Ladd appeared in just one game in 2021, failing to get on the board for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL). Ladd has two years left at $5.5M, so the Islanders did everything they could to get that contract off of their books. At 35-years-old, Ladd has only appeared in four NHL games since the end of the 2019 season.
Howden signed a one-year, $885K contract in early July but was sent to Vegas on Saturday and will likely be replaced by Barclay Goodrow, who is a pending UFA but was acquired from the Lightning on the same day. Howden has seen his playing time and offensive numbers drop since his rookie season, finishing 2021-22 with seven points (1G / 6A) in 42 games.
DeSimone was sent to the Golden Knights as a part of the Mattias Janmark trade last April. The 26-year-old has spent his entire pro career in the AHL, finishing last season with no goals and 11 assists in 22 games. Look for him to open the 2021-22 season in the AHL.
Goodrow is a pending UFA, so the Rangers sent a seventh-round pick to the Lightning to try and sign him ahead of free agency opening up on July 28th. Goodrow is an outstanding two-way forward who was a huge part of the Lightning's success as a bottom-6 centre. Brett Howden was sent to the Golden Knights on Saturday, so Goodrow would likely replace him if they can get him under contract.
Glass was the No.6 overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft but has had a difficult time landing a full-time role with the Golden Knights. The 22-year-old centre had 10 points (4G / 6A) in 27 games in the most recent NHL season and added 10 points (4G / 6A) in 14 AHL games. Glass gets flipped to Nashville for Nolan Patrick, who was acquired from the Flyers as a part of a trade for Ryan Ellis and was selected No.2 overall in the same draft as Glass.
Patrick was traded from the Flyers to the Predators as a part of the Ryan Ellis trade but was flipped to the Golden Knights for Cody Glass. Patrick was selected four spots before Glass in the 2017 NHL Draft but has had migraine issues that have kept him off of the ice in recent seasons. In 2021, Patrick scored four goals with five assists (nine points) in 52 games with the Flyers and has 70 points (30G / 40A) in his first 197 career NHL games.
Ellis is heading into the third year of an eight-year contract that pays him $6.25M AAV per season. Ellis was 22nd among defensemen in points with 79 (15G / 64A) in 2019 and 2020 combined but his production fell off a bit in 2021. Still, the 30-year-old is a massive addition to the Flyers blueline and could find himself on the top pair with Ivan Provorov in 2022.
Myers developed into a very steady piece of the Flyers top-4 in 2021 and will likely play a very similar role with the Predators in 2022. Myers will land in good hands, playing alongside either Roman Josi or Mattias Ekholm in 2022. He has picked up five goals with 22 assists (27 points) in 94 games over the last two seasons.
Hallander was originally a second-round pick of the Penguins but was traded to the Maple Leafs as a part of the Kasperi Kapanen trade last summer. With the Expansion Draft looming, the Penguins were likely to lose Jared McCann for nothing, so this trade at least brings Hallander back to the organization. The 21-year-old had 13 goals and 11 assists (24 points) in 51 game with Lulea HF (SHL) in 2021.
The Penguins were likely going to lose McCann for nothing in the Expansion Draft, so this trade brings Filip Hallander back to the organization after losing him in the Kasperi Kapanen trade. For the Maple Leafs, they will expose McCann and will likely lose him or Alexander Kerfoot. Either way, they are left with a third-line centre in the organization.
Dickinson is a pending RFA and the Stars were likely worried about losing him for nothing in the Expansion Draft, so they get a third-round pick in return by sending him to Vancouver. Dickinson has averaged 10 goals and 16 assists (26 points) per 82-games over the last three seasons. The Canucks have protected Dickinson in the Expansion Draft.
Hill was a third-round pick in 2015 and has turned into a pretty solid NHL goalie. With Antti Raanta hurt almost all the time, Hill was given plenty of opportunities. In 2021-22, Hill was 9-9-1 with a 2.74 GAA and .913 SV% in 19 games. Overall, he is 19-21-4 with a 2.79 GAA and .909 SV% in his first 49 NHL games and will battle with Martin Jones for the No.1 job in San Jose.
Korenar just signed a one-year, $750K deal with the Sharks but was traded a few days later. Korenar was able to show what he could do at the NHL level in the latter stages of the season, going 3-5-0 with a 3.17 GAA and .899 SV% in 10 games. In Arizona, Korenar has a chance to be the backup in 2021-22, depending on what happens with the Expansion Draft and/or other trades.
Panik was dealt to Detroit as a part of the Anthony Mantha trade at least year's deadline and had one goal and three assists in 12 games with the Red Wings. Panik has two years remaining at $2.75M AAV but the Red Wings are eating 50 percent of the deal, so the Islanders have Panik at $1.375M AAV and gain $4.125M in cap space in this deal.
Leddy is entering the final year of a seven-year contract that carries a $5.5M AAV cap-hit. The 30-year-old is still a serviceable top-4 defenseman that will help bridge the gap to some of the Red Wings younger prospects who may still be a year away. Detroit will also look to flip him at next year's trade deadline to try and recoup some of the draft capital lost in this trade.
Maltsev was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2016 and appeared in 33 games with them in 2021. The 23-year-old winger had nine points (6G / 3A) with the Devils and has picked up 12 goals with 10 assists (22 points) in his first 50 AHL games. Given the depth of the Avalanche roster, Maltsev seems likely to start 2021-22 in the AHL.
Graves being dealt is a product of the Seattle Expansion Draft and New Jersey lands a solid top-4 defenseman that should fit in well with their emerging young blueline. Graves, who has two years left at $3.17M AAV, had two goals and 13 assists (15 points) in 54 games with the Avalanche in 2021.
Wells was a fifth-round pick of the Oilers in 2016 and went 0-4-1 with a 3.77 GAA and .878 SV% in seven AHL starts in 2021. Wells is an RFA but if he's tendered to his qualifying offer in the next week, the Hurricanes would then meet the exposure requirements for the Seattle Expansion Draft.
Soderlund was a fourth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2017 and came to North America in 2020. In his first two seasons with Rockford (AHL), the 23-year-old centre has scored one goal with seven assists (eight points) in 52 games. Soderlund will most likely report to Bakersfield (AHL) in 2021-22.
Jones is entering the final year of a two-year deal that carries an $850K cap-hit. After showing flashes of a potential top-4 defenseman in 2020, Jones was in and out of the Oilers lineup in 2021, finishing the season with just four assists in 33 games. This deal sheds nearly $4.7M in cap-space for the Blackhawks and could be something that helps them pursue Caleb's brother, Seth, in the offseason.
NHL trades are decided between two or more team general managers. The front office’s job is building a winning team. Building a winning team means discussing trades with other general managers across the league.
During the NHL regular season, players can be traded up until the trade deadline. The deadline is the official cutoff point for when teams can no longer make moves between each other. Players can also be traded throughout the offseason.
Teams trade players in hockey for a variety of reasons, but generally, it is done to find success, whether that is in the short term or long term. Teams may trade their top players in search of draft picks if they are undergoing a rebuild, whereas contending teams may look to acquire talent to boost their playoff chances.
Trades are a common occurrence throughout the NHL and happen often. Some years feature less trades than others, it all depends on each teams needs and the availability of attractive talent.
