The trade
get flyers: Defenseman Tony DeAngelo and a seventh-round pick, No. 220, in 2022.
get hurricanes: A fourth-round pick, No. 101, in 2022; a third-round selection in 2023 and a second-round selection in 2024.
This is a victory for the Hurricanes. From a purely business point of view, they put their bets on Tony DeAngelo with a cheap contract. Carolina capitalized on the offense the defender can clearly generate, realizing the downsides when he couldn’t maintain his discipline, and moving it before investing further. Instead of paying the pending restricted free agent the raise he was looking for, they turned him over to a team to win back the draft fortune.
On the other side of the equation, this was a pick for the Flyers. It was indeed a decision to flip second, third and fourth rounds for a player as volatile as DeAngelo when his blue line isn’t exactly stellar. If management wanted a puck mover, Shayne Gostisbehier could have just kept it instead of trading him last year. Perhaps management believes he is the attacking defender they hoped Keith Yandle would be last season. But for as much offense as he can generate, DeAngelo can still concede quite a bit if he doesn’t have a solid defensive partner (as you know, one of the best in Jaccob Slavin).
Then there’s the rest of the mess that comes with the package. It’s possible that Chuck Fletcher thinks the defender will stay in line under the management of John Tortorella, but it’s certainly a risk to be taken. If Ryan Ellis isn’t healthy to start next season, the right side of the depth chart starts with Rasmus Ristolainen and DeAngelo.
The contract itself, a two-year deal averaging $5 million, really isn’t a problem thanks to the length of time. It’s the investment of acquiring a player with character issues and the current composition of the Flyers’ blue line that is suspect.
flyers:C
hurricanes: A-
– Shayna Goldman
The trade
get devil: Goalie Vitek Vanecek and a second-round pick, No. 46, in 2022.
get capitals: A second-round pick, #37, and a third-round pick, #70, in 2022.
The thing about this question is that the most obvious question – “Is Vitek Vanecek any good?” – isn’t quite right. He was? Not really. He’s at .908 in his 79-game career. He was also at .908 in 2021-22 with a better-than-expected -2.85 goal tally. Nothing great — and then he shorted out in the playoffs. He and Ilya Samsonov both had chances to establish themselves as the No. 1 Capitals and both failed. It was time for Washington to do something different, and getting picks 37 and 70 for Vanecek was decent enough. He’s close to becoming an RFA and again nothing special.
However, “nothing special” means a gigantic upgrade for the Devils. They were a solid team infiltrated by goalkeepers, particularly in the form of Mackenzie Blackwood who has been on the decline over two seasons after a solid start to his career. New Jersey can make a playoff run with “nothing special.” As the already thin goalkeeper market began to thin, it was time to take action. The price is okay, even if Vanecek scores mediocre – at least they tried – and there’s at least some chance of it getting better.
Devil: B-
capital Cities: C+
– Sean Gentille
The trade
Get Red Wings: Goalkeeper Ville Husso
get blues: A third-round pick, #73, in 2022.
A small deal overall – we don’t usually value trades by negotiation rights – but this one is intriguing given the free-agent goalie landscape. Options are dwindling fast and the Red Wings were wise to cut the line and grab their man before the market even opened.
Ville Husso looked like one of the better options out there after a strong second season and the eventual contract he landed definitely makes sense. In 40 games last year, Husso saved an above-expectation 13 goals on a .919 save percentage. That placed seventh in the overall league. In that respect, the Red Wings have done really well here.
The concern stems from lessons learned from last season with Alex Nedeljkovic, a move that exuded a similar sentiment. Excellent numbers… in a small sample. How trustworthy is that? It’s always hard to say with goalkeepers, but certainly don’t expect Husso to be as good as he was in 2021-22. This is especially true as he faltered in the second half after a searing first half. Expect a usable launcher with plenty of room for error.
It’s a decent bet, but it comes with some risk in terms of on-ice performance. However, the cost of his negotiating rights has not been high, and that is key. There aren’t many options, and Detroit has done well. As for the Blues – anytime you can get something for a player who doesn’t come back is a win.
blues: B+
red wings: B
— Dom Luszczyszyn
(Photo by Tony DeAngelo: James Guillory / USA Today)