NHL Trade Tracker: Leafs Shock Canada with Phil Kessel Deal
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Mike Schultz
Toronto Maple Leafs fans are saying goodbye to their star forward Phil Kessel in one of the many bold trade moves that Canadian NHL teams are making this offseason.
The NHL season came to a conclusion a few weeks ago, with the draft taking place last week. With the conclusion of the draft, a flurry of big trades have occurred around the league that have surprised many and changed the face of a handful of franchises. Let’s take a look at some of the notable moves Canadian-based NHL teams have made so far in free-agency and trades this off-season. To have the latest updates on the action, check out our NHL Free Agent Signings Tracker.
Toronto Maple Leafs: In what could be considered both predictable AND shocking, the Leafs traded away their star forward, Phil Kessel, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for prospect Kasperi Kapanen, forward Nick Spaling, defenseman Scott Harrington and a 2016 third-round pick. The Leafs are losing a prolific scorer who’s had a beleaguered past in the rabid hockey town of Toronto, but the Leafs need a clean slate and young prospects to begin to rebuild.
Montreal Canadiens: The Habs have a young and talented core of players that will keep them contending for the next several years, but could use some extra depth if they expect to continue making deep playoff runs. They began adding depth by trading winger Brandon Prust to the Vancouver Canucks for Zach Kassian and a 2016 fifth-round pick. Kassian adds youth and size to a roster that could use a bit of muscle. A gritty playing style suits Kassian’s strengths, but he can also score, even if he’s not the most consistent.
Ottawa Senators: The Senators made two key signings with players already on their roster in Mika Zibanejad and Mark Stone. The sixth overall pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft, Zibanejad has established himself at the NHL level scoring 99 points in 191 games. He set career-highs during the 2014-15 season scoring 20 goals and 26 assists in 80 games. Stone is also coming off his entry-level deal and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy after his play this last season when he scored 26 goals and 64 points in 80 games. The Senators will gain consistency and a chance to make back-to-back playoff appearances by keeping these two young, core players on the roster.
Winnipeg Jets: The Jets should continue to sign young players that offer depth and made two signings that should help their chances of making it back to the playoffs for the second year in a row by signing Matt Fraser and Patrice Cormier as free-agents. Fraser split the 2014-15 season between the Bruins and the Oilers but hasn’t seen much NHL action. He was a prolific scorer in the AHL, scoring 90 goals and 131 points in 181 games. Cormier spent most of the 2014-15 season in the AHL scoring 12 goals and 21 points in 47 games before making an appearance with the Jets last season.
Calgary Flames: The Flames are trying to build on the surprise success they saw this past season. A young and up-and-coming team, the Flames could use some experience to help them take the next step and landed two players that could make an impact immediately in Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik. A defensemen, Hamilton comes from the Boston Bruins and will join a defense that already has one of the best pairings in the league in Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie. Frolik leaves the Jets and gives the Flames firepower on offense with the ability to move around different lines. He scored 19 goals and 42 points in 95 games for Winnipeg last season.
Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks gained Prust but lost long-time fan-favorite Kevin Bieksa to the Anaheim Ducks. The ‘Nucks will get a second-round pick in next year’s entry draft, but will also clear some cap space as Bieska had one year left on his contract with Vancouver and would have accounted for a $4.6 million cap hit in the upcoming season. Bieska was injured for much of the 2014-15 season and was only able to score four goals and 14 points in 60 games played.
Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers hit the jackpot in the NHL draft lottery and chose Connor McDavid as the first overall pick in this years draft. The potential alone of McDavid is enough for any Oilers fan to be excited, but Edmonton has also addressed a big hole in their roster by acquiring goaltender Cam Talbot from the New York Rangers for draft picks. Talbot was considered by many to be the most sought-after netminder on the market. He recorded a .929 save percentage with a 2.16 goals-against average while going 16-4-3 in relief of Henrik Lundqvist after he suffered a neck injury.