LOS ANGELES – Well, the NHL trade deadline came and went, and the list of names reads like a “who?”. Joe Bartnick gives his take on the trades and their impacts on the teams they left and the teams they joined.
ATLANTIC-
Bruins- The Bruins acquired Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase from the Ducks. They gave the Ducks David Backes (salary dump), Danton Heinen (disappointing), a prospect and a first rounder. Two nice pieces for basically a first. A
Panthers- The Panthers traded away their second line center and assistant captain Vincent Trocheck. They got back Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark and others. The team that gets the best player wins the trade. Trocheck is the best player. C-
Lightning- The Bolts got Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow for size and some scoring up front. Zach Bogosian adds defensive depth. It cost them two first rounders. Future be damned. Cup or Bust. A-
Maple Leafs- Jack Campbell was a necessity. Kyle Clifford adds grit but but they need much more.Jake Muzzin signed a team friendly deal. Mikka Salomaki and Denis Maglin aren’t defensemen. C+
Canadiens- Habs decided not to go for it. They flipped Kovalchuk for a third rounder. B-
Senators- The Senators received a king’s ransom for JG Pageau, a player who will be old when they’re relevant. B+
Sabres- The Sabres got Dominik Kahun for underachievers Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues. They added Wayne Simmonds for a fifth rounder. He gives team badly needed leadership. A
Red Wings- Andreas Athanasiou for two second rounders probably is better than one first because they need everything. Setting Mike Green free was humane. B+
/Andreas Athanasiou fill find support in Edmonton with Connor McDavid
METRO-
Penguins- Penguins gave the Wild too much for Jason Zucker. Malkin’s left wing Dominik Kahun was shipped out for two guys who did nothing in Buffalo. Patrick Marleau for a third is a solid move. Never addressed toughness, faceoffs or left side defensive depth. C-
Flyers- The Flyers got Derek Grant and Nate Thompson for low round draft picks. Both are Flyer-type players without Flyer type negatives. A
Rangers- The Rangers signed Chris Kreider to a team friendly deal. Brady Skjei got back a first rounder, but he still is young and will be in the Metro for years. B-
Islanders- Pageau is an Islander and signed for a long time. Andy Greene stepped right into a big role. They gave away some future but now have a real chance. B+
Devils- The Devils cleaned house and got a pair of firsts. Wayne Simmonds’ stock fell a ton in eighteen months. B
Blue Jackets- They’re happy where they’re at, near the playoffs. Devin Shore is decent. C
Washington- The Capitals got Brenden Dillion early for a relatively cheap second and third. It was very nice of the Capitals to allow Ilya Kovalchuk to tag along on the Capitals playoff run. B+
Ilya Kovalchuk traded to Caps
Hurricanes- The Hurricanes got a great number two center Vincent Trocheck and two NHL defensemen in Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen. That is what playoff teams do. A
CENTRAL-
Blackhawks- The Hawks aren’t going anywhere. They might as well get something for Robin Lehner and Erik Gustafsson. They cleared up their goalie debate until the summer. C+
Blues- The Champs stayed put. Vlad Tarasenko is close. B
Avalanche- Vlad Namestnikov is a nice piece. The Avs couldn’t make a trade for health. B-
Stars- They like their team. B-
Jets- Cody Eakin and Dylan DeMelo are nice pieces for a team already in the playoffs. They will not make the Jets a playoff team. C-
Predators- The Predators got Korbinian Holzer and Ben Harpur. Remember when Nashville had too much and David Poile didn’t want to break up team after a few week of looking OK? C-
Wild- New GM Bill Guerin received a nice haul for Jason Zucker. He didn’t pull the trigger on Zach Parise or Matt Dumba. Good decisions. B+
PACIFIC-
Kings- GM Rob Blake finally woke up and dumped some, but not all, dead weight. He should have unloaded more. C
Tyler Toffoli finds game in Vancouver
Ducks- The Ducks moved on from veterans Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie. Christian Djoos and Danton Heinen will get a chance to play on the Pond. B
Sharks- The Sharks moved Patrick Marleau, Barclay Goodrow and Brenden Dillion. The return was a first,, two seconds and a third. Nobody wanted Joe Thornton. B+
Coyotes- Acquiring Taylor Hall was their big move this season. B
Knights- The Knights acquired Robin Lehner to finally give Vegas two reliable NHL goaltenders. Alec Martinez is a good defenseman and a winner. B+
Canucks- Tyler Toffoli is actually filling in for Brock Boeser. Where was this Toffoli in LA? Louis Domingue is a solid backup. B+
Oilers- Andreas Athanasiou is the winger Connor McDavid has always needed. Mike Green can still move the puck. A
Flames- Derek Forbot and Erik Gustafsson are solid defensemen but the Flames needed secondary scoring. C
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