Many ice hockey fans continue to look forward to the NHL trade deadline and look at what their teams do during the period. Of course, there are some that will use the period to try and strengthen their chances of winning the Stanley Cup, with some of the favorites having certainly decided to use it to their advantage.
Teams such as the Colorado Avalanche (+400) and the Florida Panthers (+600), who are both ranked as the main favorites via the use of the NHL Vegas odds that have been made available, have decided to go all-out in their pursuit for the prestigious title, with many believing that they have been winners in this trade period.
However, there are fans that will have been left disappointed by what their teams have done and, perhaps, more by the fact that they were not able to achieve certain things such as acquiring improvements.
This article will look at some of the biggest 2022 NHL trade deadline winners and losers, and explain why the teams chosen can be ranked within those categories. Let’s begin with the winners:
Colorado Avalanche – winners
As mentioned, the Colorado Avalanche are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year and they decided to go all out when it came to the trade deadline. They may have missed out on Claude Giroux, but they did get Artturi Lehkonen for a second-round pick and a prospect.
Lehkonen was impressive for the Montreal Canadiens and was a star on a team that has been poor since last season’s losing Stanley Cup appearance. Many believe he – alongside Josh Manson and Andrew Cogliano – gives Colorado an elite level of depth that they can use to push on with their pursuit of glory.
Florida Panthers – winners
The Avalanche’s biggest challengers, the Florida Panthers, also had a winning trade deadline, as they managed to win the Giroux sweepstakes, whilst also spending rather low to get the player that was most wanted.
They showed they were prepared to be aggressive as well, as they also added Ben Chiarot from the Canadiens, which will add some vital depth and quality to its squad in order to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
Anaheim Ducks – winners
The Anaheim Ducks were impressive as sellers in this year’s deadline, as they acquired seven draft picks, with six of those being first- or second-round picks. Furthermore, they gained a number of prospects.
On Pat Verbeek’s first trade deadline as the new GM, he did rather well!
Montreal Canadiens – winners
Despite losing big names in Chiarot, Lehkonen, Brett Kulak, and Andrew Hammond, the Canadiens can hold their heads high as winners as they were able to stockpile a number of future picks.
The team certainly needs to undergo a rebuild after a calamitous year, and by obtaining two first-round picks and two second-round picks, as well as a couple of prospects, they have positioned themselves well in future drafts.
Which teams lost?
There are a number of teams that lost in the NHL trade deadline, including the following:
Carolina Hurricanes – loser
One of the betting favorites thought to be in the hunt for the Stanley Cup this season, the Carolina Hurricanes appeared to be a loser by the end of the trade deadline.
The team is in the Eastern Conference, and whilst they added Max Domi, they saw the likes of Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Boston Bruins all get better, thus making their chances perhaps a little at risk.
Vegas Golden Knights – loser
Unfortunately, the mess that the Vegas Golden Knights have gotten themselves into in regard to the salary cap was always going to make the team a loser, as it meant they were restricted in what they could do. Of course, other teams in the Western Conference decided to take advantage and further strengthened themselves.
Vegas has been incredibly unlucky with injuries throughout the season which is far from ideal whilst the situation involving the void transaction between the Ducks and them for Evgenii Dadonov to go to California and a second-round pick just highlighted how much of a mess they are in.
Verdict
Of course, there were other teams that could have perhaps featured on the list of winners and losers following the fallout of the NHL trade deadline, but those mentioned above have to be considered the biggest in each category.