The Jeff Petry Trade Web: Part 3 – Three Way Trades

The 2017-2018 season saw more big names find new homes via the trade market with some ties into the Jeff Petry trade web. In Part 3, we’ll look at the 2017-2018 season.

If you missed the previous posts in the Jeff Petry Trade Web series, you can find them here:

Trade Request Granted

The Colorado Avalanche put up a measly 48 points in the 2016-2017 season in the midst of a full rebuild. Selected 3rd overall in 2019, Matt Duchene was entering his prime and wanted to play postseason hockey. That prompted a trade request from the forward prior to the 2017 trade deadline. The Avs were in no hurry to move Duchene though, and it took until November of 2017 for them to find a suitable deal.

Fresh off an appearance in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, the Nashville Predators were looking for the missing piece that could bring them a Stanley Cup. The Ottawa Senators were also looking for the missing link after bowing out in the second round to the eventual champion Penguins the previous spring.

The three teams priorities aligned and they engaged in a three way trade. Colorado sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa while the Senators sent Kyle Turris to Nashville. The Avalanche received seven pieces combined from the Preds and Sens in return, including three draft picks (2018 2nd, 2019 1st, 2019 3rd) that we’ll see more of later in the trade web as well as future Stanley Cup Champion Sam Girard.

Penguins Eye a Three-peat

December 2017 also saw the Martin Hanzal thread we started in Part 2 continue. The Arizona Coyotes packaged the 2019 4th round pick acquired in the Hanzal trade with Michael Leighton in a trade with the two time defending champion Penguins. The Coyotes received Josh Archibald, Sean Maguire, and a 2019 6th round pick in return.

The Penguins would hold onto the 2019 4th round pick for a mere two months before it was traded for a third time. In January, the Penguins traded the pick to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.

With their eye on a three-peat, The Pens weren’t done loading up and a deal from the 2018 trade deadline lands in the web as well. We find another three team trade as the Penguins acquired Derick Brassard, along with Vincent Dunn (not Vince Dunn), Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 3rd round pick, with an eye on another championship. The Senators were the other main player, receiving Ian Cole, Filip Gustavsson, a 2018 1st round pick and a 2019 3rd round pick. The Vegas Golden Knights acted as a broker, retaining 40% of Brassard cap hit and receiving Ryan Reaves and the 2018 4th round pick previously acquired by the Pens in the Derek Pouliot trade for their trouble.

One Big Loose End

There was one more massive trade during the 2017-2018 season that ties into the trade web. On February 25, 2018, the New York Rangers traded pending UFA Rick Nash to the Boston Bruins. In exchange, they received Matt Belesky, Ryan Spooner, Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 1st round pick and a 2019 7th round pick.

It was a big trade that had a profound impact on future NHL rosters, as we’ll see further into the Jeff Petry trade web. Yet there’s a big asterisk. Nash was in the final year of the 8 year contract extension he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009. Under team control throughout, the trade web should continue through the trade sending Nash to New York from Columbus in 2012 if we follow the guidelines I set out at the outset. However, the Jeff Petry trade web is already rather unwieldly and the CBJ to NYR Rick Nash trade tree is another monster. Perhaps there’s a prequel to the Jeff Petry trade web there. In the meantime, Steve Dangle’s Rick Nash trade tree will have to suffice.

Jeff Petry Trade Web: Part 3 Summary

We followed four separate threads in Part 3, including 2 new ones. The Martin Hanzal and Derek Pouliot threads continued, while Matt Duchene and Rick Nash provided new origin threads.