The Trades Have Arrived!

Finally, the trades have started to roll on in as we’re just approaching the last hours till the cut off.  Some of the biggest dominos have already fallen with many more still to go!  The Blue Jackets seem to be all in this year, with have a roster of upcoming UFA’s.  Dallas is making a push in incredibly weak (and confusing) Western Conference playoff race.  And my lovely Detroit Red Wings got a phenomenal return for a depth defenseman as he was sent to help the Capitals make the attempt at the repeat.  So, let start with Columbus as they have made the biggest splash so far.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Columbus landed two of the biggest fish in the pond this year…and they didn’t really have to give up much of anything!  First, they went out to Ottawa (literally, they had a game there) and before the game started acquired Matt Duchene.  He played in the game that night, all he had to do was switch locker rooms.  This is the second time he has been in that scenario as well since that is how the trade that sent him to Ottawa from Colorado went down too.  Then just 24-hours later they snatched up Duchene’s former teammate from Ottawa, Ryan Dzingel. 

What’s great about the players they acquired is that they didn’t really give up much of anything to get them.  In total they lost one player who has been in and out of the line up all year in Anthony Duclair.  Two prospects, one a former 3^rd round pick (Abramov), the other a former 6^th rounder (Davidsson), I can’t really say much personally about the prospects.  I know Abramov is in his first season in the AHL and performing admirably thus far and Davidsson is still playing in Sweden.  The Jackets also gave up, potentially, four draft picks.  Ottawa gets two 2^nd rounders, in separate years, and at least one 1^st rounder, they will get a second one if Duchene resigns with the Blue Jackets.

So, all in all, I would imagine Columbus is done make moves for now unless they make a move for a defenseman.  They grabbed up two of the top players available on all the trade bait lists, who are both having career years.  They have been a hard team to play against for the last few years but have not been able to get over the hump but now they’re going for it 100%.  Last year they had the eventual Stanley Cup Champions on the ropes in the 1^st round but faltered.  With these moves there should be no excuse or reason for failure in the playoffs.  The Blue Jackets are going for it.

Dallas Stars:

The Dallas star are one of those teams who when you see them on paper look like they should be damn near unstoppable.  But when you see them on the ice, they just never play a complete game.  They have two of the best forwards in the league with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.  They also have some very good defensemen with Miro Heiskanen (though he is only a 19-year-old rookie) and John Klingberg, and don’t forget about big Ben Bishop in goal.  But they just can’t get it together.  Now they have gone out and added some depth by picking up Ben Lovejoy, who is a former Stanley Cup Champion with the Penguins.  And they have also added Mats Zuccarello from the Rangers.

Ben Lovejoy is your typical stay at home defensemen in todays day and age.  He is a big guy who can play the hard minutes in his own zone.  He plays physical and takes care of the front of the net well, plus he can make that ever crucial first pass out of the defense zone that will lead to many offensive chances for a dynamic team like Dallas.

The addition of Zuccarello is a good one.  Though he is an undersized player he plays the game like he is 6’5” 250lbs giant.  He goes to the hard areas and usually wins those battles, something the Stars seem to be having trouble with.  He is also an excellent skater and very creative with the puck making scoring chances out of seemingly harmless plays.  He’ll be a good all-around addition to the team, likely playing on the 2^nd line and getting some time on the PP that is currently 16^th in the league.  At this point he has fit in very well.  As I write this, he already has 2 Pts in his 1^st game with Dallas, a goal and an assist.

Most importantly though, they didn’t give up much.  A few picks that shouldn’t compromise the future of the team at all. Dallas currently sits 4^th in the Central Division and in the 1^st Wild Card spot in the west.  These moves should help secure them a spot in the playoffs, though they are still in a tight race.  It will come down to the wire, but I feel safe in saying that they’ll lock it up at this point.

Washington Capitals / Detroit Red Wings:

Washington has added two pieces so far, so we’ll start with Carl Hagelin, who they picked up first.  Hagelin has been somewhat known as a Capital killer.  He has played for two division rivals in the New York Rangers and then the Pittsburgh Penguins.  For both teams he was a big piece in knocking the Caps out of the playoffs.  But now he is finally on their side.  He plays a fast, grinding style game and has been known to score clutch goals from time to time, though he isn’t counted on to score regularly.   But as I have said many times before, it is the depth players like him that tend to make a difference the most when it comes time for a deep playoff run.

The biggest piece that Washington added is Nick Jensen, but maybe I’m a little biased here.  Washington is getting a solid, but undersized, defenseman in Jensen.  He is 28 years old, competes like his life is on the line every shift and is has some offensive prowess to boot.   Personally, I loved the guy being here and would have been excited if we could have resigned him this summer.  But Washington isn’t playing any games and it shows as they signed him to a 4-year extension worth $10 Million almost immediately. He will solidify their defense for quite some time.  He is a strong penalty killer and great puck mover.   He’ll be missed here in Detroit and I have no doubt loved in Washington.

The other piece to the Jensen trade though is a young player named Madison Bowey.  Bowey is a 23-year-old, right hand shot defenseman, and formerly a 2^nd round pick of the Capitals.  Now I loved Jensen, but the fact that we got Bowey and a 2^nd round pick for him is an absolute steal on our part.  I’ve seen talk from people thinking that Bowey will be a 3^rd pairing defenseman at best and it just makes me shake my head.  Bowey is 6’2” and 200lbs, a smooth skater and has an offensive mind for the game though he just hasn’t been able to show it at the NHL level, yet.  Not to mention he is the former Captain of his WHL Junior team.  He brings a lot of good attributes and top end potential. 

Being the young player that he is, he should be able to grow here with our young core and end up having a very successful career in the long run.  Its so important to remember that not all players become studs at 20-years old.  Many people seem to forget this and label a guy a bust at 23.  Just think back about what people were saying about Athanasiou last season and how they’re talking about him now.  Being a defenseman means even more development and time may be needed before a player becomes who a team or fan base expects.  Patience is a virtue with these players, and I love this addition to the Wings.  Given the right support and put in proper positions to succeed I expect we’ll have walked away from this trade with the far superior player. 

And with that we wrap up some of the major trades that have taken place before the deadline itself.  There are so many more players yet to be moved its going to be a hell of a day tomorrow I can hardly contain myself.