6 NHL Trade Fails That Will Keep Haunting Teams Next Season
NHL general managers have various reasons to make trades. Sometimes, it's to add a player to fill a specific lineup need. In today's salary-cap world, it can be done to free up much-needed cap room to address other roster needs.
These moves can occasionally work out better than expected, perhaps with the addition of a little-used player or an unheralded prospect blossoming into a star. But sometimes, these deals can go very wrong.
The player acquired can be past their prime and unable to help out his new club as expected. They could also carry an average annual salary that handcuffs a general manager's efforts to make future moves for his roster.
NHL history is replete with examples of trades that didn't work out as intended. Some of the most notable have occurred since the turn of this century.
The six trades we're focussing on, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins acquiring Jeff Petry and Mikael Granlund, occurred within the last three seasons. While they don't rank among the all-time worst, they will haunt their teams heading into 2023-24 unless their general managers find a way out of their current plights.
Some of you may wonder why we haven't included the Calgary Flames' acquisition of Jonathan Huberdeau last summer on this list. We consider it too soon to tell if this will haunt the Flames. While his performance noticeably declined last season, he could have a bounce-back year under new head coach Ryan Huska.
Do you agree or disagree with this listing? Let us know in the comments below.
Washington Capitals Acquire Anthony Mantha
1 of 5
It was one of the biggest deals of the 2020-21 NHL trade deadline. In the final hour leading up to the 3 pm ET deadline on April 12, the Washington Capitals acquired winger Anthony Mantha from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forwards Jakub Vrána and Richard Pánik, a first-round pick in 2021 and a 2022 second-rounder, respectively.
Injuries hampered Mantha in his four full seasons leading up to 2020-21. Nevertheless, the 6'5", 234-pound winger had back-to-back 48-point performances in 2017-18 and 2018-19 and would finish with a respectable 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, with eight points in 14 games for the Capitals.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan praised Mantha's size, speed and offensive abilities at the time of the trade. He envisioned him benefiting from playing alongside a playmaking center like Evgeny Kuznetsov or Nicklas Backstrom on the Capitals' scoring lines.
Things haven't worked out as hoped for the 28-year-old, though. Injuries and inconsistency continue to plague him, limiting him to just 37 games in 2021-22. He saw action in 67 contests last season but managed just 27 points.
Mantha made our June NHL Trade Block Big Board due to reports of MacLellan making the winger available in the trade market. However, his declining performance and contract haven't garnered any suitors. He's earned an annual cap hit of $5.7 million but will receive $6.5 million in actual salary for 2023-24.
With the salary cap flattened for this season, few teams can afford a struggling winger carrying that type of salary-cap hit. The one benefit for the Capitals is Mantha is in the final season of his contract. Nevertheless, the inability to move his cap hit off their books via trade made it difficult for them to find sufficient cap room to improve their roster.
As for the Red Wings, this deal also didn't work out, but it won't haunt them this year. Vrána struggled with the team and was shipped to the St. Louis Blues at the 2023 trade deadline. Pánik was shipped to the New York Islanders in July 2021 for Nick Leddy and played in Switzerland last season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Bring In Jeff Petry and Mikael Granlund
2 of 5
Ron Hextall spent two-and-a-half seasons as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but his short tenure won't be fondly recalled by the club's followers.
After he was fired on Apr. 14, The Athletic's Josh Yohe labeled him as "one of the worst general managers in franchise history," citing his "ghastly record of player transactions."
One of those transactions involved the acquisition of Jeff Petry last summer from the Montreal Canadiens. The other was getting Mikael Granlund from the Nashville Predators at the March trade deadline. It's now up to Kyle Dubas, the Penguins' new president of hockey operations and interim general manager, to figure out what to do about them.
Petry and center Ryan Poehling were acquired in exchange for Mike Matheson and a 2023 fourth-round pick. At the time, Petry was one year removed from his fourth-straight season with 40-or-more points and had helped the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. His puck-moving skills were expected to be a welcome addition to the Penguins' blue line.
Despite the presence of offensive stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel, Petry managed 31 points in 61 games last season. Missing 21 games to injuries didn't help, but the 35-year-old still struggled at times with his new club.
Granlund, meanwhile, came in at the cost of a 2023 second-round pick. With the Penguins battling to make the playoffs, the 31-year-old was expected to bring additional mobility and versatility to the lineup with his ability to play all three forward positions. However, he managed just five points in 21 games as the Penguins missed the postseason.
It's bad enough the Penguins are now saddled with two fading assets for 2023-24. What makes it worse is they're signed beyond this season. Petry carries a $6.3 million cap hit through 2024-25, while Granlund's is $5 million annually over the same period.
Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators
3 of 5
David Poile made a lot of trades during his 25-year tenure as general manager of the Nashville Predators prior to his retirement on July 1. Many of them helped turn the club into a regular playoff contender and a Stanley Cup finalist in 2017. Some of them also failed to pan out.
One of his trade failures was the acquisition of defenseman Ryan McDonagh last July from the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's a headache inherited by Barry Trotz, the Predators' new GM.
In his previous 12 seasons with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning, McDonagh had a well-earned reputation as a solid all-around top-four blueliner. He exceeded 30 points six times, was the captain of the Rangers from 2014-15 to 2017-18 and helped the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
Poile cited McDonagh's experience, leadership and ability to play in any situation as reasons why he brought in the veteran defenseman. However, the 34-year-old is on the downside of his career. With 854 regular-season games and 185 playoff contests under his belt, he's unlikely to improve over the remaining three years of his contract.
That deal will become an increasingly troublesome issue. McDonagh carries an average annual value of $6.8 million through 2025-26 but earns $8.4 million in actual salary for this season and $6.93 million in 2024-25. He also carries a full no-trade clause over those years.
As his play declines, the Predators could end up with a very expensive third-pairing defenseman on their hands.
.jpg?w=256 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=256 "NHL Mock Draft")
Philadelphia Flyers Deal for Ryan Ellis
4 of 5
The Philadelphia Flyers enjoyed their best season in years in 2019-20, finishing fourth overall in the Eastern Conference and reaching the second round of the playoffs. The following season, however, saw them miss the playoffs in part because of the unexpected retirement of defenseman Matt Niskanen before the 2020-21 season began.
Then-Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher attempted to rectify that issue by acquiring Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators on July 17 in exchange for blueliner Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick.
Describing Ellis as a solid all-around defenseman, Fletcher hoped the 5'10" 180-pounder would bolster his blue line and get the Flyers back on track.
Ellis had been hampered by injuries during the previous two seasons, which probably should have sent up red flags for Flyers management. Nevertheless, he got off to a promising start with four points in his first three games. However, a lower-body injury limited him to just one more game on Nov. 13, which turned out to be his last.
Since then, the 32-year-old has been sidelined with what was revealed to be a career-threatening back injury that is also affecting his abdominal area. The Flyers, meanwhile, are rebuilding under new general manager Daniel Brière.
The Flyers can keep Ellis on long-term injury reserve if he doesn't retire, something he's unlikely to do given he's signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $6.3 million. They can exceed the salary cap by up to the equivalent value of his cap hit during the regular season to boost their roster if necessary.
Doing so, however, means the Flyers cannot accrue cap space over the course of the regular season. That's why, according to The Fourth Period's Anthony Di Marco on Apr. 26, management is open to trading Ellis' contract to another club in return for a less-than-attractive contract with a shorter term.
That could prove difficult to do in a season with a flattened salary cap. The Flyers might have better luck in 2024-25 when the cap is projected to rise significantly. Until then, this situation will continue to be a headache.
Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks
5 of 5
After making the playoffs just once since 2016-17, Chicago seemed ready for a roster rebuild in 2021-22. Instead, then-general manager Stan Bowman opted to retool with veterans in the hope of a return to championship glory.
Among his biggest moves was his acquisition of Seth Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 23 in exchange for defenseman Adam Boqvist, a first- and second-round pick in the 2021 draft and a first-rounder in 2022 or 2023.
Five days later, Bowman signed Jones to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual cap hit of $9.5 million.
Two years later, Bowman has been replaced as GM by Kyle Davidson. Notables stars such as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marc-André Fleury and Alex DeBrincat have been traded away. In the middle of a roster rebuild, Chicago finished near the bottom of the overall standings in 2022-23, winning the 2023 draft lottery and selecting Connor Bedard.
It could be several years until Chicago is back in playoff contention. Meanwhile, Jones and his hefty contract remain. Entering the second year of his deal, the 28-year-old is among the few veterans on the roster in his prime. He's played well despite the roster changes, netting 51 points in 2021-22 and 37 points on a depleted lineup last season.
However, acquiring the defenseman was not the right move for Chicago. Now in the middle of a rebuild, their former GM has saddled them with a contract that could become burdensome over its remaining tenure.
Chicago can afford to carry Jones' hefty contract for now, but his $9.5 million cap hit will become a drain on their payroll as their promising young players improve and end up costing more to re-sign. By the time they're a playoff club again in four or five years, Jones will be in his early-30s and approaching the decline of his career.
Jones is among the NHL's highest-paid defensemen. He also carries a full no-movement clause giving him complete control over where he plays. This is a contract that's not going to age well and will prove difficult to move over time as his skills and performance declines.
Salary info via Cap Friendly and Puck Pedia.
.jpg?w=480 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=480 "NHL Mock Draft")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
