The Connor McDavid effect will be put to the test once again Tuesday.
Nail Yakupov is staying put past the trade deadline, and it appears he'll have every opportunity to show the Edmonton Oilers what he's capable of in the final 18 games of the season. With Benoit Pouliotreportedly sidelined indefinitely due to a separated shoulder, Yakupov will slot in next to McDavid and Jordan Eberle on Edmonton's top line against the Buffalo Sabres.
"He's been waiting for this opportunity & we're giving it to him. We expect big things." Coach McLellan on Yak joining McDavid & Eberle
The 22-year-old forward has struggled mightily this season, failing to register a point in his last five games, while recording just three goals in 20 contests since returning from an ankle injury on Jan. 14. The good news is, McDavid can certainly elevate his play.
Two-thirds of Yakupov's 15 points in 42 games this season have come while playing on a line with McDavid:
Games
Points
With McDavid
13
10
Without McDavid
29
5
Growth in production is nothing new for players playing alongside the 19-year-old rookie phenom:
Player
Games Without McDavid
Points
Games With McDavid
Points
Jordan Eberle
37
22
14
16
Benoit Pouliot
34
14
27
21
Amid endless speculation surrounding Yakupov's future with the Oilers, there's clearly no better time than now for the former first overall pick to turn his career around. If not, it's certainly possible he could find himself playing somewhere else in the near future.
NEW YORK, - The NHL suspended Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo for five games Tuesday for delivering an illegal check.
Rinaldo was suspended without pay for hitting Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette in the head during a 4-1 Boston ...
He might be one of his best friends, but Alex Ovechkin plans to bring the hurt when he faces former teammate Brooks Laich.
The Washington Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday in the first matchup between the clubs since the two executed the trade that sent Laich, Connor Carrick, and a second-round pick to the Maple Leafs for forward Danniel Winnik and a fifth-round pick, and Ovechkin doesn't plan to take it easy.
"When we have a power play he’s gonna be PK and I’m gonna shoot him in the foot and laugh about it," Ovechkin said, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.
Ovechkin sent his well wishes early Sunday morning after learning about the trade. The two had been the longest-serving Capitals on the roster, both suiting up for their first full season with the team in 2005.
Trotz said he thinks it'll be "awkward" for Laich tomorrow. But thinks it's good for Laich to get that reunion over with fast.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 1, 2016
With the Maple Leafs already hampered by injuries, hopes are that Ovechkin goes a little easy on his pal.
The NHL cited Rinaldo's lengthy suspension history, and ultimately deemed that Paquette's head - the principal point of contact - was avoidable in his attempt to separate the Lightning center from the puck.
Rinaldo has now accrued 19 games in suspension from four separate incidents in his NHL career, as Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe points out.
He will forfeit nearly $52,000 as a result of his latest ban.
The NHL Trade Deadline came and went Monday, and, aside from a flurry of activity after 3 p.m. (13 deals were announced following the deadline), it was certainly a day containing very little drama.
NHL trade deadline day is like Christmas, if your mean parents made you talk about your presents all morning without ever opening anything.
There were a pair of trades - Mikkel Boedker to the Colorado Avalanche, and Kris Russell to the Dallas Stars - with real consequence, but it was otherwise another over-hyped morning and afternoon that continued a recent trend of inaction on the final trading day of the season.
Since an absolutely insane 31-trade deadline day in 2009-10, there has been a downswing ever since, with the exception of last season. Over the last six years, there has been an average of 19 trades on deadline day, which matches Monday's total.
Year
Deadline Day Trades
2015-16
19
2014-15
24
2013-14
20
2012-13
17
2011-12
16
2010-11
16
2009-10
31
With the Chicago Blackhawks (buyers) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (sellers) serving as prime examples, it's becoming evident that the trade deadline is no longer about one specific day, but more so about the plethora of moves in the days leading up to it.
Starting from when the Maple Leafs sent Shawn Matthias to the Avalanche on Feb. 21, there were just as many trades in the eight days leading up to the deadline than the actual day itself.
Since Feb. 21
Deadline Day
38
19
In fact, more players were traded during the aforementioned eight-day period than on the deadline.
Since Feb. 21
Deadline Day
81
37
Perhaps the most interesting thing that stood out from the 38 deals was the draft picks involved:
2016
2017
2018
Since Feb. 21
18
10
5
33
There was only one first-round draft pick exchanged - in the Andrew Ladd deal. However, there were nine second-round picks involved in trades, accounting for 27 percent of the 33 picks that were dealt.
The value of a first-round pick has never been higher than this season, perhaps due to a deep, top-heavy draft class. The price for a rental player has also dropped significantly, which can certainly be attributed to a lack of star power available on the market.
The top seven point producers - all forwards - traded since Feb. 21 head into play Tuesday on pace for an average of 47 points over a full 82-game season. That's a very underwhelming total, making it evident that many teams aren't interested in selling off their top assets for what is, in many cases a depth addition for a playoff run. However, that didn't stop a group of sellers and buyers from remaining active, albeit with many minor deals.
Team
Trades (Since Feb. 21)
Chicago Blackhawks
5
Edmonton Oilers
5
Colorado Avalanche
4
Toronto Maple Leafs
4
Carolina Hurricanes
4
Calgary Flames
4
Arizona Coyotes
4
Florida Panthers
4
Anaheim Ducks
4
As big-name players in Steven Stamkos and Dustin Byfuglien came off the market, and the likes of Jonathan Drouin and Dan Hamhuis stayed put, there were certainly deals with blockbuster potential that quite simply never came to fruition. Although this surely had an effect on Monday's trade deadline, it's becoming increasingly evident that it is no longer about one specific day. The biggest deals, which are not anywhere near as significant as they once were, will ultimately come in the days leading up to it.
The Florida Panthers have signed one of their top prospects, Jayce Hawryluk, to an entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Hawryluk, a center, was selected in the second round, 32nd overall by the Panthers in 2014.
He's scored 30 goals and has already established a career high in points at the Major Junior level, with 79 in 49 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings this season.
Hawryluk ostensibly sealed his first professional contract with 33 points in 13 games over the last month.
The 2016 edition felt rather dry and uneventful, especially up until 2 p.m. ET. Nevertheless, many teams hoping to get a final piece to push them into the Cup conversation were active.
While there wasn't much in terms of high-calibre talent exchanged Monday, the transactions that did (and didn't) happen leave us with a clearer picture of the realities teams are facing.
Here are three things we learned from the trade deadline:
In all the deals Monday and the days leading up, only the Andrew Ladd trade between the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks saw a team willing to part with a first-round pick.
With growing proof that these picks - no matter where in the top 30 they slot - can bring in a potential game-changing player, teams are becoming much more reluctant to give them up.
Meanwhile, as many as six second-round picks were included in deals between Feb. 25-29.
General managers are getting ahead of the curb
While several trades were made in the final minutes before the deadline, there wasn't even one major blockbuster completed Monday.
The biggest names moved were arguably Mikkel Boedker and Kris Russell, which suggests that teams interested in marquee players did their due diligence in advance of Monday.
General managers are no longer waiting until the last minute to make a deal. Teams are combing the market earlier and pouncing when they get the chance. Expect this to be the new norm.
The Avalanche want it now
The Blackhawks and Panthers made it crystal clear heading into Monday they mean business this season.
After the dust settled Monday, though, it appeared the big winner of the day was the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche are currently holding down the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with just a two-point cushion between them and the Minnesota Wild.
Colorado added Boedker and underutilized defenseman Eric Gelinas. In exchange the team sacrificed ageing forward Alex Tanguay, 2014 first- and third-round picks Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood, and a third-round draft pick.
Since the Avalanche gave up two prospects for Boedker, who'll likely serve asa rental player, it appears they have one thing on their mind: this year's Cup.
Boedker gives the team a lot of skill - though the analytics community will argue Tanguay holds more value - and makes the potential line of him, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon perhaps the fastest in the league.
It had been hard to get a read on the Avalanche, who've played jump rope with a playoff position. Whether or not the deals pan out, it's clear Joe Sakic and Co. are aiming for a deep playoff run.
In the new asset-management NHL, it's harder now than it's ever been to draw up and execute a plan at the trade deadline. And though we're seeing more imagination in the workings of the league's 30 GMs, who continue to evolve in concert with the game, that conservative "Ah, let's get 'em on the draft floor" mentality still tends to win out when the stakes are so high.
That said, in every season there are a handful of specific team situations and corresponding contracts that require in-season activity. Inaction in these instances can result in grave consequences. Yet, even with that inherent knowledge, teams still make the same mistakes and mismanage the same resources.
Here are three things that definitely should've happened on trade deadline day:
The Canucks should've done something, anything
We're sort of belaboring the topic at this point, but in speaking of squandered assets, the conversation begins with Jim Benning and the Vancouver Canucks.
Stuck in the Western Conference wasteland, there might not be a single team in a less-enviable position. But for Vancouver, and on Monday, that wasn't the case.
The Canucks had two very attractive rental commodities in a legitimate top-four defenseman Dan Hamhuis, and a two-time 30-goal scorer in Radim Vrbata. With their blessings, each could've been moved for a pick, prospect, or package to help the team gain some traction. Yet, inexplicably, the only thing Benning did on Monday was lose Adam Cracknell to waivers.
There's absolutely no excuse for not dealing these players, even considering their respective no-trade functions and affinity for Vancouver. This mismanagement represents gross oversight, and borderline negligence.
Kings had to match wits
This segues nicely, as we might have been able to gloss over the Canucks had Hamhuis moved to Los Angeles. But instead of making a major splash, Dean Lombardi decided to finesse around the edges.
In all, the Kings acquired Vincent Lecavalier, Luke Schenn, Rob Scuderi, and Kris Versteeg (a quartet with five Stanley Cups between them) over the last several months, and didn't surrender one player on their active roster to do so. Though the value these four players encompass isn't significant - at least on the open market - they're bodies that fit Los Angeles' scheme.
But in beating the market and using the wiggle room they had from under the cap by acquiring Lecavalier and Schenn almost two months ago, their closest competitors had the opportunity to evaluate a greater sample, and issue the appropriate response in turn.
The Blackhawks, Stars, and Ducks - the three other teams most believe have a chance of coming out of the West - each will have more effectively filled holes on their rosters with their in-season transactions.
Must part with Parenteau
Lou Lamoriello fell one trade short of a masterclass.
The 73-year-old Maple Leafs GM, who through decades of experience with the NHL trade market has been the right man to properly execute the strategy of his forward-thinking franchise, failed with one task: fetching a return for the injured P.A. Parenteau.
Having out-performed his $1.5-million cap hit, Parenteau was considered one of, if not the safest bet to be traded out of Toronto before the deadline. No player under Mike Babcock did more for his value.
But in the end, a troublesome neck injury likely gave interested parties pause. At the very least, though, the club should have pocketed whatever lottery ticket was on the table (perhaps a trade akin to Brandon Pirri's return) and then revisited the partnership this summer with Parenteau, who had already expressed his desire to return.
