When I net it out, I give Canes GM Ron Francis an A- for his 1st NHL trade deadline with reasoning as follows:
--Andrej Sekera trade: A or A+. In getting an actual 1st round pick plus a 2014 2nd-round draftee, Francis received full value for this trade. The deal looked even better when Petry, Michalek and Zidlicky in the tier just below Sekera went for significantly less on deadline day.
--Jiri Tlusty trade: B or B-. It was not a horrible deal. And as I pointed out on Twitter, it could have been dicey come Monday at 2pm with Chris Stewart still on Buffalo's "trade at all costs" list and a few other forwards still available. But when you look at some other trades, I think the deal is low. Winnik netted 2 picks both 1 round higher. Fleischman netted a 2015 2nd-rounder. Etc. Despite the modest grade because he might have been able to do better, I actually like what might have been Francis' thought process which I think might have been: 1-Tlusty was not playing great to jack up demand; 2-There were a decent number of middle-quality forward options; 3-Better to play it safe and just get something.
--Tim Gleason trade: A. I like the idea of sending Tim Gleason to a team that will definitely make the playoffs and could contend. I think it is a positive on the organization that might help a little bit luring other players and could also see Gleason return this summer if it makes sense for both sides.
--Jay McClement signing: A. I think this shows that Francis is not of a one track mind to just trade everything no matter what. In the case of McClement, Francis has a player who is excelling in his role right now and made an early move to pin down 1 slot before the summer frenzy. He could be busy enough trying to patch bigger holes then.
--Brett Bellemore and Patrick Dwyer non-trades: B. Neither of these are a big deal. I figure if someone really wanted either and was bidding a 4th or even 5th round pick, either would be gone. In theory, I guess it would have been okay to collect a 6th or 7th-rounder for either, but I am not so sure that is the case when you look forward. In the case of Dwyer, I think there is a decent chance that he returns to keep intact a 4th line that has been as good as any in the NHL since the calendar flipped to 2015. And personally, I like Bellemore as a #7 and would like to see him get a run of ice time to see if Peters and Smith agree. He has been at the NHL level all season but with a few injury setbacks and the rotation into/out of the lineup on defense, his season has been choppy thus far.
--No deals for players with term: B. These deals are harder but not impossible to do. Per my previous blogs, if I could add 1 thing to the Canes roster right now it would be a young top 4-capable defenseman. Especially with Sekera gone the Canes are short here, and it is a slot that is difficult and expensive to fill in free agency in the summer. Per my "trade deadline jealousy list" below, a couple deals did happen for top 4 defenseman with term on their contracts. So does the fact that Francis did not do 1 of these deals mean that he did not try? No. And does it mean that he failed at the deadline? No. Again, these deals are easier to do in the summer, so it is premature to pass any kind of judgment on Francis' work here.
With that, here is my quick list of deals that I wish the Canes would have done, not surprisingly with a heavy dose of adding a top 4 defenseman:
1) James Wisniewski + 3rd rounder for 2nd rounder + William Karlsson (Grade A prospect) + Rene Bourque. Wisniewski is a proven right shot top 4 defenseman who is under contract for 2 more years. (His cap hit is a little high at $5.5M, but his actual salary (more relevant for Canes) is a very reasonable $4M/year.) When you net this out, Anaheim gave up 1 very good prospect and a modest draft pick upgrade giving up a 2nd to get a 3rd and also forced Columbus to take 1 more year of Rene Bourque who could have been had for free (all 30 teams passed on opportunity to claim him off waivers). So think of Bourque as a salary offset which makes Wisniewski's cost over the next 2 years only $3.25M average per year.
When you look at what free agent top 4 defenseman signed more last summer (mostly north of $5M) and figure it will be similar this summer, I think that deal is a steal for Anaheim and would have been even better for the Canes.
2) Ben Lovejoy for Simon Despres. Again, I think Anaheim stole a player who could fit very well with the Canes. Ben Lovejoy is a proven serviceable NHL defenseman, but really of the 3rd pairing variety. And at 29, his ceiling is pretty much established. Despres on the other hand is 23 years old with 154 games of NHL experience. He is 6-4 214 pounds with decent wheels and ability to skate and move the puck. And he has both pedigree as a late 1st round pick and signs of hope having at least shown flashes of being capable of growing into a top 4 role, I think he is exactly the kind of player that the Canes would love to gamble on right now. It is a bit of a gamble in the sense that he has matured only gradually and is no guarantee to become a top 4. But with not much budget and a few veterans lower on the depth chart, the Canes could take a player like Despres and plug him into a 3rd pairing role initially and hope he pushes up from there. And with a $900k salary for next season followed by RFA status the next summer, the Canes could have had him at a budget-friendly 3rd pairing price with rights to keep him either for that role or more if he progressed from there.
3) Braydon Coburn for 1st and 3rd round picks. I obviously would not trade the Canes 2015 1st-rounder because of the potential upside in the lottery, but if it could have been a 2016 1st rounder and a 2015 3rd rounder, I would have considered this deal too. Because of the price tag and the fact that Coburn is signed for only 1 more year (vs. Wisniewski's 2), this deal does not excite me as much as the 1st 2, but again, I just do not see an easy path to adding at least 1 (to replace Sekera) if not 2 (still think Canes are 1 short) top 4 defenseman for next season. Coburn is not exciting, but he is a veteran top 4 who has logged many minutes against NHL 1st and 2nd lines and can eat up minutes.
What say you Canes fans? Is an A- about right for Francis' 1st trade deadline? Were you too jealous about the couple deals that saw non-rental defenseman go elsewhere? Were there any other trades that you wish the Canes would have done?
Twitter=@CarolinaMatt63
Go Canes!