NHL Trades

Roussel has one year left at $3.0M AAV and was one of three bad contracts moved to Arizona in this deal, however, they all only have one year left. Roussel had just four points (1G / 3A) in 35 games last year and will almost certainly play a minimal role for the Coyotes in 2021-22.

Eriksson had one assist while skating in just seven games with the Canucks in 2020-21. That's not the type of output you want from a player who is making $6.0M AAV for one more season. The Canucks dumped some bad contracts in this trade but it should also provide Eriksson to get on the ice more frequently in 2021-22. Since signing that six-year, $36.0M contract, Eriksson has scored just 38 goals with 52 assists (90 points) in 252 games.

This trade was all about dumping bad contracts for the Canucks, Beagle has one year left at $3.0M. Beagle was held to just five points (1G / 4A) in 30 games last season but led Canucks forwards in SH TOI/Gm (3:14) and ranked 17th in the NHL in Faceoff% (56.2). Beagle will likely centre the Coyotes' fourth-line and contribute on their penalty-kill.

Ekman-Larsson was one of the best goal-scoring defensemen in the NHL from 2014-to-2019 but his game has slipped a bit in recent years. Ekman-Larsson has a tough time in his own end but brings an offensive punch to the Canucks' blueline that already features Quinn Hughes. In a full 82-game season, you can almost certainly plug O.E.L in for double-digit goals and 30-plus assists.

Contract talks between the Coyotes and Garland broke down and it was widely expected that he would be traded. The deal ended up being much larger and more complex than anyone could have predicted, but Garland should be a great fit in the Canucks new top-6. Garland is tied for 99th with 78 points (34G / 44A) over the last two seasons. Garland will likely replace Tanner Pearson on a line with Bo Horvat and Nils Hoglander.

Blais has been a fixture of the Blues' bottom-6 over the last three seasons and likely won't be able to expand on that role with the Rangers. He doesn't offer a lot of offence, posting a career-high of just 15 points (8G / 7A) in 36 games a season ago. The Rangers have plenty of capable top-9 forwards, so expect Blais to be a fourth-liner to start 2021-22.

Buchnevich has taken his game to a new level over the last two seasons, averaging 24 goals and 39 assists (63 points) per 82 games in the two shortened seasons. Moving to St. Louis, Buchnevich becomes one of many unsigned RFA's who will be looking for a raise. Once signed, he'll likely replace Jaden Schwartz, who will be a UFA on July 28th.

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.