This past Monday, teams across the NHL simultaneously counted down to the 3 p.m. trade deadline. According to USA TODAY, 19 trades involving 37 players were made Monday, a strict departure from last year’s relatively quiet period.
Despite the high volume of trades, there was a genuine lack of excitement surrounding this year’s trade deadline. Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman had been shopping forward Jonathan Drouin for weeks leading up to the deadline. However, despite rumors linking teams like the Anaheim Ducks to the former third overall pick, no trade was made, leaving both Drouin and the Lightning unsatisfied.
As the playoffs draw nearer, it will become evident who the biggest winners of the deadline were. However, at first glance, one team stands out the most — the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago brought back veteran forward Andrew Ladd (who was a key piece of the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup Championship), filling a much-needed hole at left wing. The Hawks acquired Ladd, Matt Fraser and Jay Harrison from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for prospect Marko Dano, a first-round pick this year.
In addition to making their top line one of the most lethal in the NHL, the Blackhawks brought in a depth scorer in Tomas Fleischmann and a strong checker and penalty killer in Dale Weise to bolster their bottom six. When Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger return from the injured reserve, the Blackhawks forward corps could prove very lethal, as led by Ladd, Hossa and Jonathan Toews.
Now, couple Chicago’s diverse forwards with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook manning the blue line, as well as goaltender Corey Crawford (who’s sneakily having a Vezina-caliber season). This was an excellent trade deadline for Chicago, which looks to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions since the Detroit Red Wings won in both 1997 and 1998.
The Blackhawks saw the most improvement in the Western Conference, and the Florida Panthers saw the most improvement in the East. Florida was both busy and successful at the deadline. Although the Anaheim Ducks received much less than they could (or should) have for forward Brandon Pirri (Anaheim’s sixth-round pick this year), the other moves they made have left them primed for success now, not later.
Florida added two solid forwards in Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell. They also acquired defenseman Jakub Kindl, a mobile third-line defenseman, from the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
The Panthers, who currently sit atop the Atlantic division, shocked the league this year. Despite unexpected success last year, they were not expected to be in serious contention to win the Atlantic division this season.
They’ve got a great young core of skaters, featuring two of the past three Calder Trophy winners in forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman Aaron Ekblad. They’ve got a veteran goaltender who has extensive playoff experience in Roberto Luongo. And they’ve got one of hockey’s single most esteemed players in Jaromir Jagr. Adding Hudler and Purcell to its roster makes Florida a legitimate threat to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
While Chicago and Florida were the big winners, there were several more — just not nearly on the same level. Other winners include the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Boston improved on both sides of the puck at the deadline by acquiring a versatile forward in Lee Stempniak (from the New Jersey Devils) and a veteran defenseman in John-Michael Liles (from the Carolina Hurricanes). Stempniak should compliment Boston’s defense-first mentality well, while Liles provides much needed puck-mobility to an aging defensive corps featuring Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. The Atlantic Division is wide open, and the Bruins undeniably have the experience, depth, and goaltending to go on a deep playoff run, especially after their deadline deals.
Meanwhile, the New York Rangers acquired Eric Staal from Carolina for two second-round picks and prospect forward Aleksi Saarela. Staal does not in any way make the Rangers instant favorites. He is not the player he was years ago, and he doesn’t have to be. He was a leader of the Stanley Cup-winning Hurricanes in 2005, thus explaining why the Rangers brought him on board. Recent Rangers teams have been missing precisely his type of experience and leadership.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are on this list for an entirely different reason. They have maximized return for their assets now, in an attempt to start fresh in the future. This year, the Leafs parted with their captain, Dion Phaneuf, as well as their starting goalie, James Reimer.
Toronto has already been considered a potential landing spot for pending unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos. With Mike Babcock at the helm and prospects such as Kasperi Kapanen and Mitch Marner coming up soon, the Maple Leafs’ future actually looks bright again.
