Trade Deadline Rewind: What 2022’s deals can teach us about 2023

Credit: © Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

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With less than two weeks until the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline, we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story each day leading up to Deadline Day.

Today, we rewind the calendar a year and look at five noteworthy trades that happened during the 2022 Trade Deadline season. What can they teach us from the buyer teams’ perspectives?

2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 12 days

There’s more than one way to win – or lose – at the NHL Trade Deadline. It’s not always about hooking the biggest fish or taking the most conservative route. Looking at five notable deals that happened a year ago, we can glean some interesting information about what is and isn’t working on the trade landscape these days.

The Hampus Lindholm trade

March 19, 2022

To Boston Bruins: D Hampus Lindholm, D Kodie Curran

To Anaheim Ducks: 2022 1^st rd pick, 2023 2^nd rd pick, 2024 2^nd rd pick, D Urho Vaakanainen, D John Moore

What happened: The Bruins paid a fairly handsome price for a solid two-way blueliner in Lindholm, whose game had sagged a bit on a bad Ducks team. The day after the trade, they signed Lindholm to an eight-year contract extension at a $6.5 million AAV. He fit in adequately on a pair with Charlie McAvoy but was injured during Boston’s first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes and only played four playoff games. This season, however? Lindholm took the Bruins on his back with McAvoy out for the first month and is in the midst of the best all-around season of his career, dominating at 5-on-5.

The lesson: If you’re confident in signing your new asset to an extension, it’s worth surrendering a big package including picks and prospects. The New York Islanders used the same strategy to land Bo Horvat last month.

The Brandon Hagel Trade

March 18, 2022

To Tampa Bay Lightning: LW Brandon Hagel, 2022 4^th rd pick, 2024 4^th rd pick

To Chicago Blackhawks: 2023 1^st rd pick, 2024 1^st rd pick, RW Taylor Raddysh, D Boris Katchouk

It was another in a long line of brilliant moves by GM Julien BriseBois to help a team that didn’t appear to have much salary-cap wiggle room. Recognizing the potential of two-way forward Hagel, who was a 20-goal scorer at a criminally low $1.5 million AAV in Chicago, BriseBois paid up. Hagel’s game didn’t pop like fellow acquisition Nick Paul’s in the playoffs, but now Hagel looks like an incredible bargain for two more seasons. With Ondrej Palat leaving as a UFA, Hagel stepped up to first-line duty alongside Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Hagel has already beaten his career high of 44 points, and he’ll soon surpass his personal best goal total of 25.

The lesson: If your heart is set on ‘Your Guy’ and you love his cost-controlled price, go for it. Overpay. Do whatever it takes to get that asset. If you have a player development system as elite as Tampa’s, you don’t need first-round picks as much as other teams do.

The Artturi Lehkonen Trade

March 21, 2022

To Colorado Avalanche: LW Artturi Lehkonen

To Montreal Canadiens: D Justin Barron, 2024 2^nd rd pick

The Avs were confident that Lehkonen’s feisty two-way game and ability to be deployed on either wing, in an situation, on any line, made him an extremely valuable add. They were right. He had eight playoff goals, and including four game winners, two in overtime, to help Colorado win the Stanley Cup. They rewarded him with a five-year contract extension at a $4.5 million AAV in the summer. This season, he’s showcased a level of offense I’m not sure anyone knew he had.

The lesson: If you’re confident that a seemingly mid-tier piece is the exact fit required to push your team over the top, go get him, even if you have to sacrifice a good prospect.

The Claude Giroux Trade

March 19, 2022

To Florida Panthers: C Claude Giroux, C German Rubtsov, C Connor Bunnaman, 2024 5^th rd pick

To Philadelphia Flyers: RW Owen Tippett, 2024 1^st rd pick, 2023 3^rd rd pick

What happened: Giroux joined a dominant Panthers squad en route to its first Presidents’ Trophy and fit in well as a top-six forward, racking up 23 points in 18 regular season games to close out the season. His presence wasn’t enough to lift Florida past the Lightning in Round 2 of the playoffs, however. The Cats got smoked and Giroux left as a UFA, signing with the Ottawa Senators.

The lesson: Sometimes you take a big swing on a rental and miss. The Panthers also gave up a first-rounder in the Ben Chiarot trade. They don’t have a first-rounder again until 2026. It does seem like GMs around the league are becoming more averse to high-profile rentals because of results like this. More and more, we talk about cost-controlled pieces and post-acquisition extensions when trade buzz swells.

The Brett Kulak Trade

March 21, 2022

To Edmonton Oilers: D Brett Kulak

To Montreal Canadiens: 2022 conditional 2^nd rd pick, 2024 7^th rd pick, D William Lagesson

What happened: During a relatively quiet deadline day for the Oilers, GM Ken Holland made a depth addition in Kulak. He paired with puck-mover Tyson Barrie, and they held a 56 percent expected goal share in the regular season and just over 50 percent in the postseason at 5-on-5. The Oilers outscored opponents 20-10 with those two on the ice at 5-on-5 between the regular season and playoffs. The Oilers were pleased enough with Kulak to re-sign him for four years at a $2.75 million AAV.

The lesson: Improving at the deadline doesn’t always mean making a splashy add. In Edmonton’s case, cleaning up its own end with a dependable middle-pair blueliner was the most prudent move.