We’re in the home stretch of Trade Wars. Travis Yost and I have 11 completed deals, not counting my reaction to his three latest offers.
So let’s start there…I’ll give a big list of all completed deals after I figure out which deals of Yost’s I like, and which I don’t. Here goes:
1) The Philadelphia Flyers offer F Brayden Schenn and D Bruno Gervais to the Dallas Stars in exchange for D Brenden Dillon and a 2015 first-round pick.
According to plenty of people, Brenden Dillon is the next big thing in the NHL on defense. Maybe. When I saw Brayden Schenn’s name in this deal, I more or less lost perspective. I’m taking this deal.
The Stars with a 1-2 punch at center of Tyler Seguin and Schenn is formidable, and I still believe center is the most important position on any hockey team. Every cup winner seems to have a great 1-2 punch. The Stars would be set at the position for the next 10-12 years with these two.
(2) The Toronto Maple Leafs offer F Tyler Bozak, F Dave Bolland, D John-Michael Liles, and a second-round pick in 2015 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for F Brandon Dubinsky, F Artem Anisimov, and D Nikita Nikitin.
Nah. Dubinsky is the best player in the deal, and Anisimov is probably second-best. Liles has no value...This whole deal is terrible, even if the Jackets need centers. They don't really need "centers", they need a #1 center. Bozak is a #2 or #3, and so is Bolland. Pass.
(3) The New York Rangers offer D Michael Del Zotto and a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for F Ales Hemsky [salary retained] and D Denis Grebeshkov.
This is one of those “it’s my birthday” trades. Thank you, Travis. Of course I’m going to take it. Grebeshkov is a rental and he’s perhaps set to be the #7 defenseman in Edmonton this season (meaning, he has next to no value), and Hemsky…well, the Oilers haven’t been able to give him away. Getting a fine young puck-moving defenseman in Del Zotto for two players who don’t fit into Edmonton’s future is a fine choice.
The funny thing about the Del Zotto acquisition is, I’m not sure I’d keep him. He’d be easy to flip for a different player the Oilers need. Unlike Hemsky, you could bundle Del Zotto with a second quality asset or 1st round pick to bring in a top pairing defenseman. Del Zotto traded by himself would bring you an excellent 3rd line winger…someone who is two-way, has size, and can bang. In other words, an asset Hemsky hasn’t been able to bring in via trade.
No matter what you do with Del Zotto, this deal is a win for the Oilers.
So now, where are we? We have 13 of the 15 required deals made. Only four teams and two trades remaining. We’re almost done!
Here’s a recap of all completed trades. Keep in mind I represent the western conference plus Columbus, and Yost represents the east.
Completed Deals
1. The Winnipeg Jets send winger Evander Kane to the New York Islanders for center Ryan Strome and defenseman Calvin de Haan
2. The Ottawa Senators deal F Zack Smith to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick.
3. The Carolina Hurricanes trade F Tuomo Ruutu to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for D Zbnyek Michalek.
4. The Buffalo Sabres move D Tyler Myers and F Drew Stafford to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for F PA Parenteau, F Alex Tanguay, and D Andre Benoit.
5. The Tampa Bay Lightning trade D Andrej Sustr and a third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft to the Calgary Flames for F Mike Cammalleri.
6. The Montreal Canadiens deal F Lars Eller and D Dalton Thrower to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for F Justin Williams.
7. The Washington Capitals send F Marcus Johansson and F Troy Brouwer to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for F Ryan Kesler.
8. The Florida Panthers trade F Tomas Kopecky and a 2015 first-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for D Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
9. The New Jersey Devils offer F Andrei Loktionov and D Anton Volchenkov to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for F Torrey Mitchell and D Jared Spurgeon.
10. The Detroit Red Wings send F Darren Helm to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for D Nick Leddy.
11. The Pittsburgh Penguins send G Marc-Andre Fleury to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jaroslav Halak
12. The Philadelphia Flyers offer F Brayden Schenn and D Bruno Gervais to the Dallas Stars in exchange for D Brenden Dillon and a 2015 first-round pick.
13. The New York Rangers offer D Michael Del Zotto and a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for F Ales Hemsky [salary retained] and D Denis Grebeshkov.
So we're down to four teams and two trades. I'll remind you of whom is left:
Team Cloutier - Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators
Team Yost - Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins
Two trades left? It's time to bring out the big guns:
1. The Nashville Predators offer defenseman Shea Weber to the Toronto Maple Leafs for center Tyler Bozak, defenseman Morgan Rielly, and winger Tyler Biggs
I have no idea how Yost reacts to this one. It's a rebuilding move for the Preds, and a bit of a money dump. Not a cap dump...the Preds have no reason to dump cap...but the money involved in Weber's signing bonuses is ridiculous for a poor franchise to absorb. The Leafs have all the money in the world, so they're one of the few teams that could eat Weber's contract. Bozak gives the Preds a solid two-way center; Biggs is on his way to becoming a decent power-forward, but Rielly is truly the key to this deal.
2. The Columbus Blue Jackets offer center Ryan Johansen for center David Krejci
The Bruins need to make some cap space. This is a very scary deal for both teams: Krejci is clearly the better player now, but his contract expires after the next two seasons. If he stays in Columbus, he's the 1st line center answer they're looking for. Johansen could become an absolute beast, and he's young...and less expensive than Krejci. Short-term pain, long-term gain for the Bruins in this deal. For the Jackets, this might be enough to push them into the playoffs.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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