2016 NHL Draft Trade Recap

via NY Post

At 12:01am on Monday, the 12th of June, in the year 2016, the NHL’s Christmas Season started. Teams began to analyze the trade , prep their buyout lists for Wednesday the 14th, and start genuinely salivating over the cap-afflicted teams for parts. GMs consume the theoretical like Alex Ovechkin at an open bar.

Some of the earliest trade pieces were announced on June 13 when the final draft order was released. Wide spread assumption has the top five picks will remain with the team, but the real fun starts with those holding pocket aces…multiple first round picks.

The New York Islanders have decisions to make. Okposo, Halak, the 19th pick, Boychuk…what gives here? Kyle is expected to walk on July 1, so do his rights go out tonight? Does Calgary make apitch for the best affordable starting goalie on the trade market, and is Jaro? Do the Isles really need the BPA at 19 or does that pick go towards a forward? Seriously…where the hell did that Boychuk-to-Edmonton rumor come from? The Summer of Garth begins now.

Looking at the rest of the league, five teams can turn the first round of the Draft into a baby oiled Slip N Slide; Anaheim, Arizona, Winnipeg, (I seriously almost typed Atlanta in these spaces), Boston, and Carolina.

Anaheim, being the only playoff team of this bunch, has an interesting position. They hold picks 24 and 30 and don’t necessarily need to do anything drastic. Boston and Winnipeg sat on the bubble and could (should, in the Jets’ case) move picks to ad the playoff piece. Probably won’t be a Stanley Cup piece, but an immediate improvement nonetheless. Carolina and Arizona might sit pat and draft where they are. Keep building and wait for their youth to grow.

Yes, those are flimsy projections. Yes, they’re probably as accurate as TSN or Yahoo analysts.

For a rundown of trades leading up to tonight, here is the TSN Trade Tracker. My only opinion: Florida isn’t done.

When it comes to the Draft itself, does nothing for me. The Mel Kiper Jr. side of the NHL bores me. If you found this site, you’ve probably found a hundred prospect analysis sites. Enjoy.

I’ll be updating all the trades that come in, emphasis on the Islanders deals.

TRADES! First of the night.

To Washington: Lars Eller
To Montreal: Two 2nd Round Picks (2017 and 2018)
Quick Take: Capitals planning for a life without Marcus Johansson

To Montreal: Andrew Shaw
To Chicago: Two 2nd Round Picks (2016 #39 and 2016 #45)
Quick take: Salary Cap strikes early, these two close picks could be repackaged

Thinking Out Loud: Two trades in an hour, still in the top ten. While GMs talk shop around the selections, this night is a bit stale. Mindful of this being the true opening of the summer market, front offices will be taking temperature as well as offers. What doesn’t happen today will directly affect the moves made on July 17. This weekend may actually become a Draft rather than Wall Street. I could be completely wrong.

TRADE
To St. Louis: 2nd Round Pick (2016 #35) and Conditional 3rd Round Pick (2018)
To Calgary: Brian Elliott (G)
Quick Take: St. Louis had goalies to burn and Jake Allen is ready to be #1, Calgary needed anyone other than Jonas Hiller and Joni Orito. Halak not a fit, even at that price. Oy.

TRADE
To Ottawa: 1st Round Pick (2016 #11)
To New Jersey: 1st Round Pick (2016 #12), 3rd Round Pick (2016 #80)
Quick Take: Ok, Ottawa has a plan. Fine.

TRADE
To Arizona: Pavel Datsyuk (C) 1st Round Pick (2016 #16)
To Detroit: 1st Round Pick (2016 #20), 3rd Round Pick (2016 #53), Joe Vitale (F)
Quick Take: And the first dead cap space deal involves Datsyuk. Enjoy home, Pavel.

TRADE
To Philadelphia: 1st Round Pick (2016 #22), 2nd Round Pick (2016 #36)
To Winnipeg: 1st Round Pick (2016 #18), 3rd Round Pick (2016 #79)
Quick Take: I’m trying to get purple crayon out of couch upholstery. Pray for me.

TRADE
To Washington: 1st Round Pick (2016 #28), 3rd Round Pick (2016 #87)
To St. Louis: 1st Round Pick (2016 #26)
Quick Take: Crayon isn’t coming out.

Yeah, the market isn’t co-operating with the prices teams are willing to pay. With five picks to go in the first round there have been seven trades involving only four players moving, and these transactions have set the tone for the rest of the month. Little in supply, anemic demand. Unrealistic expectations and parameters ruled the night. Budgets and cap constraints now rule the summer.

There will be full and final updates tomorrow after the completion of the 2016 Draft.

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Good morning. It’s Day Two, Rounds 2-7, of the 2016 NHL Draft. The day starts early.

TRADE
To Buffalo: Dimitry Kulikov (D), 2nd Round Pick (2016 #33)
To Florida: Mark Pysyk (D), 2nd Round Pick (2016 #38), 3rd Round Pick (2016 #89)
Quick Take: Expensive Keith Yandle needed room made for him and his contract. Florida sheds money, Buffalo gets a top pairing defenseman who is in a contract year, Florida wins.

TRADE
To Arizona: Anthony DeAngelo (D)
To Tampa Bay: 2nd Round Pick (2016 #37)
Quick Take: Arizona adds a young piece to the blueline in the form a prospect Steve Yzerman was at one point high on.

TRADE
To New Jersey: Beau Bennett (RW)
To Pittsburgh: 3rd Round Pick (2016 #77)
Quick Take: Cap relief move? Fell out of favor with management? New Jersey needs real forwards so this was a thing.

TRADE
To Los Anageles: Jack Campbell (G)
To Dallas: Nick Ebert (D)
Quick Take: LA got a solid upgrade in the goaltending pipeline with the addition of Campbell. Absolutely no idea who Nick Eberty is, so I guess LA wins.

POST DRAFT TRADE
To Toronto: Kerby Rychel (LW)
To Columbus: Scott Harrington (D), 5th Round Pick (Conditional)
Quick Take: FInally a taker for RYchel who Columbus was trying to rid themselves of. Toronto, in a very un-Toronto way, has added a good young piece to a steadily improving roster. What did I just type?

POST DRAFT TRADE
To NY Rangers: Nick Holden (D)
To Colorado: 4th Round Pick (2017)
Quick Take: The Rangers traded Yandle and needed to restock the position. Nick Holden comes with some comparable skill and a reasonable cap hit the AVs needed to move out.

Garth Snow, in a very uncharacterist move, stood pat. No viable market in which to move the 19th pick, no credible returns for his current and expiring roster pieces. When the July 1 shopping commences, the trade market should heat up again.

Two things made this Draft a trade dud; unrealistic price points for overvalued assests, and the impending Expansion Draft in 2017. Teams weren’t going to overpay for pieces they’ll lose for absolutely nothing in a year. Understandable position to take.

This is shaping up to be a long, conservative summer.

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