Wednesday’s NHL trade deadline ended with lots of faces in new places, after plenty of questionable moves.
Here are the league’s biggest winners and losers from the swap-fest, with our weekly power rankings and complete trade grades below:
Winners
Already leading the Central Division by two points over the Blackhawks with two games in hand, the Blues needed a prime goalie to become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. They got that in Ryan Miller, and added winger Steve Ott.
Two other teams who made out big were the Canadiens – who got one of the game’s elite scorers in Thomas Vanek – and the Ducks. Anaheim has been one of the best teams all season, so why change much? Well, all the Ducks gave up was a third-string goalie and Dustin Penner, who was solid, but the team was already stacked up front.
Also, the Panthers, who aren’t making the playoffs, took a big step toward next season by acquiring Roberto Luongo.
Losers
No one lost worse than the Canucks, who traded Luongo and Steven Anthony to the Panthers for goalie Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias. The Canucks dealt Cory Schneider to the Devils on draft day in 2013, which was supposed to mean it was Luongo’s job. Now, Vancouver has inexperienced Eddie Lack as the starter and seemingly has given up on the season.
The other big loser was the Islanders, who got very little in return for Andrew MacDonald and Thomas Vanek and don’t seem content to put pieces around John Tavares or patch up their holes. They need a goalie and some defensemen and didn’t get any.
The Oilers and Sabres were sellers, but acquired mostly draft picks, meaning they will stay in rebuilding phases after each expected to compete this season.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1. Ducks (3): Got some draft picks and dumped Penner, whom they really didn’t need. Grade: A-
2. Blues (2): Didn’t have to do much, but acquiring a proven starting goalie and physical veteran winger have given the Blues all the pieces they need. Grade: A
3. Avalanche (7): Added goaltending depth with Reto Berra, but where does he fit in? Unless they decide to part ways with J.S. Giguere. Grade: B
4. Penguins (1): With an injured blue line, Pittsburgh instead added wingers Marcel Goc and Lee Stempniak. Why? Grade: B
5. Bruins (5): Got stronger on the back end with Andrej Meszaros, and it only cost them a third-round pick. Grade: A-
6. Blackhawks (4): No moves of great significance, but why would you want to mess with a core group that was together for last season’s Cup run? Grade: B+
7. Sharks (6): One minor trade for the Sharks, who seem content to ride with the team they have – which is loaded with offense and great goaltending. Grade: A-
8. Kings (15): True, Marian Gaborik only has 14 points in 22 games of an injury-plagued season, but he brings a scoring threat to a team that ranks 27th in goals scored — though they have won five games in a row. Grade: A-
9. Wild (11): Thomas Vanek really wanted to go to Minnesota, but the Wild instead acquired Matt Moulson for some offense. Also added Ilya Bryzgalov, who adds Stanley Cup-winning experience between the pipes. Grade: B+
10. Canadiens (12): Did everything right. Seemingly came out of nowhere to land Vanek, and added defenseman Mike Weaver and veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk. Grade: A
11. Flyers (13): Picked up Andrew MacDonald from the Islanders, but shipped Meszaros to Boston. Could’ve used them both. Grade: B+
12. Maple Leafs (8): Were one of two teams (Jets being the other) to not make a move since Friday. General manager Davis Nonis is happy with his current group. Grade: B
13. Lightning (9): It’s understood that Martin St. Louis wanted out, but he is a better player than Ryan Callahan. Also, St. Louis was Steven Stamkos’ mentor, so it could hurt the team’s chemistry as it likely heads to the playoffs. Grade: B-
14. Rangers (10): After failing to agree to a contract extension with Callahan, the Rangers shipped him to the Lightning for St. Louis. He may be 38, but he won the scoring title last season and his 61 points puts him tied for eighth in the league. Grade: A-
15. Blue Jackets (16): In the thick of the playoff hunt, traded one of their highest scorers in Gaborik. Not sure what message that sends. Grade: B-
16. Jets (17): One of two teams to not make any moves, Winnipeg has flourished with an 11-3-2 record under coach Paul Maurice. Grade: B
17. Stars (14): Added Tim Thomas after trading Dan Ellis, which seems like a wash. Shipped defenseman Stephane Robidas to the Ducks for a draft pick. Seems like they should’ve done more to hold onto a wild-card spot. Grade: C
18. Red Wings (18): With both Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk out, they acquired Detroit native David Legwand to add a scoring punch, but that might not be enough to get them into the playoffs for the 23rd straight season. Grade: B-
19. Coyotes (21): Weren’t busy, but should have been. They’re only one point out of a playoff spot and could’ve bolstered some spots. Grade: C
20. Devils (24): While fans may view it as a win because Martin Brodeur is still in black and red, the team needed scoring and sent sparingly used Andrei Loktionov to Carolina for Tuomo Ruutu (five goals). Grade: C
21. Capitals (23): Underrated pickup of winger Penner, and added experienced netminder in Jaroslav Halak. Grade: B+
22. Canucks (20): Made a mess of things and clearly showed they have given up on the season. But they didn’t deal Ryan Kesler, so there’s that. Grade: F
23. Senators (19): Didn’t need a scorer and got one in Ales Hemsky. The problem has been the defense, which ranks 27th in goals against. Grade: B-
24. Hurricanes (22): Would’ve graded them worse, but shipped a contract to the Devils and are only paying 20 percent of it. Otherwise, acquiring third-/fourth-liner Loktionov doesn’t exactly scream “playoff push.” Grade: C
25. Predators (25): Wasn’t much for them to do. They’re not making the playoffs this season, anyway. Grade: B-
26. Flames (28): Traded two players and got two draft picks. Kept Mike Cammalleri, though, who could walk at the end of the season. Grade: C
27. Islanders (27): Had two players everyone knew were going to get moved and all they got in return besides draft picks was two prospects, which is not what this team needed. Grade: F
28. Panthers (26): Were the busiest team with six trades since Sunday. Acquiring Luongo and Ellis are great moves that solidify the nets for next season. Grade: A
29. Oilers (29): Not surprisingly, they were sellers, getting rid of Bryzgalov, Hemsky and Nick Schultz, and stacking up draft picks in return. What they really needed was defense. Grade: D
30. Sabres (30): Were obviously going to be sellers at the deadline, but got little for Moulson, Miller and Steve Ott. Grade:Â D