The trade that sent Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Los Angeles Kings for Jordan Weal and a draft pick took weeks to consummate.
In Dean Lombardi and Ron Hextall, you had two general managers who are competitive. They know each other well, and know each other’s organizations well.
“Hexy and I beat the piss out of each other for a month,” Lombardi joked in getting the deal done.
But once it was done, nobody was really surprised. The Kings and Flyers making a trade is nothing new. It’s like a trade between the Coyotes and Rangers -- as annual as the All-Star Game or Winter Classic. Coyotes GM Don Maloney has made eight trades with the Rangers since leaving New York to run the Coyotes. For the Kings and Flyers, it was the fourth trade between the two organizations since the monster deal that sent Mike Richards to the Kings in 2011.
As hard as trades are to make right now in the NHL, it helps to have a comfort level with another GM to work through the issues.
“I would say there are guys you feel more comfortable just talking to. A lot of time, you get a lot of dialogue with people. But when it comes to brass tacks, I don’t think it matters. Nobody is going to give you anything,” Lombardi said. “I have a good relationship with [Jets GM] Kevin Cheveldayoff. He’s not going to give me his good players because we talk a lot.”
In fact, the Kings and Jets have never made a trade during the era in which Cheveldayoff has been in charge, according to nhltradetracker.com.
There are a couple factors that go into how familiarity can breed trades among NHL general managers.
For one, there is a comfort level and trust factor that can aid in getting deals done between two friendly GMs. It’s not about cutting your buddy a break, but more about believing something about a player when somebody you trust tells you.
“There’s always a bit of a blind spot when you’re making a trade. You’re relying on scouts or video, but you’re still sort of relying on that other guy on the other side of the phone is being honest with you,” said former Stars and Capitals assistant GM Frank Provenzano.
And if all things are equal between a few deals, that trust may put that trade over the top.
“If you have three options and they’re kind of comparable, and one of those options is with a guy you have a relationship and trust, that’s one in the positive column for doing that deal,” said Provenzano, now CEO and founder of the player evaluation app FansEye.
The bigger factor may be a familiarity with the system. Part of the reason the Coyotes and Rangers used to make so many trades is because Maloney knew that organization well.
The Red Wings and Stars did a trade at last year’s deadline where the Stars asked for two prospects, in large part because of GM Jim Nill’s familiarity with the Red Wings organization.
One of those players, Mattias Janmark, has 10 goals for the Stars this season.
“Anytime you have a relationship, worked together in the front office or are former teammates, that adds to your comfort level to find out what you’re both trying to accomplish,” said Red Wings GM Ken Holland. “There’s been a lot of change at the GM level, a lot of new guys in. It takes you time to build up a relationship.”
Perhaps that’s one more reason trades are so hard to make right now.
The bigger factor, Lombardi suggested, isn’t familiarity, but sending the player as far away as possible. He still prefers dealing with Eastern Conference teams, and then teams outside his division.
“The chances of doing an Anaheim, San Jose and Arizona trade aren’t good,” Lombardi said. “And you still look at your conference, that’s the second tier.”
So through this lens, let’s examine the options for Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, who is currently in the midst of the highest-profile trade conversations out there right now, regarding talented forward Jonathan Drouin.
First, a look at Yzerman, using trade information from nhltradetracker.com:
Trades since being hired in 2010: 43
Conference breakdown
East: 58 percent
West: 42 percent
Note: Yzerman’s biggest trades tend to be with Eastern Conference teams, suggesting his primary concern is about maxing out a return rather than sending a player away. The trades that included Ben Bishop, Braydon Coburn, Brett Connolly, and Martin St. Louis were with Eastern Conference rivals.
Breaking down the Drouin field
Teams with the biggest need
Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and Yzerman have completed one trade together, the 2013 deal that sent Dustin Tokarski to the Canadiens. Montreal has the disadvantage of playing in the Atlantic, and Yzerman may be disinclined to trade a dynamic offensive talent to a Montreal team struggling to score goals fighting for the same playoff spot as Tampa Bay. But multiple reports suggest the Canadiens are pushing hard for Drouin, although they may not have the kind of compatible young player needed to pull it off.
The Rangers and Lightning pulled off the biggest trade in Yzerman’s tenure in the deal that sent St. Louis to the Rangers. The Rangers also have the advantage over Montreal of at least being in another division. The Rangers could use a spark, and a young impact player in Drouin’s age range. It’s harder to find a package going back to Tampa Bay that works, unless a deal built around Keith Yandle appeals to the Lightning.
The sweet spot: Familiar and West
Yzerman and Blues GM Doug Armstrong have made two deals, and know each other well from time working closely with Hockey Canada, building Olympic gold-medal teams. That familiarity helps. The trick is finding a match personnel-wise. The Lightning need a right-handed shooting defenseman and the Blues are willing to move Kevin Shattenkirk, but the ideal return for the Lightning is a young player of Drouin’s caliber who isn’t going to boost payroll during a time in which money against the salary cap is already tight in Tampa.
Yzerman and Ducks GM Bob Murray are familiar in the sense that Anaheim has been Yzerman’s most frequent trade partner. Only the Flyers can equal the four deals that Murray has completed with the Lightning. None of the Ducks-Lightning deals have been blockbusters -- the biggest names involved are guys like Eric Brewer and Nate Thompson -- but there’s an open dialogue. Once the Ducks get healthy on defense, Murray will have depth there, including a valuable commodity in right-handed shooting defenseman Sami Vatanen.
The wild card: West and compatible
While Yzerman has shown a willingness to deal East, a Drouin trade is a little more unique than moving spare parts. This is a player you don’t want haunting you inside your own division for the next decade, which makes a trade to a West team ideal. In his time with the Wild, GM Chuck Fletcher has made 37 trades, with 59 percent coming with Eastern Conference teams. The two have never consummated a trade that involved players, though they did swap third-round picks in the 2014 draft.
However, in Matt Dumba, the Wild have almost the perfect trade chip. He has the pedigree of being the No. 7 overall pick in 2012, and is a right-handed shot who, as an impending restricted free agent, will be fairly cost-controlled in the near future. It’s a nice match.