THE ART OF THE TRADE DEADLINE DEAL
There’s less than one week remaining until the NHL’S trade deadline.
The only question is, which Canadian teams are buying, which are selling, and which are simply kicking tires and looking for deals?
As of Tuesday morning, three of the seven teams (Calgary, Toronto and Winnipeg) were locked into playoff spots, two were on the bubble (Montreal and Vancouver), and two others (Edmonton and Ottawa) were completely out of it. And yet, their place in the standings might not reflect their intentions heading into the Feb. 27 cut-off date.
With the deadline fast approaching, here’s what each team should — and should not — do.
BUYERS
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Record: 36-19-3, 3rd in Atlantic Division
Movable pieces: First-round pick in 2020, prospects Jeremy Bracco (61st overall, 2015), Timothy Liljegren (17th, 2017), Rasmus Sandin (29th, 2018)
Potential targets: Size up front and depth defencemen
What should happen: The Leafs did their heavy lifting a couple of weeks ago by sending a firstround pick and a pair of prospects to the Los Angeles Kings for defenceman Jake Muzzin. But with another first-round matchup against the Bruins looming, they aren’t done yet. This is the final year of having Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on entry-level salaries, something that Toronto needs to take advantage of by adding more heft and depth (Rangers’ Adam Mcquaid) to the back end.
What shouldn’t happen: For all the talk about the need to play heavier, the Leafs don’t need to get Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds or Kevin Hayes of the Rangers. The Leafs’ forwards are who they are: fast, skilled and small. That’s fine. One player at the trade deadline isn’t going to change that. And with Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey heading to free agency in the summer — and Jake Muzzin’s contract expiring in 2020 — the team might want to hold onto Sandin and Liljegren.
WINNIPEG JETS
Record: 36-19-4, 1st in Central Division
Movable pieces: First-round pick in 2019, Kristian Vesalainen, prospects Logan Stanley (18th overall, 2016), Dylan Samberg (43rd, 2017) Potential targets: No. 2 centre
What should happen: The Jets, who gave up a first-round pick to acquire Paul Stastny at last year’s deadline, need to do it again in order to help Patrik Laine get out of his funk. Laine has only four goals since the start of December and a big reason why could be that he doesn’t have a centre to get him the puck. Matt Duchene is at the top of the list, but Florida’s Derick Brassard could be a very good Plan B.
What shouldn’t happen: Kevin Cheveldayoff can’t sit on his hands and do nothing. Yes, the Jets’ GM built this team by largely being patient and letting things play out. But with Laine, Kyle Connor and Jacob Trouba all requiring new deals in the summer, the window on winning has never been bigger. To take that final step, the team needs to sacrifice a bit of the future for the present.
SELLERS
EDMONTON OILERS Record: 24-29-5, 14th in the Western Conference
Movable pieces: Jesse Puljujarvi, Alex Chiasson, Zack Kassian, Sam Gagner
Potential targets: A winger to play with Connor Mcdavid and young defencemen
What should happen: The Oilers traded goalie Cam Talbot last week, but the fire sale has just begun. The team needs to shed salaries and get better at the same time. It’s a heck of a challenge for a team with so many immovable contracts. While Puljujarvi’s name has been out there as trade bait, I’d keep him and instead try to get as much as possible for Chiasson — would Washington take him back for Andre Burakovsky? — who’s the only pending UFA actually having a good year (17 goals).
What shouldn’t happen: Do. Not. Trade. Puljujarvi. Don’t do it. For one, you’re selling low on a player who has four goals and nine points in 45 games. And secondly, he’s only 20. The Arizona Coyotes gave up too early on Dylan Strome, who has scored 35 points in 36 games since arriving in Chicago. And as much as Puljujarvi has struggled, you know it’s only a matter of time before the fourth-overall pick in 2016 finds his game. When he does, it better be as an Oiler.
OTTAWA SENATORS Record: 22-32-5, 16th in the Eastern Conference
Movable pieces: Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, Ryan Dzingel, Cody Ceci
Potential targets: First-round picks and prospects
What should happen: Barring a last-minute signing, the Senators are probably going to have to move on from Duchene and Stone, both pending UFAS. But the team should try to keep Dzingel, who is just 26 and has already set a career high with 44 points. After all, the kids coming up need some kind of veteran to lean on during what looks like a long and painful rebuild.
What shouldn’t happen: The Senators are without a firstround pick, having traded it to Colorado a year ago in exchange for Duchene. But that doesn’t mean the team has to necessarily recoup that pick in trades for Duchene and Stone. If the team trusts its pro scouting department — the same group that advised Ottawa to acquire Josh Norris, Rudolfs Balcers and Dylan Demelo in the Erik Karlsson trade — it could potentially speed up the rebuilding process with A-level prospects who are a bit older and further along in their development.
WINDOW SHOPPERS
MONTREAL CANADIENS Record: 31-21-7, 8th in Western Conference
Movable pieces: Second-round pick, prospects Noah Juulsen (26th overall, 2015), Josh Brook (56th, 2017)
Potential targets: Bottom-six forwards, third-pairing defencemen
What should happen: The recent acquisitions of Nate Thompson, Dale Weise and Christian Folin are exactly the sort of depth deals that Montreal should continue making. With two picks in the second round (their own and one that belonged to the Blue Jackets), the Canadiens have the ammunition to make another acquisition that could bolster the third line, such as Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist or New Jersey’s Marcus Johansson.
What shouldn’t happen: GM Marc Bergevin has repeatedly said that he won’t mortgage the future for short-term gains, but now that the team is on the bubble of missing the playoffs — as of Tuesday morning — will his mind change? We hope not. Even with goalie Carey Price capable of stealing a round or two, the Canadiens are ahead of schedule and they need to keep an eye on where they might be two or three years from now.
CALGARY FLAMES Record: 36-16-7, 1st in Pacific Division
Movable pieces: First-round pick, prospects Dillon Dube (56th overall, 2016), Adam Ruzicka (109th, 2017) Potential targets: Experienced
defencemen
What should happen: Nothing. The Flames have the best record in the Western Conference for a good reason. Why mess with that? And if injured winger James Neal somehow regains his scoring touch in time for the playoffs — he has five goals in 55 games — it could have the same impact as acquiring a top-six forward, such as the Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello, at the deadline.
What shouldn’t happen: The Flames, who had been one of the hottest teams in January, have now lost five of eight coming out of the all-star break. There are concerns that the third defence pair is too young and inexperienced, but is going after Ottawa’s Cody Ceci or New Jersey’s Ben Lovejoy really a better alternative? I’d think not. Plus, after waiting until the fourth round to make a pick in last year’s draft, the team needs to hang onto its picks this time around.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS Record: 26-27-7, 11th in Western Conference
Movable pieces: Alex Edler, Jake Virtanen, prospects Olli Juolevi (5th overall, 2016), Jonathan Dahlen (42nd, 2016) Potential targets: Healthy defencemen
What should happen: GM Jim Benning said last week that he won’t trade the team’s firstround pick because Vancouver is hosting this year’s draft. He also said that while Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and the other young players would certainly benefit from playing in the post-season, being in a playoff hunt could be just as valuable. In other words, what you see is likely what you’ll get. What shouldn’t happen:
As of Tuesday morning, the Canucks were only one point out of the final wild card spot. With Alex Edler (concussion) and Chris Tanev (ankle) on the mend, there might be an inclination to upgrade the back end (Anaheim’s Cam Fowler or Florida’s Mark Pysyk are options) for the sake of sneaking in. But with Calgary, Winnipeg or San Jose waiting in the first round, is a potential four-game sweep really worth giving up a top end prospect for?