With the NHL trade deadline on Friday, Shayna Goldman of The Athletic is providing instant analysis on the major moves as they happen.
Deadline resources: Trade board
Guentzel gives Hurricanes exactly what they need
Hurricanes get: | F Jake Guentzel |
D Ty Smith | |
Penguins get: | Conditional 2024 first-round draft pick |
Conditional 2024 fifth-round draft pick | |
F Michael Bunting | |
F Ville Koivunen | |
F Vasily Ponomarev | |
F Cruz Lucius | |
(retain 25 percent of Guentzel’s salary) |
One way to fix a team’s issues in oomph-per-60? Add the best player available on the market. In Jake Guentzel, the Hurricanes brought in exactly what they need: an elite forward with finishing talent.
There are some question marks about his game, primarily what he will look like without Sidney Crosby at his side. But over the years, Guentzel has continued to show the value he brings to that combination: an ability to keep up with top talent, a knack for driving to the scoring areas, shooting talent and solid playmaking. This is exactly the kind of swing the Hurricanes need in order to take their success to the next level when it matters most.
The most glaring detail of the return? Pittsburgh did not get a guaranteed first-rounder, and the conditions of that pick are interesting. If the Hurricanes do not reach the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins instead get the Flyers’ second-round pick (previously acquired by Carolina). If somehow Philadelphia drops out of the playoff race and Carolina falls short in the second round, the value of those picks may not be that different. It could be a difference between pick No. 28 and No. 36. But if Philadelphia does reach the postseason, that second-round pick is even less valuable.
It looks like the Penguins went for quantity over quality with this return for their No. 1 trade asset, which definitely is risky. Prospects all carry an element of uncertainty that the team is betting on. The further out a player is from the No. 1 or No. 2 rating in a pipeline, the more that uncertainty heightens. Maybe Michael Bunting will have better luck in Pittsburgh to help the team in the interim, but he was surprisingly not a fit in Carolina.
Duclair gets fresh start with Lightning
To Lightning: | F Anthony Duclair |
2025 seventh-round draft pick | |
To Sharks: | D Jack Thompson |
2024 third-round draft pick |
A change of scenery could be exactly what Anthony Duclair needs. San Jose just has not agreed with him enough, and the environment may be what dragged him down. The Sharks are obviously not near being a playoff team, and his primary linemates went from being the Panthers’ top forwards to the Sharks’ Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Granlund. That decline in linemates may explain why the winger has struggled so much this season. Not only is his scoring down but so are several key areas he tends to thrive in at five-on-five: zone entries, scoring chances off the rush, primary shot assists to set up his teammates, and high-danger passes.
The Lightning just need to put Duclair in a position to succeed. He really isn’t built to drive his own line, but he can be a great threat with the right caliber of support around him. If that can add some scoring depth outside of Nikita Kucherov’s line, Tampa Bay will be in a better position down the stretch and potentially into the playoffs.
Duclair’s down season came at a tough time for the player and his team. But a third-round pick plus Jack Thompson seems pretty fair for someone bound to play middle-six minutes on the Lightning.
Avalanche add more depth with Trenin
To Avalanche: | F Yakov Trenin |
rights to D Graham Sward | |
To Predators: | 2025 third-round draft pick |
D Jeremy Hanzel |
With Yakov Trenin, Colorado adds two key elements: forward depth and lineup flexibility. That is exactly what the Avalanche need to support their elite core. Trenin’s ability to slot down the middle gives the team more lineup options to shake things up. He’s a capable…
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