Trade Deadline Recap

Finally, the day has come where we get to breakdown and analyze all the trades that took place on the NHL trade deadline day.  As usual it was a slow morning, but around 1 o'clock with less than 2 hours to go things really started to pick up and bodies started to move.  And after the 3 PM deadline the trades kept rolling in as they get announced in sent into the NHL offices at the last minute.   Now obviously I can't talk about every single trade especially in this manner so I've grouped up couple of the major ones and will kind of go from least important to most important as we break these down. 

Let's start with the Boston Bruins shall we.  Boston is one of those teams in the Atlantic that just won't die and I don't understand it completely.  They have always had some solid pieces but they’re aging and most of their youth seems to be average at best (clearly this does not apply to Pastrnak or McAvoy).  But they’re still battling for a top spot in their division, so they went and made a nice depth move here.  Johansson is a player that can play in any forward role and usually is a mid-40’s point producer through the regular season, so he can be dependable as a depth scorer. He has proven capable at scoring in the playoffs as well putting up 30pts in his career. 

Currently it looks like he will be playing on the second line as a winger, but he has the capability of playing at center.  Johansson’s diversity is likely a big reason the Bruins went out and picked him up.  Their no. 2 center, David Krejci, has a long history of being injured. Adding Marcus is a great insurance move here just incase something happens.  All in all, they did not pay much to bring him in either, a 2^nd seems to be the going rate for a lot of players and the 4^th rounder is basically a throw in.

Moving on from Boston we head all the way out west to San Jose.  The Sharks made a nice little addition by bringing in Gustav Nyquist. The Goose was a hard one to move for Detroit as he had a full No-Trade Clause in his contract, so he basically got to pick and choose where he went if anywhere at all.  I am of the belief that a post-game chat between some fellow Swedes the evening before the deadline is what led to Nyquist going to San Jose.

So, what does he bring to the Sharks?  They’re a team that has been rolling all season long.  They’re 2^nd in GF/G and their Powerplay is at 25.3%, good for 4^th in the league.  Adding Nyquist here can only help these numbers get better, he is also having a career best season as well when it comes to scoring.  He is playing on the 3^rd line which is being centered by future hall of famer, Jumbo Joe Thornton, and on the other wing is Kevin LaBanc who is a grittier player down low and a bit more of a shoot 1^st type.

Personally, he is not the player I would have targeted if I was the Sharks, but that’s not to say he won’t produce there.  They’re getting a player who has speed, skill, and can pass with the best of them.  But they’re missing that true grit that is needed for a deep playoff run which I feel Nyquist lacks.  But playing on the 3^rd line he should be able to take advantage of some mismatches.  They didn’t pay an outlandish price either, like I said, a 2^nd rounder seems to be the going rate this year.

Back in the great American Midwest, the Columbus Blue Jackets were not done making moves.  After going all in and selling most of the farm they came back towards the end of the day and brought in Adam McQuaid to solidify their defense. He fits right into this team based on his size, but more importantly he will bring playoff experience to a younger core of players.

McQuaid is a hard nosed and mean defenseman known for his play in front of the net.  His best years are likely behind him as he is 32 years old now, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play either.  He missed a lot of time to injury this season which may be a blessing in disguise as he will have played less games heading into the playoffs therefore making him a bit more well rested.  He should also be more ready and able to dish out punishment to the opposing forwards in front of the net.

From the Blue Jackets we take a short trip to the South West and visit the contending Nashville Predators, who made two key moves at the deadline.  First, they picked-up Mikael Granlund from the Wild in one of the rare, straight up, true hockey trades.  Then they looked to the East and brought in Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers right near the buzzer as the deadline was fast approaching. 

Granlund is a high-end skill player who can do just about everything.  He is an elite passer with a great shot, did I mention he has some great puck control and can deke with some of the best.  He plays in all situations as well, killing penalties and most important for the Preds, he produces on the PP.  As a team Nashville has the 2^nd worst PP in the entire league with a 12.5% success rate.  If Granlund can help them improve that over the short term and into the playoffs, then this trade will be viewed as a win for Nashville.

Speaking of helping the powerplay, who better to get than Wayne Simmonds.  Simmonds has solidified his career by being one of the best net front players in the entire league.  In 8 years with the Flyers, Simmonds scored 203 goals, 91 of those goals were on the PP!!!  If adding Simmonds to your powerplay can’t fix it, then nothing will.  And if they don’t get this one aspect of their game figured out, they will be out of the playoffs before they realize what happened.

Now we can’t talk trades without talking about the biggest “prize” of the day and that would be Mark Stone heading out to Vegas just minutes before the 3 pm deadline hit. With all the talk about Ottawa demanding multiple picks and players for Stone, it seems Vegas got him at a nice percent off, like old produce from a grocery store.  But that is not to say that Stone is getting old and rotten at all, just the Senators trying to salvage anything they can.

By adding Stone, the Golden Knights become a deeper and deeper team offensively.  And though they’re underperforming this season compared to how last season went, they’re still racking up wins and the whole team is scoring by committee.  But once again this is considered one of the elite teams in the league, with a horrendous PP.  The have the 22^nd ranked PP in the league this year, and Stone, who is a proven scorer, should help them climb the rankings and have a much more respectable PP heading into the playoffs.

While the price that Vegas paid wasn’t as high as what was originally expected, they did give up one elite (and I mean ELITE) prospect in Erik Brannstrom.  Brannstrom is one of the best up and coming Swedish defenseman in all of hockey. He will step right into the NHL next season in a 2^nd pairing role for the Sens with Chabot likely on the 1^st pairing.  There is no better place to start for Ottawa’s rebuild than on defense, lets just hope they don’t squander what could be an amazing career. 

And lastly the team that seemed to do the most work on Deadline Day, the Winnipeg Jets.  They made a plethora of moves compared to most other teams.  One major trade, and a few smaller ones which will likely pay the biggest dividends in the long haul. 

Starting on the back end the Jets went out and added some depth.  They have had a few players banged up here and there, but they also lost Josh Morrisey for about a month now leading into the playoffs making these depth moves even more important.  The addition of Nathan Beaulieu is the most important player added here. He is a smooth skater who can make a good 1^st pass. He is also still young and developing his game.  Things just didn’t work in Buffalo for him, perhaps the Jets will give him a fresh start and chance to play some meaningful minutes, but he’ll have to perform well if he wants to stay in the lineup.

At forward the Jets brought in a depth center in Matt Hendricks.  Hendricks isn’t a guy who is going to score and put up points for any team.  But what he will do is win you important face offs late in games in the defensive zone.  He will clear the puck out across your blue line.  He will battle hard in the corners against the opposition’s best players.  And he’ll block shots for you without hesitation.  He is one of the glue guys on a team that bonds them and motivates everyone to work that much harder by doing the little things that add up to victory. 

And the big splash of the day that was made early by the Jets was the addition of the giant forward Kevin Hayes.  Hayes was likely the most expensive player acquired all day costing a 1^st round pick and a young NHL player in Brendan Lemieux.  

Hayes has slid right into the No.2 center role for the Jets giving them some much needed depth at the position.  He also makes them even bigger than they already were as he is their 6^th player who is over 6’5” in height.  Not to mention he can skate like a guy who is only 5’10” and he drives the net like a true power forward should.  He can play on the power play as well as the penalty kill, which the Jets really need some help with.  He will be a key addition and should fit in nicely with how the Jets play and make a large impact in this year’s playoffs. 

Now like I said in the open I can’t talk about every player and every trade in this manner, my hands would fall off and your eyes would rot out, and nobody wants that.  But these are the biggest names moved and most competitive teams, who all just got that much better.  If you notice, most teams that made moves to improve right now were the ones out west.  It is no surprise as the Western standings are so tight that every team is looking for any and every edge they can find.  How these moves pan out will be seen in the next two months as teams shuffle for their spots in the playoffs and look to play for a chance to win the ultimate prize, The Stanley Cup.