There were plenty of big names moved leading up to the deadline and THN had instant analysis as each trade broke. What did our stable of experts think of each swap? Read on...
NHL 2014 Trade Deadline CentralThere were plenty of big names moved leading up to the deadline and THN had instant analysis as each trade broke. What did our stable of experts think of each swap? Read on...For a list of all trades made this season, you can go to THN's Trade Log.
TO LOS ANGELES:James Livingston
TO SAN JOSE: 2016 seventh round pick (conditional)
THN's Take: Every year, there's an insignificant last-minute trade swept up in the ocean of deadline deals. This is the 2014 version. Livingston for a pick in the final round of the draft two years from now? What's the point? The 23-year-old AHLer is a defensive forward who never topped 22 goals in major junior and is actually an unrestricted free agent this summer. -ML
TO COLUMBUS:Dana Tyrell, Matt Taormina
TO TAMPA BAY: Jonathan Marchessault, Dalton Smith
THN's Take: Tyrell, 24, is a fringe NHL forward and not much of a scorer for AHL Syracuse, either. Taormina, 27, is a former college defenseman who has flashed a little bit of offense with Syracuse. He looked like a bottom-pair NHLer earlier in his career as a Devil, but couldn't stick with Tampa. Marchessault, 23, basically gives Tampa a new Cory Conacher, as he's undersized, undrafted and a quietly prolific scorer every year in the AHL. Smith is just 21 and brings some size and sandpaper to the table. The Jackets get two guys with more NHL experience in this deal and the Lightning get the youth and upside. Taormina (unrestricted) and Tyrell (restricted) are free agents this summer, whereas Marchessault and Smith have a year each remaining on their contracts. Tampa is thinking more long-term, here. -ML
TO PITTSBURGH:Lee Stempniak
TO CALGARY: 2014third round pick
THN's Take: The Flames’ second deal of deadline day sent veteran right winger Stempniak to the Penguins in a classic low-risk, low-reward transaction. Which isn’t to say the 31-year-old can’t contribute offense; rather, it’s an acknowledgment he has next to no playoff pedigree (no goals and two assists in 11 games) and an indication of the day’s relatively weak market for forwards (see Vanek, Thomas). A depth move. -AP
TO ANAHEIM:Andre Petersson
TO OTTAWA: Alex Grant
THN's Take: Well, thank goodness there were plenty of blockbusters and not many of these types of deals today. In Alex Grant, the Senators pick up a good sized, 25-year-old defenseman who has shown some offense in the AHL, scoring seven goals and 27 points in 52 games this season. However, this will be Grant’s third NHL organization and he’s only played two NHL games before. In Andre Petersson, Anaheim picks up a small 23-year-old winger who was drafted in the fourth round in 2008. He, too, is having a good year in the AHL, scoring 17 goals and 40 points in 47 games. -RB
TO WASHINGTON:Jaroslav Halak, 2015 third round pick
TO BUFFALO: Michal Neuvirth, Rostislav Klesla
THN's Take: In 2010, Jaroslav Halak gave the Washington Capitals nightmares as he stared down Alex Ovechkin and neutralized the best NHL offense in the past five years. The Canadiens upset the top-seeded Capitals in seven games that year and the loss brought about philosophical changes in how the high-powered Capitals should be built and which type of system they should play. Washington hasn’t been the same team since and now they turn to the goalie who made them this way to improve their playoff hopes. Sending Michal Neuvirth the other way clears what would have been a goalie glut and leaves the Sabres with a young tandem of Jhonas Enroth and Neuvirth. For the rest of this season, anyway. -RB
TO MINNESOTA:Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick
TO BUFFALO: Torrey Mitchell, 2014 second round pick, 2016 second round pick
THN's Take: Everybody thought Minnesota was going to land Thomas Vanek – instead, they grabbed the guy he was traded for earlier this season. Matt Moulson gives the Wild yet another offensive weapon and all of a sudden, Minnesota is stacked up front. McCormick will bring added grit and some more heaviness to the bottom six, though he is more of a depth player than anything. In exchange, the Sabres get draft picks, which, for an organization loaded with high selections in the next two years, is really gravy. Torrey Mitchell also comes over and gives the Sabres a jack-of-all-trades player who fits nicely in the bottom six. Not a huge haul, but Moulson is a free agent this summer, so the deck gets a bit stacked in that respect and the Sabres at least got some return. -RK
TO MONTREAL:Thomas Vanek, 2014 fifth round pick (conditional)
TO ISLANDERS: Sebastian Collberg, 2014 second round pick (conditional)
THN's Take: The Montreal Canadiens are getting everything they need in Thomas Vanek – size, a presence in the front of the net and a player who can score 5-on-5. A right-handed shot who can score, Vanek will be a very good fit on the second line with Tomas Plekanec and having the chance to play in the playoffs should bring out the best in him. Another key part of this trade is the fact that the Canadiens have Vanek in their fold before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, meaning that unless they deal his rights before July 1, they are the only team that can offer Vanek an eight-year deal. With one bold move, the Canadiens move directly into the “winner” category on deadline day. In Collberg, the Islanders get a smallish but skilled winger. He hasn't found his touch in the Swedish League yet, though, and his defensive game needs work. He's was the Habs' sixth overall prospect according to THN's recently wrapped Future Watch edition. -KC
TO COLORADO:Reto Berra
TO CALGARY: 2014 second round pick
THN's Take: The Calgary Flames didn’t do much on deadline day, eschewing bigger deals for Mike Cammalleri in favor of shipping rookie NHLer Berra to the Avalanche for next to nothing. Flames GM Brian Burke has made clear his intent to improve in all areas, and the 27-year-old wasn’t making a great case for himself to stay (.897 save percentage. 2.95 goals-against average in 29 games). But with veteran J-S Giguere’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, Berra will get a chance to audition to back up Semyon Varlamov next year. -AP
TO DETROIT:David Legwand
TO NASHVILLE: Patrick Eaves, Calle Jarnkrok, 2014 second or third round pick
THN's Take: Detroit native David Legwand will head home to play for the Red Wings at 33, after spending 14 seasons with the Nashville Predators. The first draft pick the Predators franchise made, Legwand is a worker bee with declining offensive skills, but who is still an elite checker and decent faceoff man. He's experienced and he’s a leader – a perfect fit in Detroit’s lineup. Nashville sits six points out of a wild card berth and with the playoff picture slipping away, they did well to pick up Jarnkrok and a second- or third-rounder (determined by whether the Wings make the playoffs) for later and Eaves to fill the hole left by Legwand now. -RB
TO RANGERS:Raphael Diaz
TO VANCOUVER: 2015 fifth round pick
THN's Take: In Raphael Diaz, the Rangers get a puck-moving defensemen who will give them some depth on the blueline. Diaz is a smooth skater who has a lot of poise with the puck and moves it efficiently. The problem is he lacks size and is fragile. An unrestricted free agent after this season, Diaz will likely have a short, and possibly uneventful, stay in New York. -KC
TO BOSTON:Andrej Meszaros
TO PHILADELPHIA: 2014third round pick
THN's Take: The Boston Bruins have a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup this season and certainly a great chance of at least getting to the final. But a long-term injury to defenseman Dennis Seidenberg had exposed the Bruins' depth on the back end recently and a move had to be made. In Meszaros, Boston gets a pretty decent second-pairing blueliner who may not replace Seidenberg, but can at least pick up some of the slack. At the least, he can help ease the overburdened workload of Zdeno Chara. Nabbing a third-rounder for Meszaros is a decent return for Philadelphia, but this is a curious deal. The Flyers aren't very deep on the back end either and while Andrew MacDonald helps, they basically swapped in one defenseman for another. Big picture, Meszaros is a free agent this summer, so maybe the Flyers weren't going to re-sign him, but in the short term it's a little strange. -RK
TO COLUMBUS:Nick Schultz
TO EDMONTON: 2014fifth round pick
THN's Take: The Blue Jackets added some depth to their blueline in Schultz, a big player that isn't overly physical, but can do a lot of different things on the ice. Columbus just saw ace rookie Ryan Murray laid up with an injury and with a playoff spot within reach but looking tenuous, the team cannot afford to be caught shorthanded down the stretch drive.
Any Edmonton trade that sees a defenseman leave is a curious one, as the Oilers are and have been one of the thinnest teams on the back end for years now. Netting a third round selection for Schultz is a decent return, but clearly this team has a lot of work to do over the summer in order to ice a competent defense corps in 2014-15. -RK
TO DALLAS:Tim Thomas
TO FLORIDA: Dan Ellis
THN's Take: As exciting as the prospect of Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo sharing the crease in Florida was, alas it will not happen. I spoke to Thomas a couple of weeks ago and he had every intention of staying in Florida, not only for the rest of this season, but beyond. Something obviously changed for Thomas, who waived his no-movement clause to go to Dallas. In Thomas, the Stars get a proven veteran with a Stanley Cup and a tenacious attitude, and someone who can step into the breach and give them some depth in goal. Thomas can make $250,000 more in bonus money for four more wins and another $250,000 for nine more wins, something he might have a better chance of achieving in Dallas. -KC
TO PITTSBURGH:Marcel Goc
TO FLORIDA: 2015 third round pick, 2014 fifth round pick
THN's Take: One of the best deals of last year's deadline was Chicago's acquisition of Michal Handzus, who did a masterful job in a checking role for the Stanley Cup champions. And all the Hawks had to give up was a fourth round pick for the capable depth player. This year's deadline involved bigger names, so a deal like that likely won't be the "best" but the Marcel Goc pickup by Pittsburgh could have a similar impact on the Penguins that Handzus did on the Blackhawks. Goc averaged 16:59 o ice this year with the Panthers and scored 11 goals and 23 points in 62 games. Goc is a speedy checker who can play a role on the penalty kill. It's not a glamorous addition to a star-studded Penguins lineup, but it's the type championship teams tend to make to round out their lineups. -RB
TO NEW JERSEY:Tuomo Ruutu
TO CAROLINA: Andrei Loktionov, 2017 third round pick (conditional)
THN's Take: Right now, the New Jersey Devils are not a playoff team – but they're not far off. Part of the pack chasing those wide-open wild card spots in the East, the Devils have struggled on the offensive end and while Ruutu isn't a scoring machine, his grinding, physical play can open up opportunities for his linemates. The Canes get Ruutu's salary off their books and also bring in Loktionov, a decent scorer in junior who has never put up eye-opening numbers in the pros, but could definitely benefit from a change of scenery. At worst, this is a salary dump for Carolina and a significant one since Ruutu will be owed $10 million over the next two campaigns (with a slightly lower cap hit). -RK
TO LOS ANGELES:Marian Gaborik
TO COLUMBUS: Matt Frattin, 2014 or 2015 second round pick, 2014 or 2015 third round pick
THN's Take: The Los Angeles Kings needed an upgrade to their 27th-ranked offense and they are counting on Marian Gaborik giving them that boost. The Slovakian isn't the 40-goal scorer he once was, having notched 18 goals in his past 69 games, but he's also spent that time with a thin Columbus forward corps and a tight-checking John Tortorella system in New York. The Kings aren't exactly a free-wheeling team, but with so much talent on the roster, Gaborik will get a little less attention from opposing teams and adds speed to the Kings. Two years ago, the Kings were in a similar situation, with their offence struggling and their playoff hopes on the line. That year, they also made a deadline trade with Columbus, acquiring Jeff Carter. He scored 14 goals in his next 36 games en route to a Stanley Cup. -RB
TO LOS ANGELES:Brayden McNabb, 2014 second round pick, 2015 second round pick
TO BUFFALO:Hudson Fasching, Nicolas Deslauriers
THN's Take: Los Angeles may be getting the only player with NHL experience in McNabb, but Fasching is the real prize here, so it's no surprise the Sabres also had to pony up two second round picks in this swap. Fasching was a beast for Team USA at the world juniors this season and will likely be one of their best players again next season if he stays at the University of Minnesota for his sophomore campaign. The right winger is incredibly sturdy and physical, with some nice scoring upside. He has already learned to be a grinding force (as opposed to the scorer he was in high school), so it's kinda fun to think of him pairing up with center Zemgus Girgensons on a nasty future line in Buffalo. Deslauriers is likely an American League tweener at best; he brings some size and production, but nothing earth-shattering. In McNabb, the Kings get a nasty defenseman with great size who can bomb it from the point. With Nikita Zadorov and Rasmus Ristolainen coming to the Sabres through the 2013 draft, McNabb's stock in the organization obviously took a hit, but he has been a great producer for Rochester of the AHL this season. The two picks will help the Kings restock the cupboard. -RK
TO MONTREAL:Devan Dubnyk
TO NASHVILLE: Future considerations
THN's Take: With the injury status of all-world starter Carey Price up in the air, Montreal had to make a move. The Canadiens are a playoff team in an uncertain East and letting that slip away would have been a shame. Is Devan Dubnyk the answer? Well, he's not a starter, but he can give a team NHL minutes in the short-term and Peter Budaj can only do so much in Price's absence. The fact Montreal settled for Dubnyk would seem to indicate that Price can't be too far gone, since bigger talents such as Martin Brodeur and even Tim Thomas are reportedly on the block. -RK
TO OTTAWA:Ales Hemsky
TO EDMONTON: 2015 third round pick, 2014 fifth round pick
THN's Take: So, the longest gestation period for a trade in NHL history is finally over with the trading of Ales Hemsky to the Ottawa Senators. Hemsky, who has been a fixture with the Oilers for the past decade, still has some game and will punch up the Senators right side and will likely play with Jason Spezza, which could be a very good fit. The irony of all of this is that Hemsky will be counted upon to help the Senators make the playoffs this season, one night after he delivered a blow to those playoff hopes by scoring twice in Edmonton’s 3-2 win over Ottawa. -KC
TO RANGERS:Martin St-Louis
TO TAMPA BAY:Ryan Callahan, 2015 first round pick, 2014 second round pick (conditional)
THN's Take: Not being initially named to the Canadian Olympic team wasn’t the only factor in Martin St-Louis leaving Tampa, but it certainly greased the skids. The New York Rangers won the deal today by getting him, but the long-term winner will be the Lightning. If they were going to lose St-Louis anyway and the Rangers would be the only team to which he’d accept a trade, it’s difficult to fathom Steve Yzerman getting a better possible deal than this one. The first-rounder in 2015 is strong currency, and the Lightning will get the Rangers 2014 first-rounder if they make the Eastern Conference final. (Interesting scenario: the Lightning and Rangers meet in the second round of this year’s playoffs.) It’s hard to imagine the Lightning will accede to Callahan’s contract demands, but if he brings them down and he re-signs there, it’s an even better deal for Tampa. -KC
TO PHOENIX:Martin Erat, John Mitchell
TO WASHINGTON:Rostislav Klesla, Chris Brown, 2015 fourth round pick
THN's Take: In a swap of once-prominent players who've badly lost their way over the past couple of years, Erat, he of a single goal this season, is headed to Phoenix with Klesla, who's spent half the season in the American League, going the other way. The most surprising part of this swap is the fact Washington GM George McPhee managed to find a taker for a player who's got another year on his deal at $2.25 million in real money (and a $4.5 million cap hit). Caps fans will be happy if they never hear the name Erat, or Filip Forsberg, ever again. (Editor's note: this writeup was updated once news broke it was a fourth, not a second-rounder, going to Washington.)-EF
TO CHICAGO:David Rundblad, Mathieu Brisebois
TO PHOENIX: 2014 second round pick
THN's Take: To say Rundblad has disappointed since being drafted 17th overall in 2009 would be an understatement. The offensive D-man has just 50 NHL games under his belt and is better known for the players he's been dealt for (the first round pick that turned into Vladimir Tarasenko in 2010 and for Kyle Turris in 2012). Can he turn things around in Chicago's system? Well, at least the pressure won't be there as there are a boatload of talented blueliners in front of him on the Hawks depth chart. -EF
TO FLORIDA:Roberto Luongo, Steve Anthony
TO VANCOUVER:Shawn Matthias, Jacob Markstrom
THN's Take: In what will surely go down as the most shocking, head-scratching, second-guessing trade this season, Canucks GM Mike Gillis put an end to a goalie controversy that was about to heat up again. Except he traded away his most proven asset at that position and is left with a lot of uncertainty on his hands. Just last June, the Canucks employed both Luongo and Cory Schneider as goal keepers, but today they have neither and are left in the wake with Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom. These goalies have potential, for sure, but only have 68 NHL games between them. And when Luongo ultimately retires as a Panther, the Canucks will again get burned by cap penalties from rules added during the last round of CBA negotiations. With Ryan Kesler still wanting out, the Canucks are in the danger zone. -RB
TO PHILADELPHIA:Andrew MacDonald
TO NY ISLANDERS:Matt Mangene, 2014 third round pick, 2015 second round pick
THN's Take: It was a given that the Islanders were going to trade MacDonald, but GM Garth Snow wasn't able to get the first round pick he was seeking. He was able to acquire a second-rounder for what's expected to be a talented 2015 draft pool, so that will have to be the consolation prize. In MacDonald, the Flyers add another defensive defenseman to their mess of a blueline, but given MacDonald is a pending UFA, for now this isn't a solution that'll go beyond their current playoff push. In Long Island, MacDonald averaged 25:25 of ice time this season, but is better suited for a second pair role. MacDonald, 27, is a sixth-rounder from 2006 who rose quickly out of nowhere starting in 2010 and is now a very respectable NHL defender who blocks a lot of shots. But is he the solution to Philadelphia's troubling blueline? He is not. -RB
TO ANAHEIM:Stephane Robidas
TO DALLAS: 2014 fourth round pick (conditional)
THN's Take: It was a bit surprising to see the Ducks, Stanley Cup contenders, trade away Dustin Penner, but it quickly made much more sense when they flipped the fourth round pick they acquired in the Penner trade to get Robidas. The veteran will add a strong defensive presence to a blueline that needed a little extra depth for the long playoff run Ducks fans are anticipating. Essentially, the Ducks picked up Robidas for Penner - one pending free agent for another, and an upgrade in a position that needed a bit of one. -RB
TO WASHINGTON:Dustin Penner
TO ANAHEIM: 2014 fourth round pick
THN's Take: At first blush, this was a peculiar trade for the Ducks, who are rolling in the West and just sent a two-time Stanley Cup winner and playoff performer across the continent. But there's a lot going on in Anaheim right now, as the Stephane Robidas deal that soon followed would indicate (the Ducks have already moved the pick they got for Penner to nab Robidas). In the meantime, Washington gets that aforementioned experience in the burly winger, who will no doubt get an audition on the Capitals' top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. With his big-bodied presence and a contract that expires this summer, Penner offers almost pure upside for Washington – if it doesn't work out, he's gone in the summer and it only cost the team a mid-round pick. If he can help the Caps make the playoffs and perhaps go a few rounds, it's a big win. -RK
TO EDMONTON:Viktor Fasth
TO ANAHEIM: 2014 fifth round pick, 2015 third round pick
THN's Take: At one point this season, the Oilers had a goaltending tandem of Devan Dubnyk and Ilya Bryzgalov, two pending UFAs. Dubnyk faltered, but Bryzgalov was a good soldier in holding the fort as the Oilers planned for an upgrade. Ben Scrivens was brought in and, Monday, signed to a two-year extension. Tuesday, the Oilers acquired the 31-year-old Fasth, who popped onto the NHL screen with a .921 save percentage last season. He's only at .885 in five appearances this season, but has spent most of it in the AHL, where he's stopping at a .922 rate. Fasth is signed through next season, so between him and Scrivens, the Oilers are better off than where they started the year. They're still looking for a more stable, long-term solution in net though. -RB
TO MINNESOTA:Ilya Bryzgalov
TO EDMONTON: 2014 fourth round pick
THN's Take: The Wild were rumored to be close to acquiring Jaroslav Halak and Martin Brodeur as recently as this morning, but they end up with Bryzgalov, who posted a .908 save percentage in 20 games with the Oilers this season. The Russian netminder will be a UFA this summer, but is a questionable insurance policy for the playoffs. The last time he saw post-season action was in 2012 with the Flyers, when he posted a miserable .887 save percentage. -RB
TO MONTREAL:Mike Weaver
TO FLORIDA: 2015 fifth round pick
THN's Take: The Canadiens got the day started with an under the radar pick up who should serve them well in a defensive role. Mike Weaver isn't a household name, but he's been a reliable player for Florida for four years. He'll get more attention now that he's in the fishbowl of Montreal. He's a pending UFA, but for the low, low price of a fifth round pick a year from now, the Habs get a player they should be happy with. Weaver has averaged 18:47 of ice time for the Panthers. -RB