Trade deadline winners and losers

[yave1964]

My take on the deadline winners and losers:

 

WINNER Nashvile. Clear cut, hands down, adding Simmonds for a decent player in Hartman and a 4th (potentially a 3rd) was brilliant, Simmonds loves Lavy and should find new life there. Also Granlund from the Wild, the Predators only weakness all season has been an awful power play that should be taken care of now.

 

WINNER Winnipeg. Kevin Hayes is an underated player who is not afraid to get his nose bloodied and can score, plays a 200 foot game. Quietly added unspectacular but solid Nathan Beaulieu at the end of the deadline as well.

 

WINNER Columbus. With a HUGE asterisk, they need to win a playoff series or two and resign a couple of these guys otherwise it is a bust. But a team that has always been tough to play against just got a lot tougher.

 

WINNER Sharks Nyquist for what is at worst a pair of late second rounders gives them serious depth among skilled forwards.

 

WINNER Ottawa faced with an impossible situation of their own creating they took lemons nad made lemonade adding a haul of draft picks and some very good prospects. The present looks bleak but the future has a glimmer of hope.

 

WINNER Bruins Secondary scoring has been a huge problem added Coyle and Johansson which will fix the middle six.

 

WINNER Vegas. Adding Stone and having his name on a long term deal was a beautiful move. 

 

WINNER Rangers. Stuck to their rebuild, trading key players for significant assets, will rule draft day for the next two years.

 

OKAY NOW THE LOSERS

 

LOSER Calgary TSN said Simmonds refused a move to Calgary so they wound up with nothing except a depth defender while all the other key teams in the West made a huge splash.

 

LOSER Islanders. Literally did nothing, hoping the return to health of Ladd and Hickey will be enough.

 

LOSER Penguins Used to the Pens being a major deadline player, tinkered around the edges of a team that just lost DuMoulin and Letang. May be throwing in the white towel.

 

LOSER Wild. Seriously, over the last month or so have lost Nino, Coyle and Granlund for Fiala, rask and Donato. This is subtraction by addition as they hang on the fringe of a playoff spot. New GM running out players of old regime.

 

LOSER Stars. Traded for Zuccarello and saw him break his arm in his first game, out at least a month possibly for the year did nothing on deadline day.

 

LOSER maple leafs did nothing other than add Petan who has been a bust with the Jets.

 

If I had to pick the biggest winner and loser from each category, I would tab Nashville as the winner for fixing the power play and adding grit and Calgary for doing nothing while every other major contender in the West got significantly better.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Good take, @yave1964 , however, I am going to differ with you just a bit on s few teams....

 

First...winners.
I am going to actually remove the Flames from the loser portion and put them in the winners.
Yes, I know they made no splashy moves, but honestly, they didn't need to.....well, not entirely true, but they have good chemistry with what they have, and to make a move for the sake of making one beyond the depth defenseman they got would probably have been foolish.

I think Calgary is playing just fine, sans some haphazard defensive coverage at times during games...consistently so.
Still...they seem to be outscoring their problems, and Rittich and Smith have been keeping them in games as well, so I think grabbing a low cost depth defender was just right for them, without screwing up anything good they do have going.
Anything further likely takes things away from their team.

I honestly feel their main issue in the playoffs will be post season experience for many of their guys. That couldn't really be fixed at the deadline that easily without ruining overall team cohesion. They are just gonna have to be forged through fire, so to speak.

Also, I'd put Tampa Bay as winners simply by standing pat, for some of the same reasons as the Flames...DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH WHAT IS WORKING!
Personally, I would have liked to see them add one more rugged forward (Wayne Simmonds) or maybe a third pair experienced defender (Adam McQuaid), but fact is, they have a pretty complete team, many with playoff experience, and the ones that don't, well, they are just gonna have to mature and grow some playoff hair on their chins. 

 

Losers.
Hmmm....I want to take the Islanders out of that bracket as well. They too seem to have something working well, in an entirely different manner than Calgary or Tampa Bay, but it IS working. 

Perhaps some minor move would have sufficed, but I don't think this team could have made a big move either without changing who they are fundamentally...…….a tough, defense first team.

I wouldn't put the Isles in the winners bracket, but I wouldn't say they "lost" the day either.

Leafs? Believe it or not, sorta the same thing. They have who they have, and need to have an eye towards beyond this year, as I honestly don't think they are winning a Cup this season. So any big "all in" moves for this year would have been foolish too.
Lots of good players they have up front, can still modify their defense, and a great goalie they have...but any fixes can be done in the off season....they DID get a nice defender in Jake Muzzin earlier, and they should roll with what they have for now.

Not winners on Deadline Day, but not losers either.

Teams that SHOULD have been put in the losers bracket... The Oilers.
Oh my....I think they might have had a chance to unload some parts for draft picks and they simply didn't.

 

Zack Kassian, Kyle Brodziak...maybe even Adam Larsson and if they could get him to waive, Kris Russell.
Players that might have fit some other team's agenda and that could have netted Edmonton some decent returns...especially the two defensemen.

I dunno. Maybe the Oilers are happy with those four guys...and I KNOW there are worse players on that team right now, but those four seem to be expendable given their current situation with the best chance of returning some value to the team looking ahead.

 

Other than that, I agree with the other stuff you said.
Minnesota Wild....ugh......seriously Fenton????
I think this guy is taking "throwing out the baby with the bath water" to a WHOLE new level...……….

[yave1964]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

The big reason that I feel Calgary lost the day is because every team in the West who is a serious contender, San Jose, Winnipeg, Vegas and Nashville all improved while they remained stasis. 

 Kind of the same with the Isles, they are first in the league in goals against buy 23rd in the league in scoring, I feel that is unsustainable. Seriously, of their most likely first round opponents they will play one of Washington, Pittsburgh or Columbus I believe any of the three would have to be the favorite over the Isles. Doing nothing IMHO is a step back especially with both CBJ and Washington improving and Pittsburgh having loads of playoff experience. I see no realistic possibility for the Isles to clear the first round.

  Aaaaaaannnnnd Toronto. It is obvious they will face their bane in the first round in Boston who beat them like a red headed step child. Boston had a hole in the middle six that they filled with Coyle and Johanssen.  Yes Toronto added a solid defenseman in Muzzin but I dont know if they have done enough to get past the hated Bruins.

  I agree with Edmonton. sadly. What a wreck.

 

   Fenton, I have seen it before when an new GM comes in and the first thing he does is want to run out the players that were brought in by the old GM. Sad and petty when that happens, frankly I think it is as good of a explanation of what is going on in Minny right now as any.