NHL trades:
How the Blue Jackets and Golden Knights won out at the deadline.
NHL trade deadline week belonged to the Blue Jackets and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. Trade deadline day belonged to the Golden Knights and general manager George McPhee.
McPhee became the big winner when he traded for Mark Stone, 26, and immediately signed him to an eight-year deal worth $72 million.
Stone has scored 20 or more goals for five consecutive seasons, and his all-around game fits perfectly in coach Gerard Gallant’s puck pressure forechecking style. The Golden Knights had to give up prized prospect Erik Brannstrom, plus bottom six forward Oscar Lindberg and a second-round pick.
Stone immediately becomes Vegas’ go-to forward. He is 6-4 and is a quality defensive player with a keen ability to knock pucks away from opponents. He was +15 on a Senators team that was one of the league’s worst defensive teams.
Other winners and losers: Winner: Kekalainen. After landing Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel earlier, Kekalainen didn’t stop improving his Columbus team. He added goalie Keith Kinkaid, who probably moves ahead of Joonas Korpisalo. He also added prickly defenseman Adam McQuaid. Kekalainen said he doesn’t see this strategy as dangerous because he believes the team has depth. But the all-in strategy is always risky. The Blue Jackets have surrendered several prospects and draft picks and will have many unrestricted free agents this summer. But it is refreshing to see a team try to win at all costs.
Loser: General manager Lou Lamoriello, Islanders. It is counterintuitive to criticize Lamoriello. He has a long history of making quality managerial decisions. But the Islanders have played so impressively that it is surprising he didn’t buy them some help for the playoffs. He probably didn’t want to undermine the team’s chemistry.
Winner: General manager Pierre Dorion, Senators. They didn’t want to lose Stone, Duchene and Dzingel, but they helped their rebuilding by acquiring Brannstrom, Lindberg, Anthony Duclair, Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson, a Columbus first-round pick in 2019, a Columbus second-round pick (2020) and a Columbus secondround pick (2021) and a Stars second-round pick (2020). Brannstrom, a dynamic puckcarrying defenseman, might be ready to play next season.
Loser: General manager Brad Treliving, Flames. Because Calgary has played consistently well, didn’t you think Treliving would find a way to strengthen the team for the postseason beyond adding depth defenseman Oscar Fantenberg?
Winner: General manager David Poile, Predators. The Predators needed to improve their second line and their power play and accomplished both by landing Wayne Simmonds. He gives Nashville a formidable net-front presence and he is skilled enough to play on the second line. He also is physical enough to help protect his teammates. Mikael Granlund, though streaky, will add to the Predators’ secondary scoring.
Loser: The Stars. Mats Zuccarello was a good fit with the Stars. General manager Jim Nill traded for him because he liked his speed and scoring ability. But now Zuccarello will be out for a month or longer after breaking his arm blocking a shot in his first game. The Stars received the verdict Sunday. Bad luck. The Stars couldn’t afford to expend more assets Monday to replace him. Plus, there was no one in the market quite like him.
Winner: General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, Jets. For the second year in a row, he acquired a premium center at the deadline for Winnipeg. Last year, he landed Paul Stastny, who made an impact. This season, he secured Kevin Hayes from the Rangers.
Loser: Hurricanes fans. Appreciate that the Hurricanes resisted the temptation to move tough forward Micheal Ferland. He is going to be a free agent this summer. But why didn’t general manager Don Waddell add some secondary scoring to help down the stretch? Carolina fans need this team to make the playoffs.
Winner: Gustav Nyquist, Sharks. He goes from the Red Wings, one of the league’s worst teams, to the team that is third in points. He has the potential for a long playoff run.
Loser: Trade-deadline TV coverage. Through no fault of their own, NHL Network and Sportsnet had to offer viewers plenty of filler because there wasn’t much action. The NHL trend of making deals before deadline day has caused some hardship for TV coverage because there are fewer deals. Too bad because this has always been a fun day. Nobody has a trade deadline quite like the NHL.