The 2017 NHL trade deadline has passed. Rumor winds picked up over the weekend, culminating in two big trades.
And then not much happened after that. But we graded everything anyway! With a bunch of nonsense. Keep refreshing all day as we get caught up and trades roll in.
BLUE JACKETS ADD DEPTH
Lauri Korpikoski is fast. He ... uh, retrieves pucks well? That the Stars got a prospect out of him at all is testament to Jim Nill’s trade wizardry.
Blue Jackets grade: Not as good as this pizza.
Stars grade: A million miles away.
BOSTON JOINS THE T PARTY
AS IN TRANSACTIONS
Hi. It’s Pat. I just ate food for the first time in like ten days, ask me anything.
Oh, you asked about grades. Cool! I’ve got grades. Who are we grading?
Oh. Right. The Bruins traded for Drew Stafford. I don’t have many strong opinions about Drew Stafford. I like him as a depth forward ... teams usually want players for those roles who can skate, score and kill penalties. Jacks-of-all-trades. Stafford is older, slower and more injury-prone than others of that ilk. But he’s still decent.
Bruins grade: A price they could StAFFORD, right
Jets grade: Right guys
THE PRICE IS STREIT
RIP Mark Streit’s Lightning career. Less than an hour after Streit was moved from the Flyers to the Lightning, Tampa Bay moved the defenseman to the Penguins for a fourth round pick in 2018.
First, it’s hilarious that the Flyers and Penguins didn’t deal with each other because RIVALRY. Second, Yzerman is really a genius, isn’t he? Flipping Streit for a fourth means they cut the cap hit of Valtteri Filppula, who went to the Flyers, and got a middle round draft pick.
As for Pittsburgh, this trade adds a good top-four veteran defenseman to their ranks as they’ve filled their injured blue line quite well.
Penguins grade: A renewal of the Battle of Pennsylvania
Lightning grade: Yzerman multi-classes into a sorcerer
CORRADO GETS HIS CHANCE IN PITTSBURGH
After being a healthy-scratch for much of the year in Toronto, Frank Corrado has a chance at a fresh start in Pittsburgh. Going back to the Maple Leafs for the 23-year-old defenseman is Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy, and a fourth round pick this year.
The Maple Leafs were never sure what to do with Corrado, despite being a young right-handed defenseman. As such, he’s spent most of the season being a healthy-scratch or in the minors, much to the dismay of Maple Leafs fans. The deal allows the Maple Leafs and Corrado to part ways amiably, and for Toronto to get some value back for a player they weren’t using.
Fehr and Oleksy aren’t going to make or break the Maple Leafs either way, but are fine depth additions.
Penguins grade: Corrado with lime
Maple Leafs grade: A pair of Oakley sunglasses
LAZAR BEAMS DOWN IN CALGARY
The Calgary Flames picked up yet another young player who has the chance to thrive in a different system. The Senators dealt former first round pick Curtis Lazar to the Flames in exchange for Mike Kostka, Jyrki Jokipakka and a second-round pick. Lazar never really shined in Ottawa, but he joins an exciting young core for a fresh start.
Meanwhile, Kostka and Jokipakka help fill some more depth for the Senators in their push for the playoffs. Pierre Dorion has pulled off a lot of moves to get Ottawa in position to succeed, though these small moves have been hit or miss.
Senators grade: The letter k, Pat Sajak.
Flames grade: LASER BEAMS
P.A. PARENTEAU LANDS IN NASHVILLE
The Predators acquired the services of a veteran scorer in P.A. Parenteau from the Devils. It’s a small move, one that cost them just a sixth-round pick in exchange for the 33-year-old who has 27 points on the year. Parenteau is injured so he won’t see the ice with his new team for a few more games, but it’s a solid pickup for some depth scoring.
Predators grade: Alliteration!
Devils grade: Picks, picks everywhere
PHILLY FLIPS STREIT FOR FILPPULA
The Flyers are finally making room for their young defensive prospects. In a trade that actually really works for both sides, the Flyers sent Mark Streit to the Lightning for Valtteri Filppula and two draft picks.
For Philadelphia, the addition of Filppula adds to their depth scoring, something which they have been lacking this season. And for Tampa Bay, it’s not so much of the addition of Streit than it is the subtraction of cap space for the future. Also, with Filppula gone the Lightning will have an extra spot to protect one of their young forwards in the expansion draft.
A need for a need trade. Not bad.
Flyers grade: PROSPECT TIME BABY
Lightning grade: Yzerman levels up
SORRY, IGGY
Jarome Iginla, 39, wanted to get traded to a Stanley Cup contender.
He got traded to the Kings, who aren’t in the playoffs right now. And L.A. has to chase the Flames to make the playoffs. Hello, intrigue!
It’s a shame Iginla hasn’t won a Stanley Cup yet. But at this stage in his career, he’ll appreciate playing in meaningful games somewhere. That wasn’t going to happen in Denver. It will happen in L.A., even if they don’t make the postseason.
As for Denver, a fourth round pick in 2018 (a better draft year, by all accounts) is good.
Kings grade: Win one for Iggy.
Avalanche grade: Thumbs up emoji
DWIGHT CANADIEN
I like what Montreal is doing here.
They’ve picked up Brandon Davidson, Steve Ott and Dwight King. What’s the biggest knock on the Habs? That they’re not ... well, big enough. If scoring wasn’t acquirable at this deadline, they needed to add some #grit in their bottom six. They’ve done that.
This is fine.
Canadiens grade: B for Bergevin
Kings grade: D for Dwight. Actually an A. For ... Angeles.
VANEK FLIES TO FLORIDA
Just kidding. Thomas Vanek doesn’t fly anywhere on the ice anymore.
The guy can’t skate anymore, even if he still has a nose for the net and good scoring ability. Seems like an odd move for forward-thinking Florida, but they had to do something. If Vanek and Jagr are on the same line, they will get blitzed. And Florida needs to pair Vanek with a speedy center. Perhaps on Barkov and Huberdeau’s wing?
The combinations will be interesting to watch. Meanwhile, the Wings get Dylan McIlrath, who might not be an NHL defenseman anymore. But that’s 11 picks in the 2017 draft now. Not bad.
Panthers grade: Vanek said he’d skate the trade to us if he got traded. Still waiting on him to arrive.
Red Wings grade: Sure!
AT MIDNIGHT? REALLY?
I (Pat) just woke up to find out that two teams traded players the second I closed my eyelids for the night. Jerks.
Jannik Hansen is off to the Sharks. I like it. Versatile. Can score. Can play in his own end. Sure.
But they traded Nikolay Goldobin for him, which is interesting. Goldobin hasn’t cracked the Sharks’ lineup consistently yet, but there’s still time for him to live up to his first-round potential. Seems like a pretty high price to pay for a depth guy.
Sharks grade: One thumb up, one thumb down, two thumbs sideways and one thumb counter-clockwise.
Canucks: I think Jim Benning is good?
STEVE OTT? REALLY?
Montreal took a hard look at Andrew Shaw yesterday and thought, “the one thing we’re missing is a worse version of THAT GUY.”
I’ll say this: the Habs are adding depth in spades for a playoff run. Ott has the intangibles (leadership, grit, etc.) hockey people love, and he can be decent on a fourth line. At the very least, he has size much of that lineup lacks.
Fine. Whatever.
Canadiens grade:
Red Wings grade:
THE EXPANSION DRAFT SUCKS. JUST ASK EDMONTON.
Hey, you know who’s decent? Brandon Davidson.
Hey, you know who needs a decent defender these days? Or, always? The Oilers.
Hey, you know who had to lose either Davidson or Kris Russell in the expansion draft? The Oilers.
Hey, you know who traded Davidson for a meh forward? The Oilers.
I don’t know who to be more disappointed in: Edmonton or Vegas.
Oilers grade: Kris Russell? Really?
Canadiens grade:
Sorry, Chris. Tweets live forever. (We love you, buddy.)
ODUYA RETURNS TO CHI-TOWN
Is Johnny Oduya an upgrade over Trevor van Riemsdyk? Who knows. That’s not the scorching hot trade you were looking for, but there it is.
Mark McNeill heads back to Dallas, a former first round pick approaching “bust” status. If any team knows that near-busts can turn into something decent with a new team, it’s Dallas. (Just go look up Jack Campbell’s stats this year.)
Blackhawks grade:
Stan Bowman got a low-risk, high-reward winger and a 2-time Cup-winning D-man without giving up any prospects of value, or any 1st or 2nds. pic.twitter.com/Ik2xUz7KZ6
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) March 1, 2017
Stars grade:
The Stars really lost this trade in the goodlooks/60 department. pic.twitter.com/YvXlCtKTNV
— Alyssa (@alyssastweeting) March 1, 2017
STALBERG’S LATEST STOP? OTTAWA
So, the Senators REALLY think they need forward depth. The good news for them this time is they didn’t overpay for Viktor Stalberg like they did with Burrows. However, the bad news is that Stalberg’s just another bottom-six guy that likely won’t make or break their team.
It’s not surprising that the Senators are trying to go for it this year. The Atlantic is weaker now that Montreal has stumbled a bit, and the Metropolitan Division might tear themselves apart by the final round. Ottawa’s weakness this year has been their lack of depth scoring, but time will tell if these moves pay off.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes now have seven draft picks in the first three rounds of this year’s draft. Could there be more to this hoarding than just future prospects?
Senators grade: Bobby Ryan’s hopes and dreams
Hurricanes grade: You get a draft pick, and you get a draft pick. And none for you, Hartford.
SMITH GOES TO (A PLACE NEAR) WASHINGTON (D.C.)
Brendan Smith, this charming man roaming the Detroit blue line, is off to the Rangers. After missing out on Kevin Shattenkirk, the Rangers needed a defensive upgrade to help win now. But that begs the question: How soon is now?
Stop me if you think you've heard this one before: This trade isn’t a difference maker for New York. But he’s not half a person, either. He can fill in as a second-pairing guy and kill penalties when asked.
There’s something to be said for those kinds of players. And if the Rangers go on a surprise run to the Cup Finals, then he’ll be a decent part of it. But not the reason.
As for the Red Wings, those draft picks indicate the rebuild is on.
Rangers grade: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
Red Wings grade: Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now
CAPS WIN KIRK
It feels like the Capitals have been “all-in” for a Stanley Cup these last few years, and this trade for Kevin Shattenkirk has cemented it. Considering teams have been paying out of the nose for mediocre players, the fact that Washington gave up so little is a masterful play by Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan.
Going back to St. Louis is a first-rounder in the 2017 draft, a conditional 2018 second-round draft pick the Capitals don’t even have, and prospect Zach Sanford. That’s a lot of unknown future for a big chance at the prize this year. Of course, the Stanley Cup playoffs are anyone’s guess, but this Capitals lineup may be the best they’ve put together yet.
Plus, Washington gave up less than what the Wild did for Martin Hanzal. It’s a steal, no question. Time will tell what Sanford and those picks turn into for the Blues.
Capitals grade: You might not have to hear “Is it the Capitals year?” for much longer
Blues grade: Here’s to a long future for Colton Parayko on the blue line
WHAT ARE THE SENATORS DOING?
Owner Eugene Melnyk told his GM last week to go out and make a move so the team could make the playoffs. So the Senators went out and made a move for Alexandre Burrows. A third- or fourth-line guy who, at 35 years old, won’t make much of an impact.
And they paid the Canucks for him like he was Matt Duchene or something. Jonathan Dahlen, a 19-year-old taken 42nd overall last year, has 42 points in 44 games in the second-best league in Sweden. He oozes skill, put on a good show at the 2017 World Juniors, and instantly becomes one of Vancouver’s best prospects.
Oh, and the Senators signed Burrows to a two-year deal as well. I don’t get it. Console your local Senators fan today. Not your local senator. That would be weird, and you might get arrested. I will not bail you out.
Canucks grade: A whole new opinion of GM Jim Benning
Senators grade: Two hits over the head with a five-iron just to shake out the cobwebs
THE BENN BROTHERS ARE NO MORE
We knew the Stars would trade a defenseman. We just thought it’d be Johnny Oduya or Jamie Oleksiak or Patrik Nemeth.
The elder Benn brother was a surprise.
I, as a Stars fan, have gone for a sports walk in the interim to clear my head. I like Jordie Benn a lot. He’s someone to root for: an undrafted free agent brother of a superstar who worked his way into a top-six role. And now he’s an asset a playoff team values enough to trade Greg Pateryn for. Whatever that means.
This is a pretty even trade for both sides. Benn is a slight upgrade over Pateryn for a Habs team trying to right the ship and hold onto a playoff spot. He’ll eat up penalty kill minutes, too.
And the Stars free up room for younger players to step the rest of the season and beyond. Feels like another shoe is about to drop with them, though. Jim Nill is finally upending the blue line after the youngsters rewarded his patience with disappointment.
Canadiens grade:
Stars grade:
MAPLE LEAFS GRAB BOYLE
This is such a Mike Babcock trade.
Toronto needed an experienced center for the playoffs, and they got one who can win faceoffs, kill penalties, and drive possession. Boyle is a great message to the Leafs that they can work toward the playoffs even as they continue developing.
And Toronto still has a second-round pick left after that. Now Tampa Bay has three picks in the first two rounds. Everyone’s a winner here.
Maple Leafs grade: The hearts dancing in Mike Babcock’s eyes
Lightning grade: THUMBS UP LET’S GO
WILD GO ALL-IN FOR HANZAL
I kind of love this trade. I love it for the Coyotes, who squeezed the best possible price out of a decent-but-not-great player in the form of three high draft picks. If you thought their system was stacked now ... yeesh.
I love that the Wild are just deciding to go for it this year. The Western Conference is weak. This is their chance. I love that they can roll a lineup with Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund (or Eric Staal), Martin Hanzal and Erik Haula down the middle. Find me a better quartet of dynamic centers in the West. I’ll wait.
And I love that they didn’t part with any of their best prospects. Kirill Kaprizov, Jordan Greenway, Alex Tuch, Kaapo Kahkonen, Luke Kunin ... they’re all still part of the Wild’s bright future. They get to have their Martin Hanzal, playoff run-boosting cake and eat it later, too.
Wild grade: A-
Coyotes grade: Eventual A+. Patience, Arizona. Your time will come.
KINGS TAKE BISHOP
I’ve used that chess joke at least five times already.
So ... this trade. There’s a lot of nuance here. More than there would be if he got sent to, say, Calgary or Dallas.
Dean Lombardi essentially confirmed that this is because they want to keep Jonathan Quick from playing all of their remaining 21 games ... but they still want to push for the playoffs. So what better way to do that than carry two elite goalies on your roster?
When the shock wore off, I wrote about how much I appreciate this trade from a logic standpoint. L.A. didn’t give up a whole lot for Bishop, but they’ll get some serious insurance if Quick gets injured again. And don’t count out the idea that they’re taking calls on Bishop already.
As for Tampa Bay ... at least they got something for him. And now they can finally let Andrei Vasilevskiy roam free.
Lightning grade: Knight to E5
Kings grade: Two elite goalies out of two
EAVESY GO
Typical NHL. Wait until the Friday afternoon before the deadline to drop two trades on us in like half an hour.
The first? Dallas sent Patrick Eaves to the Ducks for a conditional second round pick. Ignore the angry Stars fans. Trust the Stars fan writing this thing: this is a good trade for both sides.
Anaheim gets some scoring depth and a guy who can make a difference on the power play if matched with the right teammates. Dallas gets a second round pick for an unrestricted free agent veteran.
It could even turn into a first round pick, but I’m not kidding when I say the conditions attached here are a damn maze:
Based on draft position, Dallas will receive the middle pick of Ottawa, San Jose or Toronto's second-round selections in 2017 per the conditions in which Anaheim acquired the pick from Toronto in a previous trade.
It’s a condition within a condition. Conditional inception.
Ducks grade:
Eaves has seen some shit pic.twitter.com/aMO9cc7Sjs
— Josh Lile, TX (@JoshL1220) March 30, 2016
Stars grade:
HUDDLED MASSES JURCO-ING TO BREATHE FREE
What a stretch.
Win-win trade here. Detroit gets a decent draft pick back, and Chicago gets a player with promise and untapped potential in need of a scenery change.
Blackhawks grade: Salary cap wizards.
Red Wings grade: Just the beginning of the sell-off, but not a bad start.
RON HAINSEY GETS A SHOT AT THE PLAYOFFS
So this one kind of came out of nowhere, like many of these earlier deals. Pittsburgh dropped this news on us mid-morning on Thursday, and then revealed why: Trevor Daley is out for awhile after surgery.
Thus, the need for a depth defenseman. And why they ponied up a 2nd round pick. There’s a 10 percent chance that pick turns into an elite player, but if they win a Stanley Cup with this depth it’s worth it.
Also, this is just a great story. Ron Hainsey, 35, has 891 NHL games under his belt without a single trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Penguins grade: Ten thousand NBC playoff broadcast mentions out of ten thousand
Hurricanes grade: A-
MICHAEL STONE ROLLS TO CALGARY
Whether Michael Stone is actually a good top-four defenseman or not is kind of irrelevant at this point. He could be better than Dennis Wideman this year, so it’s worth the Flames making the move.
Arizona got Calgary’s 2017 third rounder and a conditional fifth in 2018 (only if he re-signs with Calgary this summer). Your typical high-upside deadline deal. Arizona frees up room for youngsters like Anthony DeAngelo or Kyle Wood to play more while recouping two picks. Not bad.
Coyotes grade: 16 prematurely announced new arena deals out of 19
Flames grade: [stone pun]
NOW HERE’S A TRADE YOU’LL LOOV
This trade went down two weeks before the deadline and made many of us wonder if this would be the high point.
Toronto traded defenseman Viktor Loov to the Devils. New Jersey traded Sergey Kalinin to the Leafs. A minor league deal. Enthralling.
Leafs grade:
Sergey Kalinin is bad.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) February 18, 2017
Devils grade:
u could put a horse in a time machine and send it to any era and the horse's life would literally be the same
— chuuch (@ch000ch) June 6, 2016
WE WISH TOM GILBERT WENT TO PITTSBURGH
We had so many Gilbert & Sullivan jokes lined up. Instead, we’ll waste your time with this.
Kings grade: I should go.
Capitals grade: The very model of a scientist salarian.
PAYING FOR FIDDLER THROUGH THE ROOF
The Preds’ second move of the trade season was bringing back veteran center Vernon Fiddler. Cool. He’s 36 years old and an unrestricted free agent, so he shouldn’t be worth more than a ... wait, a fourth round pick this year?
I like Vernon Fiddler a whole lot as a character guy. Veteran presence. Intangibles. Whatnot. But it’s been a month and I’m still not sure why the Predators paid so much for him.
Predators grade: Fiddler’s Kevin Bieksa impression.
Devils grade: Alain Vigneault’s reaction to said impression.
TOMMY WONGELS
It’s nice to see the Senators joining the sellers’ side of the aisle so early this season. And for such a decent player at a reasonable price!
Tommy Wingels is a meat and potatoes player: a hard forechecker with scoring ability who can play center or wing in the bottom six. And he’s been ... okay since joining Ottawa.
San Jose got a rough-and-tumble player for him in Buddy Robinson, a minor league defenseman in Zack Stortini and a 2017 seventh round pick.
Sharks grade: Fine, I guess.
Senators grade: TOMMY WONGELS
BLACKHAWKS TRADE BLAH BLAH BLAH
This was the most inconsequential trade of the year. I’m only bringing it up because Michael Latta is involved. I never pass up this opportunity.
Hey, remember when the Capitals traded Filip Forsberg to the Predators for Latta and Martin Erat? Remember how the two combined for five goals before leaving the Capitals two years later? Remember how lopsided that trade was?
Anyway.
Blackhawks Predators grade: A +++++
Kings Capitals grade: F - - - - -
COLORADO MAKES THE TRADE NOBODY WANTED
What a tease. We all knew the Avs would blow up their core soon. Who would be the first to go? Duchene? Landeskog? Iginla?
Nope. Noted grinder Cody McLeod, sent to Nashville for a forward prospect named Félix Girard. Considering the cost involved in the trade below, that’s ... kind of a steal.
Avalanche grade: Three missing teeth out of five.
Predators grade: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
LEAFS JETTISON ENROTH
Jhonas Enroth is essentially a minor league goalie now. Or maybe not! We’ll never know, because nobody will ever give him a starting shot again. So Toronto shipped him to the Ducks for a 2018 7th round pick. Pour one out for Jhonas.
Also of note: this is the third goalie swapped between Anaheim and Toronto this season. (Remember the Bernier-for-Andersen trade?) That’s a 2,500 mile trip. That’s torture.
Leafs grade then: Sure, why not.
Leafs grade now: Perhaps you didn’t hear us the first time: Sure, why not.
Ducks grade then: Cool.
Ducks grade now: A 10-2-0 AHL record? Sure, why not.