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2015 NHL trade deadline: Top 10 teams with all the right moves

The Stanley Cup chase is wide open, and the NHL trade market was wild in the three weeks leading up to Monday’s trade deadline.

No true superstars changed teams – unless you count Jaromir Jagr, the 43-year-old future Hall of Famer, who joined his fifth NHL team in four seasons when the New Jersey Devils sent him to the Florida Panthers.

But several important pieces moved, and with prices high, sellers stocked up for the future and buyers improved themselves for the present. More than two-thirds of the league’s teams can say they helped themselves.

Here are the 10 teams that helped themselves the most:

Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson are back with the Predators, where their NHL careers began. (USA Today)
Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson are back with the Predators, where their NHL careers began. (USA Today)

10. Nashville Predators

General manager David Poile gave up prospect Brendan Leipsic and a first-round pick, but he got rid of Olli Jokinen, got ahead of the market and got two rentals he originally drafted in Nashville: Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli. Franson gives the Predators more offensive punch from the blue line, and Santorelli strengthens them down the middle. Whenever the Predators have had a legitimate shot, Poile has gone for it. Sometimes he has tried to do too much. This time, maybe he struck the right balance – upgrading but not upsetting the chemistry.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins

Jim Rutherford has done well since taking over as GM. He acquired David Perron and Max Lapierre earlier. He acquired Daniel Winnik last week and Ian Cole on Monday. Now, Ben Lovejoy for Simon Despres, a struggling 31-year-old for a promising 23-year-old? That seems … well, odd. But the Penguins felt Lovejoy was a better defender and could handle bigger minutes now if needed, and they felt they could pay the price because they still had young defensemen Olli Maatta, Derrick Pouliot, Scott Harrington and Brian Dumoulin. Maatta leaves a huge hole while injured but will be back next season.

8. Anaheim Ducks

GM Bob Murray has wanted to improve his defense since training camp, knowing that when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007, they had Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. He still doesn’t have an elite defenseman, let alone two. But he acquired James Wisniewski and a third-round pick for Rene Bourque, a prospect and a second-round pick, and he snagged Despres for Lovejoy. He also acquired Tomas Fleischmann for Dany Heatley and a third-round pick, getting an NHL player up front for an aging star in the minors and an asset, and Jiri Sekac for Devante Smith-Pelly. Sekac will be interesting. He didn’t score enough with the Montreal Canadiens, but he’s only 22 with skill and potential.

7. Los Angeles Kings

A prospect and a first-round pick might seem like a steep price for Andrej Sekera. But he was the best rental defenseman on the market, and are you going to doubt GM Dean Lombardi? He made additions before the trade deadline each of the past three seasons – Jeff Carter in 2012, Robyn Regehr in 2013 and Marian Gaborik in 2014. The Kings won the Stanley Cup, went to the Western Conference final and won the Stanley Cup again. The way the Kings have played lately, they have looked like their old selves, and they earned this trade in Lombardi’s eyes. Sekera essentially replaces Slava Voynov, suspended as his domestic violence case plays out in court, and helps the Kings’ chances to win another championship.

The Rangers are going for the Stanley Cup, as evidenced by the steep price they paid for Keith Yandle. (Getty)
The Rangers are going for the Stanley Cup, as evidenced by the steep price they paid for Keith Yandle. (Getty)

6. New York Rangers

GM Glen Sather made perhaps the biggest acquisition leading up to the deadline, offensive defenseman Keith Yandle, and the Arizona Coyotes agreed to pay half the salary, making the cap hit only $2.625 million. Yandle is signed through next season, too. But the Rangers have the NHL’s 11th-ranked power play already, Yandle is prone to turnovers, and the cost in assets was high. For Yandle, defenseman Chris Summers and a fourth-round pick, the Rangers gave up top prospect Anthony Duclair, a first-round pick and a second-rounder. This better pay off in the short term, because the effect will be felt in the long term.

5. Chicago Blackhawks

Just because Patrick Kane is out about 12 weeks with a broken collarbone doesn’t mean the Blackhawks can’t make a long playoff run. They won the Cup two years ago when Kane didn’t heat up until midway through the third round. GM Stan Bowman used cap space created by Kane’s injury and paid up in assets for two veteran rentals. Center Antoine Vermette cost a prospect and a first-round pick, but he strengthens the Blackhawks down the middle. He led the Coyotes in scoring when they went to the Western Conference final in 2012. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen cost a second-round pick and a conditional pick, a steep price for a guy who is about to turn 40, hasn’t played this season because of blood clots and intends to retire. But he’s healthy again, and if he can be close to what he was last season, he upgrades the defense significantly.

4. Buffalo Sabres

Bottom line: The Sabres have a better chance of finishing last and guaranteeing themselves Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the draft, and they have more building blocks for the future. If Evander Kane comes back from surgery motivated to be the player he can be, that’s a big addition. If Zach Bogosian does more than Tyler Myers would have in Buffalo, that will help. GM Tim Murray even got something for rentals Torrey Mitchell and Chris Stewart as the deadline expired. A second-rounder for Stewart seemed particularly good, considering his inconsistency.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

No, GM Dave Nonis didn’t trade Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul or Tyler Bozak. But the Leafs could move those contracts in the off-season, when teams have more flexibility, and they got … rid … of … David … Clarkson! Even if the trade was gift from the Columbus Blue Jackets, it was a great move, one of the best of the deadline period, getting them out of a titanic mistake and freeing cap space for their rebuild. The Leafs acquired assets for pending unrestricted free agents, and they were able to flip Jokinen and get something for Korbinian Holzer. Anything for Jokinen and Holzer was gravy.

Arizona added a promising prospect in Anthony Duclair – and they'll get another good one in the draft. (AP)
Arizona added a promising prospect in Anthony Duclair – and they'll get another good one in the draft. (AP)

2. Arizona Coyotes

In parting with Yandle, Vermette and Zbynek Michalek, GM Don Maloney stockpiled assets for what should be a bright future. The Coyotes now have four first-round picks over the next two years and a long list of excellent prospects that includes Duclair and Maxim Letunov. They also, of course, have a gutted roster that gives them an even better shot at McDavid or Eichel. Wouldn’t it be something if the Coyotes – whose front office includes Darcy Regier, the former Buffalo GM and teardown expert – ended up drafting ahead of the Sabres?

1. Winnipeg Jets

GM Kevin Cheveldayoff sure changed his reputation for not trading. First, he got aggressive to solve a problem. He shipped out the disgruntled, injured Kane in a major deal that brought back Drew Stafford, two prospects and a first-round pick. He also swapped Bogosian for Myers as part of the deal. Stafford and Myers have looked good since. But that’s not all. Cheveldayoff also acquired Jiri Tlusty and Lee Stempniak, adding scoring and depth. The Jets are big, fast, one of the league’s top possession teams and loaded with prospects. Not only do they look like they’ll make the playoffs for the first time since the NHL returned to Winnipeg in 2011-12, they look like they’ll be a handful now and in the future.

(Honorable mentions: Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings.)