The NHL's trade season is already underway, as teams begin to shape their rosters ahead of the 2020-21 regular season -- slated to start on Jan. 1, 2021 -- and, of course, the looming threat of the expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken, which will take place next offseason.
We'll assess the GMs on both sides for all of the big moves here, with the most recent trades listed first.
Note: Advanced statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey. Cap and contract figures courtesy of CapFriendly.
Jets land Paul Stastny from Golden Knights in exchange for Carl Dahlstrom, 2022 pick
Winnipeg Jets get: C Paul Stastny
Vegas Golden Knights get: D Carl Dahlstrom, conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft
Jets grade: B
NHL general managers notoriously go with what they know, or at least what they once knew. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff loved Stastny enough in 2018 to trade a first-rounder and more to St. Louis for him at the deadline, and he was rewarded for that faith: Stastny had 15 points in 17 playoff games, before the Jets lost to Vegas in the Western Conference finals. Then they lost Stastny, as a free agent, to Vegas on a three-year deal.
Getting him back now addresses the team's second-line center problem, a hole caused by the injury status of Bryan Little, who may be headed for retirement. It could reunite the line that led to Stastny's success in his brief previous run with Winnipeg: Stastny skating between wingers Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, a trio that had a 61% goals-for advantage at 5-on-5 during that playoff run.
(This trade would also seem to indicate that the Jets will hang on to Laine, fueling speculation that the trade whispers recently were both a fishing expedition and a public shot across the winger's bow to pick up the production.)
As a one-year bandage, Stastny's not a bad addition. While his points production dropped severely from his first season in Vegas (0.84 points per game) to his second (0.54), that could partially be blamed on usage this season by the Knights. He'll obviously get prime usage in Winnipeg. And if it doesn't work, he's on an expiring contract.
Yet we can't go above a B here. The assets sent the other way reflect the real cost of this trade, which is the full $6.5 million cap hit from Stastny. The Jets had just over $11 million in cap space available before the deal, and they clear $850,000 in space from Dahlstrom. This obviously limits their ability to do other business, like getting significant help on the blue line. Plus, there's something to be said for patience: The flat cap and internal budgets of teams could have scared up a younger, potentially cheaper option than Stastny as the offseason rolled on.
But Cheveldayoff went with what he knew.
Golden Knights grade: A-
As a player, Stastny's value was still moderately high, despite his statistical decline. He was a difference-maker in the Knights' run to the Western Conference finals this season, doing a lot of the little things you want from a playoff performer while scoring nine points in 18 games. He can play in all situations. Some see a 34-year-old in his twilight years. Others see a veteran who can help. Luckily for Vegas, it knew what Winnipeg saw.
The luck inherent here is that Stastny had a 10-team no-trade list, and reports say Winnipeg wasn't on it. Despite bolting from the Jets to the Knights two seasons ago, he clearly didn't mind going back. To have that opportunity was fortunate, but even more fortunate was having a team willing to pay the full freight of his contract. This affords Vegas all sorts of flexibility in both the short term and long term this offseason.
Now comes the fun part: replacing a veteran third-line center who can jump up to the second line if necessary. The whispers have already started that the replacement could be San Jose Sharks legend Joe Thornton, the 41-year-old free-agent center who has a strong relationship with Knights coach Pete DeBoer.
Dahlstrom, 25, played 15 games for Winnipeg last season after two seasons with Chicago. He's one of those 6-foot-4 guys who will always get a chance somewhere until he runs out of them. Vegas also gets a 2022 fourth-rounder because Winnipeg didn't have one in 2021. -- Greg Wyshynski
Penguins trade goalie Matt Murray to Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins get: F Jonathan Gruden, No. 52 pick (used on G Joel Blomqvist)
Ottawa Senators get: G Matt Murray
Penguins grade: B
The Penguins had to move on from one of their goaltenders, and during the 2019-20 season it became increasingly clear that was going to be Murray. Despite the two Stanley Cups, his past few seasons hadn't been as strong. He still has the ability to be a No. 1, but the Pens can focus their attention on Tristan Jarry as their starter going forward.
In terms of the return, the second-round pick carries some value as the Penguins selected a goaltender, naturally. Blomqvist was the No. 3 goaltender on my board after having a tremendous season at the under-20 level in Finland in 2019-20. He's already playing pro hockey with Karpat in Finland's top league, which should be great for his development. They also added prospect Gruden, who had a nice season with the London Knights but projects more like organizational depth. If he reaches the NHL, he has a chance to be a good energy forward with some scoring pop. The return is maybe a little underwhelming considering Murray's pedigree, but the Pens weren't exactly working with an abundance of leverage.
Senators grade: B+
The Sens had an immediate need for a No. 1 goalie in net. Getting one who has Stanley Cup experience and has been around the best players in the world is a nice boost. The Sens don't have a ton of veterans kicking around the locker room anymore, which is going to give Murray some presence. More importantly, Murray has a .914 career save percentage and a .921 mark in the postseason. Last season was concerning, but the body of work has been strong enough to believe he can still be a solid starter in the league. He's only 26, which is not particularly old in goalie years. Maybe a change of scenery will get him back on track.
Meanwhile, the Sens didn't have to give up any of their top prospects and had to deal only one of their four second-round draft picks. It was not a high price to pay for GM Pierre Dorion to improve the goaltending position after the team let Craig Anderson head to free agency. -- Chris Peters
Wild land Bonino, picks in exchange for Kunin and a pick
Wild get: F Nick Bonino, No. 37 pick (used on F Marat Khusnutdinov), No. 70 pick
Predators get: F Luke Kunin, No. 101 pick
Wild grade: B+
GM Bill Guerin was pretty blunt about the state of his team on a Zoom call with reporters in August, just one year into his tenure. "We're a good team, but there definitely have to be changes," Guerin said. "There are always changes. We haven't had success here. Things need to get better. That's just the way it is." Guerin also addressed the organization's biggest positional need: center. There is no No. 1 center on the roster or even in the pipeline, the GM commented. It's clear that was his top priority this summer, along with retooling on the fly, without admitting to a full-on rebuild.
Guerin used the No. 9 draft pick to select center Marco Rossi, then a day later doubled down, trading for veteran center Bonino, a player Guerin is familiar with from their time in Pittsburgh. (Guerin has also acquired centers Nick Bjugstad and Marcus Johansson this offseason, while parting with Ryan Donato and captain Mikko Koivu). Bonino, who has one year remaining on his contract at $4.1 million, is likely a stopgap and can replace the veteran leadership of Eric Staal, who was also shipped out this offseason as part of the reshuffling. It's surprising that the Wild parted with 22-year-old Kunin, a hard-nosed player who was just starting to find his stride, but Guerin wants to draft and develop, and wants to use his own picks to do it. The key here was acquiring the No. 37 and No. 70 picks (in exchange for No. 101). While Guerin didn't get his No. 1 center, he did get players who can help the team stay competitive in the short term (Bonino) as well as hopefully the future. That's a win.
Predators grade: B
Here's the important number for the Predators: $8.1 million. That's how much cap space they are saving by trading Bonino and buying out Kyle Turris. The two moves are surely linked, as GM David Poile tries to revive a team that has gone a bit stale and could use some offensive help. Although the depth down the middle takes a massive hit with the loss of both middle-six centers (specifically Bonino, as Turris had struggled mightily in his three-year Predators tenure), that isn't insurmountable. Bonino, 32, likely was in his last year with Nashville anyway, and Poile was able to recoup some value.
While it's never good to part with draft picks, the Predators were able to get a very good roster player in 22-year-old Kunin, who can contribute right away. Poile has said he wants his team to trend younger, and he needs more offense. Kunin, who had 15 goals last season, helps achieve both. The No. 15 pick from 2016 is a sandpaper guy and is still finding his way offensively, but there's no reason to believe he can't. He's versatile too, with the option to play winger or center; maybe he'll get a chance at center now due to the vacancies. The Predators will be able to improve this trade grade over time if they use the saved cap space for even more offensive help in free agency. -- Emily Kaplan
Domi, Anderson swap sides in trade of pending RFAs
Columbus Blue Jackets get: F Max Domi, 2020 third-round pick (No. 78 overall)
Montreal Canadiens get: F Josh Anderson
Blue Jackets grade: A-
The Blue Jackets are always looking for more scoring, and therefore it wasn't going to be easy for them to part with Anderson, who scored 27 goals two seasons ago. But that was when Anderson was fully healthy, and behind the scenes, it's been a struggle to agree on a long-term contact. That's why it makes sense that GM Jarmo Kekalainen shipped the pending restricted free agent to Montreal, and it also makes sense why Kekalainen got a high-upside scorer in return.
Domi, 25, has played at both center and wing, but his preference is to play center. The Blue Jackets have been desperate to shore up their center depth behind Pierre-Luc Dubois. Should he sign in Columbus, Domi would immediately slot in as the team's second-line center. There weren't any centers of Domi's caliber available in free agency, so a trade was the only route. Domi is just two years removed from a career-best 28-goal season, and has the speed and playmaking creativity the Blue Jackets covet. But Columbus would be Domi's third team in his sixth NHL season, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to John Tortorella's demanding style.
While the move does carry some risk, it also includes a third-round pick heading to the Blue Jackets; this is absolutely clutch for Columbus, which is still recovering from its all-in 2019 push. Prior to this trade, Columbus was without a second- or third-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Canadiens grade: A-
The Canadiens had high hopes for Max Domi when they traded for him in 2018, and immediately signed him to a two-year, $6.3 million extension. Domi had a terrific first season in Montreal, scoring 28 goals and 72 points. But his production slipped this past season, as he scored just 17 goals in 71 games. He then fell out of favor with the coaching staff, who bumped him to the fourth line in the playoffs, and shaved his playing time by nearly three minutes per game. A change was needed.
GM Marc Bergevin didn't mind adding a third-round pick to sweeten the deal in exchange for Anderson, who was one of the most attractive trade candidates among forwards this offseason. Anderson, who is just 26, is physical and drives plays. Put him on a line with Brendan Gallagher and the duo could wreak havoc. Like Domi, Anderson is just two years removed from a career season, but had a down campaign in 2019-20, as he battled a shoulder injury that limited him to 26 games and kept him out of the postseason. Anderson is fearless though -- he once dropped the gloves against Zdeno Chara -- and adds a spark that the Canadiens could really use on offense.
As Montreal proved in its postseason run, there are some decent pieces in place, but the Canadiens aren't there yet. Anderson's injury history is a risk, as is giving up a third-rounder. But both of those are calculated risks. If Anderson meshes as well with this team as Bergevin imagines, he's the big, scoring winger that brings them one step closer to the playoffs. -- Emily Kaplan