Black Tuesday- The Trade Deadline We All Wished For

On an innocent Tuesday in June, the NHL said, “Hold my beer.” Players were moved, draft picks were given away like candy, and rosters were dismantled, reconstructed, and dismantled… again. Some franchises moved forward, some backward, and some laterally. One thing ties them all together: they all think they did the right thing. 

We aren’t ready to crown an offseason Champion just yet, but we have some contenders. Let’s go back to June 16th, just about a week ago, when this all started to kick off. I don’t claim to be some NHL writer who knows more than the casual fan. I am simply an NHL writer who knows more than the casual fan. Is your brain cooked from all of the notifications from Elliott Freedman and Pierre LeBrun? Tired of scrolling reels, NHL Twitter, and your team’s subreddit? Take my hand. I am an NHL writer who knows more than the casual fan, and I’ll consolidate and rate all of these trades from my lens down below. 

Offseason Winners and Losers So Far

The offseason is young, and there is much time to ruin everything if you’re an NHL GM. Or the other option. A couple of teams stand out as clear movers, either moving in the right direction or taking a couple of steps back. 

Winners:

• Chicago Blackhawks

Most keyboard-wielding hockey enthusiasts may criticize the Hawks, and I can see their perspective. They have traded away their 1st- and 2nd-round picks this season after finishing near the bottom of their division, but they have had 8 1st-round picks in the last 3 seasons. Bowen Byram is a very promising 25-year-old LHD who will immediately plug into their top pairing. The sophomore was +15 with 42 P in a full 82 games last season. Jordan Greenway is where it gets a bit muddy.

He is a huge forward, measuring in at 6’6”, which is worth little in terms of offensive production. Greenway hasn’t played more than 60 games in 3 years, and looks to be a depth forward, averaging about 12:27 TOI last season, on a downward trend since his career-high in 23’-24’. He will anchor the bottom line or be a 17th forward. Byram could end up being what pushes this Chicago team in the right direction amidst a sea of young talent and a budding goaltender in Soderblom.

• Florida Panthers

It goes without saying that the Tkachuk-Bennett-Tkachuk line is going to be possibly the most grimy, disgusting, hard-to-play-against line in hockey. Adding Brady Tkachuk, at any cost, to play with his brother is an absolutely incredible boon to an already very deep forward core. Enjoy the year off, everyone. The Panthers will be back in the playoffs. Any game between them and Tampa will be must-watch TV. Make no mistake, even with the dominant Hurricanes run, the Panthers will be Stanley Cup favorites this year. My main question is, what about the goalie? Bobrovsky is a 37-year-old UFA who allegedly wants a long-term deal. All the talent in the world won’t save you from issues between the pipes.

• Nashville Predators

Make no mistake, the Preds were on the verge of making the playoffs in a stacked Central. They made significant moves to get closer this year, while 4th-place Utah has not. The Predators have added Ross Colton, Jack Drury, and Chase Bradley while only giving up a couple of 3rds and some future pieces. The message is clear: the Predators want to win, and new Colorado Avalanche transplant GM Chris McFarland has made that clear. They have the pieces in place and could make a significant run in this upcoming season. The kicker: they still have $25.3 million in cap space.

I Made This Section Just For The Capitals

• The Caps are possibly losing their franchise cornerstone and all-time great Alexander Ovechkin, and didn’t make the playoffs this year. Their solution: trade for Jordan Kyrou. Kyrou is a good player, but they will need to do more than that to move the needle. They gave up the 16th overall pick in the process. I fear that the Caps are headed for middling hell, where no franchise wants to be. Jordan Kyrou scored 18 goals in 72 games.
• I’m not sure about trading a 1st and 2 young forwards for a guy that may score 30 goals if he is healthy. However, literally as I am typing this, the Caps acquired Alex Tuch in a fleecing of the Buffalo Sabres. Alex Tuch and Kyrou will make for a revitalized forward core, and with $23.2 million in cap space, they may not be finished. The Caps have added significant firepower and have more bullets in the chamber.

Losers:

• Seattle Kraken

The Kraken were not good last year. They traded for 23-year-old Mackie Samoskevich, a promising young prospect from Florida. What did they give up? The 25th overall pick this year and a conditional 2nd in next year’s draft. They were not particularly close last year, and with $22.6 million in cap space, they will have to make a stronger push to stay relevant. You can’t ride the coattails of making it to the 2nd round of the playoffs forever. The Kraken, however, has emerged as a dark horse for Dallas Stars RFA Jason Robertson. They have the picks and the money; could they potentially grab the 40-goal scorer via offer sheet? 

Let’s Go Over The Timeline

Since June 16th, the NHL has changed quite a bit. Below, I’ll list the trades up to this point with a simple winner for your consideration. Keep in mind, things have been moving so fast that they could have changed by the time you read this.

• June 16th- Winner: Flyers
  • Philadelphia Flyers
    • G Joseph Woll
    • D Simon Benoit
  • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • G Samuel Ersson
    • D Emil Andrea
    • 26’ 3rd
• June 16th- Winner: Avalanche
  • Nashville Predators
    • F Ross Colton
    • G Isak Posch
  • Colorado Avalanche
    • G Magnus Chrona
    • 26’ 3rd
    • 27’ 3rd
• June 17th- Winner: Sharks
  • San Jose Sharks
    • D Michael Kesselring
    • 26’ 1st (No. 27)
  • Buffalo Sabres
    • 26’ 1st (No. 20)
• June 18th- Winner: Sharks
  • San Jose Sharks
    • F Andre Gasseau
    • 26’ 4th
  • Boston Bruins
    • 26’ 4th
    • 26’ 5th
• June 19th- Winner: Maple Leafs
  • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • D Darren Radysh
  • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • 26’ 5th
• June 21st- Winner: Panthers
  • Seattle Kraken
    • F Mackie Samoskevich
      • Samoskevich can become RFA by July 1st if unsigned
  • Florida Panthers
    • 26’ 1st (No. 25)
    • 27’ 2nd (conditional) 
      • Better of CBJ or WPJ
• June 21st- Winner: Panthers
  • Florida Panthers
    • F Brady Tkachuk
  • Ottawa Senators
    • 26’ 1st (No. 9)
    • 26’ 1st (No. 25)
    • 27’ 2nd
    • 29’ 1st (conditional) 
• June 23rd- Winner: Devils
  • Calgary Flames
    • D Simon Nemec
    • F Maxim Tsyplakov
  • New Jersey Devils
    • D Ettiene Morin
    • 26’ 2nd (No. 35)
    • 27’/28’ 1st
    • 28’/29’ 1st
• June 23rd- Winner: Senators
  • Ottawa Senators 
    • F William Eklund
    • F Kasper Halttunen
    • F Brandon Svoboda
  • San Jose Sharks
    • 26’ 1st (No. 16)
• June 23rd- Winner: Blues
  • Washington Capitals
    • F Jordan Kyrou 
  • St. Louis Blues
    • F Connor McMichael 
    • F Milton Gastrin
    • 26’ 1st (No. 16)
• June 23rd-Winner: Blackhawks
  • Chicago Blackhawks
    • D Bowen Byram
    • F Jordan Greenway
  • Buffalo Sabres
    • D Louis Crevier
    • 26’ 1st (No. 4)
    • 26’ 2nd (No. 45)
• June 24th- Winner: Avalanche
  • Nashville Predators
    • F Jack Drury
    • F Chase Bradley
    • 29’ 3rd
  • Colorado Avalanche
    • F Fedor Svechkov
    • F Zachary L’Heureux
• June 24th: Capitals
  • Washington Capitals
    • F Alex Tuch
  • Buffalo Sabres 
    • F David Kampf
    • 27’ 3rd

I hope this has caught you up with the NHL action over the past few days. There is certainly more to be said about the NHL offseason, with the draft just days away and the Stars’ coveted RFA Jason Robertson remaining the top free agent in the league. Things are moving so fast that by the time you read this, things could have changed dramatically. I’ll do my best to keep up with the action throughout the offseason and into training camp. 

I am currently writing a piece about Dallas Stars Winger Jason Robertson for my Stars-centered Substack, Hockey Tonk. If you’d love to know more about what is going on with the most sought-after (restricted) free agent in the league, feel free to check me out there.

Thanks so much for reading and for supporting independent media here at Team NBS Media. If you’d like to support me directly, use my affiliate links or subscribe to my Substack for $5 a month. Now go back to scrolling your NHL Twitter, melt your brain on hockey Reddit, and become a Tkachuk brother (or sister) yourself. I’ll be here when you’re finished.