Hjalmarsson may step into the No. 1 pairing with Coyotes

Continued from FP13

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS GET: F Laurent Dauphin, D Connor Murphy.

THE SKINNY: In yet another example of the Coyotes seeking to be more competitive, they made a shrewd move in acquiring the underrated Hjalmarsson, who was part of the Blackhawks’ three Stanley Cup championships over the past decade. Saddled with the salary cap restrictions created by the long-term deals of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, GM Stan Bowman gets two youngsters in Dauphin, 22, and Murphy, 24, who have little track record at the NHL level. “(Hjalmarsson) made his debut in Chicago in 2008 and quietly established himself as one of the toughest competitors in franchise history,” Bowman said. Murphy had two goals and 15 assists in 77 games for the Coyotes last season.

THE VERDICT: Another nice move by Chayka. Hjalmarsson could very well step into the No. 1 pairing alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. NEW YORK ISLANDERS GET: F Jordan Eberle EDMONTON OILERS GET: F Ryan Strome

THE SKINNY: This blockbuster should benefit both teams, not to mention the players involved. One year after Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli decided Taylor Hall’s shelf life had expired and traded him to New Jersey, Eberle was moved to the Islanders for similar reasons. Strome, meanwhile, is a former firstround pick who had never consistently reached his potential on the Island.

THE VERDICT: Thumbs up for both teams. Eberle and John Tavares are one-time World Junior linemates who exhibited outstanding chemistry together, something Isles GM Garth Snow hopes can be repeated this time around. Strome, meanwhile, will have no issues feeling comfortable in Edmonton, since his brother Dylan and Oilers captain Connor McDavid are close family friends. MONTREAL CANADIENS GET: D David Schlemko VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS: 2019 5th Round Pick

THE SKINNY: There’s no doubt the Habs have a couple of glaring weaknesses: centre and defence. The blueline woes were augmented when GM Marc Bergevin sent blue chip prospect Mikhail Sergachev to the Tampa Bay Lightning as part of a package that landed dynamic forward Jonathan Drouin in Montreal. With 87 points in 360 career NHL games, Schlemko won’t remind Bell Centre faithful of P.K. Subban but he is competent in his own end.

THE VERDICT: Nice add for Habs, but there still is work to do on the blueline. CAROLINA HURRICANES GET: D Trevor van Riemsdyk, 2018 7 th Round Pick VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS GET: 2017 2nd Round Pick

THE SKINNY: TVR’s best days are still ahead of him. Being a teammate of Keith and Seabrook gave him the opportunity to learn from the best in Chicago, where he won a Cup in 2015.

THE VERDICT: Kudos to the Hurricanes, who quietly are building a nice cache of talent on the blueline. As for the Knights, the draft picks just keep on coming in.