It was almost a tale of two conferences for the NHL trading deadline on Monday. The Western Conference teams made some bold moves in trying to get better before the playoffs, while most of the Eastern Conference teams were happy staying with what they have.
It will be interesting to see how that plays out when the postseason comes a little less than two months from now. There were, however, definite winners and losers from Monday’s trade deadline.
Below are a few of those that made out, and those that came up short.
Winners
Vegas Golden Knights
Arguably they were the biggest winner of the day. The Golden Knights needed a marquee scorer, and general manager George McPhee went out and got the best one available in Ottawa’s Mark Stone. Then instead of having a half-year rental player, locked him into a long-term contract.
Stone will help the team’s sluggish powerplay, and he might even be out their killing penalties as well. He comes in with far more points (62), than the team’s leader, Alex Tuch (43).
This gives Vegas one of the top two lines in the Western Conference, and could give them a deep run again in the playoffs. They did give up a huge prospect in defenseman Erik Brännström, but for team that wants to win now this was a great deal.
Nashville Predators
Another team that decided the future is now, Nashville went out and got Mikael Granlund from Minnesota and Wayne Simmonds from Philadelphia. Those two will fill two needed roles for the Predators.
Granlund will give the second line more scoring, a problem that plagued the team in the playoffs last year. Simmonds brings a physicality that is always in demand, and should also help the power play, which is one of the worst in the league.
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg was already one of the best teams in the league, but getting Kevin Hayes from the New York Rangers will make them a deeper, and subsequently deeper team.
Hayes will replace last year’s midseason replacement, Peter Stasney, who left to the Golden Knights in free agency. Hayes could be a 30-goal scorer. It also doesn’t hurt that the Jets were Hayes’ favorite team growing up.
Losers
Calgary Flames
While their contemporaries were wheeling and dealing to get better for the playoffs, Calgary added defenseman Oscar Fantenberg from the Los Angeles Kings. He will help with the depth of the blue line, but he is hardly an impact player.
While Winnipeg, Vegas, and Nashville made moves to get better offensively for the postseason, Calgary apparently was satisfied with what they have. That could come back to haunt them in the postseason.
Eastern Conference
The Western Conference treated the East like a little brother, taking all the toys, and they didn’t put up much of a fight. The New York Islanders did nothing, while Pittsburgh and Boston seemed to pick at the leftovers.
The Penguins got Chris Wideman and Erik Gudbranson, players that seemingly no one else really wanted. The Bruins, who needed a top-six forward, instead picked up Marcus Johansson, who is more of a third-line forward.
Tampa Bay is the best team in the league, and the Eastern Conference teams hoping to topple them did little to challenge them in the playoffs.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa is in rebuilding mode and has been dumping quality players to the highest bidder. Problem is they didn’t get a whole lot for their assets. Vegas got Stone, and while they gave up Brännström, the package didn’t include a first-round draft pick.
They did get a first-round pick for Matt Duchene, but the thinking was, both players could have fetched far more last year when more teams were interested in parting with better packages for the two players.
