The 2022 NHL trade deadline has passed. Some teams got better. Some teams didn’t. One team might have made both the best and worst trades of the deadline by itself.
Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the 2022 deadline, from the players who controlled their fate to the teams that took fate into their own hands. A full 32-team report card will arrive later this week.
Wyshynski: The Avalanche took their swing at acquiring Claude Giroux from the Philadelphia Flyers, but he had other plans. So rather than go all in for another top six guy, the Avs smartly addressed a couple of their smaller but glaring needs.
I’ve been screaming since the offseason that the Avalanche had to address their lack of veteran forward depth, having lost a few key players in the past year. They did that and more by acquiring Artturi Lehkonen from the Montreal Canadiens at a steep cost — prospect Justin Barron was likely part of the Giroux package — but with 50% salary retention. The Sharks retained 50% on Andrew Cogliano, who hopefully has some fourth-line contribution left in his tank. Nico Sturm brings more physicality than Tyson Jost.
Meanwhile, they pulled off a great trade in snagging defenseman Josh Manson for the Ducks, who addresses a lack of physicality and defensive zone play that will be vital against the crashing forecheckers from Calgary and (maybe) Vegas. Manson also didn’t cost what Ben Chiarot did for Florida. The rich got richer at the trade deadline. These are the types of moves one looks back on fondly during a championship parade.
Shilton: If general manager Jim Nill truly believed Dallas could win a Stanley Cup this season, then not trading John Klingberg and/or not making any notable moves before the deadline would be understandable. But the Stars are not built for that type of success this season (especially not with Miro Heiskanen out indefinitely with mononucleosis). So why is Klingberg, a pending unrestricted free agent who has been publicly sour about the lack of a new contract and would fetch a solid-to-good return on the trade market, still with the team?
We witnessed some serious returns for other rental defensemen. Mark Giordano pulled two second-rounders and a third out of Toronto. Ben Chiarot drew a first-rounder from Florida. So did Hampus Lindholm from Boston. There were options that Nill could have exercised to improve Dallas for the future. Now Klingberg is probably going to walk for nothing and keeping him won’t, in all likelihood, change the Stars’ fate this season.
Shilton: Unlike the GM in Dallas, the new GM in Anaheim knows what he doesn’t want — and it’s pending UFAs.
To top off the deadline, Verbeek grabbed Evgenii Dadonov and another second-round selection from Vegas — assuming the trade actually goes through, after an issue was found involving his no-trade clause.
That’s quite a haul for the Ducks. It not only sets them up in future drafts, but it makes room for Verbeek to get a look at more players Anaheim already has in its ranks. That will be crucial to decisions made moving forward as he guides the Ducks out of this rebuild and back toward playoff contention.
Loser: Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon
Wyshynski: The Golden Knights’ salary cap had been an absolute mess well before they added Jack Eichel‘s $10 million hit this season. They’ve been living on the edge, making specious cap-impacted deals for the past few offseasons, costing them good players and better teammates.
That cap management hindered their ability to add reinforcements at the deadline or seek to shore up their goaltending. Instead, they were forced to trade winger Evgenii Dadonov to the Ducks to open $3.375 million in salary-cap space, hoping it will help them bring back some of their injured stars as they hang on to a playoff berth for dear life.
But wait! In a twist that could only happen to the Golden Knights during this hellish stretch of the season, the trade is being disputed by the National Hockey League Players’ Association, as Anaheim might have been on Dadonov’s limited no-trade list. Sources told ESPN that the Golden Knights claim that no-trade clause wasn’t disclosed by the Senators when they traded Dadonov to Vegas last offseason. There also are questions about whether Dadonov and his agent submitted a list before this season. Now, it’s an NHLPA and NHL entanglement that has put the trade in limbo.
If it does eventually go through, consider this asset management: The Golden Knights traded a 2022 third-round pick and defenseman Nick Holden for Dadonov last summer in a deal that didn’t make a ton of sense at the time given their cap crunch. Now they’ve traded him to the Ducks along with their choice of a 2023 or 2024 second-round pick. So that’s a second, a third and an NHL defenseman for 62 games of Dadonov. It’s not a first, second and third for Tomas Tatar in 2018, but it’s still bewildering.
If the Dadonov trade doesn’t go through? Now they have a disgruntled player who is still taking up $5 million in cap space.
Wyshynski: The Bruins won the Hampus Lindholm derby with a massive offering to the Ducks, trading them a 2022 first-round pick and second-round picks in 2023 and 2024 along with defenseman Urho Vaakanainen in the multiple-asset deal. Then they signed him to an eight-year, $52 million deal with a no-movement clause through 2026-27.
Lindholm is not the player he once was, but he is still better than anything the Bruins have had on their left side since they let Torey Krug walk. They could pair him with Charlie McAvoy or have him anchor his own unit. Whatever the case, GM Don Sweeney finally landed the defenseman the Bruins have been chasing.
Shilton: Yes, the Maple Leafs landed Mark Giordano to bolster the blue line. That was a priority. But Toronto did nothing to improve its lackluster goaltending situation, although it wasn’t for complete lack of trying.
On Sunday, GM Kyle Dubas did sign Finnish netminder Harri Sateri — fresh from an Olympic gold-medal win — to a one-year deal. Per NHL rules, though, Toronto had to place Sateri on waivers in order to add him to the roster. Arizona, of course, claimed Sateri, leaving the Leafs no better off. And Dubas didn’t complete any transactions to add another goaltender before the deadline.
So, Toronto is where it is. Beleaguered goalie Petr Mrazek also was placed on waivers on Sunday, which Dubas clarified was for cap-related purposes, and Mrazek cleared, so he’s still around. That doesn’t help the Leafs much, though. Mrazek has allowed four or more goals in each of his past four starts (1-2-1), and he was recently usurped by rookie Erik Kallgren. It appears Kallgren (who is 2-1-1 with a .930 SV%) will have to continue carrying the load for now, at least until Jack Campbell is up and running.
Toronto’s starter has been sidelined by a rib injury, but he returned to the ice this week. Can Campbell attain his previous form and be the top-end goalie he was early in the season? The Leafs can only cross their fingers and hope.
Shilton: After 24 hours of wheeling and dealing, the Kraken now hold 34 picks in the next three entry drafts. That’s … a lot of choices. It should translate into a whole lot of fun for Seattle’s scouting staff, which will basically be building this franchise from the ground up with its recommendations (both in draftable players and trade candidates). Talk about having an impact!
Wyshynski: One questions the philosophy of GM Lou Lamoriello at their own peril, but … seriously?
The Islanders have been one the biggest disappointments of the season. Lamoriello’s response at the deadline was not only not to move a single player from this roster but to extend forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise in new contract deals. There were no takers for goalie Semyon Varlamov or any of the forwards with term? Maybe these end up being summertime moves. For now, the Islanders’ deadline paralysis was as baffling as their season has been.
Wyshynski: The temptation was no doubt there to really push hard for someone like J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks, a former Ranger who would have been an ideal acquisition at the deadline. Instead, the Rangers and GM Chris Drury made a series of smart smaller moves that could add up to something positive come playoff time. They traded for Panthers winger Frank Vatrano, Jets forward Andrew Copp, Canucks forward Tyler Motte and Flyers defenseman Justin Braun.
Copp was a coup. He cost a bit — a 2022 second-rounder that could become a first and another 2022 second-rounder — but he’s one of those players who can be effective down the lineup or playing up with the skilled stars, as was the case with the Jets this season. Braun, meanwhile, is a win-at-all-costs defensive defenseman with 100 games of playoff experience, something in short supply on their blue line.
Shilton: The inaction from GM Tom Fitzgerald here is a head-scratcher. The Devils aren’t in the playoff hunt this season, so they had some players who have been moved, including Pavel Zacha or P.K. Subban or even Damon Severson, and yet, New Jersey did nothing.
Now, you might argue it’s better to complete no trades than to make a bad move. That’s true. Fitzgerald noted on Monday he wasn’t going to trade a player like Severson just because he has one year left on his deal, for example, when Severson is helping New Jersey win games now. It’s just that the Devils aren’t collecting victories that often, and the choice to stand pat is different when you’re a perennial contender or up against the salary cap or have already acquired a boatload of future draft choices. That’s not what the Devils have been up to, either.
As it is, New Jersey will enter the final stretch of this season near the bottom of its division and having made no strides in any direction. Fitzgerald might well like his team. Maybe he just has a lot of patience. But in his results-oriented business, patience only stretches so far, for so long.
Shilton: Everything’s coming up Flower!
Monday couldn’t have played out much better for Fleury. He put his time in with Chicago — a place the veteran clearly enjoyed playing — and now he gets to reunite with old teammate Bill Guerin in Minnesota and chase another Stanley Cup. At 37 years old, those opportunities are increasingly rare. While Fleury had some control over a new landing spot, the fact Minnesota is a contending team that could make room (by trading Kaapo Kahkonen), satisfy the Blackhawks in return (with a conditional first-round pick) and offer a fellow veteran goalie (in Cam Talbot) to pair Fleury with … it seems like a great match.
There’s no pressure for Fleury to carry the load immediately; he can ease into the role and figure out getting his family settled, if needed. Minnesota has needed a spark to help it climb out of a recent funk too. Given Fleury’s reputation as the league’s most beloved teammate, this deal also was a pretty big winner for the Wild.
Loser: Other big-name trades
Wyshynski: We had some players such as Sharks center Tomas Hertl and Stars center Joe Pavelski who re-signed with their teams — and another in Filip Forsberg who appears on his way to doing so with Nashville. We had other players like Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller of the Canucks and Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes who are likely summertime moves.
Then we had players like Phil Kessel, Braden Holtby, Tyler Bertuzzi, Paul Stastny and Jeff Petry who were rumored to be on the move but never moved. There was some star power at the deadline in Fleury and Giroux. But for the most part, the flat salary cap meant a lot more singles than home run swings.
Winner: Player empowerment
Wyshynski: If there’s one takeaway from the 2022 NHL trade deadline, it’s how much player empowerment played a key role. Giroux had a full no-movement clause. According to veteran Philadelphia reporter Anthony SanFilippo, Giroux wanted to leverage that into a guarantee that the Flyers would bring him back in the offseason, agreeing to expand his trade options. Reportedly, they wouldn’t, so he didn’t and would only go to Florida, taking away any leverage from Philly. (Please note that GM Chuck Fletcher and Giroux’s agent, Pat Brisson, both deny this was the case.)
Fleury agreed to join the Chicago Blackhawks when they gave him their word he would have approval over any trade they’d make with him, despite not having a no-move clause. He was presented with a chance to play for former teammate and Minnesota GM Bill Guerin, and he accepted. Seattle captain Giordano had modified trade protection and the team’s backing to choose his next destination, and he ultimately chose to play for the Maple Leafs.
This didn’t make for the most thrilling trade deadline, but it was certainly a moment when veteran players gladly controlled the narrative.
Shilton: Brett Kulak and Derick Brassard were the best Edmonton could do, eh? It really felt like this team deserved more.
The Oilers have worked hard to turn a corner in recent weeks. After losing six of eight games, Edmonton responded with five straight wins in which they scored four or more goals in each. More notably, the Oilers’ goaltending seems to be (somewhat) stabilized and they’re back to sitting third in the Pacific.
So, why did GM Ken Holland do so little to reward his group for their efforts? McDavid and Draisaitl are in their prime, right in front of you. And there are clear indications of buy-in throughout the lineup to gain ground and maybe make a push in the crowded Western Conference field. It just seems like a missed opportunity by Holland to let the deadline pass and not capitalize on the momentum Edmonton has generated.
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Check out the unconventional but hilarious locations in which Kevin Weekes broke NHL trades throughout the week.
Wyshynski: There’s nothing general managers hate more at the NHL trade deadline than juicy details of deals that didn’t happen leaking out to the media.
The Maple Leafs were engaged in trade talks that involved Marc-Andre Fleury. News and notes about those talks were reported by TSN.
“I’ve never had that in our time here, where conversations on something that didn’t happen are out a day later,” said Toronto GM Kyle Dubas, referring to Chicago GM Kyle Davidson. “We rely on other teams to keep that confidential, so it’s disappointing.”
Wyshynski: There isn’t a team that made a move that I loved and a move that I loathed more than the Panthers did at the trade deadline.
Acquiring Claude Giroux is an absolute coup — a veteran leader with loads of playoff experience, top-line production and lineup versatility. On top of it all, a star who has dreamed about winning a Stanley Cup for so long that his pillow has etchings on it. Did they luck out by only having to give up Owen Tippett, a conditional first-rounder in 2024 (!) and a third-rounder in 2023, because Giroux — for whatever his reasons — would only play for the Panthers? Absolutely, but that’s hockey: How do you think the Rangers ended up with Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox?
I also liked the trade for defenseman Robert Hagg.
Unfortunately, I did not like that move they made for another defenseman: Ben Chiarot.
I’ve been told incessantly by Montreal fans that the analytics don’t properly tell the story of Chiarot this season. The Panthers had better hope so because, based on the numbers, that story was written by Stephen King. Even if you believe Chiarot can reclaim what made him a solid defender before this season — and without a functional Shea Weber next to him, that’s not likely — this was an overpayment. Like, a torrid housing market level of overpayment. They gave up a conditional first-rounder (top-10 protected in 2022, unprotected in 2024 if necessary) at a deadline when players like Josh Manson, Mark Giordano and Rickard Rakell moved without a first-rounder being sent the other way. Quinnipiac’s Ty Smilanic isn’t a bad prospect, either, and he was included in the deal. You could argue this is around the same price that Tampa Bay paid for David Savard last deadline. You also could argue that Savard is a better player or at least was having a superior season.
Again, a lot to like and not to like from Florida at the deadline. But you can’t say the Panthers weren’t aggressive, and maybe that pays off in their first playoff series win since 1996.
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
