2015 Draft Weekend Trade Review

Started with a bang, then Garth Snow showed up to show people how to do work, and it ended….oh my god.

Here, enjoy some taeks.

Let’s take a look at the Islanders’ trades and all player-centric moves that went down at the 2015 NHL Draft.

To Islanders: 2015 1st Round pick (16th) and 2015 2nd Round pick (33rd)
To Edmonton: Griffin Reinhardt (D)
Verdict: I think i was the last one to realize how far Reinhardt had fallen. Be it the lack of skating improvement, the realization he has no offensive upside, or his poor playoff performance (ok, that last one happens to a lot of players), he was relegated to non-asset. But then Garth turned him into a First Round pick. Because thats what Garth does. On Friday, Griffin Reinhardt was as crucial a member of the New York Islanders as TJ Brennan was. That’s a compliment (sorta). I’m told the kid he picked is excellent. Think of it this way…this was the settlement package Garth got for Reinhardt. The settlement. Wonderful.

To Islanders: 2015 1st Round pick (28th)
To Tampa Bay: 2015 2nd Round pick (33rd)
Verdict: Garth The Shrewd strikes again, getting into the First Round…AGAIN…with leftovers of the Reinhardt deal. I’m told the kid he picked is excellent.

Main roster untouched, TWO First Round picks acquired, cupboard continues to be restocked. It’s what he does.

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To Colorado: Carl Soderberg (C)
To Boston: 2016 6th Round pick
Verdict: Speculation was that Soderberg would replace Ryan O’Reilly at center. He did, signing a 4y/$22.75M deal the next day. Sakic wouldn’t pay O’Reilly all the money but he’ll pay Soderberg? Not particularly thrifty.

To Buffalo: Robin Lehner (G), David Legwand (C)
To Ottawa: 2015 1st Round pick (21st overall)
Verdict: “The only way we send you the Islanders 1st is if we take on a bad contract we’ll have to buy out soon.” – Tim Murray. Still, an improvement in goal that will stay now that the tank for Eichel was victorious.

To Calgary: Dougie Hamilton (D)
To Boston: 2015 1st Round (15th) and two 2015 2nd Round picks (45th and 52nd)
Verdict: Regardless of the post-trade talk of Hamilton being bad in the room, this was a coup for Calgary.

To Los Angeles: Milan Lucic (LW)
To Boston: Marin Jones (G), Colin Miller (D), 2015 1st Round pick (13th)
Verdict: This was a hilarious coup for Boston. Lucic will, according to many people stuck in 1988, around $7-8M per year once his contract is up. He’s not worth it so Don Sweeny to LA for a FIRST ROUND PICK AND A GOOD BACKUP GOALIE. And a defenseman. Damn. Mike Richards has to replaced somehow.

To Colorado: Mikhail Grigorenko (C), Nikita Zadorov (D), JT Compher (LW/C), 2nd Round pick (31st)
To Buffalo: Ryan O’Reilly (C), Jamie McGinn (LW)
Verdict: Joe Sakic rarely lost as a player. He lost it all on this trade. Forced into a corner of hisbown doing, Sakic got a college prospect, a project defenseman, and a slowly achieving something forward. Oh, and the first pick of the second round. Poor Colorado.

To New Jersey: Kyle Palmieri
To Anaheim: 2015 2nd Round pick (41st) and 2016 3rd Round pick
Verdict: New Jersey kid goes home. Cool story, bro. Should be a regular contributor.

To Carolina: Eddie Lack (G)
To Vancouver: 2015 3rd and 7th Round picks
Verdict: The funniest backup in the league gets to show off what he can do in Carolina. He’s replacing Anton Khudobin on the roster, but more realistically replacing Cam Ward as the starter. The Hurricanes have been needing a upgrade there for a while. Best part, he’s now that much closer to his BFF Roberto Luongo.

To Anaheim: Anton Khudobin (G)
To Carolina: James Wisniewski (D)
Verdict: Khudobin goes to a team looking for a 1B goalie who can push Frederik Andersson either up or out. Carolina gets a good mid-pairing defenseman. Good deal.

To Dallas: Antti Niemi (G)
To San Jose: 2015 7th Round pick (193rd)
Verdict: Okay.

To Anaheim: Carl Hagelin (LW), 2015 2nd Round pick (59th), 7th Round pick (179th)
To Rangers: Emerson Etem (LW), 2015 2nd Round pick (41st)
Verdict: Can’t get a deal done, trade the guy, get good young value in return. Writing that sentence about the Rangers made me ill.

To Edmonton: Cam Talbot (G), 2015 7th Round pick (209)
To Rangers: 2015 2nd Round (57th), 3rd Round (79th), and 7th Round (194th) picks
Verdict: It wasn’t a First but the Rangers got a haul. Lets see how Talbot can do without a functioning defense/team in front of him. Godspeed.

To San Jose: D Patrick McNally
To Vancouver: 2015 7th Round pick
Verdict: Depth move? Maybe? Sure?

To Toronto: D Martin Marincin
To Edmonton: F David Ross, 2015 4th Round pick
Verdict: This is huge for Toronto, apparently. Then again, what isn’t huge new for/in/about Toronto these days. Ross is an ECHLer, Marincin played 23 games for Edmonton. Okay then.

To Edmonton: D Eric Gryba
To Ottawa: C Travis Ewanyk,2015 4th Round pick
Verdict: Edmonton replaces Marincin with Gryba, smartly using the newly-acquired 4th. Good for Chiarelli, in both shuffling of players and maintaining a proper level of interesting last names.

To Chicago: F Ryan Haggerty
To Rangers: G Antti Raanta
Verdict: Seriously, stop making me say not-mean things about the Rangers. Raanta was a serviceable backup with a reasonable contract until Scott Darling stole the show. The Whole F’n Show. That he was landed for Haggerty is a steal. Ugh.

To Philadelphia: C Sam Gagner, Conditional Draft Pick (2016 4th or 2017 3rd)
To Arizona: D Nicklas Grossman, D Chris Pronger
Verdict: “We didn’t see Gagner as a viable NHL center anymore.” – Don Maloney. Chris Pronger is so retired he’s projected to be on today’s HHoF ballot. And they were traded for each other. Arizona and Philadelphia are the most puzzling and mind-altering franchises at the moment. Gagner costs less than Pronger, which helps, why would you trade for a guy who is actively being steamrolled by his ex-GM? Arizona is in crisis-mode with their cap…floor. This move makes the “Tim Thomas to the Islanders” tame in comparison. It’s outright laughable. The Coyotes might as well still be owned by the league, or they will be soon (again), so having the contract of a league employee who is about to go into the Hall is the most Glendale-y thing ever. Ever.