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The Three Types Of Trades To Expect At The NHL Trade Deadline |
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As the NHL trade deadline approaches, you can usually count on three different classifications of deals being made. Some teams can make more than one type of trade, of course – and that could be the case this year in particular, as franchises try and prepare themselves for the upcoming expansion draft – but no matter what they do, they’ll engage in transactions before the March 1 deadline that fall under one of the three. They are:
1. The Deck-Clearer. This trade does exactly what the name implies: moves out players who aren’t going to be part of the franchise’s long-term plans and helps set the stage for bigger and bolder steps in the off-season. The Maple Leafs made exactly that kind of swap last year when they sent blueliner Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa along with four minor-leaguers in exchange for four players, none of which are currently with the NHL roster, and a 2017 draft pick. Phaneuf was a big part of Toronto’s dressing room and ate up a lot of minutes on the ice, but shipping out his salary and providing opportunities for the team’s younger players wound up being an extremely savvy maneuver by GM Lou Lamoriello and one that no Leafs fan regrets these days.
There aren’t many teams in need of a reset blockbuster this season, although Colorado is an obvious exception and Arizona may choose to shake things up in a notable way. There are also a few teams that would be well-served to swing for the fences and conduct some heavy-duty roster reshaping – looking at you, Vancouver and Detroit – but the league’s dissatisfied organizations usually do so in the summer now. Still, there’s a very good chance we get at least one of these moves via the Avalanche; GM Joe Sakic’s asking prices may be high at the moment, but there’s absolutely no justification for allowing his team to finish out the year with the status quo.
2. The Solid Rocket-Booster. These deals are made with the intent to push a team a step or two further than they otherwise would’ve been able to take absent any changes. That step could be different depending on the franchise we’re talking about, but the overall hope is the same. Either a club wants to move from the fringes of the post-season race to a place better than a wild-card position, or it’s aiming to improve from a solid, middle-of-the-pack spot to a top-shelf Stanley Cup frontrunner.
In the relative parity of the salary cap era, this is probably the place where most teams envision themselves. That said, the piece(s) they think they need to make the leap will vary drastically. To wit: though it pains their fan base greatly, the Canucks see themselves in the mix for a playoff spot and may choose to look for veteran scoring help; a team that decides it needs goaltending could target Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury or Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop; the Canadiens might decide to follow up their coaching change with at least one deal; and a team almost certainly will take a chance on Jarome Iginla as he strives for and hopes to receive one last shot at a championship.
The list goes on from there: the Senators, Rangers, Leafs, Flyers, Islanders, Panthers and most of the Eastern Conference teams all could make this sort of move, and in the West, although the Stars and Jets have fallen off somewhat of late, there’s no shortage of pressure for them to improve as soon as possible, and every other team in the conference has reason to make a swap or two that adds quality weapons to their attack.
It can be in the form of a rental, or it could be made with the longer term in mind, but regardless of how it shapes up on the eventual trade call with the NHL registry, a Solid Rocket Booster move is likely to be more common than any blockbusters at this point in the league’s calendar.
3. The Pure Depth, Low-Risk, Low-Reward Deal. We’ve already seen a trade like this go down this week when the Washington Capitals acquired blueliner Tom Gilbert from Los Angeles Wednesday for a conditional draft pick. The 34-year-old Gilbert has played in only 18 NHL games this season and cleared waivers earlier this month, so he’s not exactly a hot property. But the playoffs are a war of attrition in which depth matters and injuries are expected, so having a veteran on hand – either in the press box or in the American League – is a nice luxury for GMs to have as they prepare their team for what they hope is a deep post-season run.
So long as franchises aren’t paying a big price for a veteran such as Gilbert, they’ll be willing to move a mid-range prospect or a low draft pick in return. You’ll normally see teams in the upper echelons of the standings make these deals, but even teams in the hunt to solidify a playoff berth may decide to add a little insurance if they’re worried about the health of regular players.
In any case, there’s almost always a bunch of these moves made at every trade deadline; they’re not headline-makers, but they can help a team maximize its chances at winning a playoff round or more, and that’s reason enough for GMs to seek them out and get them done.
Blogger •NHL Columnist • 
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