The Jeff Petry Trade Web: Part 2 – Shock Waves

On June 29, 2016, the NHL landscape was shaped by three massive transactions over the span of 23 minutes. The last of those transactions was Steven Stamkos deciding to stay in Tampa Bay and signing a long term extension. The first two were trades that both appear in the Jeff Petry trade web.

Today, we’ll continue our look at the Jeff Petry trade tree by looking at the period from the 2015-2016 season to the 2017 draft. If you missed Part 1 that starts in the 2013-2014 season, you can find it here.

Shock Waves

In Part 1, we left the Oilers mired in the midst of the ‘Decade of Darkness’. They would finally return to the playoffs in the spring of 2017, ending a decade long postseason drought, but not before making a blockbuster deal that connects to the trade web.

That trade kicked off the events of June 29, 2016 as the Oilers traded Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Adam Larsson. Hall was selected 1st overall in 2010 and was one of the pieces added in the earlier part of the Oilers’ rebuild. Edmonton’s defense corps was often suspect through their dark years, though, and the move addressed a positional need by bringing in the 2011 4th overall pick to solidify the Oilers’ blueline.

The Oilers continued to re-shape their roster following their return to the postseason and they jettisoned another of their high draft picks from the early stages of their rebuild in the 2017 offseason. Former first round pick Jordan Eberle was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Ryan Strome. Unlike the Hall trade, this deal did not address a positional need for the Oilers. Instead, it was a move driven by cap space with Eberle’s cap hit of $6MM moved out and Strome’s $2.5MM cap hit replacing it.

Twenty minutes after the Oilers and Devils shook the hockey world with the Hall for Larsson trade, another blockbuster sent aftershocks. The 2013 Norris Trophy winner, PK Subban’s offensive skill was unquestioned. His flamboyant style didn’t seem to be sitting well with the Canadiens brass, however, and trade rumors began to percolate ahead of his no trade clause kicking in on July 1, 2016.

In Nashville, the Predators were flush with defensemen capable of playing shutdown hockey. Captain Shea Weber was one of them. Four years older than Subban, Weber was just four years into a 14 year deal with the Preds. The two teams pulled the trigger on a deal swapping the two star defensemen just two days before Subban’s no trade protection kicked in.

Deadline Rental Highs and Lows

At the 2017 deadline, the Arizona Coyotes moved Martin Hanzal as a rental in a sizable deadline deal. The Minnesota Wild were the acquiring team, giving up a 2017 1st round pick, 2018 2nd round pick, 2019 4th round pick and Grayson Downing while they received Ryan White and a 2017 4th round pick along with Hanzal. In the end, it was an expensive rental with little success as the Wild succumbed to the St Louis Blues in five games in the first round of the playoffs. They did make good use of their 4th round pick though, selecting Mason Shaw in the 2017 draft. The Coyotes drafted Pierre-Olivier with the 2017 first round pick they received and we’ll pick up the trail of their other two picks acquired in future chapters of the trade web.

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2016, the Penguins were in pursuit of a repeat in 2017. At the 2017 trade deadline, they acquired Ron Hainsey from the Carolina Hurricanes as they bolstered their roster for another cup run. They were successful, winning the Stanley Cup again in 2017, and Ron Hainsey becomes the first player acquired in the trade web to win the Cup with the acquiring team. The 2nd round pick was moved again before the 2017 draft.

While the Penguins were winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, 2012 8th overall pick Derrick Pouliot was trying to make his mark in the NHL. He struggled to do so as other defensemen passed him on the depth chart and he managed only 11 NHL games in the 2016-2017 season. In the summer of 2017, the Penguins decided it was time to move on. They found a willing trade partner in the Vancouver Canucks and received Andrey Pedan and a 2018 4th round pick in exchange for the plateauing defenseman.

The Original Misfits

The Vegas Golden Knights inaugural season was in 2017-2018. With the expansion draft in June of 2017, the Golden Knights made their mark on the NHL quickly with a smattering of trades surrounding the expansion draft.

Vegas was ruthless in their approach ahead of the expansion draft, infamously making numerous trades for ‘Expansion Draft Considerations’ to allow other teams to protect additional players from selection during the expansion process. One such trade ties into the trade web, and lands a roster player on another future cup winning roster. In exchange for Expansion Draft Considerations and a 2018 4th round pick, the Florida Panthers traded Reilly Smith to Vegas.

The Golden Knights weren’t done after the expansion draft either. They acquired more NHL caliber players during the expansion process than they could keep on their roster for opening night, so they followed up the expansion draft with more trades to offload their extra assets. Once again, once such transaction ties into the trade web as the Golden Knights shipped Trevor van Reimsdyk to Carolina along with a 2018 7th round pick in exchange for the 2017 2nd round pick that Carolina acquired in the Ron Hainsey trade. They used that 2nd round pick to select Jake Leschyshyn.