Category: Deadline Deals

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Deadline Deals NHL

Bruins bulk up with Lindholm on defense in trade with Anaheim

The Boston Bruins acquired defenders, Hampus Lindholm and Kodie Curran, from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenders, Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, a 2022 1st round pick, a 2023 2nd round pick and a 2024 2nd round pick on Saturday afternoon.

The Ducks retained 50% of Lindholm’s salary ($2,602,778) in the transaction.

Lindholm and the B’s are reportedly working on an eight-year extension that could be finalized Sunday, according to TSN and RDS Hockey Insider and The Athletic writer, Pierre LeBrun.

TSN’s Chris Johnston tweeted that the average annual value of Lindholm’s extension may be around $6.500 million late Saturday night.

Prior to the trade, Lindholm’s cap hit with Anaheim was $5,205,556, so the otherwise pending-unrestricted free agent is due for a little bit of a pay raise given his age, status and longevity in the league as a top-four defender.

The 6-foot-4, 216-pound native of Helsingborg, Sweden was originally drafted by Anaheim in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has 57-165–222 totals in 582 career NHL games since making his league debut with the Ducks in the 2013-14 season.

Lindholm, 28, has five goals and 17 assists (22 points) in 61 games this season and set a career-high 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 78 games in 2014-15, before recording a career-high 13 goals in 69 games in 2017-18.

He suffered a fractured wrist last season and was limited to 18 games as a result– recording two goals and four assists (six points) in that span.

He also leaves Anaheim with 743 blocked shots– ranking third in franchise history– and was one of three defenders to reach 200 points in Ducks history, alongside Scott Niedermayer and Cam Fowler.

In 55 career Stanley Cup playoff games, Lindholm has 4-17–21 totals, including 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 16 games in Anaheim’s run to the 2015 Western Conference Final, as well as four points in 17 games in the Ducks’ 2017 Western Conference Final appearance.

He’ll likely land a role alongside Charlie McAvoy on the first defensive pairing and on Boston’s penalty kill as a more traditional shutdown defender to McAvoy’s two-way style.

Lindholm arrives at a time when the Bruins could use a little more insurance on the blue line in the event of injuries down the stretch and in the long run, despite producing solid numbers as one of the league’s more effective defenses and having a more pressing need for a second line center in another transaction.

Curran, 32, had 1-15–16 totals in 37 games for the San Diego Gulls (AHL) this season and is destined to become the oldest defender in Providence upon his arrival to the Bruins organization.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, joined the Ducks as an undrafted free agent on June 3, 2020, after parts of five college seasons at the University of Calgary from 2010-15, a stint with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Greenville Swamp Rabbits from 2015-16, and four seasons in Europe from 2016-20, before spending parts of the last two seasons in San Diego.

He had 7-27–34 totals in 81 career games for the Wolf Pack and Gulls before the trade.

Curran carries a $1.000 million cap hit and is a pending-unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

The Bruins have about $1.230 million in cap space by the end of the season as a result of the trade and will have about $6.152 million to work with at the trade deadline itself on Monday as General Manager, Don Sweeney, seeks to find a second line center and/or more.

Vaakanainen, 23, has four assists in 15 games this season while with Boston and has been sidelined for at least 17 games due to injury/illness having most recently suffered an upper body injury on Feb. 1st against Seattle and exiting warmup on Feb. 21st prior to a matchup against Colorado.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Joenssu, Finland has six assissts in 31 career NHL games– all with the Bruins– since he was drafted in the 1st round (18th overall) by Boston in 2017.

In 23 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL), he had 1-7–8 totals this season– bringing his American Hockey League career totals to 11-28–39 in 118 games in Providence.

Vaakanainen has yet to appear in a Stanley Cup playoff game and is a pending-restricted free agent at season’s end with a cap hit of $894, 167.

Moore, 31, meanwhile, appeared in seven games for Boston this season and has been out of the lineup with an upper body injury since Jan. 28th.

The 6-foot-3, 207-pound native of Winnetka, Illinois has 38-80–118 totals in 544 career NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and Bruins, including 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 97 games over parts of the last four seasons with Boston.

In 11 games with Providence this season, Moore had six points (one goal, five assists) prior to the trade.

He was originally drafted in the 1st round (21st overall) by Columbus at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and has four assists in 49 career Stanley Cup playoff games.

Moore is signed through the end of the 2022-23 season with a $2.750 million cap hit.

Anaheim will undoubtedly benefit from Vaakanainen’s development– provided he can stay healthy and avoid further career derailment due to traumatic brain injuries– as well as from the acquisition of three draft picks from the Bruins in as many years in the first two rounds (2022 1st round, 2023 2nd round and 2024 2nd round).

Retaining half of Lindholm’s salary is a small price to pay for the Ducks with the added benefit of attaining about $11.631 million in cap space by the end of the season.

As a result, Anaheim will have about $58.154 million in deadline cap space to work with to facilitate trades or broker any potential three-team deals as the Ducks sit on the outside of the cutoff line looking in for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Anaheim’s General Manager, Pat Verbeek, is ready to sell assets and commit to a rebuild with a plethora of picks at his disposal.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Analysis: Almost 11 years later, Taylor Hall is finally a Bruin

The Boston Bruins traded forward, Anders Bjork, and a 2021 2nd round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for forwards, Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar, late Sunday night/early Monday morning.

By the time TSN fired up their “TradeCentre” coverage, the Bruins and Sabres officially announced the deal.

Boston General Manager, Don Sweeney, emphasized the need to “add some juice” to the B’s lineup across both of his moves before Monday’s deadline.

Buffalo General Manger, Kevyn Adams, noted that he’s long-liked Bjork’s game and was tied up by Hall’s no-movement clause, which limited possible trade destinations.

Both Hall and Bjork were on pace for about three goals each this season at the time of the trade. Both players are looking to recapture former glories (Hall and his 2017-18 Hart Memorial Trophy winning regular season MVP performance, Bjork and his prolific scoring prowess in his junior year at Notre Dame in 2016-17).

In the end, however, the Bruins may have finally landed their missing piece to play alongside David Krejci on their second line, while the Sabres are prime for a resurgence by actually giving their youth (and Bjork) more playing time to develop.

And then there’s Lazar, who is the icing on the cake for Boston’s re-energized fourth line and not just at risk of being a rental, though Hall has indicated an interest in signing an extension with the Bruins if he can prove himself worthy.

All three players may suit up in their first game with their new teams against one another.

That’s right, the Bruins host the Sabres on Tuesday night– pitting Hall against Bjork in a head-to-head matchup, while Lazar (lower body) is a game-time decision.

Hall, 29, had 2-17–19 totals in 37 games with Buffalo at the time of the trade and has 220-362–582 totals in 664 career NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes and Sabres.

He had career-highs in goals (39), assists (54) and points (93) in 76 games en route to winning the Hart Trophy with the Devils in 2017-18, and was originally drafted 1st overall by Edmonton in 2010.

Hall is the first player since Jaromir Jagr in 2013, to suit up for the Bruins as a 1st overall draft pick and almost became a Bruin back in that 2010 Draft, as Boston had the 2nd overall pick that year (drafting Tyler Seguin after the Oilers in the process).

The 6-foot-1, 206-pound native of Calgary, Alberta has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 14 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, including 2-4–6 totals in nine games with Arizona most recently in the 2020 postseason.

Buffalo retained 50% of Hall’s salary in the transaction, which means his cap hit with the Bruins is set at $4.000 million and he is a pending-unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

Lazar, 26, had 5-4–9 totals and zero penalty minutes in 33 games with the Sabres at the time of the trade and has 25-45–70 totals in 317 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames and Sabres since making his league debut in 2014-15, with Ottawa.

The 6-foot, 193-pound center was originally drafted by the Senators in the 1st round (17th overall) in 2013, and set career-highs in goals (6), assists (14) and points (20) in 76 games with the Sens in 2015-16.

Lazar brings stability to Boston’s fourth line with Sean Kuraly able to play center or wing and Chris Wagner likely fighting for a spot down the stretch with Anton Blidh, who’s been a welcome surprise in finding a consistent game since being drafted by the Bruins in the 6th round (180th overall) in 2013.

Though a lower body had him listed as “week-to-week” according to the Sabres at the time of the trade, Lazar may be ready to go with Boston on Tuesday night and make an immediate impact on a young lineup that’s faced numerous injuries of their own this season.

Lazar has no points in seven career Stanley Cup Playoff games, including one game most recently with Calgary in the 2017 postseason and is a native of Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

He’s signed through the 2021-22 season at an $800,000 cap hit.

Bjork, 24, had 2-3–5 totals in 30 games with Boston at the time of the trade and has 16-23–39 totals in 138 career games (all with the Bruins) since making his NHL debut in the 2017-18 season.

The 6-foot, 197-pound native of Mequon, Wisconsin set career-highs in goals (9), assists (10) and points (19) in 58 games with the B’s last season and can provide a much-needed spark in more playing time with the Sabres.

He was originally drafted by Boston in the 5th round (146th overall) in 2014.

His puck possession skills are unmatched among his peers, though his puck luck has been a bit of a detractor at times, especially more so this season than when shoulder injuries kept him out of the lineup in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Bjork has one assist in 10 career Stanley Cup Playoff games (all in 2020) and was a minus-three in that span.

Adams, in the meantime, can utilize the 2021 2nd round pick on a prospect or flip it for something better as he continues to make adjustments to his roster in the offseason with the Seattle Kraken expansion draft in mind.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Analysis: Reilly adds much needed depth to Boston’s defense

Even before Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk were out of the lineup for the Boston Bruins due to injury, the B’s needed a left-shot defender to combat inexperience and holes on the blue line.

Late Sunday night, the Bruins traded a 2022 3rd round pick to the Ottawa Senators for defender, Mike Reilly.

It was the first of a couple of moves within hours of each other that Boston General Manager, Don Sweeney, made after his team lost, 8-1, to the Washington Capitals on home ice.

Reilly’s quietly been having a productive season and should slot in on a top-4 role in the Bruins defensive core with a chance to make matters much better than they currently are in terms of defending in their own zone, as well as generating a breakout– something Boston’s struggled to do without McAvoy and Grzelcyk in the lineup, especially.

Reilly, 27, had 19 points (19 assists) in 40 games with Ottawa this season at the time of the trade on Sunday. He was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 4th round (98th overall) of the 2011 Draft and has 8-64–72 totals in 244 career NHL games for the Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens and Senators since making his league debut with the Wild in 2015-16.

The 6-foot-1, 199-pound native of Chicago, Illinois, is having a career-year this season in assists (19) and points (19) and set a career-high in goals (3) in 57 games with Montreal in 2018-19).

Reilly has never appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff game, is a pending-unrestricted free agent and carries a $1.500 million cap hit through season’s end.

Senators General Manager, Pierre Dorion, could make use of the 2022 3rd round pick that he acquired for Reilly in what is shaping up to be a stronger draft than in recent years or he could flip it at a later date.

In the meantime, Ottawa’s got bigger fish to fry with young players like Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson as pending-restricted free agents at season’s end and a plethora of expendable talent that Dorion could cash in for rewards on Monday.

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Deadline Deals

Adam Gaudette to Chicago for Highmore

Adam Gaudette is on his way out of Vancouver and on his way to Chicago. In return the Vancouver Canucks get Matthew Highmore.

Gaudette will be an RFA at the end of the season. The Vancouver Canucks were not too patient with the 24 year old and sold him before it was time. By no means am I saying he could be a Patrick Kane kind of player but Vancouver rushed him out of there.

Highmore is a young player who has played around half as many games as Gaudette. He has 4 goals in 73 games. Another 4th liner for Vancouver.

Gaudette is out of COVID-19 protocol.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Toronto Maple Leafs Add More Depth at Goaltending

The Toronto Maple Leafs add more goaltending depth with the addition of David Rittich. The Leafs acquired the 28 year old goalie for a 3 round pick in the 2022 draft. 

Rittich was an undrafted free agent signed by the Calgary Flames back in 2016. He has a career SV% of .908 and a 2.83 GAA in 130 games. Rittich’s contract is up at the end of the season so it made most sense for the Flames to grab something for him in return rather than walking away for nothing. 

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Deadline Deals NHL

2021 NHL Trade Deadline Recap

Below is a quick recap of all the trades that officially occurred on Monday prior to the National Hockey League’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Trades made since April 1st

The Chicago Blackhawks traded F Vinnie Hinostroza to the Florida Panthers for F Brad Morrison on April 2nd.

On April 7th, the New York Islanders acquired F Kyle Palmieri and F Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, a 2021 1st round pick and a conditional 2022 4th round pick. MORE

Chicago traded F Lucas Wallmark and D Lucas Carlsson to Florida for F Brett Connolly, D Riley Stillman, a 2021 7th round pick and the signing rights to F Henrik Borgström on April 8th. MORE

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired F Riley Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a conditional 2022 7th round pick on April 9th. MORE

Also on April 9th, the Colorado Avalanche traded a 2022 4th round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for D Patrik Nemeth. MORE

Colorado acquired G Devan Dubnyk from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for D Greg Pateryn and a 2021 5th round pick on April 10th.

The Panthers traded a 2021 3rd round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for D Brandon Montour on April 10th, as well. MORE

The Tampa Bay Lightning completed a three-team with the Blue Jackets and Red Wings that saw D David Savard and D Brian Lashoff head to the Lightning, while Detroit acquired Tampa’s 2021 4th round pick and Columbus acquired Tampa’s 2021 1st round pick and Tampa’s 2022 3rd round pick on April 10th.

There were six trades officially announced on April 11th.

The New Jersey Devils led the day off by trading a conditional 2021 3rd round pick to the Washington Capitals for D Jonas Siegenthaler.

D Jon Merrill was traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the Red Wings for a 2021 5th round pick and F Hayden Verbeek.

Toronto completed a three-team trade that sent the Maple Leafs’ own 2021 1st round pick and 2022 4th round pick to the Blue Jackets for F Nick Foligno and F Stefan Noesen from the Sharks in exchange for Toronto’s 2021 4th round pick in return to San Jose.

The Maple Leafs weren’t done yet on April 11th, as they sent a 2022 3rd round pick to the Calgary Flames for G David Rittich. MORE

D Mike Reilly was traded by the Ottawa Senators to the Boston Bruins for a 2022 3rd round pick late in the day on April 11th. MORE

Finally, the Islanders acquired D Braydon Coburn from the Senators for a 2022 7th round pick before midnight on Sunday, April 11th.

Trades made by the 3 p.m. ET deadline

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they had acquired F Jeff Carter from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a conditional 2022 3rd round pick and a conditional 2023 4th round pick after midnight to officially kick off the 2021 NHL trade deadline.

The Bruins acquired F Taylor Hall and F Curtis Lazar from the Sabres for F Anders Bjork and a 2021 2nd round pick. MORE

New Jersey traded D Dmitry Kulikov to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional 2021 4th round pick.

The Senators claimed D Victor Mete off waivers from Montreal.

The Dallas Stars claimed D Sami Vatanen off waivers from New Jersey.

F Adam Gaudette was reportedly traded to the Blackhawks by the Vancouver Canucks for F Matthew Highmore. MORE

D Fredrik Claesson was traded by the San Jose Sharks to the Tampa Bay Lightning for G Magnus Chrona.

The Vegas Golden Knights acquired F Mattias Janmark and a 2022 5th round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2021 2nd round pick and a 2022 3rd round pick, while sending San Jose a 2022 5th round pick (originally belonging to BUF) in the process to complete a three-team trade. The Sharks sent D Nick DeSimone to Chicago, as well.

F Carl Söderberg was traded by the Blackhawks to the Colorado Avalanche for F Josh Dickinson and the rights to F Ryder Rolston.

F Sam Bennett and a 2022 6th round pick were traded by the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers for a 2022 2nd round pick and F Emil Heineman.

The Montreal Canadiens acquired D Erik Gustafsson from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2022 7th round pick (originally belonging to STL). Philadelphia retained 50% of Gustafsson’s salary in the transaction.

The Anaheim Ducks traded D Ben Hutton to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2022 5th round pick.

D Erik Gudbranson was traded by the Ottawa Senators to the Nashville Predators in exchange for D Brandon Fortunato and a 2023 7th round pick.

F Alexander Barabanov was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the San Jose Sharks for F Antti Suomela.

The Washington Capitals acquired F Michael Raffl from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2021 5th round pick (originally belonging to VGK).

The Carolina Hurricanes traded D Haydn Fleury to the Anaheim Ducks for D Jani Hakanpaa and a 2022 6th round pick.

D Jordie Benn was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2021 6th round pick.

D Madison Bowey and a 2021 5th round pick were traded by Chicago to Vancouver for a 2021 4th round pick.

The Detroit Red Wings traded F Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals for F Richard Panik, F Jakub Vrana a 2021 1st round pick and a 2022 2nd round pick.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Analysis: Montour bolsters Panthers depth on defense

The Florida Panthers acquired defender, Brandon Montour, from the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday in exchange for a 2021 3rd round pick.

After Bill Zito cleared Brett Connolly’s cap hit from the books in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, the Panthers General Manager went to work on solidifying his defense in the wake of Aaron Ekblad’s season-ending injury.

It’s not that Florida is done adding by any means, but they’ll have to continue to get crafty in saving cap space in order to finagle any larger moves.

Montour at least gives them some comfort in the event of a further tattered lineup potentially interfering with what’s shaping up to be their best chance at a deep playoff run in a generation.

Meanwhile, Sabres General Manager, Kevyn Adams, kicked off what’s expected to be a bit of a fire sale for the organization by Monday’s trade deadline.

Montour, 27, had 5-9–14 totals in 38 games with Buffalo this season at the time of the trade on Saturday. He was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2nd round (55th overall) of the 2014 Draft and made his league debut with Anaheim in the 2016-17 season.

He set career highs in goals (9), assists (23) and points (32) in 80 games with the Ducks in 2017-18, and has 29-76–105 totals in 281 career NHL games with Anaheim and Buffalo.

The 6-foot, 194-pound native of Brantford, Ontario has eight points in 21 career Stanley Cup Playoff games (all with Anaheim) and spent parts of his first three seasons with the Ducks until he was traded to the Sabres in the 2018-19 season, where he spent parts of the last three seasons until being traded to the Panthers on Saturday.

Montour carries a $3.850 million cap hit and is a pending-unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

For Buffalo, the 2021 3rd round pick will come in handy either in July at the draft or as part of a package for a bigger and better trade acquisition before then.

Adams now must shift his attention to pieces of his roster like Taylor Hall– a pending-unrestricted free agent with a manageable $8.000 million cap hit that the Sabres could retain 50% of in a deal and try to maximize the hell out of his 2010 1st overall pick value.

Oh and Hall’s a 2017-18 Hart Memorial Trophy winner, despite his 2-17–19 totals in 37 games with Buffalo this season.

The Sabres are terrible all around. That’s not his fault.

But asking for top-notch material in exchange for Hall’s talents based on this season alone is a hard bargain to market for Adams.

Meanwhile, Rasmus Ristolainen is soldiering on in the upstate New York tundra that is Buffalo these days.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Analysis: Getting back together isn’t always bad (for the Avs, anyway)

The Colorado Avalanche reunited with an old friend on Friday when they acquired defender, Patrik Nemeth, from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2022 4th round pick.

Detroit retained 50% of Nemeth’s cap hit in the deal as Avs General Manager, Joe Sakic, bolstered his blue line depth ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

Colorado already has a tremendous roster on paper, but likely could use a solid backup goaltender and whatever added depth they can find for the stretch run in the event of injury.

The Avalanche are in “win now” mode as 2021 Stanley Cup contenders, especially as free agency looms for key components of their roster.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings are looking to move expendable pieces as the team is bound to miss the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.

Nemeth, 29, enters his second stint with Colorado, having recently played with the Avalanche from 2017-19, after the Avs claimed him off waivers ahead of the 2017-18 season from the Dallas Stars.

The 6-foot-3, 228-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden was originally drafted by the Stars in the 2nd round (41st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft and had 2-6–8 totals in 39 games with the Red Wings this season.

He has 7-49–56 totals in 353 career NHL games with the Stars, Avalanche and Red Wings, as well as one assist in 18 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Nemeth most recently contributed a plus-4 rating from Colorado’s blue line in seven games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With Detroit retaining 50% of his cap hit, Nemeth carries a $1.500 million cap hit through season’s end and is a pending-unrestricted free agent.

Red Wings General Manager, Steve Yzerman, kicked off his approach to the 2021 trade deadline by shipping Nemeth to the Avalanche for a 2022 4th round pick on Friday.

Detroit also announced on Friday that forward, Bobby Ryan, would miss the rest of the season with an upper body injury, likely taking the 34-year-old winger off the trade market as a potential depth addition for any playoff contender.

Yzerman has all the incentive in the world to make whatever trade he sees fit to improve his team as an overwhelming majority of Red Wings players are pending free agents at season’s end– 15 players to be exact, at least on the active roster according to CapFriendly.

Colorado and Detroit might not be done as potential trading partners before Monday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, as former Avs goaltender turned current Red Wing, Jonathan Bernier, would be an excellent solution to the backup role behind Philipp Grubauer in the Avalanche’s quest for the Cup.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Analysis: Leafs add depth and vital cap space in Nash

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired center, Riley Nash, from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a conditional 2022 7th round pick on Friday. If Nash appears in 25% of Toronto’s 2021 postseason games, then the 2022 7th round pick is upgraded to the Maple Leafs’ own 2022 6th round pick.

Nash, in the meantime, was placed on the long-term injured reserve on Tuesday (ahead of Friday’s deal) with a lower body injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for six weeks at most.

While Columbus continues to fall out of the playoff picture, Maple Leafs General Manager, Kyle Dubas, got some much needed depth in the event of injury and relief in salary cap spending as the trade deadline approaches on Monday, April 12th at 3 p.m. ET.

Toronto won’t have to worry about working Nash into the lineup or his salary for the time being, while Dubas is free to work the phones for potential additions without subtraction as the Leafs look to win their first Stanley Cup ring since 1967.

Nash, 31, had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 37 games with Columbus this season at the time of the trade on Friday.

A Consort, Alberta native, he has 63-109–172 totals in 578 career NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins and Blue Jackets and was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1st round (21st overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.

The 6-foot-2, 188-pound center made his league debut with the Hurricanes in 2011-12, and has 2-6–8 totals in 32 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, including one goal and one assist in 10 postseason games in 2020 with Columbus.

He set career-highs in goals (15), assists (26) and points (41) in 76 games with the Bruins in 2017-18, and has made a career out of being one of the better penalty killing forwards in today’s game.

Nash carries a $2.750 million cap hit and is a pending-unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

The 2022 7th round pick that the Blue Jackets acquired in the Nash trade is Toronto’s own, which likely won’t pan out to be much unless Columbus General Manager, Jarmo Kekäläinen, has other ideas in mind, such as utilizing his scouting staff to the utmost of their ability and finding a diamond in the rough or flipping the pick as part of a deal at a later date.

In the meantime, Kekäläinen has bigger fish to fry with head coach, John Tortorella’s, contract expiring at season’s end and virtually no reason to keep Tortorella in the dressing room if the Blue Jackets are indeed to miss 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs action.

Columbus could fire Tortorella now and try to save face when it comes time to re-sign valuable free agents like pending restricted free agent, Patrik Laine, or they could let Tortorella go without renewing his current deal (and thus owing nothing in severance packages or whatever) and face whatever consequences that has on their roster.

Additionally, Kekäläinen will have to assess whether it’s worth selling off further expendable parts to gear up for the 2021 Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, as well as the 2021-22 season.

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Deadline Deals NHL

Analysis: Connolly move opens door for more

The Florida Panthers dealt forward, Brett Connolly, defender Riley Stillman, the signing rights to forward, Henrik Borgström, and a 2021 7th round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday in exchange for forward, Lucas Wallmark, and defender, Lucas Carlsson.

Thursday’s move comes as the Panthers are in the midst of their best season in about 25 years and prime for further addition by next Monday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

From Taylor Hall speculations to strengthening their blue line due to the loss of Aaron Ekblad to injury, Florida freed up cap space by moving Connolly’s $2.425 million cap hit off the books as a result of moving him to the taxi squad prior to the trade with Chicago.

Nothing is imminent, but Panthers General Manager, Bill Zito, has ushered in an era of proactivity that we’re all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Meanwhile, the Panthers reunited with a familiar face in Wallmark as he was previously acquired by the team in a transaction with the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a larger package in exchange for Vincent Trocheck on Feb. 24, 2020.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, bolstered their bottom six depth and taxi squad members as a result of the deal in the wake of their surprise contention for a playoff berth this season.

Most experts agreed entering 2020-21, that this season would be one in which Chicago General Manager, Stan Bowman, would have to navigate an impending rebuild, but that might not be the case as the Blackhawks have had pleasant surprises in production and NHL readiness in Pius Suter, Kevin Lankinen and others.

Connolly, 28, had four points (two goals, two assists) in 21 games with the Panthers this season at the time of the trade on Thursday. He has 100-92–192 totals in 517 career NHL games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Panthers since being drafted in the 1st round (6th overall) by Tampa in 2010, and making his league debut with the Lightning in 2011-12.

A native of Campbell River, British Columbia, the 6-foot-3, 198-pound right wing carries a $2.425 million cap hit this season, as well as a $2.375 million cap hit from 2021-22 through 2022-23, when he will then be an unrestricted free agent.

While Connolly is on pace for three goals this season, he experienced a career resurgence with Washington, tallying career-highs in goals (22), assists (24) and points (46) in 81 games with the Capitals in 2018-19.

He recorded 19-14–33 totals in 69 games with Florida last season prior to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic shortening the regular season.

In 42 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, Connolly has 8-3–11 totals, including nine points (six goals, three assists) in 24 games with the Caps en route to their 2018 Stanley Cup championship.

Stillman, 23, had no points and 14 penalty minutes in eight games this season with Florida to go along with his plus-2 rating.

The 6-foot-1, 196-pound native of Peterborough, Ontario and son of two-time Stanley Cup winner, Cory Stillman, has five assists in 43 career NHL games since making his league debut with the Panthers in the 2018-19 season after being drafted by Florida in the 4th round (114th overall) in 2016.

Stillman has appeared in three career postseason games, has no points and was a minus-3 in Florida’s 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifier series loss to the New York Islanders.

As he went from the taxi squad on the Panthers to the taxi squad on the Blackhawks, he currently does not count against Chicago’s salary cap and is a pending-restricted free agent at season’s end.

Borgström, 23, has 11-8–19 totals in 28 games with HIFK in Liiga over in Finland this season. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound Helsinki native was originally drafted by the Panthers in the 1st round (23rd overall) in 2016, and made his league debut in the 2017-18 season.

In 58 career NHL games with Florida, Borgström had 9-10–19 totals and has yet to appear in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.

Wallmark, 25, had three assists in 16 games with Chicago this season at the time of the trade on Thursday and has 23-36–59 totals in 183 career NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Panthers and Blackhawks.

Originally drafted by Carolina in the 4th round (97th overall) in 2014, the 6-foot, 178-pound native of Umea, Sweden is in his second stint with the Panthers organization.

He had a career-high 12 goals with the Hurricanes and Panthers in 67 games last season and set career-highs in assists (18) and points (28) in 81 games with Carolina in 2018-19, recording five points (one goal, four assists) in 15 playoff games with the Hurricanes en route to their 2019 Eastern Conference Final appearance.

He had no points in two postseason games with Florida in 2020 and is a pending-restricted free agent at season’s end with a $950,000 cap hit if he weren’t already on the taxi squad.

Carlsson, 23, had one assist in 12 games with Chicago this season at the time of the trade and has two points (two assists) in 18 career games since making his league debut last season with the Blackhawks.

A native of Gävle, Sweden, the 6-foot, 189-pound defender was originally drafted by Chicago in the 4th round (110th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft and has appeared in one career postseason game in 2020.

Carlsson had 5-21–26 totals with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) in 48 games last season, as well as three points (one goal, two assists) in seven games with Rockford in 2020-21.

Though he technically carries a $792,500 cap hit, the Blackhawks won’t be charged anything against their cap as long as he is on the taxi squad. He is a pending-restricted free agent at season’s end.