2023 BRHL Trade Deadline Week Review
Here are your winners and losers from a generally underwhelming week...
Follwing the team name you will see 2 numbers with a slash mark between them... The first number is how many deadline week trades that team made. The second number is how many deadline day trades they made. Enjoy!
1. Anaheim Ducks 0/0 NA
Still neck and neck with his brother in the lottery sweepstakes. The only high ranked players he has are young and he's gotta keep. So he did the right thing by standing pat and not sacrificing his top young guys in an attempt to up his odds of winning the lottery by a couple percentage points.
2. Arizona Coyotes 2/0 WIN
Much like Dev, Joel didn't have any valuable veteran pieces to move out. Joel was still a good guy and helped Steph out with a warm, barely-still-alive farm body. Made a good move nabbing the hometown rights of Jared Spurgeon before flipping him for a 4th.
3. Boston Bruins 0/0 NA
Greg tore apart his franchise well befroe deadline week which was smart. Shopped his star players patiently over the course of several weeks prior to. Seeing youth like Tippet, Laine, Raymond, etc in Boston is a refreshing change… and Greg may actually squeeze into the postseason still!
4. Buffalo Sabres 1/0 WIN
I can't give Jared a loss for deadline week due to the fact he legally could not ship out his two aging vets.. Pavs and Perron.. due to their contract structures. That kind of sucks for him. But he also still could squeak into the playoffs. He gets a small win thanks to landing one of the top goalies this season (irl) in a trade made with Doc earlier in the week.
5. Calgary Flames 4/3 WIN
This grade was pretty simple. Though Kev didn't open up the prospect cupboard to go all out like we've been waiting for, he definitely improved his current lineup, and should be a big favourite over the Sharks in round 1. Adding Mark Stone, Nick Bonino, and Jani Hakanpaa adds a ton of toughness, defensiveness, and experience for a potentially deep run next month.
6. Carolina Hurricanes 0/0 NA
I was a bit surprised Brother Uncle Rich was quiet this past week. The Canes have been hot and thought he might add in an effort to slide into that 2 vs 3 matchup in the Metro. Sometimes the best move is no move though. And Rich is leaving the new found chemistry unaltered.
7. Chicago Blackhawks 3/3 LOSS
Dave added a few picks for moving out both Stones and Marco Scandella which I liked, but he had so much more to offer contending teams. Gaudreau, Slavin, and Lindell were all names that that surprisingly did not find new homes on deadline day.
8. Colorado Avalanche 3/3 LOSS
Bryce was obviously very cap strapped which tied his hands this weekend. Maybe there weren't any money in-money out moves to be made, but either way his team did not really improve and had back to back losses to show for it. He did make another homer trade in adding Foegele who should have some penalty killing upside next season.
9. Columbus Blue Jackets 2/1 WIN
I love the Spurgeon acquisition. Should really shore up the backend in Columbus this season. Hathway was an incredible pickup too as he should be an absolute stud defensively going forward despite meh/blah ratings this season. Jesse made his team better for both this season and next. A big W for him.
10. Dallas Stars 1/0 WIN
I spoke with Junya a couple times leading up to our deadline on what direction he was looking to steer the Stars. They've been solid lately, and he definitely decided not to throw in the towel. I expected at least a bit more action than adding Jeff Skinner, but he came away from that one deal in great shape. If he can continue to right the ship of the underachieving Stars, picking up a fairly offenisve winger could provide big dividends.
11. Detroit Red Wings 1/1 LOSS
Much like Mr Greg, Dan did most of his moving and shaking well prior to the trade deadline. Erik Johnson was a small upgrade over Hakanpaa, but has a heftier contract and gave up 3 picks just to make the trade, including retention to make it work. Back to back losses post deadline was not the desired result, so Dan is left trying to figure out the magic formula for line creation the rest of the season.
12. Edmonton Oilers 2/1 WIN
Although the contract for Jeff Carter is not ideal for Leon, he acquired an experienced centre with great ratings this season for a minimal cost. Kulikov was expendable, so overall a successful week for Leon as the rich get richer and is a top contender heading towards the playoffs.
13. Florida Panthers 4/2 WIN
I thought the "total in" and the "total out" was about equal for Tyler this week. But it was a quiet deadline day overall, so he definitely gets props for getting in on the action and mildly changing the makeup of his team for the better in the longterm.
14. Los Angeles Kings 1/0 LOSS
Rumpy didn't do much this past week, and with some good asssets to sell off, I chalk that up to a minor loss. I also like Bertuzzi slightly more than what Steve's 1st next season will give him. The Kings overall are primed for next season as all eyes will be on Rumpy and all his picks.
15. Minnesota Wild 0/0 NA
Sheds is charging hard for the 3 seed in the Central that Al currently occupies. Al has not tinkered much with his roster this season. So, where he is at post deadline doen't change from before. Would've loved to see him add maybe a penalty killer. But he stood pat, and as we've seen in recent seasons, anything can happen once you're in.
16. Montreal Canadiens 2/0 WIN
I think Steve won both his trades he made deadline week. Mayo is a great young, cheap, sim-friendly pickup. And of course Bertuzzi was a great add. His team is better post deadline, and with the Wings recent struggles, these additions couldn't come at a better time.
17. Nashville Predators 3/3 WIN
I thought the Marcus Foligno pickup was great. The carousel of D-men in and D-men out in Nashville has certainly been entertaining to watch. With a daunting first round matchup in store.. Whoever it is Sheds draws.. I liked seeing him tinker a bit without mortgaging the future.
18. New Jersey Devils 1/1 WIN
While I didn't think the return for Smith was overly great, the fact Ken didn't have to retain or find a 3rd part to do so was definitely a win. Maybe if he squeaks into the playoffs he'll regret selling, but I don't think that happens, so a few more losses down the stretch is what's best for some better draft odds.
19. New York Islanders 1/1 WIN
Blue balls didn't do much with his team this week. But as we saw over the weekend, the teams that didn't tinker much seem to be benefitting from that. I also don't love what Stralman's rates will be next season, but for the here and now, it was a shrewd and low cost add for Joe. Still the class of the Metro.. everything is status quo here.
20. New York Rangers 0/0 NA
I thought this week would be the perfect time to try to sell off Josh Morrissey and his career season rates, but PJ has all offseason to do that I suppose. No other major vets kicking around to dump, so PJ did what he does best and avoided the trade blocks.
21. Ottawa Senators 3/1 LOSS
My boys Steph and Pat seemed to forget it was deadline day until it was too late to make much happen. I didn't mind the Foegele move, but disliked the Mayo one. Overall a loss as there were no assets added for Risto, Staal, Pageau etc.
22. Philadelphia Flyers 0/0 NA
I think Tony really could've used adding a forward with some offensive flair this past week. Instead he made no moves which might cost him finishing in the 2-3 matchup in the Metro. There are some strong teams this season, and maybe Tony decided it wasn't worth mortgaging any of the future for short term upgrades.
23. Pittsburgh Penguins 1/1 WIN
I wouldn't really call a salary retention a trade. But it's a small win when you land a draft pick plus the cash to pay for it right before the deadline bell rings. A lot of teams left retention spots open, but Toby was smart enough to use them all up and nab assets along the way. No vets of significance to ship out, so Toby was quiet waiting out the days for our draft lottery show.
24. San Jose Sharks 1/1 WIN
Sumit picked up Lehkonen shortly before trade deadline week, and then Reilly Smith on the final day. Even though the Lehkonen trade was a day prior to deadline week, I thought it was highway robbery. And Reilly Smith was a killer add too. I was surprised the Sharks had that much cap space, but good on them for saving it for something important. The Sharks will be in tough come playoffs, but they're now in a spot to contend with anyone.
25. Seattle Kraken 0/0 NA
Nothing really came together in the form of trades for Rex over the past week. He was shoppin some D-men, but didn't have any vets with great rates to sell off. Status quo for Rex as he gets ready for another draft lottery this spring.
26. St.Louis Blues 0/0 NA
Nothing! Not a move all season long for our defending champion. We shall see if that pays off. Having a stellar regular season so far, and if all Eric has done is experiment with his lines to see what works, he'll have a leg up on the competition come the postseason. If his powerplay remains anemic, he may regret doing nothing.
27. Tampa Bay Lightning 0/0 NA
I would've thought Ferraro would've been shopping Voracek a bit, but there weren't a ton of buyers this past week, so maybe not wasting his time was the best move. Despite an outside shot at playoff hockey, it's likely now status quo for Eric til the draft and free agency.
28. Toronto Maple Leafs 0/0 NA
Despite being active on the trade boards, Garrett was inactive this week on all actual trade fronts. Whether he's in the 2 vs 3 bracket of the Atlantic or he slides into a WC spot, Garrett will be in tough come next month. So no additions was the play here and they'll ride things out.
29. Vancouver Canucks 1/1 LOSS
Rob decided to add in the form of Drouin. Though with being hard pressed to make the postseason, giving up a draft pick for Drouin was a head scratcher at best. Especially for a guy who has 1 goal in 40 real life games, and is in line for an enormous raise. There are some solid vets scattered throughout this lineup, so good on Rob for still trying to get in, but selling should've been the play here.
30. Las Vegas Golden Knights 2/1 LOSS
Joe made two moves this week, and didn't make a move he should've. He gets a pass on the Jeff Carter trade due to salary concerns from the deadline buyers, but the Hathaway move should've waited til the summer… or whenever Joe could've gotten a better return. Kadri will not have great rates next season, so he was guy that had to have been dealt, but didn't happen.
31. Washington Capitals 0/0 NA
Larry made a tough decision well before the deadline week that his team wasn't good enough this season to really contend, so he did all his wheeling and dealing prior to. I like where his team is at for the future, despite not moving Buchnevich or anyone else for more youth. He's left not owning his first, so maybe he doesn't want to offload everyone and gift Devin with two lottery picks.
32. Winnipeg Jets 1/0 WIN
The last grade was definitely the toughest one to do. I hate that Doc gave up a goalie with stellar rates for next season when he could've possibly gotten a better return this summer, but he landed a couple intriguing pieces. Only time will tell how this trade unfolds, but props to Doc for pulling off a deal I didn't see coming.


