It wasn't a terribly busy trade deadline regarding top prospects and rookies. Only two players from ESPN's early-season top 100 prospect rankings were moved in the lead-up to Monday's deadline. Draft picks, as expected, were among the most sought-after commodities, giving sellers some solid futures to play with in the next few drafts.
But there was one whopper of a prospect moved in Erik Brannstrom, who was No. 31 in our preseason drafted prospects rankings and will have a much higher placement on our top 50 rankings coming in a few weeks (no spoilers!). Outside of Ryan Donato, the rest were midrange prospects.
Here are the top 10 traded prospects from the 2019 NHL trade deadline.
1. Erik Brannstrom, D, Ottawa Senators
The centerpiece of the Mark Stone return for the Sens, Brannstrom is the kind of prospect Ottawa absolutely needed to get back, especially in the absence of a first-round pick. He immediately becomes Ottawa's No. 1 prospect and should be ready for full-time NHL duty next season. There's little reason to bring him up this season to be part of a team that appears destined for a last-place finish.
Though he lacks size, Brannstrom has high-end hockey sense and vision. He is a tremendous skater with solid footwork in all zones and higher-end north-south speed. Only in his first year in North America -- spent primarily with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL -- Brannstrom has put up very solid numbers for a U20 defenseman in the league. In fact, the only U20 blueliner who produced at a higher per-game rate than Brannstrom over the past 20 years is John Carlson.
The Senators have an excellent prospect pool, especially at forward. Adding a playmaking, offensive-minded defenseman who excels in the transition game is a big boost. Brannstrom is naturally going to be compared to his countryman Erik Karlsson, but that's a big leap. However, having two defensemen like Brannstrom and Thomas Chabot long term is a good position to be in. GM Pierre Dorion called Brannstrom a cornerstone of the rebuild, and the 19-year-old Swede absolutely has the talent and upside to be just that.
The Vegas Golden Knights have now dealt two of their first three first-round picks in franchise history, but turned them into Max Pacioretty and Stone. You can live with giving up that potential when you're getting that kind of quality, especially when you're able to sign both players to extensions.
2. Ryan Donato, LW, Minnesota Wild
This is certainly not how I thought Donato's career with the Boston Bruins would end, or at least not when I thought it would end. I'm sure he didn't either, having left Harvard after his junior season in the wake of becoming a U.S. Olympian and winning the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in men's college hockey. It's all the more unbelievable considering how hot Donato's NHL career started at the end of last season. But he didn't get off to a great start this season and never really seemed to find his rhythm, with the Bruins ultimately sending him down to the AHL. Donato also may not have been the best stylistic fit for the Bruins, despite being a hometown kid.
Early returns on the trade have been positive, as he already has four points through three games with Minnesota. Donato is a natural sniper with great net awareness and a deceptive release that he can get off from just about anywhere. He can be a little too perimeter at times, which is why the goals were a little harder to come by earlier this season. There's still a good amount of puck skills to open things up for himself, but his skating is only OK and he's not the most physical player. I like the way he fits with Minnesota, though, because of his shoot-first nature. The Wild haven't had enough of that over the years.
3. Vitaly Abramov, LW, Ottawa Senators
Abramov still possesses higher upside because of his skill level, but this season in the AHL has exposed the areas that he needs to work on. He tore up the QMJHL thanks to his quality puck skills, high-end release and offensive sense. In the AHL, he has produced at a respectable but unspectacular rate for a first-year pro. His compete level away from the puck and his consistency of effort probably aren't at a level where he can excel in the NHL quite yet. That could come with maturity and development.
I think he could land as a middle-six forward who can produce down the road. There should be opportunities for him in Ottawa, but he's part of an awfully crowded prospect pool in which some of his competition is ahead of him in terms of NHL readiness.
4. Brendan Guhle, D, Anaheim Ducks
An excellent skater and solid puck mover, Guhle's NHL timeline appears rather short. He should get an opportunity in Anaheim that wasn't coming with Buffalo quite yet. There's some upside there to suggest Guhle could top out as a top-four defenseman, but I'd more conservatively expect him to be a bottom-pairing guy with some power-play potential. The fact that the Ducks were able to get him alongside a first-round pick, however, makes this a pretty nice deal for them. They have really seemed to excel at developing young defensemen.
5. Jonathan Dahlen, LW, San Jose Sharks
I was moderately surprised to see Dahlen moved given how much his stock has risen over his previous two seasons in Sweden, but GM Jim Benning revealed in his news conference Monday that the player's agent asked for him to be moved. This is now the second time he has been traded in his young career, and he has yet to hit the ice in the NHL. The transition to North America has been a little slower than Vancouver probably wanted anyway, as Dahlen had 29 points in 50 games for the Utica Comets in the AHL.
Despite his relatively light production, there's little denying his offensive sense and shooting ability. Where there is concern -- and this has been constant throughout for Dahlen -- is in his skating. He lacks quickness, which makes it harder to maximize his offensive skill. Still, Dahlen is only 21 years old and could provide an affordable scoring depth option for the Sharks as soon as next season.
6. Brendan Lemieux, LW, New York Rangers
The first-round pick that the Rangers acquired for Kevin Hayes was the centerpiece of the deal, but Lemieux can be a solid player on their NHL roster right away. He's on the last year of his entry-level contract, meaning that he is a restricted free agent without arbitration rights and should be a cheap re-sign. Lemieux can play on the third or fourth line right away and is a decent stopgap player as the Rangers continue their retooling. He's not a guy who wows you with any single tool, but the son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux has grit and some edge to his game while possessing enough skill to give you some scoring depth.
7. Cliff Pu, RW, Florida Panthers
At only 20 years old, Pu still has plenty of time to develop, but this year hasn't been easy for him. It's his first as a pro, and that transition to the AHL from junior is no joke. When he was sent to the ECHL this season, it set off some alarm bells because he didn't produce the way he probably should have, but that had a lot to do with the lack of opportunity.
Pu has average puck skills and can get a little jittery with the puck under duress, but he has good physical tools in terms of skating and physical strength. He has a good on-ice work ethic and has killed penalties at the AHL level this year. Florida can give him a chance to marinate more in the minors and see what it can get out of him. It's a relatively low-risk add for a guy who still has time to grow his game.
8. Linus Karlsson, C, Vancouver Canucks
Currently unsigned and playing in Sweden's second pro division, Karlsson is fourth among U20 players in that league with 17 points in 48 games. He was second in Sweden's junior league with 52 points last season, so he has shown some solid offensive capabilities in his career. In games I've seen, I just haven't seen the skill level that suggests the kind of numbers he put up in juniors are going to translate going forward. Still, the Canucks get a younger player whom they don't have to make a commitment to just yet. I view him as a moderate step back in terms of offensive potential compared with Dahlen, but I'm interested to see how he progresses over the next few seasons given his U20 success.
9. Jonathan Davidsson, RW, Ottawa Senators
Two seasons of growth have put Davidsson on an NHL track, but he's going to be more of a depth player at the next level. Sources in Sweden have noted his speed and energy as his best attributes, but Davidsson's skill is average at best. That makes him a candidate to be a role player. The fact that the Blue Jackets didn't have to part with Davidsson's more skilled Djurgardens teammate, Emil Bemstrom, made this a much more palatable trade for Columbus.
10. Darren Raddysh, D, New York Rangers
This was an under-the-radar deal that I liked for the Rangers. Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for Peter Holland, Raddysh has some moderate upside as a young defenseman who can move the puck. It's a chance worth taking at such a relatively low cost. I just saw Raddysh live with his new AHL team this week, and he's establishing himself rather quickly there. He has good vision and distribution skills, and he skates well enough to give himself a chance to find a depth spot in the NHL.