Wings make big move late

The NHL trade deadline day looked like it was going to be boring with bigname unrestricted free agents Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and Kyle Palmieri moving in the days leading up to Monday. But it was redeemed at the end with the Capitals and Red Wings pulling off an old- fashioned major trade.

Here are the winners and losers of the trade deadline:

Winners

Red Wings: Not only did Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman salvage what was a rather uneventful trade deadline at the last minute, he did a lot to move forward his team’s rebuild. The Red Wings traded away a skilled, young power forward, Anthony Mantha, who is in the first year of a contract extension, but got back a dynamic forward ( Jakub Vrana, a pending restricted free agent), a valuable role piece ( Richard Panik) and two high picks ( first in 2021 and second in 2022). While Vrana has been criticized for being inconsistent, so too is Mantha, and even in a down year, Vrana has 11 goals and 25 points – and entered this season with 49 combined goals in the two seasons prior. Detroit has 12 picks in the 2021 draft, with five in the first two rounds. This is the kind of creative deal- making that sets up a franchise for the long haul.

Maple Leafs: Trade season was quite kind to Toronto, and we’re going to rewind a couple of months. Part of the Leafs’ promise stems from a midFebruary trade in which they got forward Alex Galchenyuk, the third overall pick in 2012 who at 26 had already played for five organizations, and have seemingly remade his game ( six points in 11 contests). On Sunday, they moved to acquire veteran, high- character leader Nick Foligno from the Blue Jackets in a three- team deal. They also bolstered their goaltending core by getting David Rittich from the Flames. Foligno adds a well- rounded game to their middle- six forward group and Rittich provides important insurance. They also added depth on defense with Ben Hutton.

Bruins: Their trades were in the works before the Bruins lost 8- 1 to the Capitals, but Boston pulled off moves that brought the struggling team hope. Their biggest issues were secondary scoring and a banged- up defense. Now they have Hall, Curtis Lazar and defenseman Mike Reilly. Hall has struggled but could pick up his play on David Krejci’s line. Reilly is dependable and will help the Bruins weather injuries.

Lightning: The defending Stanley Cup champions managed to add a solid defenseman in David Savard without having any cap space. They got the Red Wings involved and Detroit and the Blue Jackets retained 75% of Savard’s salary. The Lightning will also be getting former MVP Nikita Kucherov back for the playoffs after a season- long absence, again making them a team to beat.

Losers

Sabres: Their return for Hall seems lacking. They gave up Hall, Lazar and retained 50% of Hall’s $ 8 million salary and all they got back is Anders Bjork, who didn’t fit in the Bruins’ plans, and a second- round pick.

Flyers: The struggling team either needed a shot in the arm with a big trade or to sell its players for good draft picks. It did neither.

Sharks’ Patrick Marleau: He’s four games from tying Gordie Howe for most games played, but the 41- year- old has still not won a Stanley Cup. And it will not happen now, even though he was open to going elsewhere.