Fallout: Trade Deadline Edition
May 17, 2021 19:02:25 GMT -5
Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, and 9 more like this
Post by Toronto Maple Leafs on May 17, 2021 19:02:25 GMT -5
WOW! What a busy day for the league. Tons of names moved, lots of contenders loading up for the playoffs and several teams re-shaping their futures.
A sincere thank you to Scott and the rest of the staff, it's been alot of fun being a part of the VHL these days in particular. The efforts of them, and all of our GMs who participated help to make this a fun experience that seems to continuously get better all the time.
Now with that said, we should all feel like winners today and considering there was no SIM, there are no official losers.
However, 5 teams impressed the most on this day..
5. Edmonton Oilers
Though GM Lafrance made a bigger splash weeks ago acquiring Oliver Ekman-Larsson, he was not satisfied and aggressively moved to address holes in his lineup for the playoffs. Phil Kessel is on his way to the Great White North where he should fit in perfectly in Edmonton's top 6. Rumor has it that Kessel is open to remaining with the Oilers beyond this season. In an ever-improving western conference, this was a necessary pickup. He was not done there either, acquiring Henrik Lundqvist as some insurance for Darcy Kuemper. With a 1st round matchup against the Coyotes almost a certainly, The Oilers are well positioned to take another crack at playoff glory come June.
4. Dallas Stars
New GM Jussi Kalmi did not wait around to put his stamp on the Lone Star State's emerging new powerhouse. Tidying up some expansion business, he moved out Jesperi Kotkaniemi for Yegor Chinakhov, Joel Blomqvist and LA's 1st round pick. Though Kotkaniemi still has a bright future, this was a tidy bit of asset management. After dealing away Noah Dobson for Antti Tuomisto and 2 2nds, Jussi finished off his day by linking up with the Panthers again, acquiring Marc Andre Fleury to bolster his goaltending situation for the immediate future. Oliver Wahlstrom, pending UFA Ben Bishop and a couple of picks head Florida's way in this one. The price is substantial but the benefit is enormous. Dallas can take multiple serious runs at a Cup with Fleury as the backbone.
3. Florida Panthers
Normally, when one team lands on this list, their trade partner might find themselves on the other side of it. Not in this case, as GM Matt Rensby-Wills kicked his rebuild into overdrive with a flurry of moves today. Though he saw Marc Andre Fleury, Nate Schmidt, Joe Thornton and some picks depart, there are heaps of assets coming back the other way to help stock the cupboards. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Oliver Wahlstrom are two high-end young players that can help bridge the gap of the rebuild while other picks and prospects develop. Frankie Vatrano is an unheralded sniper that looks like he will stick around in Miami. Adding another 1st rounder in 2023 in a draft that features phenom Connor Bedard doesn't hurt either. It's going to take time, but GM Wills is sticking to his plan and it was on display today.
2. Minnesota Wild
Despite the forecast of our Bait Board, GM Duncan Gibb only dealt one of the 3 defensemen available and it was in a whopper of a deal. At the time, moving Erik Karlsson was the kingpin deal of the day, receiving Vladimir Tarasenko and Duncan Keith to replace Karlsson in the short-term. However, GM Gibb parlayed Tarasenko in a separate move to grab a monster haul, addressing multiple organizational holes for the present and future. Anders Lee should fit nicely on either Tavares' or Hertl's wing. David Savard shores up a defense corps that arguably got better and deeper in the short term; Brendan Brisson is a 1st round pick from a year ago that is tracking nicely as a prospect.
1. Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas wheeled and dealed like no other on this day. Though Kessel did not stay long, Vegas was not content to hoard picks. Vegas went shopping for high-end talent, adding Jonathan Marchessault , Anders Lee and Jake Muzzin. With all 3 players walking to unrestricted agency, GM Mark Rowsell was able to land all 3 for a reasonable price. Just when we thought he was done, he managed to swing one more gigantic deal, sending the recently acquired Lee, pending UFA David Savard and a host of futures for Vladimir Tarasenko. Rowsell has plenty of cap space to work with, thus should be able to lock all 3 of these studs up going forward. Yet another powerhouse is emerging in the West.
A sincere thank you to Scott and the rest of the staff, it's been alot of fun being a part of the VHL these days in particular. The efforts of them, and all of our GMs who participated help to make this a fun experience that seems to continuously get better all the time.
Now with that said, we should all feel like winners today and considering there was no SIM, there are no official losers.
However, 5 teams impressed the most on this day..
5. Edmonton Oilers
Though GM Lafrance made a bigger splash weeks ago acquiring Oliver Ekman-Larsson, he was not satisfied and aggressively moved to address holes in his lineup for the playoffs. Phil Kessel is on his way to the Great White North where he should fit in perfectly in Edmonton's top 6. Rumor has it that Kessel is open to remaining with the Oilers beyond this season. In an ever-improving western conference, this was a necessary pickup. He was not done there either, acquiring Henrik Lundqvist as some insurance for Darcy Kuemper. With a 1st round matchup against the Coyotes almost a certainly, The Oilers are well positioned to take another crack at playoff glory come June.
4. Dallas Stars
New GM Jussi Kalmi did not wait around to put his stamp on the Lone Star State's emerging new powerhouse. Tidying up some expansion business, he moved out Jesperi Kotkaniemi for Yegor Chinakhov, Joel Blomqvist and LA's 1st round pick. Though Kotkaniemi still has a bright future, this was a tidy bit of asset management. After dealing away Noah Dobson for Antti Tuomisto and 2 2nds, Jussi finished off his day by linking up with the Panthers again, acquiring Marc Andre Fleury to bolster his goaltending situation for the immediate future. Oliver Wahlstrom, pending UFA Ben Bishop and a couple of picks head Florida's way in this one. The price is substantial but the benefit is enormous. Dallas can take multiple serious runs at a Cup with Fleury as the backbone.
3. Florida Panthers
Normally, when one team lands on this list, their trade partner might find themselves on the other side of it. Not in this case, as GM Matt Rensby-Wills kicked his rebuild into overdrive with a flurry of moves today. Though he saw Marc Andre Fleury, Nate Schmidt, Joe Thornton and some picks depart, there are heaps of assets coming back the other way to help stock the cupboards. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Oliver Wahlstrom are two high-end young players that can help bridge the gap of the rebuild while other picks and prospects develop. Frankie Vatrano is an unheralded sniper that looks like he will stick around in Miami. Adding another 1st rounder in 2023 in a draft that features phenom Connor Bedard doesn't hurt either. It's going to take time, but GM Wills is sticking to his plan and it was on display today.
2. Minnesota Wild
Despite the forecast of our Bait Board, GM Duncan Gibb only dealt one of the 3 defensemen available and it was in a whopper of a deal. At the time, moving Erik Karlsson was the kingpin deal of the day, receiving Vladimir Tarasenko and Duncan Keith to replace Karlsson in the short-term. However, GM Gibb parlayed Tarasenko in a separate move to grab a monster haul, addressing multiple organizational holes for the present and future. Anders Lee should fit nicely on either Tavares' or Hertl's wing. David Savard shores up a defense corps that arguably got better and deeper in the short term; Brendan Brisson is a 1st round pick from a year ago that is tracking nicely as a prospect.
1. Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas wheeled and dealed like no other on this day. Though Kessel did not stay long, Vegas was not content to hoard picks. Vegas went shopping for high-end talent, adding Jonathan Marchessault , Anders Lee and Jake Muzzin. With all 3 players walking to unrestricted agency, GM Mark Rowsell was able to land all 3 for a reasonable price. Just when we thought he was done, he managed to swing one more gigantic deal, sending the recently acquired Lee, pending UFA David Savard and a host of futures for Vladimir Tarasenko. Rowsell has plenty of cap space to work with, thus should be able to lock all 3 of these studs up going forward. Yet another powerhouse is emerging in the West.
