How Have Recent NHL Trade Deadline Deals Gone?

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WIth the 2021 NHL trade deadline coming up on Monday, the shape of the playoff picture as well as the final drive to the postseason for many teams could be shaped by how much they do, or don’t do on this crazy day.

Already we have been treated to deals that involve big-name players heading to new scenes in an attempt to bolster very good squads. Today, Nick Foligno went from Columbus to Toronto and we are literally just now receiving details of Taylor Hall headed to the Bruins.

NHL GMs don’t wait for trade deadline day to decide if their team is in need of fresh faces, in fact, they probably know what the deadline plan is months in advance. Yet, once the deadline rolls around and the seller’s market begins to find its footing, it seems there are always bidding wars taking place until the wee hours of the cutoff time.

It isn’t always what the teams do at trade deadline time that makes the headlines, but actually what they don’t do is often more decisive.

For example, just last season we saw most of the biggest fish in the pond go to teams that wouldn’t necessarily be considered Stanley Cup chasers. The likes of Tyler Toffoli and Taylor Hall ended up in situations where the teams they went to were mostly in need of help in their playoff push.

With that, the teams that were silent like the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders each found themselves just a few wins away from Lord Stanley’s holy grail after not making any significant additions midseason.

Once tomorrow’s deadline passes, it will be interesting to see what the new landscape of the NHL playoff picture looks like, and what teams appeared to have positioned themselves for a big run.

Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest trade deadline moves we have seen in NHL history, and how the teams that were involved in the major swap faired after the fact.

The Biggest Trade Deadline Splashes:

Buffalo trades Evander Kane to San Jose –

2018 was the year of the trade deadline. Kane wasn’t even the biggest name in the mix this season, as the Bruins made a huge move in the acquisition of Rick Nash from the Rangers.

As for Kane, he escaped the career-killing trends that players who sign contracts in Buffalo tend to live out. After being sent to the San Jose Sharks for a first-round pick, Kane has actually made very good use of his time in San Jose.

After signing an extension to remain in San Jose, the Vancouver native has scored plenty of goals for the Sharks and even through their transitioning period, he remains a pillar of their offensive attack and should remain a key piece of their core for a few more years.

As for the Sabres, everyone knows how it’s going over there.

Fiala, Duchene, Muzzin and Stone Find New Homes in 2019 –

The 2019 deadline was as busy as it gets for one day in regards to the number of big-name players that were shipped out of their respective cities.

Starting in Columbus where GM Jarmo Kakkolainen went all-in and gave his Blue Jackets an opportunity to do some major damage in the postseason. With pending UFA’s Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky clearly ready to move on in the summer, CBJ picked up Matt Duchene from Ottawa.

The Jackets went on to SWEEP the overwhelming favorite Lightning in round one to capture their first-ever NHL playoff series victory, and Duchene was a major part of their run, with 10 points in 10 games.

On the same day, the Wild and Preds swapped young projects, with Kevin Fiala headed to Minny for Mikael Granlund. A trade that looks to be in the favor of the Wild with how stellar Fiala looks to be developing.

Among the Canadian teams, the Leafs went out and got a bruising defenceman that many said was their biggest hole that needed bolstering. The Kings sent Jake Muzzin to Toronto for a prospect and a first-round pick. ALthough future capital is always a risk to give up, the Leafs got their guy and he is currently powering their blue line into cup favorite status.

Finally, the biggest deal on this day was for the Vegas Golden Knights, giving up prized defensive prospect Erik Brannstrom and multiple drafts pick for Mark Stone of Ottawa, one of the best two-way forwards in the league.

A deal that has reaped benefits for both sides, Vegas most definitely has no regrets in this one. Now dawing the ‘C’ as the franchise’s first-ever captain, Stone’s presence in the Vegas lineup has them as one of the best teams in the NHL right now, and Ottawa got the pieces they wanted to continue towards the future.

Canes and Leafs win big, Canucks and Coyotes get robbed in 2020 –

2020 had a deadline that many NHL GMs most likely wish they just shut off their phones for. With the pandemic just a few weeks away, NHL teams unknowingly gave up hefty capital for pieces that really didn’t end up providing much value.

This trade deadline scam affected no one worse than Vancouver, who gave up a highly touted prospect in Tyler Madden and a second-round pick for Tyler Toffoli from LA.

Toffoli, a pending UFA, actually played stellar for Vancouver. It was just the pandemic arriving and shortening the season that made the deal so disastrous. In the playoffs, Toffoli was injured for the entirety of the play-in round and round one.

Now gone to the Montreal Canadiens after not even being contacted by Vancouver in free agency, Toffoli left an unfulfilling impact on Vancouver and they paid a crucial price for it, on paper at least.

Also on the short end of the stick, the Arizona Coyotes also gave up future capital for the services of a scoring winger. Hall helped the Coyotes get past the play-in round, but after falling short in the opening round, he then left to the Buffalo Sabres in free agency and made the price Arizona paid for him look pretty awful.

As for the steals of this day last year, look nowhere else than some of the league’s elite right now.

Vincent Trocheck was an outcast with Florida, and after being dealt at last year’s deadline, he has looked like a new player in Carolina. Leading the Canes in points per game and goals per game, Trocheck found a home and the Canes pulled off an absolute heist for one of the best second-line centers in the game.

Lastly, current starting goaltender and NHL record holder for most consecutive victories as a goalie, Jack Campbell was sent to the Leafs in another deal between these two teams on opposite sides of the spectrum.

Campbell improved to 11-0-0 on Saturday, and all they gave to LA was a second-rounder.

Can’t wait to see what takes place before the 12:00 pm deadline on Monday.

Evan Power, Evolution 107.9

 

 

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