NHL general managers swung a boatload of deals ahead of FridayB次元官网网址檚 trade deadline.
Teams made more than 40 swaps B次元官网网址 featuring most of the big names thought to be available B次元官网网址 in the weeks leading up to the leagueB次元官网网址檚 3 p.m. ET cutoff.
After the dust settled following a wild stretch that saw contenders load up, needs addressed and franchise icons wave goodbye, the stage was set for an anti-climatic, underwhelming main event.
B次元官网网址淚f you would have asked me a month ago, IB次元官网网址檇 have thought every trade was going to take place March 1, 2, 3,B次元官网网址 said Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, who took his big swing Tuesday when he sent underperforming forward Jesse Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes and acquired defenceman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know if this is the way itB次元官网网址檚 going to be next year, or if next year itB次元官网网址檚 going to go back.B次元官网网址
B次元官网网址淯sually thereB次元官网网址檚 30 trades, and 25 happen on trade deadline day. Today was quieter, but I donB次元官网网址檛 really know why.B次元官网网址
Carolina GM Don Waddell said the New York Islanders getting centre Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks in late January, along with salary cap concerns when acquiring big contracts, forced some hands.
B次元官网网址(Earlier) this year than normal for a big guy to get moved,B次元官网网址 Waddell said of Horvat. B次元官网网址淚 think that put a lot of teams saying, B次元官网网址榊ou know what? If weB次元官网网址檙e gonna make a move, letB次元官网网址檚 get going now.B次元官网网址 There was some sellers out there pretty quick after that.
B次元官网网址淢aybe itB次元官网网址檚 an abnormal year. WeB次元官网网址檒l see what the future holds.B次元官网网址
Deadline day itself mostly featured depth moves, reclamation projects, and rolls of the dice as GMs largely looked for value in the leagueB次元官网网址檚 bargain bin.
Detroit traded Jakub Vrana to St. Louis in a swap that sees the Red Wings retain 50 per cent of the wingerB次元官网网址檚 salary, Pittsburgh reacquired centre Nick Bonino from San Jose, and the Canucks shipped forward Curtis Lazar to New Jersey for a fourth-round draft pick in 2024.
The biggest move by a Canadian team on Friday saw the Winnipeg Jets acquire centre Vladislav Namestnikov from San Jose for a fourth-rounder in 2025.
The Calgary Flames acquired defenceman Troy Stecher and winger Nick Ritchie from Arizona for blue-liner Connor Mackay and forward Brett Ritchie in a case of brothers switching teams.
The Montreal Canadiens made a swap of AHLers that included defenceman Frederic Allard arriving from Los Angeles for centre Nate Schnarr, and also picked up a fifth-rounder from San Jose along with European-based defenceman Tony Sund for retaining 50 per cent of BoninoB次元官网网址檚 salary in the deal three-team with Pittsburgh.
The Ottawa Senators acquired centre Patrick Brown from Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick in June.
The Flames became the 32nd and final NHL club to make an in-season trade in 2022-23 when they acquired Dryden Hunt from the Leafs for fellow AHL forward Radim Zohorna.
In other notable moves, Philadelphia traded Zack MacEwen to Los Angeles in a deal that included fellow winger Brendan Lemieux going the other way, while Pittsburgh got veteran blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov from Anaheim.
Buffalo acquired defenceman Jordan Greenway from Minnesota for two picks before the Wild turned around and sent winger Oskar Sundqvist to Detroit for 2023 fourth-round selection.
The relative calm was in stark contrast to the last few weeks B次元官网网址 especially since Sunday B次元官网网址 as GMs across the NHL made a flurry of trades.
Those blockbusters included Patrick Kane going from the Blackhawks to the New York Rangers, Vladimir Tarasenko leaving St. Louis for the same landing spot, and Ryan OB次元官网网址橰eilly joining the Toronto Maple Leafs from the Blues, and Timo Meier heading from San Jose to New Jersey.
Surprise moves saw Jakob Chychrun head to Ottawa from Arizona, while Jonathan Quick was dealt away from Los Angeles before eventually ending up with Vegas.
The Leafs were by far the busiest Canadian club in the lead-up to the deadline, making five trades and adding six players since the middle of February as part of an aggressive arms race in the Eastern Conference.
All told, the NHLB次元官网网址檚 two-week stretch ahead of Friday included 43 trades involving 85 players and 55 draft picks, including 12 first-round selections.
B次元官网网址淧articularly this year, the calls started way earlier,B次元官网网址 Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said after trading Chychrun to Ottawa. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know why that is. I think teams want to get the player they want situated, and they donB次元官网网址檛 want to wait until the last moment to do so. I do believe thereB次元官网网址檚 a change when teams are negotiating.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e not waiting until the final day. TheyB次元官网网址檙e pursuing three weeks out.B次元官网网址
Winnipeg centre Mark Scheifele said itB次元官网网址檚 been exciting to see all the movement around the league B次元官网网址 prior to FridayB次元官网网址檚 snoozefest B次元官网网址 from afar.
B次元官网网址淯sually it comes down to the last two days,B次元官网网址 he said. B次元官网网址淏ut teams got it going right away. Ever since that Tarasenko trade (Feb. 9), no one wanted to let anyone get the jump on them.
B次元官网网址淭eams made their moves and got on the ball quick. ThereB次元官网网址檚 definitely some teams that have loaded up and are looking pretty strong.B次元官网网址
B次元官网网址擩oshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press