Reviewing Some of the Biggest NHL Trades of 2016
The NHL saw a number of significant trades in 2016. Among the notables was the Montreal Canadiens shipping P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber. Another was the Edmonton Oilers dealing Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson.
Last year, we evaluated the best and worst deals at last season's trade deadline. We also ranked some of the offseason's biggest moves.
Now, at the midpoint of the 2016-17 season, it's worthwhile to revisit these deals to see how they have worked out so far. We'll examine the expectations raised by each trade, as well as the actual impact on this season.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Mikkel Boedker
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Trade: Feb. 29, 2016—the Arizona Coyotes traded left wing Mikkel Boedker to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for left wing Alex Tanguay and prospects Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood.
Grade: F
Review
When this deal was made, it was considered a good move for both clubs. The Avs received a scoring left wing to help them reach the playoffs, and the rebuilding Coyotes got a couple of promising youngsters and a veteran winger.
Boedker had 12 points in 18 games with the Avs, but they failed to make the playoffs. Signed to a four-year, $16 million contract by the San Jose Sharks on July 1, 2016, the 27-year-old winger is having a disappointing performance this season. With only 13 points in 46 games, he's well off the pace that saw him reach 51 points last season.
Tanguay played out last season with the Coyotes and remains an unrestricted free agent. At 37, his NHL playing career is likely finished. Bleackley is now in the St. Louis Blues' farm system. Wood, 20, is playing for the Coyotes' AHL farm team in Tucson.
Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Andrew Ladd
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Trade: Feb. 26, 2016—the Winnipeg Jets traded left wing Andrew Ladd and minor league players Matt Fraser and Jay Harrison to the Chicago Blackhawks for center Marko Dano, a first-round pick in 2016 and a conditional pick in 2018.
Grade: D
Review
It was assumed Ladd would improve the Blackhawks' chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. The Jets, meanwhile, moved out a pending free agent who they couldn't afford to re-sign for assets that could help them in the future.
However, bringing back Ladd failed to help Chicago return to the Stanley Cup Final. He netted 12 points in 19 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he was held to only two points in seven games as the Blackhawks were eliminated from the opening round by the St. Louis Blues.
On July 1, 2016, Ladd inked a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the New York Islanders. Considering his struggles this season (12 points in 41 games), the Blackhawks are better off without him.
Dano showed some promise with the Jets (10 points in 28 games this season), but he's currently sidelined with a lower-body injury. The Jets traded the pick they received from the Blackhawks to the Philadelphia Flyers to move up in the first round of the 2016 draft, selecting defenseman Logan Stanley of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires.
Calgary Flames Acquire Brian Elliott
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Trade: June 24, 2016—the Calgary Flames acquired goaltender Brian Elliott from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft and a conditional third-round pick in 2018. The Blues used that pick to select center Jordan Kyrou of the OHL's Sarnia Sting.
Grade: C-
Review
This deal was ranked 10th among last summer's biggest offseason moves. It was expected the additions of Elliott, who backstopped the Blues to the 2016 Western Conference Final, and free agent Chad Johnson would bolster the Flames goaltending and push them into playoff contention.
The Flames are holding a playoff berth in the Western Conference, and their goaltending has improved. However, it's Johnson who's primarily responsible. He's won 16 of 29 starts with a 2.41 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. Elliott, however, has only eight victories in 20 starts with a 2.87 GAA and .893 save percentage.
Elliott struggled earlier in the season, leading to Johnson getting more starts. Since Dec. 14, however, his numbers have improved. He's won five of his last eight starts, and his save percentage only dipped below .923 in three games during that stretch.
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Arizona Coyotes Acquire Alex Goligoski
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Trade: June 16, 2016—the Arizona Coyotes acquired the rights of free-agent defenseman Alex Goligoski from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft. On June 22, the Coyotes announced they re-signed the veteran blueliner to a five-year, $27.375 million contract.
Grade: C+
Review
This move was ranked seventh among last summer's biggest deals. Adding Goligoski was supposed to provide an extra measure of puck-moving depth for the Coyotes blue line. In over five seasons with the Stars, he exceeded the 30-point plateau four times.
The Coyotes are struggling, but that's not the fault of the 31-year-old Goligoski. He's their leader in blocked shots (87). He's also second in time on ice per game (23 minutes, 24 seconds).
Goligoski's offensive numbers are down (14 points in 46 games), making it unlikely that he'll reach 30 points this season. That's due to the Coyotes' anemic offense, as he has fewer notable scorers to set up than he did with the Stars.
Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Justin Schultz
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Trade: Feb. 27, 2016—the Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Justin Schultz to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft.
Grade: B
Review
At the time, Schultz had struggled to prove himself as a top-four defenseman with the Oilers. Unless he significantly improved his performance, the assumption was that he wouldn't be much help to the Penguins.
Schultz silenced the doubters by becoming an invaluable depth addition for the Penguins, helping them march to the 2016 Stanley Cup title. Re-signed to an affordable one-year, $1.4 million contract, the 26-year-old remains a key part of Pittsburgh's blue line.
With 33 points in 46 games, Schultz is the scoring leader among Pittsburgh's defensemen. He's filling the offensive void left by the absence of sidelined blue-line stalwart Kris Letang.
Florida Panthers Acquire and Sign Keith Yandle
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Trade: June 20, 2016—the Florida Panthers acquired the rights to defenseman Keith Yandle from the New York Rangers in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2017. Four days later, the Panthers re-signed Yandle to a seven-year, $44.45 million contract.
Grade: B
Review
This move was ranked as the fourth-best of the 2016 offseason. Yandle was considered an upgrade over departed blueliners Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov. A power-play specialist, he was expected to boost the Panthers' man-advantage production.
After finishing atop the Atlantic Division last season, the Panthers are fifth in the division and sit outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. While the 31-year-old Yandle went through an early-season adjustment with his new team, he cannot be faulted for the Panthers' struggles this season.
Edmonton Oilers Trade Taylor Hall to New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson
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Trade: June 29, 2016—the Edmonton Oilers traded Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Adam Larsson.
Grade: B
Review
Ranked as the second-biggest deal of the offseason, this trade was expected to address each club's significant concerns. The Devils lacked a good young scorer, and the Oilers needed a skilled top-four defenseman.
With 31 points in 38 games, the 25-year-old Hall is the Devils' leading scorer and their most talented offensive forward. He's delivered as expected. Unfortunately, he can't overcome the Devils' lack of secondary scoring. Despite Hall's efforts, the Devils are among the league's lowest-scoring clubs, averaging only 2.23 goals per game.
Larsson, meanwhile, is on the Oilers' top defensive pairing. He's their leader in hits (143), third in blocked shots (84) and fifth in time on ice per game (20 minutes, nine seconds). With 12 points in 48 games, however, he lacks the puck-moving skills the Oilers need from a top-two blueliner.
Montreal Canadiens Trade P.K. Subban to Nashville Predators for Shea Weber
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Trade: June 29, 2016—the Montreal Canadiens traded P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber.
Grade: A+ (Canadiens); C (Predators)
Review
The original assessment of this deal suggested the Predators improved their offensive production from the blue line with Subban. The Canadiens picked up a more physical presence in Weber but lost some speed and offense.
Halfway through this season, however, this trade favors the Canadiens. The 31-year-old Weber leads all Habs blueliners in points (29) and ranks third in team scoring. He's also their leader in time on ice per game (25 minutes, 43 seconds), power-play points (16) and blocked shots (105). He's a key reason why the Canadiens sit atop the Atlantic Division.
Subban, 27, has struggled somewhat through his first season with the Predators. A nagging upper-body injury sidelined him for 16 games and hampered his effectiveness. Though averaging 24:56 in time on ice per game, he's tallied 17 points in 31 games. The Predators are jockeying for a playoff spot, but Subban hasn't been as effective as hoped.
Player stats (as of Jan. 22, 2017) per NHL.com. Salary info per CapFriendly. Additional info per HockeyDB.com.
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