NHL Power Rankings: Taking stock of each team post-trade deadline
The NHL trade deadline has passed, and many teams made substantial additions to their rosters with the hopes of making a deep run in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.How have these moves impacted the playoff races across the four divisions?Let's take stock of each team in our latest NHL Power Rankings.
The Sabres were busy at the trade deadline and dealt several veterans, including centers Eric Staal and Curtis Lazar, left wing Taylor Hall and defenseman Brandon Montour.
The return for all these players?
A second-round pick, two third-round picks, a fifth-round pick and Anders Bjork. It's a lackluster return for a franchise deep into a rebuild.
Also, the Sabres on Saturday became the first team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The Senators made several small trades before the deadline. They departed with defensemen Mike Reilly, Braydon Coburn and Erik Gudbranson, among other players.
Ottawa gained a couple draft picks and young players as it tries to build a winning roster again. It was a productive trade deadline for the Sens.
The Ducks were smart to take a chance on Hurricanes defenseman Haydn Fleury. He didn't get enough playing time on the Carolina blue line, and that will change in Anaheim. The No. 7 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft has plenty to prove.
Anthony Mantha is a good player, but the Red Wings were wise to trade the top-six winger to the Capitals for a great package that included forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick going to Detroit.
The Red Wings also got a free fourth-round pick for helping David Savard get to the Lightning.
Overall, general manager Steve Yzerman did a nice job stockpiling assets for Detroit's ongoing rebuild.
The Devils were able to get a first-round pick and a conditional fourth-rounder as part of the trade that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to the Islanders. This was a quality return for the Devils, who were one of three teams to get a first-rounder for a rental at the trade deadline. They also got a conditional draft pick for defenseman and pending UFA Dmitry Kulikov.
The Devils did well at the trade deadline and will have two first-rounders in the 2021 draft.
The most notable move the Kings made before the trade deadline was sending Jeff Carter to the Penguins for third- and fourth-round picks. It ends a very successful career in L.A. for Carter that included Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014. The Kings also re-signed forward Alex Iafallo to a four-year, $16 million extension.
The Kings didn't have to make any major moves because their prospect pool is loaded with elite talent. Help is already on the way.
The Sharks are four points out a playoff spot but did not join the group of buyers who made serious roster upgrades. Instead, the Sharks departed with a few players. They dealt veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk to the Avalanche and forward Stefan Noesen to the Leafs. These were wise moves by a Sharks franchise that is still a few years away from contending.
The Stars have taken points from eight of their last 10 games (5-2-3) and sit five points out of a playoff spot with multiple games in hand on the teams in front of them. Dallas did not make any moves at the trade deadline. A healthy roster is all the Stars need to earn the fourth and final postseason berth in the Central Division.
The Canucks have not yet played in April because of a COVID-19 outbreak that hit the team hard. They are scheduled to return to game action Sunday against the Leafs.
Vancouver, understandably, didn't make any substantial moves before the trade deadline. The Canucks' most notable transaction was extending forward Tanner Pearson to a three-year deal worth $3.25 million per season.
The Blue Jackets are within striking distance of a playoff berth in the Central, but without a contending roster, they made the wise move to trade some of their pending UFAs.
Columbus did very well to acquire two first-round picks, a third-round pick and more in return for left winger Nick Foligno and defenseman David Savard.
The Blue Jackets now own three (!) first-round picks in the 2021 draft.
The Flames didn't envision being trade deadline sellers at the beginning of the season, but they deserve credit for going down that path last week.
They traded center Sam Bennett to the Panthers for a solid return of a second-round pick and highly-rated forward prospect Emil Heineman. Calgary also received a third-round pick from Toronto for goalie David Rittich.
The 2020-21 season has been very disappointing for the Flames, but they brightened their future with a couple shrewd moves at the trade deadline.
The Coyotes are in the mix for the final playoff spot in the West Division, so it wasn't a surprise that they weren't sellers at the trade deadline. Arizona has lost five consecutive games, but remains just one point behind the fourth-place Blues.
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin was busy adding depth to his roster before the trade deadline by acquiring center Eric Staal, as well as defensemen Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson.
A an upcoming three-game set against the Flames -- the team trailing Montreal for the final playoff berth in the North Division -- will be pivotal for the Canadiens. Game 1 is scheduled for next Friday.
The Flyers aren't mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but an eight-point gap between them and the Bruins almost certainly will be too much to overcome, especially with Boston having two games in hand.
Philly did not add any meaningful players to its roster at the trade deadline. Re-signing veteran center Scott Laughton to a five-year deal with a team-friendly $3 million salary cap hit was good business, though.
The Blues have won just three of their last 10 games (3-6-1) and are barely holding on to the last playoff berth in the West Division. General manager Doug Armstrong didn't trade any of his veterans and is instead giving this group a chance to reach the postseason.
Unfortunately for the Blues, three of their next four games are against the favorites to win the Stanley Cup: The Avalanche.
The Blackhawks made six trades in April, but they still have a roster good enough to compete for the fourth playoff spot in the Central. They trail the Predators by four points with a game in hand.
Chicago's best trade was getting a second- and third-round pick from the Golden Knights in exchange for center Mattias Janmark and a fifth-round pick.
The Rangers are red hot with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games to pull within four points of the Bruins and the final playoff spot in the East Division. New York's offense is on fire, with an average of 3.9 goals scored over its last 11 games. As a result, the Rangers' goal-differential of plus-31 leads the division despite the fact they're in fifth place.
New York's closing schedule is pretty tough, though, with the last six games coming against the Capitals, Islanders and Bruins (two games versus each team).
The Predators were expected to be the busiest trade deadline seller early in the season, but a red-hot March saw them surge up the standings and actually become buyers.
Nashville upgraded an already impressive blue line with the addition of Erik Gudbranson in a trade with Ottawa.
The Predators have won seven of their last 10 games and are the favorites to clinch the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
The Wild have exceeded expectations and sit in third place in the West Division with 55 points. Therefore, there was really no need for Minnesota to do anything at the trade deadline, which is what ultimately happened.
Left winger Kirill Kaprizov leads all rookies with 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists) and remains the leader for the Calder Trophy.
The Oilers did a nice job bolstering the depth and physicality on their blue line by acquiring Dmitry Kulikov from the Devils.
Edmonton trails Winnipeg by five points for second place in the North Division. The Oilers will have a tremendous chance to gain ground on the Jets with three of their next five games coming against Winnipeg (all on the road, too).
The Penguins bolstered their scoring depth by acquiring veteran winger and two-time champion Jeff Carter in a trade with the Kings. Pittsburgh has won seven of its last 10 games, and that run of success should continue with the Penguins' next five games coming against the bottom of the division -- Sabres and Devils.
Losing top defenseman Aaron Ekblad for 12 weeks was a massive blow to the Panthers' blue line. They did address it by adding defenseman Brandon Montour in a trade with the Sabres. He'll add depth, physicality and the ability to play tough minutes against quality competition.
Acquiring a top-six center in Sam Bennett was a nice pickup, too, even though the Panthers paid a steep price (a second-round pick and a top prospect).
Florida is still in good shape and trails first place in the Central by a single point.
Losing captain and top-six winger Anders Lee to a season-ending ACL injury was a tough blow for the Islanders, but they upgraded their scoring depth by acquiring top-six winger Kyle Palmieri and depth center Travis Zajac from the Devils.
New York was swept in convincing fashion by Boston in a two-game series at TD Garden this week. The Islanders had been 5-0-0 versus the Bruins before those two matchups.
The Isles are four points behind the Capitals for first place in the East Division. These teams will play three consecutive games against each other beginning Thursday.
The Bruins are the early winners of the trade deadline.
Getting top-six winger Taylor Hall and fourth-line forward Curtis Lazar from the Sabres for a second-round pick and Anders Bjork is looking like a home run for Boston. Hall has two goals in three games and Lazar scored in Friday's win over the Islanders.
Acquiring Mike Reilly from the Senators was a sneaky good addition, too. The veteran defenseman has boosted the B's transition game and is driving puck possession at a high rate. Giving up a third-rounder to get him was a shrewd move.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney did a nice job upgrading the team's two weak points -- scoring depth and the left side of the blue line -- without sacrificing a first-round pick or any of the team's top prospects.
Boston also has won three straight games post-trade deadline.
The Leafs were busy filling out their roster with depth at several positions by adding the following players over the last three weeks:
- Goalie David Rittich from Calgary
- Forward Nick Foligno from Columbus
- Forward Riley Nash from Columbus
- Forward Stefan Noesen from San Jose
- Defenseman Ben Hutton from Anaheim
Toronto's lead over Winnipeg for first place in the North Division is just three points with the Leafs having lost three consecutive games. Those teams will play twice next week.
Expectations are enormously high for the Leafs, and the pressure to win multiple playoff rounds is even greater after the team's trade deadline additions.
The Jets were rumored to be interested in a top-four defenseman such as David Savard, but they ultimately settled for a depth addition in Jordie Benn. Winnipeg should've done more to bolster a blue line that needs reinforcements. Will it end up hurting the team in the playoffs? Probably.
The Hurricanes are third in the league in points percentage and rank in the top six in shot attempt percentage, shots on net percentage and scoring chance percentage during 5-on-5 play.
Carolina didn't make any impactful upgrades at the trade deadline, but that wasn't required given the well-rounded nature of its roster.
The Hurricanes have a slim lead over the Lightning for first place in the Central Division, and this will be a race to watch as the regular season winds down. The No. 2 vs. No. 3 first-round series in the Central could be the toughest among the four divisions.
The first-place Capitals are going for it.
Acquiring 26-year-old winger Anthony Mantha from the Red Wings and giving up Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a first-round pick and a second-round pick was a very steep price. However, Mantha has impressed with goals in all three games he's played for the Capitals.
It's hard to argue with the logic of the move from the Capitals' perspective. They have a championship-caliber roster and need to maximize what's left of Alex Ovechkin's prime.
A five-game win streak has kept the Golden Knights within striking distance of the first-place Avalanche. Vegas trails Colorado by just two points.
Unlike recent trade deadlines, the Golden Knights didn't make any blockbuster deals. Adding veteran center Mattias Janmark was a nice move, though.
The rich got richer when the Lightning found a creative way to acquire top-four defenseman David Savard from the Blue Jackets by adding the Red Wings as a third team to the mix. Savard adds toughness, experience and a defensive presence to an already stacked Lightning blue line.
Tampa Bay has a very good chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, especially if superstar forward Nikita Kucherov returns healthy for the playoffs.
Goaltending has been one of the Avalanche's primary weaknesses in the playoffs and they added some nice depth at the position by acquiring veterans Devan Dubnyk and Jonas Johansson. Colorado also re-acquired center Carl Soderberg for extra scoring depth.
The Avs have the league's best record at 30-9-4 with nine wins in their last 10 games. This team is a juggernaut and deservedly sits atop the Stanley Cup betting odds.
