Breaking Down the Stanley Cup Playoff Picture After 2015 NHL Trade Deadline
The 2015 NHL trade deadline has—mercifully—come and gone, leaving some contenders in better shape, others in the same shape and others worse off than they were 24 hours ago.
Last season, it was the bigger trades that helped most. The Los Angeles Kings (Marian Gaborik), New York Rangers (Martin St. Louis) and Montreal Canadiens (Thomas Vanek) added big names who helped get those teams to conference finals and beyond.
Will it be the same story this year, or will some of the more subtle moves be the ones that push the league's best teams over the top?
We will look at which contenders helped and hurt themselves most with their moves at or near the deadline, take a crack at determining how it affects the playoff races and identify which move was better than all others.
Since impact trades have been happening for a few weeks, for the sake of defining "deadline deals," we'll consider the transaction between the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 11 that sent Evander Kane to Buffalo and Tyler Myers to Winnipeg the start of the deadline trades.
Eastern Conference's Best Move: Montreal Gets Jeff Petry from Edmonton
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It only cost general manager Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens a second-round pick and a conditional fifth-rounder to round out their blue line with a quality defender in Jeff Petry.
With Petry in the mix, the Canadiens can go with P.K. Subban, Tom Gilbert and Petry along the right side and Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin (when healthy) and Sergei Gonchar/Nathan Beaulieu down the left side. The Canadiens finally have the balance that's been missing for most of the season.
The 27-year-old Petry doesn't bring much offense, but the Canadiens don't need it. They need a steady top-four defenseman and solid possession player, and that's what they're getting.
"We think he'll be in the right spot [in the lineup] here in Montreal," Bergevin said to media. "P.K. and [Markov] fill a very important role on our team. Petry will still have an important role here, but it might be a better spot for him. He's a good defenseman who skates very well and makes a good first pass. You can't have enough players like that on a team."
Petry has done well relative to his Oilers teammates over the past two seasons, as evidenced by this breakdown by TSN.ca's Scott Cullen.
Considering the price paid, the need filled and the player doing the filling, this is a quietly outstanding trade for the Canadiens.
Western Conference's Best Move: Arizona Gets Anthony Duclair, Draft Picks
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Sure, contenders like Chicago, Los Angeles and St. Louis added helpful pieces, but no one made a bigger impact on their roster than the Arizona Coyotes.
Anthony Duclair is a 19-year-old third-round pick with seven points in 18 NHL games. As someone with such little experience, he could amount to anything at this point in career, but he looks for all the world like a future 20-goal, top-six winger.
"When [Rangers GM Glen Sather] put Anthony Duclair's name on the table, that's what got our attention," Maloney said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Monday. "He's a young, 19-year-old winger with excellent speed and skill."
The Coyotes also added defenseman John Moore and a first- and second-round pick in this deal. The picks are of course crapshoots as well, but those are valuable assets for Keith Yandle—a player who was clearly not part of the rebuilding Coyotes' future plans beyond next season.
Throw in the fact that this trade gives the Coyotes a legitimate shot at blue-chip prospects Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel at the 2015 draft, and this is far and away the best single deal any team made at the deadline.
This is the sort of deal that could result in a Stanley Cup for the Coyotes down the road.
Eastern Conference: Who Helped Themselves at the Deadline
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New York Rangers: They paid a hefty price, but landing Keith Yandle fills out the blue line nicely, giving the Rangers six solid defensemen. The better move, however, was picking up James Sheppard from the San Jose Sharks, assuming that means he relegates Tanner Glass to the press box for the rest of the season.
Montreal Canadiens: Adding Jeff Petry was really nice, as was getting power forward Devante Smith-Pelly. TSN.ca reported that the Habs brought in Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn, which should help the forward depth. A top-six right winger would've been the cherry on top, but GM Marc Bergevin didn't want to pay the high price for a rental. Still, the Canadiens are much better today than they were a week ago.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Is Braydon Coburn worth Radko Gudas, as well as a first- and third-round pick? Not in any sane world, no. But this isn't a sane world. Coburn upgrades the Lightning's blue line, and that's the bottom line for a team chasing a Stanley Cup. It's the sort of deal that may look bad a few years from now, but the Lightning are focused on the present.
Philadelphia Flyers: GM Ron Hextall needed to shed salary, and he did what he could. Coburn and his $4.5 million cap hit next season go to Tampa, although he probably wouldn't have minded dumping Vinny Lecavalier on someone for a similar price. The Flyers got four picks total for Coburn and Kimmo Timonen in two separate trades and didn't take themselves out of the playoff race.
Toronto Maple Leafs: If you pawn David Clarkson's entire contract on someone, you've won. Everything else doesn't matter.
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Western Conference: Who Helped Themselves at the Deadline
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Chicago Blackhawks: They didn't come cheap, but Antoine Vermette and Kimmo Timonen are terrific additions to a great team using found cap space as a result of Patrick Kane's injury. The Blackhawks are positioned to win a Stanley Cup, so dumping high draft picks isn't an issue. They are deeper down the middle and on the back end. Chicago dealt Ben Smith and a seventh-rounder for Andrew Desjardins, which should help the fourth line.
Los Angeles Kings: The Kings needed a defenseman and got the best one on the market in Andrej Sekera. Sure, the Kings are 0-3 since the trade and 0-2 with Sekera in the lineup, but that should change soon. GM Dean Lombardi was lacking cap space and landed a solid defenseman who fit his budget.
Nashville Predators: Acquiring Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a first-round pick, prospect and Olli Jokinen on Feb. 15 looks great more than two weeks later. It's a downright bargain compared to most of the deals that happened afterward.
Winnipeg Jets: The Evander Kane trade unofficially kicked off the deadline push, and what a push it was for the Jets. GM Ken Cheveldayoff bolstered his lineup by bringing in Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and Jiri Tlusty. The Jets then sent Carl Klingberg to the New York Rangers for Lee Stempniak.
Arizona Coyotes: There is some gorgeous tanking happening in the desert. The Coyotes added two first-round picks and a second-round pick along with Anthony Duclair as part of their deadline deals. They set themselves up nicely for the future.
Eastern Conference: Who Hurt Themsleves at the Deadline
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Washington Capitals: With very little separating the top seven teams in the East, the Capitals did very little to help themselves at the deadline. Tim Gleason is the smallest of upgrades on defense. Meanwhile, winger Curtis Glencross was acquired for two draft picks. He might actually be a downgrade for the Caps—especially at the expense of talented youngster Andre Burakovsky's roster spot.
Detroit Red Wings: Forward Erik Cole and offensive blueliner Marek Zidlicky were brought in for a total of two prospects, a second-round pick and a conditional pick that will likely be a third-rounder. Rentals came at a high cost this year, but this hardly seems worth it. Cole has zero goals in his past 34 playoff games, while the 38-year-old Zidlicky's best days are behind him.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Paying Nathan Horton $5 million not to play wasn't an option, so the Blue Jackets took on the $5.25 million cap hit of a forward who has amassed 26 points over the past 120 games. Isn't nothing better than a negative?
Western Conference: Who Hurt Themsleves at the Deadline
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St. Louis Blues: It's not as though the Blues were in desperate need of help. They are a very good team capable of doing big things in the playoffs. But Zbynek Michalek? A guy with a concussion who is no sure bet over the rest of the season? A 36-year-old Olli Jokinen? That's the answer? Robert Bortuzzo? The haul is disappointing for a team that could've used a No. 4 or 5 defenseman.
Anaheim Ducks: "Jiri Sekac and Tomas Fleischmann lead Ducks to Stanley Cup" feels like an unlikely headline. Just like the Blues, the Ducks are a pretty good team, but they didn't do themselves any favors on the trade market. Defenseman Ben Lovejoy was shipped to Pittsburgh for fellow rearguard Simon Despres. At least for now, that is a lateral move at best. James Wisniewski was added as well for his second stint in Anaheim, but it's not an overall impressive get for the Ducks.
San Jose Sharks: What is this team? It's not rebuilding. It's not going for it. It's a mess philosophically. It dumped James Sheppard for a fourth-rounder. It also sent Tyler Kennedy to the Islanders. The Sharks didn't start fresh with Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau trades. They didn't go for it by adding players who can help now.
Eastern Conference: Projected Playoff Field
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Atlantic
1. Montreal
2. Tampa Bay
3. Detroit
Metropolitan
1. Pittsburgh
2. N.Y. Islanders
3. N.Y. Rangers
Wild Card
1. Washington
2. Boston
Breakdown: There's not a lot of movement here. The Canadiens solidified themselves as the top team in the Atlantic Division, while the Red Wings didn't do enough to move up. The Metropolitan is anyone's guess, but since this is mine, the Penguins will make a late push with more overall depth. In the battle for the final wild-card spot, the Bruins did just enough over the past two days to hold off Florida and Philadelphia.
Western Conference: Projected Playoff Field
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Central
1. Nashville
2. St. Louis
3. Chicago
Pacific
1. Anaheim
2. Los Angeles
3. Vancouver
Wild Card
1. Winnipeg
2. Minnesota
Breakdown: Nothing changes in the Central, as the Predators already did their work well before the deadline. While the Blackhawks did a nice job adding Antoine Vermette and Kimmo Timonen, it's not enough to move past the Blues. Even though the Kings are winless since landing Andrej Sekera, they'll move into second in the Pacific. The final playoff spot will come down to Vancouver and Calgary, with the Canucks edging out the Flames.
Eastern Conference's Stanley Cup Favorite: Montreal Canadiens
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The Eastern Conference is incredibly tight. There's a case to be made for any of the top seven teams in the conference to reach the Stanley Cup final.
But we're making the case for the Montreal Canadiens.
When in doubt, hitch your wagon to the team with the best goaltender. Carey Price is on track to be a Hart Trophy finalist and perhaps win the award, so he represents the trump card in almost every potential playoff matchup.
The Rangers have a similar card with a healthy Henrik Lundqvist, but Price has been phenomenal this season.
Throw in the fact that the Canadiens addressed almost all of their needs at the deadline, and they are the pick.
Western Conference's Stanley Cup Favorite: Los Angeles Kings
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The West might be as competitive as the East—at least internally—making it difficult to pick one team that stands above the rest.
For now, even though they've lost three in a row and sit outside the playoffs, it's still the Los Angeles Kings.
Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com indicates they are a dominant possession team, while Tanner Pearson could return before the playoffs and the addition of Andrej Sekera fills the one glaring hole the Kings had.
"It's the one area of the team that we felt could be targeted in terms of an upgrade, and that means as a group," Lombardi said during a conference call. "Whenever you look at you back end, it's a mix type thing. He's very mobile. Even though he's not big, he's certainly a smart player. I think with the seven [defensemen] that we have, this was a chance to upgrade this team."
The Kings have proved time and time again they know how to get it done down the stretch and in the playoffs, so why doubt them now?
To reach the playoffs, the Kings need to be better than the Flames over the final 20 games. Once they get in, even if they face Nashville or Anaheim, it's hard to pick against the Kings.
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