“How the NHL Trade Deadline Was Won: 4 Teams’ Approaches Revealed”

March 10, 2024 Admin Colorado Avalanche 0

Winning the trade deadline is not a guarantee of anything in the NHL.

nor in the most parity-filled era in the history of the sport, nor with the randomness of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

A year ago, prior to the deadline, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs were two of the busier teams. At the time, I admired their all-in strategies. The No. 8 Florida Panthers, the only playoff team to do nothing before the deadline, eliminated both teams. You get the idea.

Ivan Barbashev was a critical addition made by the eventual Cup winners, the Vegas Golden Knights, at last year’s deadline. It turned out to be one of the most astute additions of the deadline, along with Teddy Blueger. However, in retrospect, few people believed that Vegas had “won” the deadline a year ago.

Again, being busy at the deadline doesn’t always translate.

However, it can. The Colorado Avalanche were active prior to the deadline two years ago, and those players—Andrew Cogliano, Nico Sturm, Josh Manson, and Artturi Lehkonen, who scored the series-clinching goal in both the conference final and Stanley Cup Final—all blended in well on the way to a champagne-soaked June night.

This leads us to this year’s trade deadline, which the Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets, and Avalanche are attacking with explosive results. Everywhere there are gold medals.

The Panthers and Dallas Stars receive silver medals for finding the essential parts they needed without having to make many additions. With Vladimir Tarasenko, Florida filled a top-six place and acquired him for a modest cost thanks to his one-team wish list and a culture that has made the state a sought-after travel destination. Additionally, general manager Bill Zito’s addition of veteran with great character Kyle Okposo on Friday was a good touch. In my opinion, the Panthers were already the finest team in the Eastern Conference. Zito did not have to go above and beyond what he did, especially because he was aware of the importance of keeping a close-knit dressing room tidy.

Veteran Stars General Manager Jim Nill avoided having to give up a first-round selection in order to get Chris Tanev, the right-shot, top-four addition his team was chasing. Dallas is upfront, so there was no need to muck about any longer.

Back to our four gold medalists. Let’s hear a bit more about how their deadlines went down.

Hurricanes

The thing that intrigues me the most about the pursuit of Jake Guentzel is that Don Waddell, the general manager and president of the Hurricanes, waited until Wednesday morning to participate seriously in the contest. The Canes waited a while to intervene before speaking with Kyle Dubas, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I had talked to Kyle a few weeks before, as I do with all the other general managers, just to see what he was up to,” Waddell said on Saturday to The Athletic. “I mean, they still have a shot, but he indicated he would not do anything until or if they came to a point where maybe it seemed like they would not make it (to the playoffs) and that it might be wise to transfer Guentzel.

“That was the week before, and I let it go. And then things started to come out (reports of teams talking of a trade with Pittsburgh). So I called him Wednesday morning and said, ‘You know, we would have interest.’ And Kyle said he’s not as interested in draft picks as he is in prospects, and he knows we have a slew of prospects. He asked me if I would put a list together and get involved.”

Waddell probably meant The Athletic’s Chris Johnston’s report from Tuesday, which stated that the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and Pittsburgh were discussing a possible three-team trade that would include Guentzel going to the Canucks, Elias Lindholm going to the Bruins, and a package going to the Penguins.

The New York Rangers were then reportedly making a strong push on Thursday while the Panthers were skulking. However, I do not believe they were ever really into it, other than making sure they maintained contact with Pittsburgh in case the market collapsed and they were able to pounce at a lower price.

“Thursday it started to heat up a little bit more,” Waddell said of his talks with Dubas. “Like any great player, (Dubas was) trying to get as much as he can. We had to add a few things in there. By Thursday night, we were able to come to a deal.”

However, there were tense periods during the day when Waddell did not hear from Dubas for a few hours.

“I try to put myself in Kyle’s shoes; if I take his position, I have to attempt to maximize his value,” Waddell remarked. It is imperative to handle situations involving several teams in this manner. Thus, on Thursday, we waited three or four hours for anything to happen. I was aware of the procedure. Trying to chase Kyle down did not help me at all. His task is to optimize the worth. I was aware of his actions.

“At the end of the day, if someone outbids me, then we move on. So I don’t get frustrated with these types of deals at the deadline because I know how it all works.”

When Dubas did get in touch again, it was to let them know they were prepared to move forward. The best available rental player was with the Canes.

When Dubas did get in touch again, it was to let them know they were prepared to move forward. The best available rental player was with the Canes.

With regard to Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, Waddell remarked, “Where the credit is not being given is to Tom.” “because this is not an asset risk; this is a money risk.” It is not an asset risk as we forfeited a third-round pick. Still, there is a financial risk. We will spend $5 million this year and next year if it does not work out. This may be a home run if it works out.

“So I give credit to Tom for saying, ‘Let’s take a shot.’”

Part of the risk-reward calculation is that the Canes feel strongly about their team culture, Waddell added, established by head coach Rod Brind’Amour and their veteran core.

A year ago, Waddell and the Canes got hammered by many for a quiet deadline. It wasn’t for a lack of trying; they were all over Timo Meier before the New Jersey Devils got him. But being aggressive this time around wasn’t meant to appease the critics.

“For our players that have been here, I felt it was important to try and do something,” Waddell said. “I know yesterday when I went to practice after we made these deals, the emotions were very high.

“I believed that we owed it to our players and coaching staff to make an effort. It is a different matter entirely if we attempted and failed at it. However, you had to give it a shot, and this time it worked out.

Jets

One can argue the Jets provided a perfect template for how a contender should approach the deadline:

1. Have your salary cap in a healthy place from the start of the season so you can add comfortably.

2. Make a move early. Then you can sit back and pounce again if a buyers’ market develops but don’t have to feel overburdened if the second move doesn’t develop.

3. By waiting for that second move, be in a position to go after a target that wasn’t even on the market when the deadline period began.

Check everything three times.

The Montreal Canadiens acquired Sean Monahan on February 2nd, but at a high cost: a first-round pick. Both the buyer and the seller are happy with the outcome. While the Habs earned a greater return on their rental than other selling teams at the deadline, the Jets added a player who has been an incredible addition and has immediately blended in.

“Things got jump-started there a little bit,” Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told The Athletic on Saturday. “We knew we wanted to get another centerman there, and from a market perspective, when you identify the market and you know you might have to act decisively, we did. The good news by getting him early, getting him acclimated, getting him in here: He doesn’t seem like a new player.”

Another benefit?

“He’s the one making the phone calls to Tyler Toffoli to welcome him to the team,” Cheveldayoff said. “So that’s nice. It’s like a benefit within the benefit, getting a player like that. And yeah, you know what, kudos to (Habs GM) Kent (Hughes). He held his ground. We tried a couple of different ways to do it. But he had conviction, we had a need, and we decided to act.”

Both teams are winners for it.

After five weeks, the Jets managed to wait out Toffoli’s market (perhaps helped by the Devils’ reluctance to transfer him to the rival Rangers) and acquired him at 50% salary retention for the low cost of two second-round picks and a third-round pick. Considering Toffoli’s ability to score goals, it is definitely a deal.

When you combine both trades, the collective asset price was well worth it — on the higher side on the first deal, and a bargain on the second.

And similar to Paul Stastny’s hitting the market just before the 2018 deadline and the Jets’ pouncing on him, Toffoli was a late entrant to the market. Even Wednesday, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald wasn’t sure he would move him with his team trying to stay in the playoff race.

According to Cheveldayoff, “Fitzy’s scenario there was different (from Montreal’s)—they are still trying to win, and rightfully so.” When teams ultimately decide to sell, it can be difficult to forecast and manage, which is perhaps one of the subtle nuances.

“When we made the trade with St. Louis for Stastny, Doug (Armstrong) was hanging in there — in fact, I think he was still in a playoff spot when we made the deal. So again, every team’s situation is different and the timing different.”

Referring back to our blueprint from earlier, the Jets might have selected a different forward sooner and missed out on a chance to get Toffoli. It is a fascinating risk.

“That’s where the nerves side of it comes into play,” Cheveldayoff said. “It’s not that you’re trying to keep up. It’s that you want to do what you want to do or you want to do the next thing.”

To be honest, recruiting players to Winnipeg is more difficult. That adds to the feeling of deadline success inside that particular reality.

“It’s important for our market, and it’s important for our team,” Cheveldayoff said. “With our guys, we talk about wanting to win, and when an opportunity presents itself, there’s no guarantees. But I think we’re in a better position today.”

No doubt about it.

Avalanche

Has general manager Chris MacFarland successfully implemented a similar deadline to the one that before the Cup run two years ago? Maybe. The Avs sincerely hope for the same outcome.

They added defenseman Sean Walker and center Casey Mittelstadt, but their two new additions were forwards Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime, who were ranked in the bottom six.

In order to have two third lines, not a third and a fourth, head coach Jared Bednar wanted to add Duhaime and Trenin to the roster in order to add enough depth to the bottom six so that Bednar could use both lines equally comfortably in terms of matchup and minutes. To pull things off, you need the depth.

Duhaime has a large build. He is a good skater who skates in a straight line, which certainly matches our style,” MacFarland said on Saturday to The Athletic. Additionally, he plays video games. Having a player in our lineup who can skate well and has some weight behind him appealed to us.

“Trenin is a big guy with decent hands. A really good checking forward, good penalty-kill guy. Just a really useful piece.”

Once more, though, the trades involving the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers made headlines. These resulted from the Avs head office’s prior determination that Ryan Johansen, who was signed last summer, was not performing well in his role as the second-line center, a position that has proven hard to fill since Nazem Kadri’s departure due to free agency.

“It wasn’t working,” MacFarland said of the Johansen experiment. “And the 2C spot demanded attention to try and find a solution.”

Before Elias Lindholm was moved to Vancouver by the Calgary Flames in late January, MacFarland made an attempt to sign him, however it was evident that he could not comment on it.

Thus, there were undoubtedly a few objectives. Finding a second-line center that was not a rental, however, was the goal. That implied a more challenging proposal—a hockey contract.

“It was a tricky deal,” MacFarland said of the second-line center search. It also meant finding a way to jettison Johansen’s contract, which runs through next season at a $4 million cap hit, whether in the same deal or a separate one.

“We had a bunch of different options, to be honest with you, but they all kind of had different secondary alternatives,” MacFarland said. “The one that we were able to get across the finish line was with Danny Briere and the Flyers. They did a great job and got a first-round pick out of it. We were the beneficiaries of being able to bring in Walker, whom we like a lot, on an expiring deal. So that made the math work.”

Once more, MacFarland was unable to comment on this, but league sources verify he had discussed a comparable package—a first-round selection and Johansen—with Calgary in exchange for Chris Tanev. The Flames were pleased with the Stars’ offer, and Calgary had no interest in accepting the Johansen contract.

Once Johansen was off the books and the Avs had Walker, a top-four defenseman, they turned their attention to completing an exciting trade: blueliner Bowen Byram to the Sabres for Mittelstadt.

MacFarland stated, “From our perspective, we know how terrific Bo is, how nice of a person he is, and if it were not for (Devon) Toews and (Cale) Makar, he would be a top-pairing guy. The Sabres were not going to sell Mittelstadt for picks or for an older player.” “His stay with us was nothing short of amazing. However, I believe that after the conclusion of this agreement, he will want to expand a little bit, and rightfully so.

“But we were not going to trade Bo for a 30-year-old defenseman or a 30-year-old center whose contract was about to expire. It needed to be a very particular circumstance. It needed to be for a youthful, contract-wise manageable center.

“I know Bo is going to do his thing there in Buffalo and be a real important piece for them.”

The Avs in Mittelstadt expect to have ultimately and permanently resolved their second-line center conundrum.

“But for that hockey deal to happen, we needed to get that D. We weren’t going to weaken one area to try and strengthen another,” MacFarland said. “The stars aligned, I guess.”

Kurtis MacDermid was also traded to New Jersey for cap concerns, which may have gone unnoticed. MacFarland, team captain Joe Sakic, and the whole group adored and admired MacDermid for the work he accomplished in his position. The Avs transferred him, and while it may have appeared to the outside world like an afterthought, it was not treated lightly within the team.

All things considered, the Avs front management accomplished a number of particular goals during this hectic deadline time. They are now prepared to take it on.

Golden Knights

Finally, there’s the team that stirs the drink in the NHL.

Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon stated to The Athletic on Saturday, “The trade deadline is the last chance for a general manager to assist his team, and we really wanted to do that.” We are the Stanley Cup winners in the current era. In order to put our squad in the best possible position, we wanted to do all within our power.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries this year. We’ve had a lot of players that have really carried us, and we just thought that they deserved some help. That was our thinking going into it. And over the course of the week, it went really well. We were able to add some really significant players.”

Do you think?

Anthony Mantha was the appetizer Tuesday, and Noah Hanifin was a huge blue-line addition Wednesday. Then came the hat-trick addition that reverberated around the hockey world Friday.

I won’t soon forget sitting beside semi-retired Bob McKenzie on our TSN set when the Insider legend dropped the Bobfather Bomb of deadline day: Tomáš Hertl to Vegas.

Kaboom. What a scoop. What a trade.

It was one nobody saw coming. As it turns out, the Knights started talking to the San Jose Sharks about Hertl just before the All-Star break and stayed on it.

“We had talked to San Jose before Tomáš got hurt,” McCrimmon said. “Tomáš was a player with significant term left on his contract. He’s a player that’s played so well against us. We’ve got tremendous respect for the player, and that’s sort of why the conversations began. But it was really complex. These are big decisions for both organizations. There’s a lot of steps you have to go through for a deal like this to happen.

“The holding on to. What extra cost must be incurred in order for a team to be retained? You are now addressing ownership. It was the last transaction to be finished. We spent the most time working on it. The fact that we made it to the end was fantastic for both teams, as I believe San Jose, with their ongoing reconstruction, would benefit greatly from the move as well. Furthermore, we appreciate the positive impact it has on our team during the course of his contract as well as the short term.

Undoubtedly, a major factor in it was paying Hertl $6.75 million annually as opposed to the $8.1 million he was paid prior to the Sharks’ retention. Considering how difficult it is to move money and terms around the league at the moment, Sharks general manager Mike Grier did fairly well.

The intermittent talks between the front offices remained silent as all of this was coming together. That is equally incredible.

“I give credit to both organizations that it was kept internal,” McCrimmon said. “That’s how deals should be made.”

(I’m not sure if the Vegas GM knows how I make a living, but I’ll ignore his last comment!)

This was Vegas as usual. It is boring to hear all the blather about its long-term injured reserve status. There are no regulations being broken by the Golden Knights. Mark Stone’s spleen is lacerations. There is no schedule for his comeback. That is the way things really are.

Although I can appreciate the broader discussion about whether it makes sense for the salary cap to not apply during the playoffs, it is an NHL discussion, not a Vegas discussion. About what 32 owners desire is that. what the majority of players desire. One squad is not the focus. Maybe we will talk about this again during the GM meetings on March 18–20.

In addition, few teams have suffered more setbacks from injuries than Vegas, particularly to important players. Undoubtedly, it has had an impact on their performance. It is not only about attempting to defend the Cup that Hertl, Mantha, and Hanifin have been added. Hertl is injured. It also has to do with a team that needs healthy players and whose recent decline in the standings makes a postseason berth all but guaranteed.

For Vegas, the postseason has begun. And it has as strong a chance to win again as any leading contender if it makes it in. That was ensured by the Golden Knights’ deadline work.

(Photo of Tomáš Hertl: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)

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