DYNAMIC DEADLINE DEALS

Nick De Cicco

With the madness of the 2023 NHL Trade deadline coming up on March 3rd, we are going to take a trip down memory lane by analyzing the positives and negatives of some impactful trades on deadline day since 2021.

Taylor Hall being shipped off to Boston

On April 12th, 2021, the Buffalo Sabres traded forward Taylor Hall along with Curtis Lazar to the Boston Bruins in exchange for winger Andres Bjork and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft.

Hall signed with the Sabres in the previous offseason, having bounced between organizations for a few years from the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes. Since jumping to the Big Bad Bruins, Taylor has really revitalized his career with the Bruins to the Hart caliber season he had with the Devils in 2017-2018 by achieving top 9 minutes and premium power play time.

In his last two seasons with the Boston organization, Hall has already accumulated 90 points in over 120 games since the 2020-2021 regular season. Taylor Hall was definitely the most valuable asset exchanged in this trade.

Curtis Lazar didn’t have as much success with this trade because he only lasted one full season with the team and only played 87 games since the acquisition. His scoresheet was minimal with 10 goals and 20 points during his time with the Bruins. Lazar became a free agent after the 2021-2022 season and he decided to sign with the Vancouver Canucks, where he continues to fight the injury list.

The former Boston Bruin, Andres Bjork, follows a similar uneventful path since the trade with less than 10 goals, fewer than 15 points and a decent AHL stint with the Rochester Americans this season.

Seattle Sense

On March 21st, 2022, the Seattle Kraken acquired Dutch forward Daniel Sprong, a fourth-round pick in 2022 and a sixth-round pick in 2023 from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Swedish winger Marcus Johansson.

Before this trade, Daniel Sprong bounced from team to team across the NHL, AHL, QMJHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Hershey Bears and Charlottetown Islanders. There was lacking consistency in Sprong’s game and only managed to achieve one 20 point season in his last full season with the Capitals in 2020-2021.

Similar to Taylor Hall’s situation the year prior, Daniel Sprong’s NHL career was revived with a fresh start on the newest franchise. The Kraken have significantly improved from their inaugural season and Sprong is a top 3 contributor in goals with 13 on the year behind Matty Beniers and Jared McCann. The 25 points he has accumulated is even more impressive with 4th line minutes and top power play time.

Marcus Johansson returned to a familiar place with this trade as he previously played with the Capitals in 2016-17. His prior four-year stint with Washington was his most successful in the NHL with nearly 200 points in those 4 seasons and significant playoff runs with the team.

Resembling the journey of Daniel Sprong and Taylor Hall’s careers, Johansson played for multiple teams without finding a permanent organization to call home. He played with New Jersey, Boston, Buffalo and Minnesota, before being selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft.

This trade was impactful for all parties including the teams and the individual players themselves as their success flourishes once again.

The trade deadline is one of the busiest days on the NHL calendar and many massive names could jump off the trade bait board in the coming months. Canucks’ forward Bo Horvat and Coyotes’ Defenseman Jakob Chychrun could be significant acquisitions that change the landscape of a franchise for years to come.