With the trade deadline behind us, it’s time to declare the winners and losers of the big day — because that’s what puts the bow on it all.
A total of 31 trades were made on Feb. 24 as the buyers and sellers did what business they could before all the action closed. Here are some of our highlights and lo(l)-lights of the day as we try to figure out what it all means for the playoff push ahead.
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WINNERS
Ottawa Senators: Draft picks! The return for Jean-Gabriel Pageau (picks in the first and second rounds, and a conditional third-rounder) was solid and better than anyone expected in the lead-up to the trade deadline. They got a second-round pick and a first-round prospect in Erik Brannstrom for Mark freakin’ Stone last year, so by comparison this is a big win. They got a fifth for Tyler Ennis and a fourth for Vlad Namestnikov and now hold 14 picks in this summer’s draft — including three first-rounders and four second-rounders.
And the 2020 draft is regarded as an especially strong one. Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield headline it at the top, but there’s a lot of high-end depth to follow.
“From what I’ve seen… there’s probably another drop-off around 20 and from there I’d have to tell you from about 20 to 60 it’s a very good draft,” Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion told Sportsnet at the CHL-NHL Top Prospects game in January. “It’s one of the better drafts, our scouts feel, in a long time and we’re fortunate enough to probably have six picks in the first 60 or so, or 65, so we feel we’re going to have a pretty good draft this year.”
Now the Senators are staring at the possibility of having three picks inside the top 20. Theirs and San Jose’s (that’s karma for you) are setting Ottawa up for two high lottery selections, and there’s no guarantee the Islanders make the playoffs this year. And if they don’t? Their pick is only protected if it ends up in the top three.
Ottawa’s focus is on accumulating future assets. They were already in a good spot before the trade deadline, but adding another first to that is a big, big positive.
Now they just have to knock it out of the park at the draft.
Carolina Hurricanes: Did the most to upgrade their team How often does a bonafide second-line centre signed with term, in his prime, become available on the trade market? It almost never happens. But there was one available on Monday, and the Hurricanes roped in 26-year-old Vincent Trocheck for what looks like a steal of a deal.
No slight on Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark, who came back in the trade. Haula is a pending UFA and could turn out to be a rental, while Wallmark is a middle-six forward who leans more towards the third line side of things. Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie are a couple of secondary prospects… at best.
The Canes didn’t stop winning there. Sami Vatanen was brought in off the rental market and though he’s injured right now he will return soon and be a nice second-pair add. He’s not at his peak anymore, but he moves the puck well and his defending can be a little underrated. You can argue the most expensive pickup they made was for Rangers defenceman Brady Skjei, a 25-year-old defenceman signed for another four years beyond this one, who Carolina acquired for whichever of their two first-round picks ends up being the later one. So after all this, Carolina still holds a first-rounder this summer (we’re betting they keep Toronto’s).
No one did more to improve their team on deadline day than Carolina. The only thing they didn’t improve on was their netminding, in the wake of injuries to Petr Mrazek and James Reimer. Both were labelled as “longer term” injuries by head coach Rod Brind’Amour. But, as we saw Saturday night, Carolina’s defence is one of the better shutdown units in the league — so good, in fact, that a beer-league goalie could be successful behind it.
There’s not even an ounce of hyperbole to that anymore.
Edmonton Oilers: Ken Holland rewarded his troops Connor McDavid’s short-term injury could have been a real setback for the top-heavy Oilers, but the team won three of its first four without him and went 3-2-1 overall before he returned on Saturday. That was a real statement and must have influenced the GM to do something.
“No risk, no gain. I can sit around and do nothing. I can puddle around, but I felt like I had a chance to help,” Holland said. “They’ve played hard all year. They’ve battled and scratched and clawed.”
First of all, I cannot wait to see Andreas Athanasiou on McDavid’s wing. Edmonton’s top need at the deadline was for speed and scoring on the wings, and while Athanasiou has struggled this year, he scored 30 times in 2018-19 and could find that touch again next to McDavid. He’s an RFA this summer as well, which means Edmonton will have more than one year of control on him.
Tyler Ennis was a cheap addition as a depth winger and also adds some speed, so the Oilers leave the deadline having addressed their primary need and didn’t have to use a first-rounder or Jesse Puljujarvi to get it done.
And then there’s Mike Green, who was a late-night addition on Sunday. Like Athanasiou, Green comes over from Holland’s old team in Detroit, so the GM feels comfortable with the player. He’s a depth add at 5-on-5, but is still an excellent passer with great offensive instincts and should help their second power-play unit. And, heck, Green sending stretch passes to McDavid and Athanasiou could be a lethal combination.
Vegas Golden Knights: Buyers for a Cup run once again Expansion teams shouldn’t be making the sort of moves Vegas has since Day 1, but here we are at another deadline talking about this third-year team as an impressive buyer. There was no big splash along the lines of Stone from last year, but don’t underestimate how large Robin Lehner could be for them.
Marc-Andre Fleury is the face of the franchise and the backbone to all the success the team has had, but the fact is he has a .906 save percentage on the season and it’s been sub-.900 over the past three months. His .808 high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 this season ranks 44th among goalies with at least 500 minutes.
He’s never had a backup capable of taking over for stretches and allowing the 35-year-old Fleury to rest. Lehner will at least be that, but he could be much more. It’s not as though Vegas is itching to move on from Fleury, but Lehner’s play could very well demand that he become the starter at some point — maybe even in the playoffs.
Vegas is solid up front, running with the 12th-best offence, and their defence corps was added to in prior to the deadline when they picked up Alec Martinez for a couple of second-round picks. They seem to be coming into their own again, too, with a 7-2-1 record in their past 10, which has brought them to the top of the Pacific. The general feeling has been “Vegas is great and could go on a playoff run… if Fleury is good enough.” But now with Lehner, that caveat has been diminished.
Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover Canada’s most beloved game.
LOSERS
Florida Panthers: What are you doing? It makes no sense.
The Panthers spent money all off-season — on head coach Joel Quenneville, and on UFAs Sergei Bobrovsky and Anton Stralman. Heck, they were even making a push on Artemi Panarin. They’re in the thick of the playoff hunt, too, just two points back of Toronto for third in the Atlantic with a game in hand.
And they just, basically, threw up the white flag.
The return for Trocheck was underwhelming, and it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t have been able to do better by waiting until the summer. There should have been no rush there because Trocheck is under contract for another two seasons.
That trade was made early enough in the day that the optimistic fans (don’t know if any Florida backers would even qualify at this point) may have thought, “OK, this isn’t great, but maybe these are assets to flip for defensive help.” We waited. And waited. And waited. And then, just… nothing.
Florida actually traded a termed second-line centre in his prime, and the best player coming back is a rental.
Here’s the long-time issue with the Panthers organization: There is no focus from one season to the next. When they made the playoffs in 2012, neither their first line nor their coach made it through another 82-game season with the organization. When they next made the playoffs in 2016, they fired their coach a quarter of the way through the following season. They made a pivot towards more of an analytical approach, then went the complete opposite direction one year later.
In the expansion draft, they gave Vegas two thirds of their top line to protect, presumably, Nick Bjugstad, Mark Pysyk or Alex Petrovic — two of which aren’t even with the team anymore.
Who knows what the plan is there. But they walk out of the deadline having lost a deal to two teams they are directly competing against for a playoff spot — Carolina and Toronto (who they moved Denis Malgin to). They are the day’s biggest loser, hands down.
Vancouver Canucks: Devastating injury news and a busy division around them To be fair to GM Jim Benning, he already made his move a week ago, bringing in Tyler Toffoli from the Kings when news hit that Brock Boeser was going to be out for a few weeks. He didn’t want to move his first-round pick and, really, this is still a team building towards its best days, so one eye always had to be on the future.
The Canucks aren’t in the losers category because they didn’t make an impactful move on Feb. 24, but for things out of their control. They made a last-minute move to bring in goalie Louis Domingue from New Jersey because it was announced Jacob Markstrom was returning to Vancouver to get his knee checked out — and early indications are that this could also be a multi-week setback.
It can not be overstated how important Markstrom has been to this Cinderella season. He’s the team’s MVP, its rock, and losing him is nothing short of a disaster. It means 24-year-old goalie of the future Thatcher Demko is now the goalie of the present at a key point in the season. He has shown flashes and is a good, young netminder in his own right, but putting the weight of what’s ahead on him now is no small task.
At the same time, Edmonton added all sorts of depth, Vegas added a top-notch goalie, Calgary added defensive depth and Arizona paid up for Taylor Hall two months ago. Everyone in the Pacific got better, while Vancouver is going to have to handle this tough news as they embark on an Eastern Canadian road trip.
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.
