The 2020 NHL trade deadline has come and gone.
Now that the madness has concluded, it’s time to evaluate the moves made and decipher which teams did well and which didn’t.
We’ll start with the former, taking a closer look at three teams I thought fared well on deadline day.
Note: most prior moves have already been talked about at length so I’m going to try and focus on moves made in the ~24 hours prior to the deadline.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators were once again one of the more active teams on deadline day.
They traded winger Vladislav Namestnikov to the Colorado Avalanche, recouping a 2021 4th round pick initially parted with to get Namestnikov’s services.
Ottawa traded another winger, Tyler Ennis, to Edmonton in exchange for a 5th round pick. Ennis is on pace for ~40 points so the return seems a little underwhelming on the surface, however, he’s a pending UFA and this is his first time surpassing 30 points since 2014-15.
You could argue the Senators should have fared a little better with those deals but, realistically speaking, the chances of finding a player with a 3rd + 4th are not much better than finding one with a 4th + 5th. We’re splitting hairs.
The other move of note is where the Senators really hit a homerun. Rather than giving Jean-Gabriel Pageau more term and money than he’s worth, they traded him to the New York Islanders for a 1st round pick, a 2nd round pick, and a conditional 3rd rounder.
This is only the second time Pageau has surpassed 40 points in a season – a lot of that is inflation due to shooting percentage and top-line minutes, which he won’t get on Long Island – and he will be 28 a month into his next contract. The Senators smartly sold high and should benefit greatly moving forward because of it.
Whether they use those picks to select prospects or convert them into a player who can help in the short and long-term, they’ve set themselves up nicely for the future.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are a pretty good hockey team, albeit a flawed one.
Headlined by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Oscar Klefbom, there is no doubting the nucleus. There is doubting the depth surrounding them.
GM Ken Holland made a few moves to address those concerns, and at reasonable costs.
Ennis may not be a household name but he has more points than all but McDavid, Draisaitl, and RNH. He’ll provide some much-needed offensive punch, and speed, on the wing.
Andreas Athanasiou, like most (all?) Detroit Red Wings, has not produced as much as you’d hope this season. The Oilers still believe he can really boost their offense, and it’s easy to see why.
Athanasiou scored 30 goals just a season ago and he has averaged 23 goals per 82 games since entering the NHL; the track record is there.
He’s also one of the league’s most dynamic skaters and one of the few who can legitimately skate stride for stride – or close to it – with McDavid.
Two 2nd round picks is not nothing but Athanasiou instantly becomes one of the most talented players on the roster. At just 25, there is still room for growth.
I’m guessing he’ll be able to figure things out and get back on track riding shotgun with McDavid.
I also thought landing Mike Green for Kyle Brodziak and a conditional 4th was a tidy bit of business. He’s certainly past his best before date but that doesn’t mean he’s not effective.
Green has produced at a ~33 point pace over the last two seasons despite playing for an abomination of a Red Wings team. He can still help transition from defense to offense, and he can help out a little on the power play. He’s a nice piece to add to a banged-up defense core.
All in all, I thought Holland did a good job of adding established players to the team – that are clear upgrades – without paying a premium to do so. He didn’t part with any of the team’s (quality) prospects, nor their 1st round pick.
Job well done.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are not in a great spot right now; they’re caught in no man’s land. They are no longer contenders, have an aging core, goaltending concerns, and don’t possess the pick or prospect capital to get fans excited about their future.
GM Doug Wilson set out to change the latter prior to the deadline. In my opinion, he did a pretty good job considering what he had to work with.
He acquired a 2nd and a 3rd for pending UFA Brenden Dillon. I’m not going to spend too much time talking about that – my own rule is that I’m supposed to focus on deadline day – but I think we can all agree it’s good value.
The same can certainly be said of his other deals. Wilson traded veteran forward Patrick Marleau to Pittsburgh for a conditional 3rd, which could become a 2nd if the Penguins win the Cup.
Marleau is a useful depth player. That said the likes of Kyle Clifford, Matt Nieto, and Tyler Pitlick have been more efficient point producers at 5v5 this season. He really doesn’t have much left in the tank. The return is solid, especially considering Pittsburgh is one of the better Cup bets.
Wilson then flipped defensive forward Barclay Goodrow, and a 3rd round pick, to Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 1st rounder.
They knew the contending Lightning were starved for cost-controlled players to slide into their lineup. The Sharks converted that thirst into a 1st round pick, providing the opportunity to pick in the top-31 come June.
All in all, the Sharks traded three players around the edges and walked away with a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and conditional 3rd. That’s a good haul.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
