Hornqvist has 22 goals and 31 assists (53 points) in 76 games last year. 2013-14 was a career year for the 27 year-old winger who will see his fantasy value rise heading into this year. He has never played with a centre like Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby, but that is about to change. Hornqvist should be around 30 goals and 30 assists with his new team.
Neal missed 23 games this season, but still notched 27 goals and 34 assists (61 points) in the 59 games he did play. After a strong regular season, Neal struggled in the playoffs posting just four points (2G / 2A) in 13 games. The Penguins were looking to dump some salary but they part ways with a $5 million dollar cap-hit and take on a $4.25 million cap-hit in Hornqvist. Neal beams the focal point of the Predators offence and should produce around the same rate as he did on Evgeni Malkin's wing in Pittsburgh.
Dorsett, 27, had four goals and four assists (eight points) with 128 penalty minutes in 51 games with the Rangers this past season. He is a go-hard player who gives it his all on every shift. New Canucks' head coach Willie Desjardins was Dorsett's head coach with the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) from 2004-2007. Dorsett has 64 points in 61 games and a 16 playoff points in 17 games en route to a WHL Championship in 2006-07. Desjardins brings in a player he is familiar with to fill an important fourth line role.
After scoring 16 goals (9 PPG) with the Panthers in 2011-12 the Canucks signed him to a six-year, $27.6 million dollar deal. In two seasons with Vancouver, Garrison had 15 goals and 34 assists (49 points) in 128 games. Trading Garrisson is a cap-dump by the Canucks. It is not just for this season, but the next four seasons he is signed through while carrying a $4.6 million dollar cap-hit. He heads to an aging blueline where he is expected to get a lot of power-play time because of the cannon he possesses.
Sbisa, 24, missed 52 games this past season with a combination of ankle, hand and knee injuries. He finished the season with six points (1G / 5A) in 30 games. Sbisa does not shy away from contact but has yet to develop into the offensive-defenseman he was expected to be. He will look to stay healthy in 2014-15 and attack his career high of 24 points (2011-12).
Bonino had the best season of his young career in 2013-14. He scored 22 goals with 27 assists (49 points) which shattered his previous career-high of 18 points (2011-12). Bonino should head to Vancouver and slide into the second-line centre role that was just opened by dealing Ryan Kesler.
Kesler scored 25 goals and 18 assists (43 points) but was a career worst minus-15 in 77 games this season. Kesler has spent his entire 10-year career with the Canucks but will now move the Anaheim where he will likely centre the second line behind Ryan Getzlaf. This trade makes the Ducks a much more difficult team to play against, especially come playoff time. Kesler will turn 30 in August and is signed through the next two seasons at a $5 million dollar cap-hit.
Umberger, 32, scored 18 goals with 16 assists (32 points) in 74 games with the Blue Jackets this season. The Pennsylvania native is heading home to play for a Flyers team that he played three season with from 2005-08. Umberger's fantasy value would spike if he replaces Hartnell on the Flyers top-line with Claude Giroux.
Hartnell, 32, has spent the seven seasons in Philadelphia and is coming off of a season where he scored 20 goals with 32 assists (52 points) in 78 games. Hartnell has scored at a 24.9 goal per 82-game pace in his seven seasons with the Flyers. Not playing with Claude Giroux could hurt his performance, but the Jackets have a number of skilled centres that could mesh well with Hartnell.
The 37-year-old Boyle is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Sharks had already announced that they will not re-sign Boyle and will end up receiving a fourth-round pick should Boyle sign with the Islanders before next season. Boyle earned just under $7 million with the Sharks this season. He led the club's defencemen with 36 points and 12 goals in 75 games and added four assists in San Jose's first-round, seven-game playoff loss to Los Angeles.
Parker, 22, is a 5-foot-10, 195 lbs. winger who has one assist in 11 games with Rochester (AHL) this season. While with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL) he had 11 goals and 13 assists (24 points) in 27 games.
Grant, 25, is a 6-foot-3 defenseman who was drafted in the fourth-round (118th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Grant has registered seven goals and 20 assists (27 points) in 52 games with Norfolk (AHL).
Petersson, 23, was a fourth-round pick (109th overall) in the 2008 NHL Draft. The 5-foot-9 right winger had 17 goals and 23 assists (40 points) in 47 games with Binghamton this season.
Mitchell made it known that he was not happy in Minnesota and wanted out. A way to look at this trade is Mitchell for McCormick and the two second round picks for Moulson. Mitchell will come in and replace McCormick, however Mitchell is signed through next season when McCormick is not.
Mitchell had made it known that he was unhappy in Minnesota, so the Sabres off-load McCormick who is in the final year of his deal to replace Mitchell. McCormick is not fantasy relevant, he will skate on the Wild's fourth line. He has one goal and four assists in 29 games this season.
Moulson is on his way to his third team this season. He has a total of 17 goals and 21 assists (38 points) in 55 games between the Sabres and Islanders. This is the second straight season that the Wild have added an impact winger at the deadline by making a trade with the Sabres (J. Pominville in 2013). Moulson will likely find himself in the top-6 with Mikael Granlund or Mikko Koivu as his pivot.
The Penguins were shopping for a winger that can replace Pascal Dupuis, who was lost for the season. with a knee injury. Stempniak is expected to replace Brian Gibbons on Sidney Crosby's wing, which will obviously make him an intriguing pick-up. Stempniak has eight goals and 15 assists in 52 games this season. Despite likely landing on a line with Crosby, he has not scored 20 goals since 2006-07. He makes for a speculative add in 12-team leagues.
Jarnkrok and the third-round pick is what the Predators were after, Eaves was simply to open up room on the Red Wings roster. Jarnkrok, 22, was a second-round pick (51st overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Jarnkrok is in his first full season with the Griffins (AHL) and has 13 goals and 23 assists (36 points) in 57 games. There are concerns surrounding Jarnkrok wanting to go back and play in Sweden, but the Predators will do everything they can so that does not happen.
Eaves had served as a healthy scratch in the last four games with Detroit and will now fight for playing time in Nashville. He has two goals and three assists in 25 games with the Red Wings this season. The Red Wings moved Eaves to open up a spot on the roster for Legwand's arrival.
The Red Wings severly needed help at centre with the injuries to Datsyuk, Helm and Weiss. Legwand is from Detroit and played his minor hockey in nearby Plymouth. He has spent his entire career with the Predators and has been a solid scorer. This season he has 10 goals and 30 assists (40 points) in 62 games. Legwand has averaged 51 points over 82 games in the last four seasons and will help the Red Wings now and when they are healthy, he is an even better addition.
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.
