Well, this wasn’t the best 48 hours for fans of half of the league. Some teams won big time, and others are absolutely in the mud. I will be talking about why that is the case and briefly talk about each trade. I don’t think that anyone expected this much movement today, and yet here we are.
Viktor Arvidsson to the Kings for a 2021 2nd Round Pick (#40) and a 2022 3rd Round Pick
This trade establishes two things to me, the Nashville Predators are moving into a retool/rebuild, and the LA Kings are ready to make a playoff push next season. Arvidsson had a very down year in Nashville this past season, but I think that that was mostly due to a poor Shooting %. When he plays his game, he is a solid middle 6 Winger with a very good wrist shot. I really like this move for both teams, because it not only frees up cap space for the Predators, but it also helps start to push the Kings into playoff contention.
Duncan Keith and Tim Soderlund to the Oilers for Caleb Jones and a 2022 3rd Round Pick*
With some of the other trades we’re going to talk about later in the article, this Keith trade just looks worse and worse for Ken Holland and the Oilers. They gave up multiple assets for a player with 2 years left on a terrible contract, who has also been very bad for the Blackhawks for the past 3 seasons. I’d argue that Caleb Jones is better than Duncan Keith right now, and while Keith may put up a lot of points on a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, similarly to Tyson Barrie, I think this is one of the worst trades I have seen in a long time. Fantastic job by Stan Bowman here for the Blackhawks.
Ryan Graves to the Devils for Mikhail Maltsev and a 2021 2nd Round Pick (#61)
Example #1 of a much better trade the Oilers could have made instead of the Duncan Keith deal. The New Jersey Devils got a very good defensive defenceman that can play top 4 minutes for the Devils as they, like the Kings, are looking to go for a playoff push this coming season. The Colorado Avalanche make a good deal here as well, as they were going to lose Graves for nothing to Seattle if they kept him. Now, they will lose another player, but I think this is a decent enough return for the Avalanche to think that both teams made a good trade here. The pick helps stock up the Avalanche's prospect cupboard, which could be a big thing if Landeskog leaves in Free Agency. Maltsev is a decent prospect that I can see being a very good 3rd line scorer in the NHL, and just look at this goal from him.
Nick Leddy to the Red Wings for Richard Panik and a 2021 2nd Round Pick (#52)
Example #2 of a much better trade the Oilers could have made instead of the Duncan Keith deal. However, I don’t see how this trade makes any sense for the Red Wings. They gave up a solid draft pick for a 30-year-old defenceman who is probably a tad overrated. Richard Panik is the exact kind of player that the Islanders love in their bottom 6. Getting him at a $1,375,000 cap hit for one season can’t hurt that much, especially when they just cleared out a $5,500,000 contract. They also get a 2nd round pick, which can do the same thing for the Islanders as I said for the Avalanche. I think that the Isles made a highway robbery here, and I’m not sure why Yzerman wanted to get Nick Leddy. I’m sure he has a plan… right?
Jason Dickinson to the Canucks for a 2021 3rd Round Pick (73rd Overall)
This trade is a bit confusing to me. The Stars don’t have the most cap space, so trading an RFA with arbitration rights is a fairly smart thing to do, and getting a 3rd for it is pretty solid as well. But Vancouver, who has Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson to sign this offseason, has taken on another RFA that they need to sign. I like Dickinson as a very good defensive 3rd line center, but the Canucks have put themselves in even more of a sticky situation when it comes to their cap space. It’s a weird deal, but if Dickinson gets a fairly cheap contract I don’t think that the Canucks will be in that much trouble.
Adin Hill and a 2022 7th Round Pick to San Jose for Josef Korenar and a 2022 2nd Round Pick
You know what, I like this trade. Look, I get that the Sharks should be wanting every draft pick they can get, but Adin Hill is a good goaltender. He has been solid for Arizona for the past two seasons, and he is a much better goalie compared to Martin Jones. Josef Korenar is an alright goaltending prospect, and getting a 2nd round pick back for Adin Hill is a solid package. I like this deal for both teams until you think about what Arizona just did. Antti Raanta is a UFA this season, and Darcy Kuemper has already said that he isn’t resigning with Arizona after this season, so are they hoping that Korenar blossoms into a starter after this season? I would’ve personally kept Adin Hill, and ran with him as the backup this year and the starter next year. But maybe the Coyotes have something else in mind.
Jared McCann to Toronto for Filip Hallander and a 2023 7th Round Pick
I am going to try my hardest to not get mad at Ron Hextall when talking about this trade. But trust me, I am. McCann is an excellent, versatile player who can play anywhere in the middle 6. He has a hell of a wrist shot and can be the player the Leafs could use on their top PP unit to try and reignite the half-dead Maple Leaf's powerplay. A very good get for Toronto. Filip Hallander is a very good prospect and is a player that I’m happy is back in the Penguins system. But, I don’t think that McCann is necessarily worth it. Yes, Hallander is a very good bet to be a player that is very similar to McCann by the time he reaches McCann's age, but the Penguins need to win now, they don’t have the time to wait. They could’ve easily protected McCann in the expansion draft instead of Jeff Carter, but man oh man am I ever disappointed in what Hextall has done with this trade. It’s going to be very hard to find a replacement for McCann for less than a $3,000,000 cap hit.
Barclay Goodrow to The Rangers for a 2022 7th Round Pick
Brett Howden to Vegas for Nick DeSimone and a 2022 4th Round Pick
A 7th is a 7th, and the Lightning was obviously not going to be resigning Goodrow. If the Rangers don’t overpay for him, he could be a solid Bottom 6 player for them. It is unreal that New York got any assets in a Brett Howden trade, but I guess there is a chance that he could turn things around.
Ryan Ellis to Philadelphia for Phillipe Myers and Nolan Patrick
Nolan Patrick to Vegas for Cody Glass
I don’t know why, but I have always seen Ryan Ellis going to Philadelphia at some point. Absolutely no reason why, but I do really like this trade for them. Ellis is a much better defenceman compared to Seth Jones, who it looked like was their other option. Upgrading Myers for Ellis, with the use of Nolan Patrick, who needed a change of scenery, is an amazing deal for Philly. Now, in saying that I have no idea why the Predators did this deal. Myers isn’t, and more than likely won’t be as good as Ryan Ellis at any point in his career. They’re obviously rebuilding, but why not try to get a first-round pick back as well? I feel like you could’ve with a player that’s as good as Ellis that’s locked up for the next 6 seasons. Nolan Patrick was the 2nd overall pick in 2017 for a reason, but I don’t think he’ll ever reach the potential that everybody thought that he would. He can still develop into a solid center, so why Nashville dealt him for Cody Glass, who is the same age and has a lot less potential than Patrick is a strange move. I guess the Preds were scared of Patrick's injury history? I mean that’s fair enough, but he played 52 of the Flyers' 56 games last season. He had a terrible season, but man, this one confuses me. It’s a gamble for Vegas, but I think that it’s a worthwhile deal for them.