NHL Trade Deadline: Flashback! Winners and Losers in the Post-Lockout Era
After every trade deadline, everyone likes to talk about the “winners” and the “losers.”
But really, it’s a funny concept, this whole “winner” and “loser” thing. And why’s that? Well, don’t you think that every GM thinks that their team was a winner? I hope so; because if any GM goes through with a trade that they don’t feel they’re going to “win,” well then, they should certainly be out of a job.
Not to sound overly cliché here, but you know what they say. Hindsight is 20/20.
It’s nearly impossible to tell who “won” or “lost” a trade three days after the trade deadline. You never know how a draft pick or a prospect will develop, and you never know how well a rental player will perform down the stretch. These things can be assumed, but a lot of the time these assumptions don’t hold true. So rather then assume and make an, well you know, out of you and me, let’s take a look at past trade deadlines, where clear-cut “winners” and “losers” can be determined.
2005-2006 Trade Deadline
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Stanley Cup Champions: Carolina Hurricanes
Runner-up: Edmonton Oilers
Both the Oilers and Hurricanes made deals at the deadline, which proved to be instrumental in helping them make the Stanley Cup Finals.
The day before the deadline, the Oilers traded a first-round draft pick (Trevor Lewis) and a conditional third-round draft pick for Dwyane Roloson. And on the actual deadline day, they traded for Sergei Samsonov, giving up Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a second-round pick (Milan Lucic) in the process.
The Oilers were the clear winners in the Roloson deal, as Roloson played a huge role in Edmonton’s run to the final, while Lewis has played only 11 games in the NHL. As for the Samsonov deal...not so clear-cut.
Samsonov compiled 16 points in 19 games at the tail end of the regular season but slowed down during the playoffs with 15 points in 25 games. While in the meantime, Reasoner remains an effective fourth line forward, and Lucic has established himself as one of the premier power forwards in the league.
In the end, I’d like to consider Edmonton a winner. After all, the Oilers were one win away from the Stanley Cup. And if you were to ask Kevin Lowe to look back and reflect, I’m sure he’d tell you that even if he could, he wouldn’t change a thing.
If the Oilers were “winners” at the deadline, then the Hurricanes were "grand champions." Carolina traded Niklas Nordgren, Krystofer Kolanos and a second-round pick (Kevin Marshall) for Mark Recchi. This might not seem like much, but Recchi had 16 points during the Hurricane’s run to the Cup, while the three players he was traded for have combined for 47 NHL points.
Another notable trade was the Capitals sending Brendan Witt to Nashville for Kris Beech and a first-round pick (Simeon Varlamov). Varlamov remains Washington’s goalie of the future, while Witt played just 22 games in a Predators uniform.
Winners: Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes
Loser: Nashville Predators (prime example of a rental player that just didn’t work out.)
2006-2007 Trade Deadline
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Stanley Cup Champions: Anaheim Ducks
Runner-up: Ottawa Senators
Unlike the 2006 trade deadline, the two Cup finalists hardly made any moves at the deadline to improve their team. Instead, this trade deadline can be summed up by the rental players that didn’t work out.
The Blues traded Bill Guerin to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ville Nieminem, Jay Barriball and a first-round draft pick (David Perron). Guerin had two assists in nine playoff games, as the Sharks lost in the second round, while Perron currently plays a large role in St. Louis’ bright future. In the end, I think it’s safe to say the Blues won this trade.
And while we’re on the topic of the Blues' winning trades, they also traded Keith Tkachuk to the Thrashers in exchange for a first-round pick (Mikael Backlund), a second-round pick (Philip McRae), and a third-round pick (Brett Sonne). The Backlund pick was later traded to the Flames, but McRae and Sonne are currently two of the Blues’ top prospects.
Meanwhile, after trading away Tkachuk, the Thrashers also sent Braydon Coburn to the Flyers for Alexei Zhitnik. Unlike Kevin Lowe, I'm sure Don Waddell would like to have that one back.
But how did these rental players end up working out for Atlanta? Not so good. The Thrashers were swept at the hands of the Rangers in the first round.
Another notable trade includes San Jose picking up Craig Rivet and a fifth-round pick (Jonas Holos) in exchange for Josh Gorges and a first-round pick from the Canadiens (Max Pacioretty). Montreal definitely won this trade as Gorges and Pacioretty have turned into regular roster players for the Canadiens.
Winner: St. Louis Blues
Losers: Atlanta Thrashers and the San Jose Sharks
2007-2008 Trade Deadline
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Stanley Cup Champions: Detroit Red Wings
Runner-up: Pittsburgh Penguins
The big splash at the deadline was the Pittsburgh Penguins acquiring Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first-round pick (Daultan Leveille). Hossa shined in the Penguins’ playoff run tallying 26 points in 20 games, while Esposito and Leveille have yet to play a game in the NHL. I think it’s safe to say that Pittsburgh won this trade, giving Atlanta the “loser” title for the second year running.
The Tampa Bay Lightning also made headlines when they sent Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern and a fourth-round pick (Kyle Bigos). Brad Richards has been a steady point and game player for the Stars over the past few seasons, while all the Lightning have left from the deal is Smith and his 3.20 goals against average. I don’t even think this needs to go to the judges—TKO for Dallas.
Another notable trade was the Sharks’ acquisition of Brian Campbell and a seventh-round pick (Drew Daniels) from Buffalo, in exchange for Steve Bernier and a first-round pick (Tyler Ennis). Campbell put up 26 points in 33 games as a Shark, but Ennis has shown huge upside with 35 points in his first year in the NHL. I’ll call this trade a draw.
Winners: Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars
Loser: Atlanta Thrashers
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2008-2009 Trade Deadline
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Stanley Cup Champions: Pittsburgh Penguins
Runner-up: Detroit Red Wings
I’d just like to point out how the Red Wings made the Cup final two years in a row without making any additions to their team at the deadline. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
Anyways, back to the trade deadline. The Penguins made another big deal at the deadline acquiring Bill Guerin from the Islanders for a third-round draft pick. Now the Islanders didn’t necessarily lose this deal, but the Penguins definitely got the most out of it. Guerin tallied 15 points during Pittsburgh’s run to the Stanley Cup, and his leadership, no doubt, played a huge role along the way.
The Calgary Flames were also busy at the deadline, making two trades to try and improve their team. The Flames acquired Jordan Leopold from Colorado for Lawrence Nycholat, Ryan Wilson and a second-round pick (Stefan Elliott), while they also acquired Olli Jokinen from Phoenix for Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a first-round pick (Brandon Gormley). The Flames gave up three very promising defensive prospects for two rental players that couldn’t get them out of the first round. Right now, the Flames are one of the oldest teams in the league, and looking back at this trade deadline, we can now see why.
Winners: Pittsburgh Penguins and the Phoenix Coyotes (the Coyotes also traded Dan Carcillo for Scottie Upshall and a second rounder. Pretty good deal if you ask me.)
Loser: Calgary Flames
2009-2010 Trade Deadline
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Stanley Cup Champions: Chicago Blackhawks
Runner-up: Philadelphia Flyers
Like Anaheim and Ottawa at the 2007 trade deadline, the eventual conference champions both remained quiet, relying on the team that they iced the whole regular season.
Instead, the 2010 trade deadline was highlighted by the abundance of trades made by the Washington Capitals. In the process, they acquired Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, Eric Belanger and Milan Jurcina, while they gave up Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala, two second-round picks, a sixth-round pick and a seventh-round pick. The Capitals could be considered losers after getting bounced by the Candiens in the first round, even though it was the play of a hot goalie that killed them. In the end, it made Washington a classic example of how icing the best team on paper doesn't always work out.
It’s still too early to tell who the winners and the losers were from this trade deadline. It’s just too recent. But an emerging winner is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who acquired Teddy Purcell and a third-round pick (Brock Beukeboom) from the Kings for Jeff Halpern. Purcell has 40 points for the Bolts this year while Beukeboom was the main prospect that brought in Eric Brewer at this year’s trade deadline.
2010-2011 Trade Deadline
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Brian Burke got the ball rolling nice and early with the Beauchemin deal, and then, there was no looking back. Thirty deals were made before the actual trade deadline, which left deadline day a little less eventful than most would have hoped.
Nonetheless, there were still some big deals that took place. The most talked about being the Dustin Penner trade that shipped him to the Kings for Colton Teubert, a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick.
The addition of Penner has the potential to make the Kings a Cup contender, but then again, you never know. Some cup winners made big deals at the deadline (Carolina and Pittsburgh) while some contenders left their teams essentially untouched (Anaheim and Detroit).
It will definitely be interesting to see what happens come playoff time and to see which strategy has the biggest payoff. Will it be a team like Los Angeles or Vancouver who upgraded their roster? Or will it be a team like Philadelphia or Detroit who are sticking with the guys that they already have? Or maybe an underdog will come out of no where, the same way the Flyers did last year or the Oilers in 2006. Or maybe a team like New Jersey will come into the playoffs on a hot streak and meet the expectations set for them at the beginning of the year.
So many possibilities with only one answer will almost guarantee exciting hockey for the remainder of the year. So get excited.
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