The days leading up to the NHL Draft weekend usually brings about some notable activity in the trade market.
This year is no exception. There’s already been a notable player-for-player swap between the Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes, followed by a three-team deal involving winger Mike Hoffman.
We could be more trade activity once the draft gets underway. Here’s a look back at the notable deals thus far.
Domi for Galchenyuk
Last Friday, the Arizona Coyotes dealt left wing Max Domi to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Alex Galchenyuk. This was a straight-up hockey trade, with no draft picks or prospects included and no salary retained by either club.
Early consensus among pundits and fans has the Coyotes as the clear winner of this deal. Many believe Galchenyuk, a former 30-goal scorer, never got a fair break as a center with the Canadiens while Domi struggled after a 52-point rookie campaign in 2015-16.
What’s overlooked is Galchenyuk was a streaky scorer who often frustrated Canadiens followers with his inconsistency. Domi, meanwhile, missed 23 games to injury in his sophomore season and had a solid second half in 2017-18 after he and his teammates stumbled through a horrible first half.
It’s clear these are two players who needed a change. Perhaps Galchenyuk will blossom as a center outside the Montreal fishbowl. Maybe Domi will flourish with the Canadiens. Time will tell who got the better of the deal, but this could work out well for both clubs.
Hoffman the centerpiece of a three-team deal
On Tuesday morning, the Ottawa Senators traded Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks in a package deal that included veteran winger Mikkel Boedker heading to Ottawa. The Sharks then flipped the 28-year-old winger to the Florida Panthers for three draft picks.
Hoffman was a fixture for months in the NHL rumor mill. Recent allegations of cyberstalking leveled at his fiancee by Erik Karlsson‘s wife hastened his departure from Ottawa.
Boedker is a swift-skating two-way forward with decent playmaking abilities. While he’ll be more defensively responsible for the Senators than Hoffman, he won’t replace the latter’s offense.
The Panthers were in the market for a scoring winger and obviously weren’t concerned about Hoffman’s potential personal baggage. With four straight seasons of 20-plus goals and 48-or-more points, Hoffman should address that need.
By sending Boedker to Ottawa and Hoffman to Florida, Cap Friendly indicates the Sharks have over $63.4 million invested in 20 players. Assuming the salary cap reaches $80 million, they could have over $16 million to re-sign restricted free agents such as Tomas Hertl and still leave enough to acquire a center or winger via trade or free agency.
The Sharks have been rumored as a potential suitor for New York Islanders center John Tavares if he hits the open market. They’ve also been linked to free agent winger Ilya Kovalchuk. By adding those three draft picks from the Panthers, they could use some of them as trade bait for a center.