Hagg's role with the Flyers has diminished in recent years but he remains a steady blueliner that should have no problem landing a top-4 spot with the Sabres. Hagg is a big, physical defenseman with solid puck-moving abilities, who could be a potential D-partner for Rasmus Dahlin.
Ristolainen's game appears to be heading in the wrong direction but the Flyers must not think so. They have given up a considerable amount of assets to have Ristolainen replace Shayne Gostisbehere in 2021-22. After four-straight seasons of 40-plus points from 2016-to-2019, Ristolainen has averaged seven goals and 29 assists (36 points) per 82 games over the last two years. He remains big and tough to play against and will undoubtedly be a part of the Flyers top-4 with either Ivan Provorov or Travis Sanheim.
Pitlick was selected by Seattle in the Expansion Draft on Wednesday but was quickly flipped to the Flames for a fourth-round pick. Pitlick doesn't bring a lot of offence to the table but has a trustworthy two-way game that should pair well with Mikael Backlund and help out the Flames penalty kill in 2021-22.
Gostisbehere was outstanding from 2016-to-2019, tying for 14th among defensemen with 187 points (46G / 141A) but has fallen out of favour over the last two seasons. Over that stretch he is tied for 90th but getting a second-round and seventh-round pick to take him is an easy gamble for the Coyotes. With Oliver Ekman-Larsson being traded to the Canucks, Gostisbehere should see plenty of PP time in 2021-22.
Bernier enjoyed a solid 2020-21 campaign, going 9-11-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .914 SV%. Those numbers aren't eye-popping but they were the best of his three-year tenure in Detroit. He is pending UFA, so could hit the open market on July 28th but the Hurricanes will have a few days to try and sign him to a team-friendly deal.
2020-21 was a bizarre season for Nedeljkovic. He started the season on waivers, went unclaimed, and then became the Hurricanes No.1 netminder after Petr Mrazek and James Reimer battled injuries. Nedeljkovic went on to lead the NHL in both GAA (1.90) and SV% (.932) in 23 games. The Hurricanes were concerned about going to arbitration with Nedeljkovic, so the Red Wings took advantage of that with their abundance of cap space.
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.
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.
