Flyers Trade Deadline Recap

It was an extremely quiet deadline for Ron Hextall and the Flyers, as their only real move was extending free-agent-to-be Michael Raffl for three more years.

Let's take a look at some of the moves they didn't make:

Brayden Schenn

Do you think Schenner was happy to stay in Philly? After months of rumors about his future in Philly, Baby Schenn made it through the deadline and will likely make it to the end of the season as a restricted free agent. He celebrated himself not being traded by potting a hatty on Monday night against the Flames.

Negotiations this summer will be tense, to be sure, but Schenn's established his place in the team's future plans. I'll be shocked if they don't come to an agreement. If money turns out to be too much of an issue, they can let him sign an offer sheet and get a first- and third-round pick as compensation.

But we made it through the deadline without trading Schenn to Tampa Bay (with picks/prospects) for Jonathan Drouin, and I'm calling that a win.

Nick Schultz & Andrew MacDonald

It was a pipe dream to think we were going to be able to get rid of both (or either) of these two. MacDonald, especially, is preposterously overpaid. He'll be in Philly (or Lehigh Valley) until his deal expires in 2058.

I don't hate Schultz's game - someone has to be gritty, and someone has to kill penalties. I wish we had a better partner for him than the aging Mark Streit, but that's how the chips have fallen this year.

Sam Gagner and Evgeny Medvedev

The two unrestricted free agents were likely on the trading block as potential rentals, but it's most likely that teams weren't willing to give up enough to entice Hextall. The Flyers do have a shot at the playoffs - though it's slight - and it wasn't worth punting on that chance for something like a pair of fourth round picks.

At worst, Gagner and Medvedev are above-average injury fill-ins. At best, they can contribute in the top six forwards and top four defensemen. Why would we lose that for basically nothing?

In Ron we trust, and without knowing what happened behind closed doors I'm going to have to consider this a win for him too.

Mark Streit

If Luke Schenn and Vinny Lecavalier were still in town, Streit's contract would have been a must-trade this weekend. But they're in LA, so the Flyers have the cap flexibility to afford the final year of Streit's $5.25 million contract.

I've said all along that I think having a veteran presence around will benefit our young defensemen. Gostisbehere, though he was initially called up due to Streit's genital injury, has certainly not been hurt by learning from a 20-year veteran who used to play a similar kind of game. I actually enjoy the Streit-Gostisbehere pairing that has been happening on the top powerplay unit. It would be nice to see them spend more time together at even strength, because I think they complement each other well.

If all goes well, Travis Sanheim will similarly benefit from Streit's tutelage and Ivan Provorov will be better than Streit ever was.

And, like Gagner and Medvedev, if the return was going to be a shitty draft pick, why lose a tangible benefit like Streit's locker room presence for a future AHLer?

For teams like the Canucks and Lightning, standing pat at the deadline was probably a mistake. Vancouver is headed for the bottom and could have accelerated that process, and Tampa is headed for the top with a prime trade chip sitting at home on his couch. They could have each improved their outlook, and they chose not to.

The Flyers' outlook is bright enough as it is, and there wasn't much more Ron Hextall could have done. Now, the focus on Philly is the Wild Card standings. Here's where we are at this point:

I'll see you guys at The Farg on Thursday for Manning-McDavid round two. 

My Flyers Trade Deadline Wish List Part 2

If you missed part one of my wish list, here's a link. I can break it down for you pretty simply:

• I think we should keep Sam Gagner
• I think we should keep Radko Gudas
• I think we should trade Evgeny Medvedev, and he should net at least a second round pick
• If we can take on an expiring contract in the Medvedev trade to create some cap room for the other team, that would be worth it if we can get more picks or prospects

Did I miss any big names that are in the Flyers' pool of players that might be shipped out this weekend? 

Is there anybody that you guys can think of?

STREIT SNIPE pic.twitter.com/3xmclz5kWR

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) February 26, 2016

Oh yeah, it's our veteran puck-moving defenseman that we've been talking about trading for like a full calendar year at this point.

I wanted to break Streit out into his own post, because it's a lot more complicated than just comparing his measurables to other defensemen that were recently traded. Because all of them - Harrison, Larsen, Weber, and Polak - have contracts that expire this summer.

Streit, as we know, is due $4 million cash next year on a $5.25 million cap hit.

That complicates things, and it probably craters Streit's return for Ron Hextall. But, as they tend to do this time of year, teams are calling to inquire about the offensively-gifted blueliner.

@BarstoolJordie from Friedman's AMA pic.twitter.com/jcYj8xqLDT

— Jay (@jaylike) February 22, 2016

So if the plan is to try to dump Streit's money from the books next year, Hexy should be able to make moves. But there are a lot of questions surrounding the deal, so let's go a little more in depth:

Should We Just Keep Him Around?

There's something to be said for a steady veteran presence in the locker room, especially when the blue line may include rookies Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, and Sam Morin next year. Look at Edmonton - you can't just have a bunch of young talents in a room and expect them to succeed.

Because the Flyers' cap issues will be somewhat alleviated next year, it might be worth the $5 million to keep Alternate Captain Streit around to help mold the youngsters.

Why The Fuck Would We Keep Him Around??

I can, however, see the case against keeping Streit. He's old, he's noticeably slower, and we're going to be stuck with a huge cap hit next year for an old, slow defenseman as he limps to retirement. He's also going to take a roster spot from one of our five blueline prospects.

Can We Get Anything For Him?

Based on the comparables from the past few days' trades, if Streit was expiring this summer he'd be worth a second or third round pick.

But that's not the case, and the cap hit next year means he's worth less than if he was expiring.  Is it worth losing Streit for something like a fourth or fifth round pick?

Verdict

I'm deferring to Hextall here. I think their are pros and cons on both sides, and I really just trust Ron's judgment.

If I had to pick a side in the fight, I'd say we keep him. Hockey, like a lot of sports, seems to require a veteran locker room presence. That's why Kimmo Timonen fetched a pair of second round picks even though his legs were broken.

And it's why we should keep Mark Streit on as an alternate captain and a mentor for the Big Five.

My Official Flyers Trade Deadline Wish List

Today is the last work day before the NHL Trade Deadline Day. There are a lot of question marks for the Flyers going into this weekend, and there are a few comparable trades we can look at to gauge the market. To recap:

Blackhawks receive: F Andrew Ladd, two warm bodies to stash in the minors

Jets receive: F Marko Dano, 2016 1st round pick, conditional 2018 3rd round pick

That was the big trade for yesterday in the forward rental market. Guys like Loui Eriksson, Radim Vrbata, and Sam Gagner will fetch less of a return. But with Ladd's trade setting the bar so high, any high-level forward rental should fetch a decent return in terms of picks and prospects.

 Canucks receive: D Philip Larsen

Oilers receive:  2017 5th round pick

 This is about as meaningless a trade as anyone can possibly make. Larsen doesn't even have a HERO chart on HockeyViz (editor's note: because he plays in the KHL), and a 5th round pick in next year's draft is about as worthless as draft picks come. To put on my analyst hat, I imagine this is just Vancouver acquiring a warm body to fill Dan Hamhuis' skates when the trade him (editor's note: nope, probably just taking a flier on a Euro prospect).

Capitals receive: D Mike Weber

 Sabres receive: 2017 3rd round pick

This is a step up from the Larsen trade, but it's definitely not a big step. A third rounder, while it may turn into Shayne Gostisbehere, will more likely turn into nothing. Mike Weber is pretty much nothing, he gets paid $2 million with a cap hit of $1.6 million, and his contract expires this summer:
:

And that's it for the past few days. Obviously, you would expect the activity level to skyrocket now that Ladd has found a new home. This is the time of the year where Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger earn their keep (and their Twitter followers). 

We have comparables for cheap bottom-pairing defensemen and for top-six wingers, so let's take a look at what we can expect for some names that are on the block in Philly. 

Forward Sam Gagner

Gagner is the closest the Flyers can come to Andrew Ladd in the forward rental market. He's clearly not as talented or as experienced, but - as we've seen the past week or so - he has the skill to contribute as a top-nine winger. 

It would be extremely unrealistic to expect a return like Winnipeg's. If I were a Maple Leafs fan, maybe I'd suggest we trade Gagner to the Devils for prospect Pavel Zacha and a first round pick. 

But since I'm not an idiot, I'd expect less than half of Ladd's return if Hextall shipped Gagner out. He's not proven in the playoffs, he's a significantly smaller player, and the playoffs tend to value size over hands. 

That potential return, coupled with the recent emergence of the Schenn-Gagner duo, makes me question if we should trade Gagner at all. Yes, it'd be nice to net another second- or third-round pick. But he's contributing as a top six forward now, and he's going to provide a lot of lineup flexibility when Claude Giroux returns from his concussion. 

Verdict: Don't trade him. Let's ride out the year, make a push for the Wild Card, and see if Sammer (new nickname) will take a hometown discount to play with his boy Brayden for a few more years. 

Defenseman Radko Gudas

My biggest point with Gudas is the NHL's RFA compensation rules - if someone tries to sign him away from us this summer, they have to send a draft pick back:

• $1.2 - 1.8 million = 3rd round pick
• $1.8 - 3.6 million = 2nd round pick
• $3.6 - 5.5 million = 1st and 3rd round picks
• $5.5 - 7.3 million = 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks

Gudas probably would net at least a third rounder, but I wouldn't be shocked if he squeezed a contract in the second rounder range. So, at a minimum, we're looking to get more than a second round pick for him. 

People seemed shocked that he was apparently almost traded for a pair of second round picks. He's a cheap, physical, valuable blueliner. He obviously needs some work around the edges (okay, fine, a lot of work around the edges), but he was a legitimate top pairing defenseman when he played with Michael Del Zotto. 

His three-year HERO chart paints the picture of a defenseman who is plays high-event hockey and generates a lot of primary assists. Toss in the fact that he's a restricted free agent and his value is probably even higher than those two seconds. 

Verdict: Don't trade him. As my Twitter friend Bill Matz always says, you need a thumper. Gudas is cheap, mean, and he complements our top d-man nicely. Let's look for a 2-3 year deal in the $2-3 million range this summer. 

Defenseman Evgeny Medvedev

Meddy doesn't have a HERO chart because he's a rookie and he's use so sparingly (sigh). So I traveled to Corsica  to look at some numbers (all numbers at 5v5 to factor out Ghost's powerplay numbers): 

• Of Flyers defensemen sans Andrew MacDonald, Medvedev has the highest Corsi For Percentage (52.68%) and the second-highest Fenwick For Percentage (51.79%) 
• Of those same regular Flyers defensemen, Medvedev's Expected Goals For Per 60 is the highest (2.82), even ahead of Shayne Gostisbehere (2.53)
• To demonstrate that he's not just a high-event defenseman, I will also add that Medvedev's Expected Goals For Percentage (50.84%) leads all regular Flyers defenseman. To reiterate: Meddy's play would lead you to believe the Flyers should outscore opponents when he's on the ice, even though the team has a goal differential of -15 for the year. 
• Medvedev's Actual Goals For Percentage (55.32%) is second on the team behind Gostisbehere (59.57%)
• In his own zone, Meddy's  Fenwick Against Per 60 (41.70) is smack in the middle of the Flyers blueliners

Let me make my own HERO chart:

• Usage: criminally underused, both in terms of healthy scratches and ice time
• Point generation: about as good as it gets on the Flyers
• Possession: about as good as it gets on the Flyers
• Suppression: decidedly not as good as his generation

Verdict: Trade him. It's really easy to see that his defensive zone issues aren't going to work for coach Dave Hakstol, and at 33 he's old enough to not really develop his game any further. I think the list of NHL teams who could use an offensively-gifted blueliner is just about all of them, and I'd think the return for Weber means Medvedev is worth at least a second round pick. 

The other big piece of  Medvedev trade: the Flyers have about $4.8 million in cap space, and Medvedev's $3 million would bump that number up to $7.8 million. Obviously, we don't want to take on any long-term money. But if a team in the hunt needed to dump an expiring contract to bring on Medvedev, Ron Hextall is in a position to take some salary back to sweeten the pot. 

Jonathan Drouin To The Avs Might Make Sense

In honor of the upcoming Avalanche-Red Wings alumni game, I thought it would be interesting to see if Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman - who captained those teams for quite a while - would be able to make a blockbuster deal at the NHL trade deadline.

Sakic, of course, played his entire career in the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise and captained the Avs for the first fifteen years of their existence. Yzerman, similarly, played his whole NHL career in Detroit, where he served as captain from 1986 to 2006.

The Sakic-Yzerman era Avs-Wings rivalry is among the best in sports history. As far as my sports-watching lifetime goes, it's up there with Yankees-Red Sox and Duke-UNC.

And now, in 2016, Sakic and Yzerman find themselves in prominent roles in NHL front offices. Sakic is the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Avalanche, and Yzerman is the General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning.



Yzerman has been dealing with the much-publicized Jonathan Drouin situation, and has recently expressed a desire to move Drouin before next Monday's deadline. That makes sense to me - with Steven Stamkos' future in the air, the Lightning are best served making an all-out push for this year's playoffs.

Lots of teams seem to be in the market for Drouin, naturally, because he's a former third overall pick who very plainly just needs a change of scenery. I'd imagine that Yzerman has his choice of just about every team in the league as a trade partner.

Why wouldn't he consider doing business with his old rival in Colorado, and shipping Drouin out to the Western Conference Avalanche?

The move would seem to make sense for the Avs. Drouin, age 20, would project to hit his prime around the same time as forwards Gabriel Landeskog (23), Matt Duchene (25), and Nathan MacKinnon (20). Granted, the Avs could definitely use some reinforcements on defense beyond Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie. But another blue-chip offensive talent like Drouin would turn their top two forward lines into a nightmare. 

So, how could the Avs acquire Drouin? 

Tampa has made it clear that they want help on defense, specifically someone who is offensively-inclined and can contribute on the powerplay. Here's who Colorado has available, and how they might fit in Tampa (numbers via General Fanager and Corsica):

Name	Age	Cap Hit	Years Left	Avg TOI	Rel CF%	Points/60	PPP/60
Erik Johnson	27	3.75 / 6	7 (UFA)	16.8	-0.65	0.93	2.43
Francois Beauchemin	35	4.5	2 (UFA)	17.8	-1.88	0.75	3.38
Tyson Barrie	24	2.6	0 (RFA)	17.9	0.35	0.85	5.72
Nick Holden	28	1.65	2 (UFA)	17.7	1.32	0.75	0.91
Chris Bigras	21	0.843	2 (RFA)	12.4	-1.22	0.25	-
Zach Redmond	27	0.75	0 (UFA)	11.8	2.37	0.73	-
Andrew Bodnarchuk	27	0.65	0 (UFA)	12.6	-3.70	0.62	-
Nikita Zadorov	20	0.894	2 (RFA)	15.5	-0.33	0.48	-

For reference, Tampa's two best defensemen are Victor Hedman (1.61 P/60, 3.67 PPP/60) and Anton Stralman (1.22 P/60, 3.03 PPP/60). 

Barrie is clearly the Avs' best defenseman, but he's also their future on the back end and so he's probably off-limits for any sort of trade. That's a shame, because any sort of Drouin trade would have to include him going to Tampa. 

Let's pretend, for one second, that Tampa is really desperate for another defenseman that can handle the puck and contribute on the power play. Does Francois Beauchemin make sense if it would allow them to get out from under Matt Carle's $5.5m AAV? Beauchemin and Carle both expire after the 2017-18 season, but Carle contributes almost nothing offensively (0.17 P/60). 

Colorado receives: Jonathan Drouin, Matt Carle

Tampa Bay receives: Francois Beauchemin, Colorado's 2016 1st round pick 

Which team says no?

Tampa improves their blue line and gets (a little bit) less expensive, all without increasing anyone's long-term money. They get a veteran presence that fits a big need for this year's playoff run. They also net a mid-first round pick, which should allow them to nicely restock their prospect pool post-Drouin. They also keep Drouin out of the Eastern Conference, which can't be understated - could you imagine how heartbreaking it would be for Boston fans to have to play against Tyler Seguin four times a year?

Colorado gets the prize of the trade in Drouin, but loses their second- or third-best defenseman in the process and gets a warm, overpaid body to replace him. To me, this deal would hinge on how Avs fans and management feel about young defensemen Bigras, Zadorov, Duncan Siemans, Brandon Gormley, Nate Guerin, and Mason Geertsen. Maybe Tampa could send back a mid-level defensive prospect like Anthony DeAngelo or Slater Koekkoek to balance the scales for Sakic.

Will this happen? Absolutely not.

Did I successfully just waste most of the morning? You bet your ass I did.

Leafs Fans Have Some Interesting Trade Deadline Predictions

Let’s play a game. Try and predict a trade that will occur in the next 6 days. The teams and all the pieces involved. Use #PSGPredict.

— Platinum Seat Ghosts (@3rdPeriodSuits) February 23, 2016

I think this Platinum Seat Ghosts is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and his name is not in any way a Shayne Gostisbehere reference. That's a little weird because the word "Ghost" in any sort of context should be referencing the Flyers' rookie blueliner. But, for whatever reason, he's using the word to mean something other than what we care about. Fine, live your own life I guess.

The responses to his tweet this morning are an interesting cross-section of Hockey Twitter. Obviously, the vast majority of people who follow PSG (and would be responding to this tweet) are crazy hockey fans. They come from different cities and root for different teams, but all of Hockey Twitter shares a love for crazy, senseless, boiling hot takes.

@3rdPeriodSuits #PSGPredict Kevin Shattenkirk will become a Leaf

— Michael Do Couto (@TheRealDoCouto) February 23, 2016

Twitter in a nutshell. No reasoning behind it, no logical way for it to happen, nothing the Leafs can offer St. Louis to make it worth their time. But let's bring the best potential defenseman on the market  (who is actually probably off the market at this point) to my home team and fucking make a run!

God I'm going to hate the Leafs so much in two years when they're good.

@3rdPeriodSuits Parenteau for bickell, scuderi, dano, 1st 2016, 2nd 2017. Then Chi has cap space for ladd or staal #PSGPredict

— Dave bice (@davebice_leafs) February 23, 2016

I guess the logic behind this kind of makes sense. Chicago could add Parenteau to their middle six, then add Ladd/Staal to their top line, and be a prohibitive favorite to win the Stanley Cup this year.

But come the fuck on, Leafs fans, they aren't going to give up their best prospect and two solid picks for a crappy winger on a one year contract. This trade would also leave the Hawks without anything left to trade to actually acquire Ladd or Staal.

@3rdPeriodSuits Parenteau to NYI for the 2016 2nd #PSGPredict

— Max Homie (@50_MissionCap) February 23, 2016

This is a much more reasonable return for Parenteau. Good job, Max.

@3rdPeriodSuits PA Parenteau to New Jersey for Mackenzie Blackwood. #PSGPredict

— Tyrannosaurus Ricks (@RickC1983) February 23, 2016

God damnit! Does this person think that New Jersey would send their goalie of the future back to Toronto - who is now managed by the man who ditched NJ - for a rental in a year where they have no realistic shot of making any noise in the playoffs?

I mean, yeah, obviously it'd be nice to turn an aging player on an expiring deal into a goalie prospect to replace the hot mess they currently have in Toronto, but this guy might as well have suggested a Parenteau for Lundqvist swap.

@3rdperiodsuits JvR to the Hawks for Bickell, Dano, and a 1st. #PSGPredict

— Damon (@Baseball_Damon) February 23, 2016

The trend I'm seeing out of Maple Leafs Twitter is they're supremely overvaluing P.A. Parenteau. He's 32. He's never scored more than 20 goals in a season. He's been declining since 2011.

JVR is a much more interesting candidate. He's just 26, he's under contract until 2018, and he'd be a 30 goal/60 point guy if he could stay healthy. I just don't think he's a good fit for the Hawks because his cap hit is upwards of $4 million. He's probably more valuable to the Leafs if they keep him for their rebuild, to be honest.

The one big intangible with JVR is the fact that he's a #FormerFlyer. That's something that can't be measured on the ice during the actual game, but it carries a lot of weight with the Hockey Gods, and it means he's probably going to eventually win a Cup.

@3rdPeriodSuits Oilers fail to get anything resembling decent value for their rental players after waiting until last minute #PSGPredict

— Lawrence Alexander (@LD10) February 23, 2016

Yes please, I would like to see this happen.

#PSGPredict Kadri to St.Louis in return for Parayko, 1st round pick 2016 and 3rd round pick 2017

— David Papais (@DPapais) February 23, 2016

Elliotte Friedman mentioned the idea of Kadri to St. Louis yesterday in his Reddit AMA. Kadri is 25, and a restricted free agent this summer. He figures to get an offer sheet that's in the range of compensation which awards a 1st and 3rd round pick. So, at a minimum, he should net a first and a third at the deadline.

Throwing Parayko into the mix is interesting - he was drafted in the third round and has developed almost as well as a third-round defenseman can (see #53 in Philadelphia). I'd guess there's no chance that the Blues give up both picks plus Parayko - but what if the offer goes to Parayko and the 3rd rounder?

Kadri for Fabbri and a 2nd #PSGPredict

— Chief (@_McGill_76) February 23, 2016

 This is along the same lines, and if St. Louis wants to really challenge Chicago this year, I think they should consider upgrading Fabbri. It'll hurt long term when Fabbri is a stud on a cheap deal in Toronto, but there's no doubt Kadri could slide nicely into their top six.

The Leafs don't make another trade #PSGPredict

— Jesse Turner (@Jessturr) February 23, 2016

This is an option that most Leafs fans are not considering.

@3rdPeriodSuits Ladd to NYR for Mcilrath, Buchnevich and 2016 1st. #PSGPredict

— David Maurstad (@davedrivesbus) February 23, 2016

I will bet you one million dollars that David is a Rangers fan.

(Checks his timeline)

Well consider my mind blown, because it looks like he's a Jets fan. What? How? Why would he be content with a late first round pick, a thug defenseman, and a Russian prospect whose KHL team has expressed desires to extend his contract and keep him there? Ladd is the best rental chip available on the market, and they'd be getting like a 50% chance at nothing for him.

Reminder: hockey fans everywhere are the worst. I love reading through the CrossingBroad comment section for all of the hot takes, but sometimes I question if people are actually as dumb as they seem online.

This blog alleviated that a bit for me, because Leafs fans might even be dumber than Flyers fans.

-

(Update: PSG tweeted a link to this blog, so this will likely be our most-viewed post in months - please let me know how you initially found it, if you're reading this. I feel like I should just clarify one point:

This wasn't a Leafs fan hit piece, just more of an observation that every fan base has the "Trade Giroux" or "Trade Subban" or "PA Parenteau Is Worth A First And Dano" or "Crosby Is A Good Captain" group. Not everyone can be the type of fan that focuses on possession and exit/entry metrics and things that we generally associate with "smart" hockey fans. 

The question in the original tweet was posed from a Leafs blog, and obviously most of the responses were Leafs-centric. It was nice to see that it's not just Flyers fans that may not have realistic hopes or opinions on the internet - but it's also not just Leafs fans, either. That's the takeaway, I guess. We're all kind of dumb. 

But I still hate you, though, Leafs fans. And I hope Stamkos signs with Buffalo this summer.)

Let's Look At The NHL Trading Block

As everyone in the world of hockey media turns their attention to the February 29th NHL trade deadline, loads of information will be flying in all directions. Trading blocks, team needs, injuries, and losing streaks will all lead to hundreds of blogs and columns about possible roster moves.

TSN's Frank Seravelli conveniently examined every team's current roster looking to find needs and surpluses for each NHL team. I'm going to classify everything into pools, and then we'll try to see how we can get Andrew MacDonald or RJ Umberger out of Philly before the end of the month.

(Spoiler alert: we won't, but let's take a look anyway.)

Pool A: Not Going To Make Any Significant Moves

Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues

Whether because they're pretty set for the future (Arizona) or they just need their current team to be healthy and click (New York and St. Louis) or they have the best goalie in the world but he's hurt (Montreal), Frank doesn't expect these four teams to make too much noise in the coming weeks.

That's a bit surprising, as the Blues were always thought to be a player in the Jonathan Drouin sweepstakes and the Islanders' Travis Hamonic requested a trade earlier this year.

Pool B: Selling Off Assets 

Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets

Just going off of the names Seravelli listed, here's the pool of players that are available to our potential buyers. I organized them based on HERO Charts (forwards here and defensemen here), so yes Mark Streit is most certainly a top-pairing defensemen and your favorite team should absolutely give up a first round pick for him.

Top Line Forwards: Scott Hartnell, Radim Vrbata, Andrew Ladd 

Depth Forwards: Tyler Ennis, Jamie McGinn, David Legwand, David Jones, Jiri Hudler, Teddy Purcell, PA Parenteau, Shawn Matthias, Alex Burrows 

Top Pairing Defensemen: Cody Franson, Mark Streit, Dan Hamhuis, Jacob Trouba 

Depth Defensemen: Kris Russell, Dennis Wideman, Fedor Tyutin, Justin Schultz, Eric Gryba, Evgeny Medvedev, Roman Polak

I won't lie, it'd be tough to sell a fan base on Vrbata, Franson, or Streit being the starting-caliber reinforcement necessary for a deep playoff run. But behind Hartnell, Ladd, and Hamhuis there isn't going to be a ton of talent available.

The first chip to fall is Ladd - Winnipeg wants to get as much as possible for him, and that will set the market for Vrbata and then Hartnell. Hartsy, to be honest, has a horrible fucking albatross contract and will probably be impossible to move.

Should the Ladd trade never happen, a Trouba trade probably would. That would set the market for the rest of the defensemen that are available.

So the ball's in Winnipeg's court for now, and then I'd expect Vancouver to sell their pair of assets shortly thereafter.

Pool B2: Haven't Realized They Have To Sell Off Assets Yet

Carolina Hurricanes

Hey 'Canes, you have two great potential trade assets in Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner, and you have a killer defensive core on the horizon. Ship Staal/Skinner out to some of the teams in the next category and bring back some young talent for the next ten years.

Pool C: Looking To Add Forwards

Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins

Here's who Frank expects to be in the Ladd discussion (and then, after that, the Vrbata and Hartnell discussions and so on down the line): Ducks, Hawks, Panthers, Preds. The idea of Ladd going to any of the first three would terrify me if I had to play against them in the playoffs. They're already three of the 6-8 best teams in the league, and they actually have the room to add a player like Ladd? Gosh, that must be an incredible feeling.

As for the Wild, Rangers, Senators, and Penguins, I get the sense that they're looking to make smaller, less-splashy moves to retool their current cores and maybe add some young depth.

The most interesting piece of Seravelli's post to me was the idea that Columbus might try to ship Hartnell to (their partner in the Ryan Johansen-Seth Jones deal) Nashville. The front office familiarity is there, Hartnell has played well for Nashville coach Peter Laviolette in the past, and anything Columbus could take back to alleviate their cap situation would be beneficial.

Pool C2: Haven't Committed To Buying Yet, But Will

New Jersey Devils

After they beat the Flyers tonight, the Devils will leapfrog the Islanders for the third Metro playoff spot. They don't have a ton of assets to work with, but according to Seravelli, GM Ray Shero would look to add some forward depth to replace some of the elderly players he currently has.

Pool D: Looking To Add Defensemen

Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals

The teams that are in play for the Hamhuis/Trouba/Streit/Franson class of blueliners seem to be Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Tampa. I can see a situation where Trouba goes to Boston, Hamhuis goes to LA, Franson goes to Dallas, and the Flyers are stuck with Mark Streit for another year.

As for the teams that are looking for less flashy defensive help, see above - there is a ton of blueline depth available at the deadline, and it's a good time to need a second- or third-pairing type of player. There's a ton of supply, and so teams like Washington and Detroit should be able to get even better.

Give Up, You're Dead, Sell At The Trade Deadline (Part II: West)

Yesterday, I examined which pending free agents would make the best trade deadline rentals from the Eastern Conference (link here). Today, let's look at the Western Conference, where I've determined that the Predators, Wild, Jets, Coyotes, Canucks, and Flames are all dead.

So, let's look to the West to see who can join Eric Staal, Loui Eriksson, Kris Versteeg, Sam Gagner, Jean-Michael Liles, Andrei Markov, and Evgeny Medvedev at the top of the trading block.

Western Conference

Nashville Predators

We'll start with a team that is, admittedly, maybe not dead. They currently have the top Wild Card spot in the conference, so obviously they aren't terrible.

But their first round series is either going to go through Chicago or Los Angeles, and this team is just flat out not good enough to beat either of those teams.

So, they don't need to tear it all down, but they could ship out some expiring deals to improve their future outlook. After all, the core of Neal-Fisher-Smith-Johansen-Forsberg-Weber-Josi-Ellis-Rinne is all under contract until at least 2018 (and most are on the books beyond that).

Nashville has forwards Paul Gaustad and Cody Bass expiring. Gaustad, to be honest, probably is not worth a whole lot. I guess it makes sense to try to get something for him as a veteran presence, but this seems to be the group for the Preds.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are in an almost identical situation as the Predators. They aren't a bad team, as evidenced by the fact that they're currently just 2 points out of a playoff spot. But, like Nashville, they're either going to have to go through Chicago or LA and they just aren't good enough to win there.

Also like Nashville, they have a core in place for a long way into the future. They'd be best served by shipping off some pieces this year to make sure they aren't terrible when Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are old and overpaid.

And, finally, like Nashville, they don't really have a whole lot of ammo for the rental market. I think their best best is to offer up Niklas Backstrom (their backup goalie) and hope that another team's GM thinks they're stealing the actual Nicklas Backstrom from Washington.

Winnipeg Jets

Now that Dustin Byfuglien is locked up long-term, the obvious trade candidate here in Andrew Ladd. And oh boy is he a great rental candidate. At age 30, he's not too old. He's due around $2 million for the rest of this year, which is just a sliver of the salary cap. He has 13 goals and 17 assists this season, including his contributions on the power play.

Most importantly, though, he's won Stanley Cups in Carolina and Chicago.

If you're a team looking for a top-six winger for a deep playoff run, Ladd should be the guy at the top of your wish list.

Arizona Coyotes

It's an interesting time to be a Coyotes fan. They have a young core of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and it seems like everyone else on the roster is either an expiring veteran or a young guy on a restricted contract.

Nobody that's currently above the age of 24 is on the books past 2018, and only Brad Richardson's $2.1 million is on the books for 2017-18.

The 'Yotes have had a lot of years of solid draft picks, and they're getting ready to make it to the NHL. As it stands, though, there are a bunch of guys that would qualify as rentals to expand that prospect pool. Mikkel Boedker is probably the best of the bunch, and I'm sure Arizona would love to flip him like they flipped Keith Yandle last year.

Captain Shane Doan will likely end his career after this season, and I get the sense he doesn't want to play in a different jersey. Defenseman (and Former Flyer) Nicklas Grossman should probably end his career after this season, though he wouldn't be worth much in a trade anyway.

Vancouver Canucks

I don't know what to say to Canucks fans. But, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Vancouver's GM is "adamant about seeing how the next week or two plays out."

You're dead! Shut up and be dead!

Radim Vrbata, Dan Hamhuis, and maybe even Matt Bartkowski could fetch picks or prospects before the deadline. Alex Burrows is expiring after next year, so they can ship him out as a rental a year from now.

As it stands, their two franchise cornerstones are aging and overpaid, and their best prospect was on the cover of the local newspaper as the reason Canada got sent home at the World Juniors.

Get a fucking grip, Vancouver. You're dead. Be dead, and be smart about it.

Calgary Flames

The Flames' under-25 group is a great one: Gaudreau, Hamilton, Brodie, Monahan, and Bennett should all fit nicely into their long-term plans. By the time those guys are all in the 25-28 range, they'll have another 2-4 years of prospects to play with them.

To add some extra juice to that prospect pool, the rental market over the next few years should be very friendly to the rebuilding Flames:

• 2016: Forwards David Jones (31) and Jiri Hudler (32) are both expiring $4 million contracts, as are 28-year old defensemen Kris Russell ($2.6 million) and Jakub Nakladal ($800k). None of those guys are going to light the world on fire, but they should be made available because any draft pick is better than losing them for nothing. 
• 2017: Forward Brandon Bollig (will be 30) will have his $1.25 million contract expiring, and he'll be joined by defensemen Dennis Wideman (33/$5.25 million), Ladislav Smid (31/$3.5 million), and Deryk Engelland (34/$2.9 million). 
• 2018: Just before Captain Johnny Gaudreau's age-25 season, the Flames will be able to put forwards Mikael Backlund, Matt Stajan, and Lance Bouma on the rental market. 

The Flames are in a good place. They have blueliners Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, and TJ Brodie locked up until at least 2020, and their forward group should develop in a way that allows them to compete for at least a couple years with those three d-man in the lineup. 

Because none of their rental options are really impressive, the Flames may end up having to take back a bad contract to get the prospects or picks they want. But overall, the future is bright in Calgary. 

East Against West

The starting five of rentals available at the deadline in the East was:

Loui Eriksson - Eric Staal - Kris Versteeg/Sam Gagner

Jean-Michael Liles - Evgeny Medvedev

In the West, it seems to be:

Andrew Ladd - Paul Gaustad - Mikkel Boedker/Radim Vrbata

Dan Hamhuis - Matt Bartkowski/Kris Russell

Regardless of how you feel about the players involved, it's going to be a fun few weeks for Hurricanes, Jets, Canucks, and Flyers fans.