The National Hockey League’s annual trade deadline came and went at 3pm ET on Monday.
Some of the biggest deals were actually completed in the days leading up to Monday. This is not a surprise. In fact, it only lends credence to the theory in and around the NHL that the perennial hype surrounding the final hours counting down to the deadline itself is overblown. (It is.)
But that’s a debate for another time. Here’s a look at how some of the big trades played out and what they could mean for the future with the playoffs looming next month.
9 February: Jets trade Evander Kane to Sabres
The deal: After much speculation about how bad Kane’s reputation had to be within his own organization before he was let go, the Jets offloaded him to the Sabres (along with Zach Bogosian and Jason Kasdorf) in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
The winner: It depends
For Winnipeg, an unhelpful distraction is gone and the team can focus again on making the playoffs. Myers is a good addition, and is already getting points (six in his last eight games). For Buffalo, the gamble is that Kane will excel with a change of scenery and ignite the perpetual Sabres rebuild. If they manage to snag phenom Connor McDavid at the draft, all the better.
26 February: Devils trade Jaromir Jagr to Panthers
The deal: Living legend and apparent current owner of the philosopher’s stone, Jagr was reportedly surprised by his abrupt departure to Florida. But it’s no shock why the Panthers wanted him: he’s about as close to a sure thing when it comes to points as it gets. In return, the Devils received a second-round draft pick this summer and a conditional third-round pick next year.
The winner: Florida Panthers
The Panthers sit just out of a wild card spot, at writing only two points back of the Boston Bruins. They could use the kind of goal scoring and play-making on which Jagr has made his name for 25 years in the league. Sure, they lose some draft picks, but this franchise is desperate to get back into the playoffs, so they’re mostly thinking short term with this. With the Bruins last year, Jagr managed 10 points (all assists) in the playoffs. He’s an asset.
26 February: Maple Leafs trade David Clarkson to Blue Jackets
The deal: Many, many words have been written on Clarkson, and for good reason. In the summer of 2013, the Leafs handed Clarkson a whopping seven-year, $36.5m contract for reasons beyond most of the NHL-viewing world, most notably among the analytics nuts who stated over and over he just simply wasn’t worth it. What he was worth, in the end? Nathan Horton, who, coincidentally, also signed a huge contract in 2013 – the same day Clarkson did – for $37.1m over seven years. But now he’s injured, perhaps enough to keep him off the ice forever. The deal meant that Columbus would finally get a player for all their money, and the should Horton remain injured, the Leafs will save a lot of theirs.
Winner: Probably a draw, though if Clarkson still can’t live up to the expectations that come with such a large paycheck, the winner in the end might be Toronto
Secondary winner: Toronto hockey columnists
1 March: Coyotes trade Keith Yandle (and others) to Rangers
The deal: Yandle, a high-scoring defenseman, was expected to be a big get for whoever came up with a good enough deal. The Rangers’ offer of defenseman John Moore, prospect Anthony Duclair and a couple of draft picks was enough for New York to obtain him, along with fellow Coyotes’ defenceman Chris Summers.
Winner: New York Rangers (for now)
The Rangers are banking on the return of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in perhaps a month or so from injury to make the final push to the playoffs. In the meantime, Yandle will help keep them in the running, contributing much-needed offence from a defensive corp that could use a boost.
In the long run, however, it’s worth keeping an eye on what comes of Duclair’s move to Arizona. He and fellow Coyotes prospect Max Domi shared a forward line for Canada at this year’s World Junior Championships and (along with Sam Reinhart) were a force to be reckoned with. Should the Coyotes keep both until they’re fully ready for full-time NHL spots, it could work out very well for Arizona.
2 March: Flyers trade Braydon Coburn to Lightning
The deal: Online Monday there was some debate as to whether Coburn was a sub-par defenseman or a decent defenseman, but overall the Philly faithful seemed to agree their squad got the better end of this deal – even though part of the return package was defenseman Radko Gudas, who is out for the remainder of the year with a knee injury (not his first). That’s because when he’s healthy, Gudas can put up some offensive numbers – 22 points last year versus Coburn’s 17. Better still, for some reason Tampa Bay threw in first-round and third-round picks in this year’s draft.
Winner: Flyers fans are probably right on this
It’s arguable that Philly still isn’t completely out of the playoff picture – they’re six points back of Boston for a wild-card spot – but they may be cutting their losses while they can, banking on better returns from those draft picks.
2 March: Oilers trade Jeff Petry to Canadiens
The deal: Though not necessarily a blockbuster trade, Petry’s move to Montreal in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft meant this move, even more so than Kane’s trade, was the biggest eyebrow-raiser of the 2015 deadline. Petry is still relatively young (27) and he’s been a bright light in the darkness that is the perpetually terrible Oilers teams of late. He’s the kind of guy around whom Edmonton might have been able to build a decent defensive core. Hypothetically, anyway. So, to trade him away for more draft picks – something Edmonton has banked on for years now as being the saving grace of their team (with few good results) – seems odd, to say the least.
The counter-narrative is, of course, that Petry was good on bad Oilers teams and therefore might not be as good on a team as good as Montreal, so perhaps Edmonton will come out on top. This is a tired narrative in Oiler country, and has yet to prove the right one.
Winner: Montreal Canadiens
Even if Petry isn’t as good as everyone thinks he is, one would imagine he can only benefit from being on an even better team where he gets the chance to elevate his play. Canadiens fans, rejoice. Oilers fans … revolt?
