Dull deadline day
Iginla the biggest name to move
You know it’s a slow trade deadline day in the NHL when the biggest name dealt is a 39-year-old with eight goals this season.
Headed for the Los Angeles Kings, Jarome Iginla was the highest profile name to move in one of the slowest (and least interesting) deadline days in recent memory. Most of the transactions involved depth players on expiring contracts, including Thomas Vanek to Florida, P.A. Parenteau to Nashville and Mark Streit to Pittsburgh.
There were only 18 trades in all, and only 16 involving players who’ve played in the NHL this season.
Many of the picks moved Wednesday were either conditional or late round selections. Iginla fetched a conditional fourth round pick in 2018 for Colorado; Vanek netted the Wings a third in 2017; Parenteau got the Devils a sixth, also this summer. Not one first round pick actually moved hands on deadline day itself (and only one second), though some moved in the more intriguing lead-up to the deadline — including in Washington’s acquisition of Kevin Shattenkirk and Minnesota’s landing of Martin Hanzal.
The NHL’s fourth-highest scoring defenceman this season, Shattenkirk was one of the few high-end contributors to change teams with most of the other deals involving depth pieces for playoff contenders.
Streit, the 39-year-old defenceman, joined the defending Stanley Cup champions, Kyle Quincey and Lauri Korpikoski came aboard the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets, and Jannik Hansen injected some depth on the wing for the San Jose Sharks.
Maybe the most curious wheelers at the deadline were the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.
Montreal, oddly, went for size and physicality up front in scooping up Dwight King (six foot four, 229 pounds), Andreas Martinsen (six foot three, 220 pounds) and the always feisty, but aging Steve Ott. The club also traded for six foot two, 210pound defenceman Brandon Davidson and six foot two, 200pound defender Jordie Benn — the latter with two more years left on his contract.
“I don’t want to lose the pace that we have, but at the same time I think we accomplished a little bit of both (in also adding some size).” Habs GM Marc Bergevin said.
None of the additions addressed the club’s need for offence. The Habs, who also recently flipped Michel Therrien for Claude Julien behind the bench, have scored only 21 goals in 13 games this month.
Already busy with the recent additions of Alex Burrows, Tommy Wingels and Viktor Stalberg, the Senators opted to deal 22-year-old former first round pick Curtis Lazar to Calgary on deadline day for a second rounder in 2017 as well as defensive depth in Jyrki Jokipakka.
The two biggest names reportedly in play at the deadline, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, both stayed put in Colorado as did Radim Vrbata with Arizona.
Iginla, meanwhile, will play for his fifth NHL team, though it’s curious whether his addition — alongside goaltender Ben Bishop — will be enough to get the Kings to the post-season. Still chasing his first Stanley Cup, the Edmonton native is on pace to finish with fewer than 20 goals for the first time since 1997-98 when he scored 13 goals as a 20-year-old sophomore for the Calgary Flames.
After adding Boyle earlier in the week, the Toronto Maple Leafs made only a minor move on Wednesday, dealing Frankie Corrado to Pittsburgh for Eric Fehr, minor league defenceman Steven Oleksy and a fourth round pick.
The Fehr deal helped the capstrapped Penguins add Streit, while aiding the Leafs in the expansion draft.