Even for those who doubt the effectiveness going forward of the oft-injured 34-year-old Cammalleri, surely the Devils could find a better player to sacrifice than he or Smith-Pelly if they so choose.

Expected Extension: As a young team, the devils are chock full of impending restricted free agents. However, not all RFAs are created equal. Beau Bennett, Jacob Josefson, and Stefan Noesen are all candidates for extension and exposure, but Bennett played a bigger role for New Jersey than even Smith-Pelly in 2016-17 and Noesen played the best hockey of his young career after a mid-season trade from the Anaheim Ducks. Josefson has shown next to no progress in six years in New Jersey. Look for the Devils to try to work out an extension with the 25-year-old center to fill the hole in their expansion plan.

 

Team: New York Rangers

Situation: The Devils’ cross-town rivals are in a similar situation. The Rangers have put together a core of forwards that is the envy of most teams in the league, but it could soon be torn apart. Many feel that backup goalie Antti Raanta will be Vegas’ choice, but New York doesn’t want to give them any reason not to go that route and instead steal a good young forward. The team is already reserved to the fact that 2016-17 breakout star Michael Grabner has to be exposed, but they would rather protect all five of Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes, in addition to Rick Nash, whose No-Movement Clause prevents exposure, and impending RFA Mika Zibanejad. The only problem is that this protection scheme leaves only Grabner as a 40/7o forward.

Expected Extension: The Rangers are not without options for a forward to extend and expose. RFA’s Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Pirri, and Matt Puempel would all meet the quota criteria if handed a new deal, as would UFA Tanner Glass. While New York may not be eager to lose any of the four, none significantly outshine Raanta or Grabner in terms of selection value anyway, giving the team every reason to get an extension done with one or more. Fast seems certain to get a new contract from the Rangers anyway, so don’t be surprised if such a deal lands in the next week or two.

Read more

Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Players Expire

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2017 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. None of the selections were made any higher than the fourth round, though even that is an unfortunate loss for a team hoping to hit a late-round stud. Below is the full list of players:

Buffalo Sabres

Giorgio Estephan (6th round, 2015)
Gustav Possler (5th round, 2013)

Calgary Flames

Riley Bruce (7th round, 2015)

Chicago Blackhawks

Roy Radke (6th round, 2015)

Colorado Avalanche

Wilhelm Westlund (7th round, 2013)

Read more

Winnipeg Jets Sign Michael Spacek To Three-Year Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Continuing to lock up their young talent, the Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with Michael Spacek on a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will see him earn $833K per season. Spacek had previously been playing for the Manitoba Moose under an amateur tryout.

Spacek was drafted in the fourth-round two summers ago, but had been expected to go much higher. He headed into the draft ranked #5 among international skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting, and has shown why in the past couple of seasons. Coming over from the Czech Republic after being drafted, Spacek has suited up for the Red Deer Rebels the past two seasons and is coming off an 85-point performance this year to easily lead the club. Participating in his third straight World Juniors, he once again impressed with his excellent two-way game.

Though at 5’11” he’s not tall, his balance and strength on the puck is very good and he can compete with players much bigger than him. In seven playoff games with the Rebels he registered 12 points, before jumping the Moose to play four games down the stretch. He’ll head to Manitoba again next season and look to continue to perform offensively while honing his already solid defensive game. It’s that responsible defensive presence that will help him make a name for himself in the professional ranks, as he projects to have an NHL future at some point albeit likely not in a top-line role.

Interestingly, Spacek isn’t one of the two remaining players the Jets have to sign before the end of business today as he was drafted out of the European leagues. Despite coming over immediately to play on loan in the CHL, the Jets would have held his rights for four seasons. Now they’ll insert the right-handed shot—who has experience at center and the wing—into their AHL system and see if he can take the next step.

Winnipeg Jets Open To Trading First-Round Pick

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After a season that saw the emergence of several good young players in the wake of injury, the Winnipeg Jets are heading into the NHL Entry Draft with the 13th-overall pick. They dropped down a few spots, but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff isn’t upset about it, since the lottery moved him up last season and gave the Jets the chance to draft Patrik Laine second overall. This year, he’s open to any scenario on draft day including moving his first-round pick should he find a deal to his liking. In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of TSN, he said as much:

I think anything is possible…in this situation here, moving forward we’re open to anything. If the right situation is there we’ll look at it. We’ve drafted four players in the first round the last two years. We’ve had [Logan] Stanley and Laine, we had [Kyle] Connor and [Jack] Roslovic. We’ve had four first round picks in the last two years, so if there is the right situation to help us, whether it’s a piece or pieces we’ll certainly look at it.

Indeed, the Jets have been one of the most successful teams drafting in the first round since they came back to Winnipeg. After selecting Mark Scheifele with their first pick in 2011, they’ve added Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers, all who are now playing big roles on their NHL squad. While obviously time will still tell on several of the picks Cheveldayoff mentions, he’s built quite the depth chart with first rounders in recent years.

So, comes the question of moving out of this draft for an asset that can help them immediately. Like most drafts, the middle of the first round has very few talents that could step into the NHL next season. If they could move their first and a forward—something Cheveldayoff admits is a strength—for another defenseman or a goaltender, the team could be ready for real contention as soon as next season. With just over three weeks to the draft, there are many decisions to be made about how soon to pull the trigger and go for it in Winnipeg.

Poll: Which Team Will Be Next To Make Stanley Cup Debut?

at CDT | by 6 Comments

With a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final last night, the Nashville Predators punched their ticket to the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup appearance. In fact, Nashville had never even advanced beyond the conference semifinals until this heroic run and now stand just four wins away from hosting the greatest trophy in sports.

A Stanley Cup berth has certainly been a long time coming for the NHL’s 27th franchise whose inaugural season took place in 1998. GM David Poile, who has been the man in charge through it all, did not qualify for the postseason for the team’s first five seasons of existence, but since 2003 the Predators have only missed the playoffs three times. With other 1990’s expansion or relocation teams having made the Final before, like the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers, and even more having won a Stanley Cup, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Carolina Hurricanes, many would expect that the Predators may be the last team to accomplish the feat. However, there are four teams who have yet to make it to Stanley Cup Final, the Expansion Class of 2000 – the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, the current Winnipeg Jets, and the original Winnipeg Jets, now the Arizona Coyotes. Which of these teams will be the next to realize their dreams of playing in June?

The Minnesota Wild certainly seemed to be heading in that direction for much of this season as they had their way with the Western Conference. Although in a tough Central Division with the Cup-bound Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota is armed with a depth and talent at every position and showed (in the regular season) that they can fight through a tough schedule. The team was able to turn goaltender Devan Dubnyk into a star, has one of the strongest defensive cores in the NHL, and has a combination up front of strong veterans like Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Eric Staal and exciting young players like Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker and Charlie Coyle. However, everything fell apart when it mattered most, as the Wild were easily bounced in the first round by the Blues. Can the Wild bounce back and, with the aid of top prospects such as Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin, make a Stanley Cup appearance in the next few years?

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be racing them for that honor. Almost mirror images of each other in 2016-17, the Blue Jackets also surprised many by dominating the Eastern Conference early in the year. At the time, the New Year’s Eve match-up between Columbus and Minnesota, both on historic winning streaks, was even touted as the game of the year. The Blue Jackets too have a stellar goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky and deep group of talented defenseman, like young game-changers Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. However, where Columbus may edge out Minnesota is in their youth up front. Although similarly successful, the Jackets were able to reach 108 points to the Wild’s 106 with a much younger forward corps. The likes of Brandon Saad, Alexander Wennberg, Boone Jenner, and Josh Anderson, plus incoming talent like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand could keep Columbus in the running for a Cup longer than the Wild.

Speaking of youth, the Arizona Coyotes seem to be building something special in the desert. Question marks abound throughout the roster, such as starting goalie and a long-term partner for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and many don’t expect the Coyotes to be contenders for several more years. However, after the rapid ascent of the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs this season, fueled largely by under-21 talent, Arizona may be relevant sooner rather than later. Their best players are also their top prospects – Max Domi, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Perlini, Jakob Chychrun – and that’s just the beginning, as even better young talent is on its way in Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome, not to mention whoever they select with the 7th and 23rd overall picks this year. It seems inevitable that the Coyotes will be good down the road, and, regardless of whether it’s in Arizona or not, have a strong chance to host a Stanley Cup final. However, will that day come before the likes of Minnesota or Columbus can take advantage of their current success?

Finally, there’s the Winnipeg Jets. They weren’t a playoff team this year like Columbus or Minnesota and they aren’t armed with years worth of high draft picks like Arizona either. Yet, the Jets may actually be the dark horse to reach the Stanley Cup first. Winnipeg finished ninth in the Western Conference in 2016-17, tenth in 2015-16, and eighth in 2014-15, consistently hanging around as a fringe team, not truly competing for a title. That seems like it is about to change. The Jets have one of the more dangerous forward groups in the NHL with Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and captain Blake Wheeler leading the charge. They also have talented defenseman in Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba. The Jets are a deeper team than many know and this season did not have a single player over the age of 32. Next year, they’ll add ace forwards Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic to the mix, and possibly goaltender Eric Comrie as well, all part of what The Hockey News called the top prospect system in the NHL. Given the wealth of talent on this team already, it seems strange they haven’t performed better. Throw some dynamic young players in and use some of the team’s ample cap space, and the Winnipeg Jets could be a breakout team in 2017-18.

What do you think?

Which Team Will Be Next To Make Stanley Cup Debut?
Columbus Blue Jackets 34.13% (228 votes)
Minnesota Wild 28.44% (190 votes)
Winnipeg Jets 17.81% (119 votes)
None - Vegas Golden Knights 11.53% (77 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 8.08% (54 votes)
Total Votes: 668

Offseason Keys: Winnipeg Jets

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Winnipeg Jets.

Quite a bit went well for the Jets last season.  Mark Scheifele finished seventh in league scoring, Jacob Trouba had a career year after a contract squabble, and Patrik Laine had a terrific rookie season.  Despite that, the end result was basically the same in Winnipeg with the team being on the outside looking in at the postseason once again.  Here is what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will likely be looking to accomplish this offseason.

Find A Starting Goaltender

Goaltending has been an issue for the Jets for a while now and last season really didn’t change things.  They gave Connor Hellebuyck, who is expected to be their goalie of the future, the lion’s share of the workload and while he had some good moments, he also showed that he’s not really to be the number one goalie of the present.  Hellebuyck will be a restricted free agent in July and given the current situation, a short-term bridge deal seems likelier than a long-term contract.

Veteran Ondrej Pavelec is slated to become an unrestricted free agent and isn’t likely to return while Michael Hutchinson is best suited for a backup role.  He has one year left on his contract with a $1.15MM cap hit and is expected to be left unprotected in the expansion draft.

Fortunately for Winnipeg, the goaltending market will have plenty of options either via trade (in large part buoyed by expansion) or free agency, where players like Ryan Miller and Brian Elliott may garner some consideration as short-term options until Hellebuyck is ready to take over the starting job.  Supply should outweigh demand which should bode well for Cheveldayoff as he looks to shore up the play between the pipes.

Decision On Trouba

When he signed his two year deal back in November, the questions surrounding Jacob Trouba’s long-term future with the Jets didn’t exactly go away for long.  While he has publicly stated that his trade request has been rescinded, there are many who wonder if that’s only for the short-term.  Trouba’s desire to play his natural side long-term is well-known and with Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers both signed for at least the next two years, that’s not likely to happen for a while yet.

Jacob TroubaTrouba is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st.  Inking a long-term deal with Winnipeg would put any speculation about his future to rest as the questions will inevitably persist until the situation is resolved either by a new contract or a trade.  If Winnipeg opts to go the latter route, he will have no shortage of suitors as if he were to be made available, Trouba would become the top defender available on the trade block.

While Trouba could certainly play out the final year of his contract and enter restricted free agency in 2018, the potential distraction could potentially push the timeline up on this decision.  That said, Cheveldayoff has shown himself to be extremely patient during his tenure so the public questions about Trouba’s future continuing won’t be a concern to him.

Determine Perreault’s Future

If the Jets are forced to protect four defensemen in expansion (a potential outcome if Toby Enstrom doesn’t waive his no-move clause), Mathieu Perreault’s future with the team comes into question as he would likely be left unprotected.  He’s entering the first season of a four year, $16.5MM deal he signed last July which is decent value for someone who has surpassed the 40 point mark for the last four seasons.

However, it’s that value that will make him enticing to the Golden Knights if he’s made available and Perreault is a pretty good player to lose for nothing in return.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Winnipeg test the waters around the league to see what type of interest there is in a possible trade.  At least that way, the team would get some value in return for him before the expansion draft while allowing them to potentially protect four blueliners.

The Jets may also want to free up some money in the budget for Bryan Little, who’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018.  One way to do so would be to move Perreault regardless of which route they go in expansion.  It’s not often that a player gets moved before his new contract even kicks in but in Perreault’s case, it’s certainly a possibility.  Even though the Jets made a decision on Perreault’s future when they gave him that extension last summer, they will likely have to make another call on his status before too long.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Logan Stanley Will Return For Memorial Cup

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Winnipeg Jets fans will get an extra boost this weekend if they decide to tune into the Memorial Cup. Logan Stanley, the Jets’ other first-round pick from last summer (to go along with Patrik Laine) will suit up for the Windsor Spitfires after missing much of the season with a knee injury. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports that Stanley is ready to go for Friday’s opener that will see the Spitfires take on the QMJHL Champion Saint John Sea Dogs. Despite getting knocked out of the OHL playoffs in the first round, Windsor gets a berth in the tournament as the host city.

Stanley played just 35 games this season but was off to a great start, matching his season total from last year with 17 points. The 6’7″ defenseman had improved his skating and confidence before the injury, two things that he’ll need when stepping into the toughest tournament in junior hockey. The Spitfires have an incredible team that includes Canadiens’ top prospect Mikhail Sergachev, shifty Toronto prospect Jeremy Bracco and potential top-3 pick Gabe Vilardi among many others. They are by no means a pushover just because they were knocked out of the OHL postseason early.

Along with Sami Niku who signed today, Stanley represents the future for the Jets among left-handed defenseman. Now that Josh Morrissey has graduated to the NHL and isn’t really a prospect anymore, the long-term bet of Stanley needs to pay off. Still just 18-years old and learning how to use his huge frame, Stanley will almost certainly return to the OHL next season and try to put together a healthy campaign as the team’s #1 defender. He’s also a leading candidate for the Canadian World Junior team for next year’s tournament in Buffalo.

Snapshots: Niku, Nill, Braunstein

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Winnipeg Jets have signed seventh-round pick Sami Niku to a three-year entry-level contract. The Finnish defenseman broke out in Liiga this year, registering 27 points in 59 games while playing for Jyvaskyla. Niku has been praised for his mobility and offensive upside, but had trouble producing in a consistent manner before this season.

He’ll enter a Winnipeg Jets system that is fairly weak on the left side behind Logan Stanley, now that Josh Morrissey has graduated to the NHL. With some of the best right-handed depth in the NHL including newcomer Tucker Poolman, the Jets are likely ecstatic with Niku’s development. Should he come to North America next season, he’ll pencil in as one of the top defenders for the Manitoba Moose and try to adapt to the pro game here.

  • Jim Nill is standing by the contract for Ben Bishop according to Yahoo! Sports’ Greg Wyshynski. Nill admitted that in a perfect world he wouldn’t have had to give up six years, but is happy that Bishop wanted to make a commitment to his team. He also seemed confident that there will be opportunities to move one of his goaltenders this summer because of their expiring contracts, something that is necessary after committing to Bishop. As we wrote last week, the Stars do have several options to rid themselves of a goaltender, with Antti Niemi seemingly being the leading candidate for a buyout. Even with a long-term deal, Bishop will have a lot of pressure on him to help the Stars bounce back from a disappointing season. They’ll be looking not only to make the playoffs but to contend in short order, after leading the Western Conference in 2015-16.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have hired Rick Braunstein away from the Arizona Coyotes as their new Director of Player Services according to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Braunstein was one of the Coyotes first hires after the move from Winnipeg, and had been with the franchise for their entire 21-year history. While not having an impact in personnel decisions, the Player Services role is an especially important one when it comes to Las Vegas, a city known for its endless temptation. Some of the hesitation by professional sports franchises for decades has been the worry that young, wealthy athletes will get into “trouble” in Vegas and the team will need a strong support system to stop it from happening; Braunstein represents some of that system.

Winnipeg To Wait To Make Goaltending Move?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

A flurry of goaltending moves may just be underway, but despite the fact that both Carolina and Dallas have each solved their long-term goalie issues by trading for Scott Darling and Ben Bishop respectively, some teams may be taking a more cautious approach when it comes to their goaltending problems.

The Winnipeg Jets are one of those teams who need to upgrade their roster behind the net, but the Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe suggests that the team needs to look at the overall picture. While the Jets are in a similar position that both Carolina and Dallas were in and must upgrade at the goalie position, caution remains in order too.

Current starter Connor Hellebuyck didn’t have the best season this past year, but the netminder remains just 23 years old and the team isn’t ready to give up on the young goaltender, nor do they want to expose the goaltender to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the upcoming expansion draft. He has been promising, but struggled as a full-time starter. In 59 games this past year, Hellebuyck finished with a 2.89 GAA and a .907 save percentage. His numbers as a part-time goaltender had been much better and the team may just want to look for a short-term option to share duties with Hellebuyck.

So due to those mixed results and the looming expansion draft, don’t expect the Jets to try to trade for their starting goaltender like Carolina and Dallas before them, at least until after the expansion draft. That almost guarantees the team will not be acquiring Marc-Andre Fleury, who will almost guaranteed be dealt by Pittsburgh before the expansion draft.

On top of that, the scribe suggests the team is also unlikely to sign a goaltender to a long-term deal since both Hellebuyck and top prospect Eric Comrie will require waivers in 2018-19 and the team would not be ready to lose either player that soon.

So, what options remain?

Wiebe suggests several smaller targets for the Jets to look at, including the Calgary Flames’ Brian Elliott. While the veteran goaltender is not coming off a great season in Calgary, he might be more open to a short-term deal to prove his worth. The Jets might be eager for someone like Elliott to share duties with Hellebuyck. Elliott finished with a disappointing 2.55 GAA and a .910 save percentage this past year in 49 games, the most he had played since 2009-10. However, before that, he had a 2.07 and a .930 save percentage in 2015-16 and could be great comeback candidate.

Other suggestions were to focus on acquiring backup goaltenders, including Anaheim’s Jonathan Bernier, Ottawa’s Mike Condon, New York Rangers’ Antti Raanta and Washington’s Philipp Grubauer.

 

Hindsight Bias: The Best And Worst Of Trade Deadline Day

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With the conference championships underway, we’re left with just four teams remaining in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. For the rest, they can take a look at the major trades made up to and on March 1st this year and gauge whether they were a mistake or a success. It’s somewhat of a mixed bag this year, with no deadline acquisition fueling their team to postseason dominance and no scapegoat whose underwhelming performance is to blame for an epic collapse. With that said, over two months later, it is safe to say that there were some clear winner and loser trades at the 2017 NHL Trade Deadline.

Winner: Anaheim Ducks – Patrick Eaves

Eaves has quietly been one of the most consistent contributors in the NHL this season and that did not change when he moved from the Dallas Stars to the Ducks ahead of the deadline. A versatile, two-way winger, Eaves has fit in well in Anaheim as is the lone major deadline addition who is still playing in the conference championships. After scoring 37 points in 59 games with the Stars, about .63 points per game, he registered 14 more in the final 20 regular season games for the Ducks, boosting his scoring to .7 points per game down the stretch in his new home. He even has two goals and two assists in seven playoff games, despite battling injuries. Anaheim may be down 1-0 in their pursuit of the Campbell Bowl and a Stanley Cup berth and their postseason success has bumped the price for Eaves up from a 2017 second-round pick to a first-rounder, but with a one in four chance at a title and a chance to re-sign Eaves, the Ducks cannot be more pleased with how this deal has played out thus far.

Loser: Minnesota Wild – Martin Hanzal

A team that is not so happy with their first-round investment is Minnesota. The Wild had been one of the best teams in the league all season long when they surprised many by acquiring one of the top trade deadline targets in Hanzal. The power forward performed admirably post-trade, putting up half as many points as his season total in Arizona in less than half as many games, 26 in 51 versus 13 in 25. He even added a playoff goal. However, his time in the playoffs, by no fault of his own, was much shorter than expected. The Wild were upset by the St. Louis Blues in five games and just like that they’re Stanley Cup hopes were gone. Falling so short despite high expectations makes the cost of adding a piece that didn’t matter much more difficult to swallow. Minnesota owes the Arizona Coyotes a top pick this season and a second-rounder next season plus another conditional pick and prospect, with little to show for the price.

Winner: New York Rangers – Brendan Smith

While the Rangers were underwhelming in their semi-final series against the Ottawa Senators, one many expected them to win, their exit is still not all that surprising given their status as a wildcard seed. Helping them to upset the Montreal Canadiens in Round One and take the Senators to six games was deadline acquisition Smith. While some initially mocked the deal – a 2018 second-round pick and 2017 third-round pick for a defenseman with just five points – Smith proved to be an excellent fit in New York. He scored four points in 18 games with the Rangers and also played better in his own end, earning him more play time. A disappointing start to the season in Detroit for the career-Red Wing quickly turned into a career revival with impressive play for his new squad. The postseason brought yet another four points and continued high-level play for Smith. Unfortunately, perhaps his worst game as a Ranger came in the elimination loss to the Senators when he was exposed on defense multiple times. Yet, in the big picture he was a success in New York. There is no word yet on whether there is mutual interest between both sides in an extension, especially since the Rangers carry many expensive blue line contract, but regardless this deal has to be considered a win for the Blueshirts.

Loser: Los Angeles Kings – Ben Bishop

Bishop may be happily settling in to his new home in Dallas after signing a nice six-year deal, but his time in Los Angeles did little to help him secure that contact. The Kings and the keeper were strange bedfellows to begin with, as now ex-GM Dean Lombardi traded red-hot backup goalie Peter Budaj, 2015 second-round defenseman Erik Cernak, and a 2017 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Bishop, just as starter Jonathan Quick was returning to health. The Kings needed scoring, not better goaltending, if they wanted to make the playoffs, but ended up with neither from the Bishop trade as he picked up only two wins in seven appearances with L.A. and posted just a .900 save percentage. The Kings finished 10th in the Western Conference and eight points out of a playoff spot, not even all that close to a berth, and now need to find a new backup goalie for 2017-18. The Bishop trade makes as little sense now as it did then and undoubtedly figured in to Lombardi’s firing.

Winner: Boston Bruins – Drew Stafford

The Bruins may have lost in the first round of the playoffs, but they likely wouldn’t have if four of their six starting defenseman didn’t miss all or most of the series. Even with those major injuries, the Ottawa Senators still had a difficult time eliminating the Bruins and Stafford was a thorn in their side with two goals and consistent two-way contribution. Add in four goals, matching his total earlier in the season with the Winnipeg Jets, and four assists in 18 regular season games as well as an outstanding +8 rating, and Stafford was an excellent addition for Boston. Acquired for just a sixth-round pick, Stafford was easily the steal of the trade deadline and ongoing talks of an extension would only add more value to a shrewd deal by GM Don Sweeney. 

Loser: Florida Panthers – Thomas Vanek

Vanek was having a great season for the Detroit Red Wings when the Trade Deadline rolled around. He had 38 points in 48 games and was sniping with accuracy unseen over the past five years. When the Florida Panthers struck a deal to acquire that level of talent for just a 2017 third-round pick and struggling prospect Dylan McIlrath, there was a consensus that they had won the trade considering the affordable cost. Yet, the counter to that argument was that, even if he maintained the same rate of production, Vanek alone was likely not enough for the Panthers to make the playoffs. In the end, that proved to be true. Vanek’s scoring dropped off to just two goals and ten points in 20 games and his shooting percentage fell almost ten points, but even if it hadn’t, the Panthers wouldn’t have qualified for the postseason. They finished 13th in the Eastern Conference, 14 points shy of a playoff spot. At the end of the day, acquiring the impending free agent and missing the playoffs by that much was simply a waste of a third-round pick for a team that is still building.

Loser: New York Islanders – No One

The idea that you can’t lose at the Trade Deadline if you don’t make a deal is incorrect. Case in point: the 2016-17 Islanders. New York ended up missing the postseason by just one point and their playoff hopes were alive up to the final day of the season. Had the Isles made a trade, even a small one, that could have won them one more game down the stretch, they might have been a playoff team after all. Given their need to convince star John Tavares to stick around, the Islanders should have been more willing to do something – anything – to transform into a playoff team.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top