Rebuilding Regina Pats trade top forwards
Henry, Leschyshyn off to Lethbridge as part of blockbuster deal by Paddock
It was only a matter of time before the Regina Pats cashed in their two most valuable trade chips — Nick Henry and Jake Leschyshyn — to jump-start an imminent rebuilding process.
That time ended up being now. Pats GM John Paddock pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal Thursday, sending his two prized 19-yearold forwards to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for two other veteran forwards (Jadon Joseph, 19, and Ty Kolle, 18) along with five bantam draft picks (first-rounders in 2019 and 2020, a third-rounder in 2019, a fourth-rounder in 2022 and an eighth in 2019).
The Pats would also receive two third-round picks (2021 and 2022) in the event that Leschyshyn and Henry return next season as 20-yearolds. However, both players are NHL draft picks who will be expected to turn pro, making them one-year rentals.
Regina originally acquired the WHL rights to Henry and Leschyshyn via trades, but the Pats considered them homegrown players because they spent their entire WHL careers with the team.
Until now.
“Any trade is difficult if the player has been with you for any length of time,” said Paddock, whose team is switching gears after it played host to the 2018 Memorial Cup. “It was difficult to tell the kids this morning and it was difficult for them. They also knew it was coming. They knew since May 30 (after the Memorial Cup). The day is here.”
So, they’re making the best of it. “We’re really happy — them and me—that they could goto the same place,” Paddock added.
“That’s very odd but it worked that way. They’re going to a team that’s trying to win. That’s every athlete’s dream. We’re happy with what we got so I think it worked out aces for everybody.”
Whether he’s a buyer or seller, Paddock is known for striking well ahead of the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
Leschyshyn and Henry are elite players who’ve performed at that level this season — both are among the league’s top 15 scorers — so their value was already at the higher end ofthescale.
Paddock could have waited until closer to the deadline in hopes of extracting a better return, but he also would have run the risk of being left out in the cold if one or both players suffered a serious injury.
“They certainly with their play have enhanced (their value),” Paddock said. “It wasn’t going to drop off in the next six weeks. But any time( you wait) you run the risk of injury for both sides. You think of Jake’s injury a couple years ago (a torn ACL). If that happened next week it’s a killer for us and it’s a killer in (Hurricanes GM) Pete’s (Anholt) eyes because of what he wanted.
“Once you know that you have a deal or close to it … you can’t really wait.”
Paddock estimates that he discussed a trade involving Henry and/ or Leschyshyn with six to eight teams. It got serious with at least one other club but Paddock ultimately sealed a deal with Anholt, who had been in contact since October.
The starting point for the Pats was always going to be two firstround picks. Their own first-rounders in the next two drafts were traded to the Saskatoon Blades last season for Cameron Hebig and Libor Hajek.
The key to the deal is likely the first-rounder in 2020, which Lethbridge acquired last season from the Swift Current Broncos.
Like Regina, the Broncos are in a lengthy rebuild so next year’s pick is expected to be high.
“We got back two solid players who would be second and third in our scoring so those two guys are important,” Paddock said of Joseph (10 goals and 19 points in 23 games) and Kolle (seven goals, 12 points, 21 games).
“As everybody knows we’re at a different stage (compared to past seasons). We need picks and we need first-rounders.
“For those two players to come to our team and those first-round picks, that basically did it for me. We had to have other stuff (to finish it off ). We wanted quality not quantity and we feel we got real quality in those first things. It’s what we needed to have.”