As the days to the Expansion Draft get nearer, several trades were made right before the NHL's roster freeze. That means that only the Seattle Kraken are allowed to make moves during this time period while every other team, save for the Vegas Golden Knights, submit their lists of players that they want to protect. Let's take a look at the trades, shall we?
These blogs will be split into parts. Each blog will have three trades each.
Part 1: You are here
Part 2: [click here]
Part 3: [click here]
Trade #1: Ryan Graves to New Jersey
Originally, Ryan Graves was speculated by many to be left exposed by the Avalanche to be taken by the Kraken. Looks like that's no longer the case.
This trade means the start of a busy offseason for Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, and the acquisition of the 26-year-old defenseman is just the start of it. Going the other way is forward Mikhail Maltsev and the 61st overall pick from this year's Draft, which was originally acquired by the Devils when they traded Andy Greene to the Islanders.
For the Avs, by trading him, along with Erik Johnson waiving his no-movement clause, they can now protect Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Sam Girard. The Devils have chosen to protect Graves, as they have a lot of room for that.
Graves is now one of the older players on a young Devils team, and bolsters a Devils defense that finished in the bottom 5 in goals against and power play goals against, and was dead last in penalty kill percentage in 2021. The Avs were among the teams playing shorthanded most often in 2021, but they still killed off 83.1% of their penalties, good for 8th in the league.
He was crucial in the Avs' penalty killing units, and can be a good two-way defenseman when need. He also has a powerful slapshot and can also be a valuable asset on the power play to spark the offense when they're on the man advantage.
He is officially listed at 6' 5" and 220 pounds, so he can beef up the Devils' left side of the defense, and can also provide grit. In 2021, he played 54 regular season games and 10 in the playoffs, with 2 goals and 13 assists in the regular season and one goal and five assists in the playoffs, averaging 15:49 per game on even strength and 3:19 on the PK.
On even strength, his numbers aren't all that eye-catching but they're not all that bad. Although his on-ice production was over the break-even point, he was often near or below the median of Avs defensemen in several analytical categories, per Natural Stat Trick. The relative stats, or how on-ice stats changed when the player took a shift, were often negative for Graves.
That's not to say that he was terrible, but Natural Stat Trick also noted that he also did not appear to have a common partner for the Avs, and he was not playing behind the top forwards. Mile High Hockey also noted that Graves's underlying stats improved when the season progressed.
Graves's contract carries a $3.167M cap hit with a $3M salary this season and $4M next season. Should he struggle with the Devils, that's no problem. He can be easily moved in the future, or they can just let him walk and he would be a UFA in 2023.
The trade could also lead to further changes among the Devils' defensemen. All About the Jersey broke down who would be protected in the Expansion Draft, and the no-brainers were Damon Severson and Jonas Siegenthaler. There were question on who would be the third defenseman protected, but when Graves arrived, Graves is the third defenseman to be protected. And indeed, the Devils said that they will protect Severson, Siegenthaler, and Graves.
This trade could also mean that the young defensemen in the prospect system will need to continue developing before getting NHL ice time. While Kevin Bahl got ice time last season, it was in garbage time, Depending on the moves made, Bahl, Reilly Walsh, and the other defensive prospects will have to continue improving in Utica, and make the most of it to get a call-up.
As for the Avs, this move not only clears up $3.167M in cap space, but it also creates more opportunities for Bowen Byram and Connor Timmins. And maybe, it also clears some cap space to potentially land someone like Ryan Suter if the Avs don't feel that either Byram or Timmins are ready to play full-time in the NHL. They also have several guys who are free agents, such as Gabriel Landeskog and Philipp Grubauer, although the former is in a contract dispute with the team and eventually was left exposed to the Expansion Draft. However, they no longer worry about losing Graves for nothing.
Mikhail Maltsev was a 4th round selection in the 2016 Draft and had six goals and nine points in 33 games in the 2021 season. Not much of a mark in the NHL, but it's not bad, given that he had 55 shots in that span. A 2nd round pick in a Draft is never a bad thing, and the Avs' 2nd round pick in this year's Draft that they originally owned is now property of the Coyotes.
In the end, this is a good move for both sides, particularly the Devils. They needed to add a big-bodied defenseman to their lineup who can kill penalties. Meanwhile, the Avs ended up giving away Graves for something instead of losing him for nothing in the Expansion Draft. This trade is a win-win in my opinion.
Trade #2: Nick Leddy to Detroit
With the Expansion Draft coming, the Islanders were not willing to lose Nick Leddy for nothing, so they decided to flip him to Detroit. Not only did they gain cap space from this trade, but they also receive Richard Panik (50% salary retained) and the 52nd overall pick from this year's Draft.
Leddy is on the final year of his contract, where he has a cap hit of $5.5M. Panik's contract comes at a $1.375M cap hit. That translates to $4.125M in cap relief.
Leddy is 30 years old, and is entering the final year of his contract. He scored two goals and 29 assists in the 2021 regular season and had six assists in the playoffs, and although the Islanders value Leddy's presence, he doesn't really drive plays too much, despite his strong offensive playmaking, skating, and zone entry numbers, per JFreshHockey.
Maybe the Red Wings believe that Leddy is better than what the numbers may suggest? Maybe they figure that they need someone on the blueline?
It could be.
His offensive game on the ice could be beneficial and can blend well with Moritz Seider, and Leddy has had a similar role with the Islanders. He was a key piece to the Isles, especially in the last two seasons when they reached the Final Four in consecutive years. But with salary cap issues, a need to shed salary and protected list issues with the Expansion Draft, there was the good guess that Leddy would be on his way out.
The Isles' power play was 20th in the league, at 18.8%, while the Red Wings' power play was at 30th, at 11.4%. One of Leddy's attributes is running the power play, and that could boost Detroit's man advantage. He led the Islanders in power play points last season, with 11.
For him, going from a team that was a win away from the Stanley Cup Final appearance to a rebuilding team that is not likely to make the playoffs is shocking, but there are some positives.
"The veteran presence ... whether it's teaching younger guys or learning from them," said Leddy. "Seeing a guy like Noah Dobson last year, I learned a lot from him. Trying to teach him and take a younger guy under my wing is something I've always tried to do and for me leading on the ice by example is kind of what I've always been about."
So, where does Leddy fit in Detroit's defensive pairings?
Well, the Red Wings need a left-shot defenseman that can produce offensively other than Filip Hronek, but they also need one to pair with Seider. Leddy is exactly that. Expect the Red Wings to pair Leddy with Hronek to begin the season.
Detroit Jock City predicts that the other two defensive pairings would be Christian Djoos with Troy Stecher and Seider with DeKeyser. The reasoning for this would be that playing with a veteran defender to play alongside as a rookie would be beneficial. Pairing Seider with Cholowski or Djoos wouldn't be smart.
Heading into the Expansion Draft, Leddy and Hronek are no-brainers to be protected. When Steve Yzerman went out to get Leddy, he would get him as one of the three defensemen protected as he fills a dire need at the left defensive side. Hronek was the defenseman that Red Wings HC Jeff Blashill trusted the most, especially in high-pressure situations. He is still an important part of the rebuild.
The third spot came down to a decision between Stecher, Cholowski, and Gustav Lindstrom. But smart protection for a rebuilding team in the Expansion Draft isn't about the short-term, it's about the long-term. Given that Stecher is 27, it makes sense that he was exposed. Cholowski is a lefty and an offensive defenseman, and has the potential to stand out in the left side of the defense and in the power play, has the youth that Stecher doesn't, and the upside that Lindstrom lacks. However, Lindstrom was stronger in the defensive zone, but he is not going to be more than a defensive defenseman. Who did the Red Wings choose to protect? Lindstrom.
For the Islanders, by shipping off Leddy and having the Red Wings retain 50% of Panik's salary, they achieve two goals: First was to free up cap space so that they can re-sign their pending free agents like Casey Cizikas, Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelech, and Ilya Sorokin. That was done by trading Leddy and Andrew Ladd in two separate trades. Second, they want to get a defenseman under contract so they don't lose either one of Ryan Pulock or Scott Mayfield. They got Andy Greene to a deal to meet the expansion requirements so that they can protect Pelech, Pulock, and Mayfield.
That's $9.625M generated in cap space in just two days. Add that to the amount of cap the Isles currently have, and they're now at $12.17M, and that's before considering the $6M LTIR contract of Johnny Boychuk.
However, there is this question: Who will replace Leddy?
There are several young and intriguing options in Robin Salo, Sam Bolduc, and Sebastian Aho, and veterans Andy Greene and Thomas Hickey. If they're looking for one-for-one replacements, one suggestion could be Keith Yandle.
After getting bought out by the Panthers when he had two years left on his contract that came at a $6.35M cap hit and included a no-movement clause, he's likely going to sign for a fraction of the cap hit. He's set to turn 35, and he is still solid offensively, given that he is 82nd percentile in even strength and 91st on the power play, per JFreshHockey.
Defensively, Yandle isn't great. However, he can play a role on the 3rd pair, and have him quarterback the power play. He had 18 points last season on the man advantage, with 17 of those being assists. Throughout his career, 47% of his points came on the power play.
Now that the Isles don't have Leddy, they could be willing to make a sacrifice defensively to haul him in. This is not to say he can be a 50-point player anymore. But he would be an upgrade over Greene on the 3rd pairing. Plus, he has playoff experience, having played 58 career playoff games. He's also an ironman, having played 922 consecutive regular season games.
To recap, the Red Wings get an offensive defenseman that fills in a need to the left side of the defense, while the Islanders free up cap space from shipping the contracts of Leddy and Ladd while retaining 50% of Panik's salary. It's a win-win, considering the fact that the Red Wings basically turned Anthony Mantha into Leddy, Jakub Vrana, and a 1st round pick.
Trade #3: Adin Hill to San Jose
This trade could quite possibly put the Martin Jones era in San Jose to an end, given that the Sharks will protect Adin Hill in the Expansion Draft after acquiring him and a 7th round pick from the Coyotes while sending Josef Korenar and a 2nd round pick the other way.
Both draft picks will be in 2022.
This trade was entirely about the Expansion Draft. The Sharks did not have a goalie that they felt was worthy to be protected from the Kraken, while the Coyotes had two: Hill and Darcy Kuemper. The Coyotes were listening to trade offers for both goalies, with the expectation that the Kraken select Hill should he not be protected.
Regardless, the Coyotes were losing the young goalie, who played 49 games with the Coyotes, including 19 in 2021, where he finished 9-9-1, with a 2.74 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
Meanwhile, the Sharks left Jones exposed to the Expansion Draft. He is very unlikely to be selected, but this is a good decision for the Sharks to make, given that he has failed to eclipse a .900 save percentage in the last three seasons. Besides, during the 2021 season, the Sharks' combined save percentage was .891, tied for the 2nd-worst with the Devils.
The goaltender position was a top priority for the Sharks this offseason, and size combined with age makes Hill a good acquisition for them. He is 25, which means he will get a chance to grow with the younger players in the system, and he shouldn't cost the Sharks a lot when he signs a new deal.
There's also the chance that he might not be the only new goalie in the Bay Area. Should the Sharks buy out Jones, expect them to pursue an experienced backup or in tandem with Hill.
Meanwhile, Korenar played in 10 NHL games and started in seven. He has a 3-5-0 record with a 3.17 GAA and a .899 save percentage. With him in Arizona, the Yotes have satisfied their goaltending requirements for the Expansion Draft, allowing Kuemper to be protected. They also end up getting a 2nd round pick here.
All in all, this is fair work done by Doug Wilson and Bill Armstrong ahead of the Expansion Draft.
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