Evgeny Grachev (NYR) for 3rd Round Pick (STL)
· Teams Involved: New York Rangers & St. Louis Blues
· The Details: Grachev, a Russian winger, was New York’s third round pick in 2008 at 75th overall. This past season with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL, Grachev put up 16 tallies, along with 22 helpers in 73 games. He also played 8 games this season with the Rangers, but was held pointless and was a -3.
The 3rd round pick was used by the Rangers to select Steven Fogarty of the Edina Hornets of the Minnesota Boys High School Hockey League. Fogarty set career highs with 23 goals and 17 assists in a mere 24 games last season and finished with a +14 rating.
· The Spin: Both players are solid prospects for their respective teams, though Grachev seems more NHL ready, both in experience and in physical stature; Grachev weighs in at 6’4”, 222lbs at age 21, while Fogarty is 6’2”, 194lbs at age 18. We’ll have to wait and see on this trade to see who truly benefits down the road.
· The Grade:
o New York: C
o St. Louis: C+
· Teams Involved: Columbus Blue Jackets & Ottawa Senators
· The Details: Filatov, the 6th overall pick for the Blue Jackets back in ’08, has struggled to find consistency in his NHL play. While bouncing between Springfield of the AHL and Columbus throughout the year, the Russian winger managed to put up a paltry 7 assists in 23 NHL games and only has 6 goals and 13 points in 44 career games. Perhaps the opportunity to play in Ottawa, a place where he’ll be given “every chance” according to GM Bryan Murray is just what he needs to develop.
The 3rd rounder was later used to select Thomas Tynan of Notre Dame. While he may not be the biggest in stature at 5’9”, 170lbs, Tynan was a big part of his team, leading them to the Frozen Four with 31 helpers and potting 23 in 44 games played. He was tied for third overall in scoring in CCHA.
· The Spin: It’s a trade that seems to work all around; the Sens get themselves a quality, first round prospect that can develop in their system and Columbus starts fresh with a new face. I think Filatov will end up being the more productive player down the round, but that’s the fun of prospects – you just gotta wait and see.
· The Grade:
o Columbus: C
o Ottawa: B
·Teams Involved: Calgary Flames & Buffalo Sabres
· The Details: Regehr is the big name in this trade; having put up 2 goals and 15 assists in each of the past two seasons, he’s anything but inconsistent. Kotalik is looking to rekindle his offensive firepower as a Buffalo Sabre for the second time in his career. He put up an average of 35 points per year with Buffalo, but hasn’t managed to put up more than 6 points in either of his two seasons with the Flames.
Chris Butler followed up a 21 point, -15 rating 2009-2010 season with 9 points and a +8 rating this year. While his increase in +/- is promising in the defensive area of his game, the drop off in scoring is concerning. As for Byron, he’s a small but skilled center with the ability to put points on the board. Last year with Portland of the AHL he had 53 points in 67 games.
· The Spin: The Sabres were looking to add a veteran presence on their blueline and they got exactly that in 31-year old Regehr. The native of Brazil had been with Calgary since 1999, and now looks to be a mentor to up and coming talent like Tyler Myers. The 2nd round pick is slated to be used in 2012, so we’ll have to wait until then to see the full impact of this trade. Calgary managed to shed some cap room, and the two prospects are promising, with Butler able to play in the short term.
· The Grade:
o Calgary: B
o Buffalo B-
· Teams Involved: Toronto Maple Leafs & Colorado Avalanche
· The Details: Liles’ 40 assists last year were a career high, and his 46 points fell just short of topping the career high 49 point output of his sophomore season. His -16 career rating leaves room for improvement, but is likely due to a poor supporting cast on the blueline.
· The Spin: Liles, having played his entire career in slowly depreciating Denver market, is now moving into the highest pressure hockey city on Earth so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the scrutiny of the media and fans as he tries to improve upon another solid season. While at 30 years old, he may no longer be at his prime, he has shown no signs of slowing down and should be a virtual lock for another 30-45 point season. As far as the pick goes, Toronto may not be headed for as awful a finish as years past, so the value of the pick may dwindle.
· The Grade:
o Colorado: B
o Toronto: B+
· Parties Involved: Chicago Blackhawks & Florida Panthers
· The Details: Campbell, a perennial all-star at defense, waved his no-trade clause to move down to sunny Florida. Why would he go to Florida instead of staying in Chicago? Two words: South. Beach. Maybe he was unhappy playing behind Seabrook and Keith as a #3 defenseman, but whatever the reason he seems headed for a spot top defensive pairing for the Panthers. His career average of better than a half point per game will be welcomed for a team with a stagnant offense, though over the past two season, Campbell’s production has dropped from 52 points in ‘08-‘09, to 38 in ‘09-‘10, to a paltry 27 in ‘10-’11, mostly due to injury woes.
Olesz is also no stranger to injury hindering his output: two seasons ago his season was cut short by 43 games due to a groin injury, and he hasn’t fully recovered since. He put up an average of .34 points per game over the last 3 seasons (55 points in 159 games).
· The Spin: Campbell seems to be just another discarded, expensive piece of the ex-champion Blackhawks. The deal looks simply like a salary dump on behalf of Chicago, and since Florida will need to up their payroll to hit the salary cap floor, the deal works for both parties, though I believe Chicago could have gotten more for him.
· The Grade:
o Chicago: C+
o Florida: B+
· Teams Involved: Chicago Blackhawks & Washington Capitals
· The Details: Brouwer has always been known as a grinder with a small upside of scoring. At the age of 25, Brouwer has steadily improved from his rookie season, putting up 39 goals the past two seasons after only 10 in his first year. He’s solid defensively as well and, as a Canucks fan, I know how irritating he can be to opposing teams. The first round pick was later used to select Phillip Danault of Victoriaville of the QMJHL. Danault is an 18 year old left winger who recently won the QMJHL equivalent of the Selke Trophy while also posting a solid stat line of 23-44-67 in 64 games.
· The Spin: While Danault may need some time to develop, he should be a solid contributor for the Hawks down the road. The Caps, looking for a second or third line presence have found exactly that in Brouwer, and he should help Washington in their push to finally get past the second round.
· The Grade:
o Chicago: B
o Washington: B
· Teams Involved: San Jose Sharks & Minnesota Wild
· The Details: Setoguchi is the headliner in this trade, the 24 year old has already reached the 30 goal plateau in his career, and has 159 points in 267 career NHL games. Though he struggled mightily with consistency last season, he still put up a respectable 22 goals and 41 points in 72 games. He was resigned to a 3 year, $9-million deal just a day before he was dealt.
Burns is coming off of a stellar year in which he potted 17 goals and 29 helpers while being selected to his first career All-Star game. Playing in an offensively loaded Sharks lineup should help further improve his stock since Minnesota wasn’t known for their offensive prowess.
Charlie Coyle was selected 28th overall in last year’s entry draft after being named the EJHL Rookie of the Year, finishing fifth overall in scoring with 21 goals and 63 points in 42 games. At 6’2” and 205lbs at the age of 19, Coyle is a powerful skater and should eventually make a splash in the Wild organization.
The 2nd round pick is for 2012 and will be used in next year’s draft.
· The Spin: While it may be a hefty price to pay for a possible one-year wonder of a defenseman, the Sharks are better for pulling the trigger on this deal. Setoguchi’s inconsistency was likely the deciding factor, though that begs the question as to why they locked him up for 3 years a day prior to trading him. Burns was likely dealt since he was heading into the last year of his contract, but should thrive in the Northern Californian team’s offensive system, and should be looked to improve upon this past year’s numbers. Coyle is also a strong up and comer and should provide Minnesota with a player to look forward to.
· The Grade:
o San Jose: B
o Minnesota: B+
It was originally thought that Ryan “Captain Canada” Smyth was headed back to the Oilers in a deal involving ex-Vancouver Giant Gilbert Brule, but due to an alleged “illness”, the deal has been held up on the side of Los Angeles. Other than that, this caps the excitement of all the Draft Day trades.
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