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: [click here]
Part 2: [click here]
Part 3: You are here
Trade #7: Barclay Goodrow to Rangerstown
This is the first of a pair of trades that the Rangers made before the Expansion Draft. Here, they acquired the negotiation rights to Barclay Goodrow in exchange for a 2022 7th round pick.
Goodrow played a major role on the Lightning's 3rd line over the last two seasons. In 63 regular season games, he had six goals and 22 points, with another 12 points in 43 playoff games with the Bolts.
His strong defensive play has likely priced him out of the chances that the Bolts would keep him, although with said strong defensive play, he was part of the formation of a dominant 3rd line with Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman, which became known as the Bolts' shutdown line.
This line was an integral part to the Bolts that they were missing in previous playoff runs, shutting down scoring units of other teams and hitting the score on occasions themselves. One can argue that the are the unsung heroes of the Lightning's back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, and that their play is comparable to the "Grind Line" of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, and Darren McCarty of the Red Wings teams that won three Stanley Cups in the span from 1997 to 2002.
Unfortunately, it's now possible that the Bolts' shutdown line would be gone through a combination of free agency and the Expansion Draft.
Many would say that Coleman and Gourde were the better of the three players on the Bolts' shutdown line. Although the stats tell that story, don't count out the impact that the line as a whole had in helping the Bolts win those back-to-back Cups.
For the Rangers, newly appointed head coach Gerard Gallant would want to mix some high effort players like Goodrow to do the physical work on the new lines he would have.
Analytically, there is promise in bringing in Goodrow. He ranked in the top five among Tampa forwards in both goals for percentage (GF%) and expected GF% (xGF%), per Evolving Hockey. From here, the Lightning generated more goals and quality chances than they allowed when he was on the ice.
On defense, he posted a 1.97 goals against per 60 (GA/60) and a 1.94 expected GA/60 (xGA/60) at even strength, and was the Bolts' most-used penalty-killing forward, spending 134 minutes on the PK.
This trade is also beneficial for the Rangers, as their centers have struggles in faceoffs. In 2021, Mika Zibanejad had 24 goals and 50 points in 56 games, and Ryan Strome had 14 goals and 49 points in 56 games. Both can kill off penalties and get a lot of time on ice, deservedly so. However, their faceoff struggles have been holding the Rangers back. Zibanejad won 46.3% of his faceoffs, while Strome won 43.2% of his in 2021. This was also noticeable in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill.
The faceoff struggles also carry on over to the other centers. Filip Chytil won 42.8% of his faceoffs, which is the best percentage of his career, but still isn't good. It's also worth noting that he is known more for his offensive upside rather than his defensive play. Kevin Rooney won 45% of his faceoffs, while Brett Howden won 46.6%.
Now that Goodrow is with the Rangers after signing a six-year deal at $21.6M ($3.6M per year), according to reports, it's possible that Rooney moves to the wing. Goodrow struggled on the faceoffs, winning 40% of them in the playoffs. However, he was primarily playing on the left wing role on the Bolts' shutdown line, and he has won 52% of faceoffs in his career.
A $3.6M per year contract is a slight overpay, as it was a bit higher than what he was projected to make. And because the contract is a six-year deal, how will it age? Goodrow is 28, and he will be 34 when the contract ends. A 33 or 34-year-old Goodrow wouldn't be effective as the Goodrow that we saw over the past few seasons, as he won't exactly rely on speed for his game, so losing a step or two might not hurt that much. Blocking shots and throwing the body around by the time the end of his contract comes closer is more of a negative for him than a positive (for reference: Ryan Callahan).
But if the Rangers use him correctly, Goodrow should be a major contributor to them. As seen in the last two seasons, he won't provide much offensively, but at the same time, he won't be on the ice for a lot of goals against. He provides a boost on the penalty kill, veteran leadership on a young team, and the "warrior" mentality that he provided with the Bolts.
Trade #8: Brett Howden to Vegas
Going back to Brett Howden, a week after re-signing with the Rangers on a one-year deal, he got dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights for defenseman Nick DeSimone and a 2022 4th round pick.
Because Howden was involved in the trade that sent Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller to the Lightning, given that McDonagh won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Bolts, and that Howden was recently traded, the McDonagh trade is looking worse and worse for the Rangers, with the only players remaining from the original trade acquisitions being Libor Hajek, Nils Lundkvist, and Karl Henriksson.
But with Howden gone, it's clear that David Quinn's influence is gone as well.
Howden is just 23 years old and showed promise as a rookie when he had 23 points in 66 games in 2019. Unfortunately, his 2021 season was a disappointment, with just one goal (an empty-netter) and 7 points in 42 games.
In his last two seasons, his offensive production has decreased, and seemed to have lost the confidence he had in the offensive zone early in his rookie year when he drove to the front of the net and made smart passes.
The firings of John Davidson and Jeff Gorton were a factor on the end of Howden's time in Rangerstown. He vanished offensively and he couldn't make a defensive impact.
However, one can argue that he was instantly thrust into the NHL lineup and had his development stunted and his confidence dwindling. It's not known if an AHL stint would have helped his development, although that couldn't have hurt him.
He's a hard-working forward, plays the center position well, can kill off penalties, and has a well-regarded character. He stands 6' 3" and weighs 200 pounds, so if he can use his frame in a more physical manner, he can still be an impact forward given how he did in his rookie season. With the Rangers trading him to Vegas, it showed that NYR was not willing to lose another forward for a player who they did not see enough improvement from.
Vegas is exempt from the Expansion Draft, so they can take a chance on a center who otherwise could have gone to the Kraken. Howden will compete for a spot on the bottom six early on, as well as their other trade acquisition Nolan Patrick, but there is potential for either center to go up the roster given their shallow center depth.
For the Kraken, as Howden was an early pick to be selected by them in the Expansion Draft, the decision may now come down to either Kevin Rooney or Colin Blackwell.
In 2021, Rooney finished with 8 goals and 14 points in 54 games played, while Blackwell finished with 12 goals and 22 points in 47 games. Rooney was a more effective defender 5v5, with the aforementioned 2.16 GA/60 and 2.3 xGA/60 over Blackwell's 2.34 GA/60 and 2.6 xGA/60. Blackwell did better on the penalty kill, with a 6.82 GA/60 over Rooney's 8.03, but in all fairness, Rooney played 70 more minutes than Blackwell on the PK.
On a playoff team, Rooney and Blackwell are fringe 4th liners, and what GM Chris Drury is trying to do is building more depth at center. He also wants bigger and more physical options, so it makes sense that he went out and got Goodrow, who is 6' 2", 215 pounds. Rooney is 6' 2", 190 pounds, while Blackwell is 5' 9", 180 pounds.
Goodrow, Rooney, and Blackwell were all left exposed to the Expansion Draft, but there's still a chance that the Kraken could opt to take a chance on Julien Gauthier over Blackwell. Gauthier is younger and has higher upside. Interestingly, Kraken GM Ron Francis was the one who drafted Gauthier while with the Hurricanes.
Trade #9: Ryan Ellis Blockbuster
The big one here. Trade rumors around Ryan Ellis spun around for some time, and boy, did we get quite the trade here.
Flyers fans wanted GM Chuck Fletcher to do something for them to be hopeful for the 2022 season. In April, he did make some moves, but those were minor moves, so it was not much. But now? Things have changed. Fletcher wants to do business.
In a move that shocked the hockey world, the Flyers went out and got Ellis from the Predators in a three-team trade that saw Nashville land Philippe Myers and Cody Glass, with the Golden Knights nabbing Nolan Patrick.
With this trade, it makes Ellis the second member of the Preds' 2017 Stanley Cup Final roster to be shipped off this month, with Viktor Arvidsson being traded to the Kings on July 1st.
At first, the Flyers' original plan was going for Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm. That made sense, considering the Flyers needed help on defense and Arvidsson would add scoring depth.
Unfortunately, things didn't work out.
Then, the Flyers, who were originally thought of as a surefire playoff team, suffered a total collapse. The defense got worse. The goaltending suffered even more. Carter Hart had expectations of winning the Vezina Trophy and the pressure got to him.
And while the Flyers were still talking to the Preds, the Preds sent scouts to three games of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. However, instead of talking about Ekholm, it all shifted focus to Ellis.
A trade didn't happen at the deadline. While the Flyers were sinking, the Preds were rising, getting back to the playoff race, so moving Ellis would have been a bad look. However, the Preds wanted to shed his salary, so Fletcher kept in touch with the Preds heading into the offseason, reminding them that they still had interest in Ellis.
On the discussion on what it took to get him, Myers was discussed, and while the Flyers likely saw enough of him to know that he is still a developmental project and that they don't have the time to wait for him to develop, they also knew that Myers alone wasn't going to do the trick. The Flyers tried to get Nolan Patrick on the Preds, but the Preds were not high on that.
Nolan Patrick
Enter Vegas. Anthony SanFilippo of CrossingBoard.com tweeted about the possibility of Patrick ending up on the Knights on April 12th. The Knights showed interest, but Fletcher didn't make a move on that by the trade deadline.
But the discussions on Patrick being on the Knights makes sense.
Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is the former owner of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings, where Patrick was a star player and soared to the top of the 2017 Draft board. McCrimmon served as the head coach of the Wheat Kings for more than a season during Patrick's tenure. He's familiar with Patrick, and with the former 2nd overall pick in Vegas now, there is the belief that he could help the struggling player find his game at the next level.
Patrick himself said that this is the most important offseason of his life. He is in need of a fresh start after falling short of expectations in Philly. After initially getting landed in Nashville, he was flipped for another underperforming prospect from his Draft class in Cody Glass. While Patrick reached the 30-point mark in his first two seasons, he also absorbed multiple hits to the head, and his development came to a halt when he was hit in the back of the head by Cal Clutterbuck on March 3rd, 2019. That summer, Patrick had headaches during his offseason workouts, later sitting out of training camp and was diagnosed with a migraine disorder that shut him down for the 2020 season. Patrick acknowledged a family history of migraines, and Fletcher said that the team doctors didn't think that the disorder was related to the concussion that he got from Clutterbuck's cheap shot.
While sitting out, Patrick indicated that he dealt with concussion symptoms. But that was the latest that he got in a long line of injuries that he endured dating back to when he suffered a broken collarbone when he was 13, in addition to a hernia during his junior hockey career.
When he returned to the Flyers in 2021, he couldn't find his groove and had just 9 points in 52 games, with a -30 rating.
In his exit interview, Patrick admitted that he avoided contact at the start of the season with the migraine disorder still weighing on him, and his conditioning suffered after a shortened training camp, and Fletcher hinted that Patrick's skating fell off in the second of back-to-back games. But now that he is healthy, the 6' 2", 198-pound forward is looking to get stronger and get his game back on track.
"We're both really excited," said Patrick's new teammate Brett Howden, who was acquired from the Rangers in the previous trade. "We actually train and skate together in Winnipeg, so pretty special for us to be going together. He's a really special, dynamic player. For Vegas to get him as well, it's obviously huge for the team."
Patrick spent most of his time on Philly's 3rd line, and he can find a similar role with Vegas. Analytically, his shot attempts percentage was 50%, and won 52.6% of faceoffs in 2021. He is currently an RFA, and his minimum qualifying offer comes at a cost of $917,831, per CapFriendly.com.
With Patrick in Vegas, this means that Morgan Frost's chances of being a full-time NHLer have increased. The former 27th overall pick in the 2017 Draft was an AHL All-Star with the Phantoms in 2020, with seven points in 20 games with the Flyers that same season. He will be in the mix for the 3rd line center spot that was held primarily by Patrick. The Flyers have other options, as they can shift left wingers Claude Giroux or Scott Laughton in the middle. The other option is to explore a center in a trade or in free agency, such as Alex Wennberg, Erik Haula, or Tomas Nosek.
Philippe Myers
Two years ago, Fletcher noted that the Flyers were "bullish" on Myers's upside. Myers was an undrafted defenseman who worked his way into becoming one of the team's top prospects. He had a promising rookie season in 2020, but had a challenging 2021 season marred with injuries and inconsistency. He still has plenty of upside in him, having played only 115 games in his career.
Myers is 6' 5", 210 pounds, has a solid NHL skill with the puck on his stick, and is a fast skater. That's something not seen often in an NHL player, let alone someone who is set to turn 25 in January 2022.
He may look like the player whose talent can hint at the player he would become, but that doesn't show the whole story.
His athleticism wasn't enough to get him drafted in the NHL. The only reason he was a "prospect" was because someone from Ron Hextall's front office regime invited him to a development camp and liked what he saw from him, later signing him to an entry-level contract.
Before the signing, he had just 12 points in 106 regular season QMJHL games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. While the talent was there, the execution needed a longer adjustment period. After signing with the Flyers, he put up 80 points in 97 regular season games and 25 in 33 playoff games in the QMJHL.
Coming off a bad season where he just wasn't himself, the Preds made this trade with the anticipation that they have the internal development staff and suitable timing in Myers's career to help him making the leap that he could not do after a promising rookie year. Whether or not it happens is yet to be seen, but he appears to be a late bloomer with an irregular development cycle. His one-year leap in the QMJHL is proof of that.
In 2021, the problems he faced arose when he was put in situations that required him to play against tougher competition with defensive partners who weren't good fits for his aggressive mentality off the puck.
While he has the tools to be at someone of caliber of Seth Jones, his drawbacks have to do with hockey IQ. By no means is he a stupid player, but he frequently misread plays, chased for hits, or took questionable gaps this past season.
It came back to bite him.
He was exposed on sustained defensive zone shifts, where opponents picked him apart in the low slot for multiple scores. He didn't really use that size to his advantage yet outside of having an extended reach on the back check.
Another concern is his inability to his the net when pulling the trigger. That was seen to often from the Flyers that they would have an entry or cycled possession erased by an errant shot from a young defender. Myers attempted to force plays too much rather than letting the game come to him.
So far, he's a tone-setting player who can be the first one to step up on the rush while managing to be the first one on the back check. He uses his skating ability to take rissk, which makes him special. He will be with one of the best player development staffs in the NHL when it comes to developing defenders, and while he doesn't appear to be a player of caliber of Victor Hedman, he has a reputation of hard work. He can learn from Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm as well as the trainers, coaches, and development team, as he has the potential to play over 20 minutes a night and dominate.
Myers has a low floor and a high ceiling at the same time. At the worst, he is a 3rd-pairing defenseman who can skate and provide physicality, relying on his size and speed to do this, like Rasmus Ristolainen but playing on sheltered minutes. The most likely outcome for Myers is a top 4 defenseman like prime Braydon Coburn. The ceiling, however, is that of a caliber of Seth Jones or Colton Parayko: A defender who can play big minutes and use his dominant presence to dictate the play on both sides of the ice. Will Myers reach that caliber? It's doubtful. However, the Preds are betting that they would be able to have him land closer to this outcome rather than the 3rd-pairing defenseman. He is signed through the 2023 season at a $2.55M cap hit.
On the other side, the Flyers have prospects Cam York and Yegor Zamula. The fact that they may have more opportunities to play in the NHL have likely alleviated the sting of losing Myers. On the bright side, his upside made him wanted in order to have the Flyers land a defenseman at Ellis's caliber. If York and Zamula don't work out, maybe the Flyers bring in someone like Calvin de Haan to help out the 3rd pairing.
Cody Glass
Cody Glass's time with the Golden Knights was rough.
He bounced around between the NHL and the AHL since being drafted, but has shown signs of being a potential top six player. He scored 10 points in 14 games in 2021 with the Henderson Silver Knights, and scored at over a point per game pace with the Portland Winterhawks in 2018 and 2019, with the former being more notable, having scored 102 points in 64 games.
He was highly touted as someone with strong two-way capabilities who can handle the puck well in tight spaces and open up lanes for his teammates. He has above average skating, but controlling the rush is one of his strengths. His mentality and stick handling are positives as well.
However, it's hard to know how he will do with the Preds. He is exempt from the Expansion Draft, but if he is put in the right situation, he can be a solid contributor. So far, he has only 22 points in 66 career NHL games, which isn't all that impressive, but labeling him a bust this early in his career is a reach.
Swapping Ellis for Myers and Glass isn't an instant upgrade, but it's necessary for the Preds as part of their rebuilding process. They're no longer Stanley Cup contenders, so it makes sense why the Preds would make this trade.
It's unknown where he will start in the lineups after the Expansion Draft. If either one of Ryan Johansen or Matt Duchene gets taken, then Glass can easily find himself on a top six role immediately. That's not really ideal, because what makes more sense is that he could start on the 3rd line, and then when he gets better, he makes his way up the lineups.
This trade also allows a young guy like David Farrance to compete for a spot on the blue line. They also shed salary, whether it be for a bigger move or more flexibility with the flat cap.
Ryan Ellis
Now for the big fish in this trade.
Ellis fills in the hole left behind by Matt Niskanen's retirement. Niskanen's absence was noticeable, as the Flyers allowed more goals than any other team, at 3.52 per game, and had a -38 goal differential, going on to miss the playoffs.
Was the drop off entirely because of Niskanen's retirement? No, but it was was more on an overshadowed element with Niskanen: His importance to Myers and Travis Sanheim. They struggled after Niskanen's sudden retirement.
Not only did Niskanen play in all situations, but his influence spread through the team's defense.
Experience was crucial in a season like 2021. Niskanen was the team's most experienced and accomplished defenseman, with 140 career playoff games and winning a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018. Myers entered the season with 71 career regular season games.
Sanheim started gaining all-situation responsibility in 2020, but in 2021, he had downs in terms of confidence and was relied heavily at even strength and on the penalty kill. He finished with 15 points and a -22 rating, and averaged 21:53 on the ice.
During march 2021, Sanheim and Myers each had -6 performances in the Flyers' 9-0 trouncing to the Rangers. That game symbolized how much of a nightmare it was for the Flyers not only in that month, but also for building confidence in their players.
Fletcher addressed in March that the Flyers needed to fill in the void to find a true top pairing defenseman to play with Ivan Provorov. And in the end, he got his top pairing defenseman.
Ellis has played 562 career NHL games and is a high-end defenseman who should be able to help the NHL's worst defense that allowed 201 goals against and had a .880 save percentage in 2021.
Ellis battled injuries during his career, including when he took an elbow to the head from Corey Perry at the Winter Classic. Over the last two seasons, he played in 84 of the Preds' 125 games. In 2020, he had 38 points in 49 games, while he racked up 18 in 35 in 2021.
He is signed for six more seasons at a cap hit of $6.25M. He's a right-shot defenseman, and even when he's 30, you can still plug him next to Provorov for around 24 minutes a night and not worry. However, that cap hit would only get more painful when Ellis gets older, as he will turn 36 in the final year of that contract.
The Preds decided to trade Ellis away because GM David Poile is looking to make a competitive rebuild with him receiving Myers and Glass in the Ellis deal.
"We felt it was time for a change to our core this offseason, and we are really excited to add an influx of youth, size, and skill into the lineup with these additions," said Poile.
Freeing up $37.5M over the next six years is also good for the Preds, especially considering that the league may have a flat cap for the foreseeable future. With that money, Poile can spend it in many different ways.
He can lock up guys like Juuse Saros, Eeli Tolvanen, Dante Fabbro, and Alex Carrier. He can use it more wisely than how he did it with Johansen, Duchene, Colton Sissons, and Kyle Turris.
This decision is purely business. Poile needed to make changes to the core, and he wanted to free up cap room.
To sum up this trade, the Flyers basically acquired a top pairing defenseman for a defenseman who has room for improvement and a center who was basically the odd man out. Fletcher did this without having to part with Morgan Frost. No draft pick was involved here—not even a first rounder. Ellis should be able to help the Flyers' defense, Myers can work on improving his game, and Glass and Patrick are given a fresh start on another team with opportunities to turn their careers around. Everyone wins here.
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