The standings are tight and that made for a lack of sellers at the NHL's trade deadline on Monday. Here are the winners and losers from the past few days' activity, or lack thereof:
Winners
1. Chicago Blackhawks: When the Blackhawks added Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann over the weekend, it was like Bill Gates winning the lottery. The rich got richer. The NHL's most accomplished playoff team landed two players who will make them even stronger in the postseason. Ladd will play on the Blackhawks' top line eventually with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. Meanwhile, Weise and Fleischmann will be secondary scorers.
Both Ladd and Weise were among the most committed hitters on their previous teams, meaning they can provide the snarl that the Blackhawks have been lacking. Ladd, Weise and Fleischmann should be on the winners' list because both came from teams out of the playoffs. It's an added bonus for Ladd because he previously played for the Blackhawks, helping them win a Stanley Cup in 2010.
It doesn't matter that the Blackhawks gave up a first-round pick and a good young player (Marko Dano) to land Ladd, and a second-round pick and Phillip Danault to acquire Weise. With three Stanley Cup titles on his resume, general manager Stan Bowman is playing with house money. You don't have to sweat the future when you are winning today.
2. Calgary Flames: General manager Brad Treliving hit a home run on the return he received for moving feisty, shot-blocking defenseman Kris Russell to the Dallas Stars.
No one doubts Russell's ability to help the Stars, but they paid a heavy price to get him. They gave up a second-round pick that becomes a first-round pick if the Stars reach the Western Conference final. There's been a resistance movement in the NHL against giving up first-round picks for rentals. Thus, it's a major win for the Flames to have a chance to end up with a first-round pick for Russell.
The Flames also received 6-3 defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka, who has 91 games of NHL experience, plus Brett Pollock, considered a B or B- prospect. He's been a 25-goal scorer in the Western Hockey League and will turn pro this season. Unquestionably, the Flames got more for Russell than anticipated.
3. Florida Panthers: Coach Gerard Gallant's team boasted strong goaltending and solid defensive play. What it lacked was secondary scoring. General manager Dale Tallon addressed that by adding Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell. Hudler adds flash and Purcell gives them a steady contributor. Tallon paid a reasonable price in both trades
The moves sent an important message to the players and to the team's fan base.
4.Boston Bruins: Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. That is probably true for the Bruins, who decided not to trade Loui Eriksson, an unrestricted free agent this summer. They also acquired veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles (from the Carolina Hurricanes) and versatile forward Lee Stempniak (from the New Jersey Devils).
The Bruins' most pressing need was an all-around defenseman, and Liles fits that description. He also has played in more than 800 games. General manager Don Sweeney gave up a third- and fifth-round pick plus prospect Anthony Camara. It's a modest payment, considering what the Stars paid for Russell.
Stempniak, meanwhile, can play a variety of roles. He is highly-competitive, and he should be a solid complementary player.
5. Carolina Hurricanes: Because Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg and Liles were not part of the Hurricanes' future plans, the Hurricanes looked to gain young assets and draft picks. The Hurricanes turned them into two second-round picks from the New York Rangers, a third-rounder (2016) and a fifth-rounder (2017) from the Boston Bruins, a conditional fifth-round pick (from Los Angeles), plus prospects Valentin Zykov (from Los Angeles), Aleksi Saarela (from Rangers) and Camara. At 19, Saarela is the top scorer for his Finnish Elite League team. Meanwhile, Zykov is now Carolina's best right wing prospect.
Losers
1. Vancouver Canucks: Given what the Flames received for Russell, Vancouver fans have to be disappointed that Canucks general manager Jim Benning couldn't, or didn't, move defenseman Dan Hamhuis. He is considered a better player than Russell.
In fairness, Hamhuis held the cards because he had a no-trade clause. He didn't want to go to the Eastern Conference, but he was OK with trades to the Stars or Blackhawks. Why couldn't a trade get done with them? The Canucks also didn't move Radim Vrbata, who will also be an unrestricted free agent. The Canucks are eight points out of a playoff spot, and they are not considered close to being a contender. They added nothing for the future.
2. Brooks Laich (Toronto Maple Leafs): The poor guy was a high-character leader on the Washington Capitals through lean times. He was there for 12 seasons. Then, with their best opportunity to win a Stanley Cup, he is traded to a rebuilding team in Toronto. It's bad luck for a player with a reputation for being a good man.
3. Jonathan Drouin (Tampa Bay Lightning): The young winger took a calculated risk when he asked for a trade earlier in the season, and then decided to go home after playing a few games with Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League.
General manager Steve Yzerman looked at his options, but he didn't like the offers. Because Drouin is under contract through next season, Yzerman had the leverage and he used it. Now Drouin sits at home looking at the possibility that he won't play the rest of the season.
Had he played in Syracuse, Drouin would have had 20 scouts watching him every game.
4. NHL fans: Trade deadline day is always one of the league's most important days, especially in Canada where television networks have gavel-to-gavel coverage. People play hooky from school and work to watch coverage. It's like Christmas day and everyone gets a present. Contending teams receive help for their playoff run and losing teams get help for the future. But this year's trade deadline day was a dud, consisting of 19 trades involving 37 players. Why? Because too many teams are in contention. Also, general managers have decided that paying exorbitant prices for rental properties is not in their teams' best interests.
5. New York Islanders: GM Garth Snow has built a quality team, but it feels as if the Islanders could use a boost heading into the playoffs. No one wanted them to move their potential free agents, such as Kyle Okposo or Frans Nielsen. There was no consensus from their fan base about what the Islanders should do, but everyone wanted them to do something. They elected to only to make a minor deal by adding Shane Prince from the Ottawa Senators.
The Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning were the only prime contenders in the Eastern Conference that didn't make a significant addition.
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