The Good and Bad of Trade Deadline Week: Central Division
By Cam Lewis
7 years ago
This is a four-part division by division look at what each team did at Wednesday’s trade deadline. Who did good and who did bad?
The Stars, Avs, and Jets all sold with underwhelming results, the Blues finally moved on from Kevin Shattenkirk, the Hawks and Predators made minor additions, and the Wild payed a massive price to capitalize on their biggest window of opportunity in franchise history.
Chicago Blackhawks
- A 2017 third round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for Tomas Jurco.
- Mark McNeill and a 2018 conditional fourth round pick to the Dallas Stars for Johnny Oduya.
- Spencer Abbott and Sam Carrick to the Anaheim Ducks for Kenton Helgesen and a 2019 seventh round pick.
- IN: Johnny Oduya, Tomas Jurco, Kenton Helgesen, and a 2019 seventh.
- OUT: Mark McNeill, Spencer Abbott, Sam Carrick, and a 2017 third.
For the second year in a row, the Chicago Blackhawks re-acquired a player who was a part of one of their Stanley Cup winning teams. This year, it was Johnny Oduya, and it came at a significantly lower price than it did last season when they acquired Andrew Ladd. Oduya cost the Hawks a prospect who seemed to fall out of favour in the organization and a mid-round pick. They also added forward depth in Tomas Jurco, who at one point was considered to be part of the next wave of inevitably good Detroit Red Wings. Neither is a major addition, but the Hawks are a cap-strapped team lacking depth who managed their off days nicely and maximized their post-deadline spending ability. This is how to operate in the cap world. And it’s how they’re going to have to operate so long as two players cost them $21 million annually.
Colorado Avalanche
- Jarome Iginla to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2018 conditional fourth round pick.
- Andreas Martinsen to the Montreal Canadiens for Sven Andrighetto.
- Cody Corbett to the Washington Capitals for Joe Cannata.
- Joe Whitney to the Arizona Coyotes for Brendan Ranford.
- IN: Brendan Ranford, Joe Cannata, Sven Andrighetto, and a 2018 conditional fourth.
- OUT: Jarome Iginla, Andreas Martinsen, Cody Corbett, Joe Whitney.
I guess Joe Sakic was doing Jarome Iginla a favour? I seriously don’t know. The Avs are hopelessly awful, on pace for a historically-bad season, and the only asset they sold was the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer, but they got nothing back for him. Like, literally. Nothing. If Iginla doesn’t sign in L.A. this summer or the team doesn’t make the playoffs, Colorado gets nothing. If either of those things happen, which, as of right now, it appears unlikely they will, Colorado gets a fourth round pick. To be fair, Iginla had a no movement clause and could essentially dictate where he went, but this trade being bad is one thing, Sakic not selling off other assets is another.
Dallas Stars
- Jordie Benn to the Montreal Canadiens for Greg Pateryn and a 2017 fourth round pick.
- Johnny Oduya to the Chicago Blackhawks for Mark McNeill and a 2018 conditional fourth round pick.
- Lauri Korpikoski to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Dillon Heatherington.
- IN: Greg Pateryn, Mark McNeill, Dillon Heatherington, and a 2017 and 2018 fourth.
- OUT: Jordie Benn, Johnny Oduya, and Lauri Korpikoski.
The Stars had a handful of soon-to-be free agent rental assets heading into the deadline, but unfortunately, most of them were injured and couldn’t be moved. They sent Johnny Oduya and Lauri Korpikoski to Chicago and Columbus respectively for pretty ‘meh’ returns, but still, it’s better than nothing. The odd move was sending Jordie Benn, bother of captain Jamie Benn, to the Canadiens for Greg Pateryn. It’s strange because Benn was locked up to a three-year deal last summer, so either they really, really liked what Pateryn was all about, or they somehow soured on Benn within a matter of months.
Minnesota Wild
- Grayson Downing, a 2017 first round pick, a 2018 second round pick, and a 2019 conditional fourth round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Martin Hanzal.
- Teemu Pulkkinen to the Arizona Coyotes for Future Considerations.
- IN: Martin Hanzal and Future Considerations.
- OUT: Teemu Pulkkinen, Grayson Downing, a 2017 first, 2018 second, and 2019 conditional fourth.
The Wild have the clearest path to the Stanley Cup that they ever seen before. The team is rolling on all cylinders under Bruce Boudreau, and the conference is significantly weaker than usual. Chicago and San Jose will put up a fight, of course, but otherwise, there isn’t a major powerhouse in the West like there has been in years past. Their major hole heading into the deadline was up the middle, so they filled it by acquiring Martin Hanzal for the Coyotes. Hanzal is an excellent option for a third-line centre who can chip in offensively, but my goodness, the Wild payed up the nose for him. They had to give up two top-60 draft picks, which is by far the most anybody payed for a rental this week. Was it a good trade? Probably not. Was it necessary? Probably. Nobody will care about the draft picks if the Wild go all the way.
Nashville Predators
- A 2017 sixth round pick to the New Jersey Devils for P.A. Parenteau.
- IN: P.A. Parenteau.
- OUT: A 2017 sixth.
This one was weird. P.A. Parenteau is having a thoroughly solid season on an absolutely terrible New Jersey Devils team, and yet everyone seemed to forget that he existed other than David Poile. That’s what it has to be, I think. There’s no reason why Parenteau, a guy with 13 goals and 14 assists on a team that probably couldn’t score if it was relegated to the AHL, should only fetch a throwaway draft pick, but here we are. This might be the best value deal of the 2017 deadline, as the Preds grabbed a good, reliable, versatile player for virtually nothing.
St. Louis Blues
- Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley to the Washington Capitals for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, a 2017 first round pick, and conditional picks.
- IN: Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, a 2017 first, and conditional picks.
- OUT: Kevin Shattenkirk.
After years of buying, going for it in the playoffs, and losing free agents for nothing, the Blues finally caved and sold soon-to-be free agent Kevin Shattenkirk. The return was very underwhelming, considering the rumours that had he accepted a sign-and-trade, the Blues could have Taylor Hall on their roster right now. But as we know, Shattenkirk will only play in then Eastern Conference and apparently (according to rumours and speculation) wants to use his free agency to sign with his hometown New York Rangers. It’s better than letting him walk for free, but at the end of all these hilariously confusing conditions, the St. Louis should be left feeling very blue with the return they got for a legitimate top-four, offence-producing defenceman.
Winnipeg Jets
- Drew Stafford to the Boston Bruins for a 2018 conditional sixth round pick.
- IN: A conditional sixth.
- OUT: Drew Stafford.
The Jets were kind of stuck in the middle. They didn’t have many assets to sell, but they simply aren’t good enough to buy. Drew Stafford’s value has fallen so far off a cliff that Kevin Cheveldayoff could only manage to get a sixth round pick that might become a fifth round pick for him. Fun times! But in all seriousness, I guess it’s better than nothing, considering it was very obvious Stafford wasn’t going to stick around long-term with the team.
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