The hockey world needs a deep breath to process everything that happened leading up to the NHL trade deadline on Friday. One thing is certain, the first-round matchups in the Atlantic and Central divisions are going to be ones for the ages. The arms race was thrilling to watch and at least two teams who handed out future assets like candy on Halloween will be sent packing in the first round. The Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes made major waves leading up to Friday’s deadline and all are well positioned for playoff runs. The Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals tinkered around the edges, but didn’t make flashy plays for big names.
Acquiring Players with Term
In many cases, these teams acquired players who will be with their respective clubs past this season. Mikko Rantanen was traded twice and signed an eight-year extension with Dallas. Surely Colorado isn’t thrilled at the prospect of facing him in the playoffs for years to come. Seth Jones will be in Florida for the next 5 years at a reasonable cap hit. Brandon Carlo will be in Toronto for two more seasons, while Toronto-area native Scott Laughton will suit up in the blue and white for at least one more season. Oliver Bjorkstrand has one more year left on his deal in Tampa, and one suspects the Lightning will try to extend Yanni Gourde after re-acquiring him from the Seattle Kraken. Charlie Coyle has one more year and will be a solid middle six player in Colorado. More than ever, it seems contenders were acquiring pieces for more than one playoff run and it is sure to have last impacts on the makeup of their respective divisions.
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Contenders prioritize NHL-ready players over draft picks
Julien Brisebois said it best. “I’d rather have a lineup full of good players than a bank of a ton of draft picks.” When you’re a contender, you don’t need draft picks that might play in 3 years, you need players than can help you win now. There is no guarantee that the bank of draft picks produces anything to aide a team in their contention window. A sure-fire NHL player is always going to be more valuable to a contender and teams are starting to follow in Tampa’s footsteps. It likely means that the years after the contention window will be tough to endure, but Tampa, Florida, Colorado and Vegas all have recent Stanley Cups, making the impeding “thin” years a little easier to manage.
Did the Oilers and Leafs Do Enough?
When you’re the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars, who haven’t won a Cup in the 21st century, things are a little different. The Oilers and Stars have recent playoff success, and in the Oilers case, they have two of the top 5 players on the planet. There is an expectation of success there. The Oilers could and should have done more to add a scoring winger at the deadline, perhaps a Brock Boeser. They ought to have addressed their goaltending situation, but the Oilers opted for neither. They added a puck mover in Jake Walman and some forward depth with Trent Frederic and Max Jones. Those are good adds, but when you consider that Dallas added Rantanen and Granlund, and Colorado added Nelson and Coyle, it feels like the Oilers should have done more. Every year you have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is an all-in year, and the lack of movement to address key areas of need is a concerning one.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have completely re-made the right side of their defence in two years, with Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo providing solid defensive capabilities and penalty killing prowess. However, Mitch Marner’s contract situation hangs over the club and fans are rightfully restless about it. Marner’s unwillingness to waive his no-movement clause to allow the Leafs to potentially acquire and extend Mikko Rantanen, will undoubtedly see him become one of the biggest villains in franchise history if he signs elsewhere in July. The NMC is his negotiated contract right and he is entitled to exercise it, in the same way as Leafs fans are allowed to voice their displeasure with how his agent and camp have handled contract negotiations. If Marner truly wants to be a Leaf, as stated in recent media availability, then he and his camp need to understand that asking for the sun and the moon without playoff success is not going to go over well with a fanbase who hasn’t seen a Conference Final in two decades. The Leafs opted to play a dangerous game with Marner once Shanahan refused to allow Kyle Dubas to trade Marner before his trade protection kicked in. If Marner walks, Shanahan should be the one answering the questions. If Marner has a good playoff performance, the Leafs make a run and he stays, it is likely he will be the last player to wear the number 16 in Toronto. That is the result every Leafs fan should be hoping for, as far-fetched as it seems.
Should the Maple Leafs not retain Marner, they have a difficult decision to make with John Tavares, whose contract also expires in July. By all accounts, Tavares wants to remain in Toronto and took less than San Jose offered him to sign with Toronto in 2018. The Leafs must extend Matthew Knies and would have significant cap flexibility to sign other free agents if Marner or Tavares were to depart the club. The issue is, the Leafs would struggle to be a better team without those players than if they retained them. The defence core is locked and loaded, but up front, it is a make-or-break year in Toronto.
Dallas: The Trade Deadline’s Biggest Winner?
Dallas is the opposite of Toronto. They have every core piece locked up to team friendly contracts except for Thomas Harley, who will certainly command a pretty penny after his performance this season. Wyatt Johnston is signed to a very team-friendly deal, and with the salary cap projections, it is fair to say Heiskanen, Hintz and Robertson will all be making below market value. Dallas is primed to compete for at least another half decade with their current cap structure, taking full advantage of the tax-free state benefit afforded to them. Parting with Logan Stankoven and multiple first round picks couldn’t have been easy, but it is unlikely they’d have the chance to draft a player of Rantanen’s capability with any of those selections. Players like Rantanen rarely become available and Dallas pounced, landing a perfect fit for the Cup contention window and ensuring Dallas remains a top team in the West.
Colorado’s Quick Pivot: Life After Rantanen & Depth
Realizing they couldn’t extend Rantanen, Colorado moved quickly and acquired Martin Necas, Jack Drury and other assets. Necas has fit like a glove next to Mackinnon and will surely cost less than Rantanen on his next contract. Colorado’s biggest weakness was their center depth, which was addressed with the acquisitions of Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle. Colorado’s depth at center went from a serious weakness to a position of strength in a matter of 24 hours. Nelson looks great with Nichushkin and forms a formidable second line with Drouin behind MacKinnon, Necas and Lehkonen. That is a very dangerous top six and if Colorado can manage to retain Nelson, they’ll be in business for the next few years.
The addition of Ryan Lindgren and return of Erik Johnson provides depth to the Avalanche defence and Johnson’s return will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the locker room. You can never have too many capable defencemen for a playoff run and the Avalanche managed to bolster the blue line without breaking the bank. They have two of the biggest difference makers in the NHL on their roster, which should make for a thrilling playoff series against Dallas, if it plays out that way.
The Wide Gap Between Contenders & Pretenders
There were a lot of moving pieces at the deadline, and one must feel as though Dallas comes out a significant winner of the deadline. They were able to acquire the best player and lock up key pieces of their core for years to come. Florida is primed for sustained success if they can extend Sam Bennett. Losing him would blow a major hole in their lineup. If he remains in Florida, it isn’t a stretch to say we may have a few Dallas/Florida Cup Final matchups in the near future. There is a clear division between the haves and have nots heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. The gap between teams missing the playoffs and true contenders feels as though it’s never been wider.
Rachel Doerrie is a former analyst and video coach in the NHL. She is co-host of Puck Social and her work his featured on ESPN, Stadium and BetMGM Network.