So much happened in the weeks leading up to March 3rd that the trade deadline itself was almost antithetical in nature.
Outside of some drama surrounding James van Riemsdyk’s destination, as a reported trade to the Red Wings was nixed, and Jordan Greenway dealt to Buffalo, Friday was pretty quiet.
But the NHL saw a number of high-profile moves leading up to the deadline, with all three New York-area teams working for superstars.
The Post’s Ethan Sears ranks the most active teams.
New York Rangers – Grade: A
The Rangers are the NHL’s biggest winners at the deadline, adding Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, Tyler Motte and Patrick Kane to an already star-studded lineup.
Tarasenko and Kane, whose saga ended Tuesday after a long argument and considerable cap-saving measures, add a huge scoring punch to the lineup.
The hope on Broadway now is Stanley Cup or bust.
New Jersey Devils – Grade: B+
We would have liked the Devils to add a little more sandpaper and playoff experience to a young lineup, but a megadeal that sent Timo Meier to Newark is still a feat done by GM Tom Fitzgerald.
The Devils’ top six now falls to the Gills with Meyer, who comes off 52 points in 51 games with the Sharks this season.
With him being a restricted free agent this season, Meier will be a devil for a long time to come.
New York Islanders – Grade: B+
The Islanders made their first big splash of the offseason by acquiring Bo Horvat for Anthony Beauvillier, Au Rati, and a conditional first-round pick in late January, then inked Horvat to an eight-year extension.
Locking down a superstar center long-term gives them the grade here, and adding rental winger Pierre Engvall to the mix at the cost of a future third-rounder was a necessary move for a playoff run.
Boston Bruins – Grade: A-
The Bruins were already the favorites, and they bolstered their chances of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2011 by adding Garnett Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov from Washington, and Tyler Bertuzzi from Detroit.
By trading away their first-round pick this season and conditionally next season, the Bruins are putting all their chips on the line to win now, but that seems like the smart thing to do with their NHL-leading record and an aging core. is
Vancouver Canucks – Grade: C
Filip Hronek is a good defenseman, but giving away the Islanders’ first-round pick and their own second was a head-scratching move for the Canucks, who are just beginning a rebuild.
Horvat’s return was fine, and Beauvillier has produced since moving to Vancouver, but this pick was arguably the most valuable part of the deal.
Getting a third-round pick for Luke Schenn is too much to expect, and there are worse things than taking a flyer on Vitaly Kravtsov, who clearly needed a change of scenery from Broadway.
Ottawa Senators – Grade: B+
The Senators needed a defenseman and ended up with Jacob Chechern, possibly the best player on the market and someone under contract through 2025.
That could help them make a playoff push this year or next, and it came at a relatively low price compared to the initial asking price for Chichran when he hit the market a year ago.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Grade: A-
In the span of two weeks, Leafs G.M. Kyle Dubas conducted what could almost be described as a roster rebuild, working for Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Axieri, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty and Erik Gustafsson, while Aengvall, Rasmussen and a handful of others lost. went Depth slices and selections.
The result is a Leafs team that looks extremely well-equipped to toughen up the Lightning in a predictable first-round series and compete up and down the roster.
Detroit Red Wings – Grade: B-
From a purely practical standpoint, Steve Yzerman’s tactics were understandable. Getting a first- and second-round pick for Hronek is a great return, as is Bertuzzi’s 2024 first and 2025 fourth, an expiring contract.
Getting rid of Jacob Vrana’s contract, which adds more cap flexibility, also made sense.
But for a win-hungry fan base and with a team in playoff contention for the first time in a long time, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
Check out Dylan Larkin’s emotions at a press conference to announce his eight-year extension in Detroit on Thursday.
The Red Wings need to start winning now rather than later, sometime soon.
Nashville Predators – Grade: A
On the other side of the coin, the Predators finally seemed to accept as an organization that a tear was needed, with most of the picks returning in return, doing away with Nino Niederator, Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund.
The five picks returned from the Lightning for Jeannott alone make this deadline a win for David Poile, who will step down July 1 for Barry Trotz.
Columbus Blue Jackets – Grade: B+
This deadline was all about collecting picks and cap space for Columbus, which successfully did both.
Gustav Nyquist to Minnesota, Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov to Los Angeles and Jonathan Quick — a Blue Jacket for a few hours — to Vegas, bringing back Jarmo Keklanen conditional on the 2023 first and fifth rounds as well as the third round. Pick in 2024 and seventh round pick in 2025.
They also added $8.25 million in cap flexibility, trading Jakub Voracek to the Coyotes, at the cost of adding a 2023 sixth-rounder. It’s not exciting, but it’s smart.
