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Trade deadline roundup: Looking at what each Canadian team did

The NHL's trade deadline passed on Monday and now teams are hitting the final stretch of the season.

Like the majority of NHL clubs on deadline, the seven Canadian teams weren't too busy, however, minor moves were still made.

Here's a quick look at what each Canadian team did on Monday before the trade deadline expired.

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Calgary Flames

In: Ryan Carpenter, future considerations.

Out: Michael McNiven, fifth-round pick (2024).

While the Pacific Division-leading Flames' only move of real note was acquiring depth forward Ryan Carpenter on deadline day, that was because they did most of their trade maneuvering well in advance of Monday.

Calgary also traded goalie prospect Michael McNiven to Ottawa for future considerations. What those considerations end up being have yet to be determined.

Back on Feb. 15, Calgary added sniper Tyler Toffoli from the Canadiens in exchange for forward Tyler Pitlick, prospect Emil Heineman, a first-round selection in this year's draft and a fifth-rounder in 2023. Additionally, the Flames made a deal with the Seattle Kraken for winger Calle Jarnkrok for a 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick.

With the addition of Carpenter, the Flames added a little extra depth at centre, but this didn't appear to be a deadline day where they were looking to make a big move as the acquisition of Toffoli and Jarnkrok before were clearly the prized jewels they managed to snag beforehand.

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Edmonton Oilers

In: Derick Brassard, Brett Kulak.

Out: William Lagesson, conditional second-round pick (2022), fourth-round pick (2023), seventh-round pick (2024).

Edmonton shored up its blue line with its acquisition of Brett Kulak. The 28-year-old was dealt from Montreal for William Lagesson, a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 draft and a seventh-round pick in 2024.

Kulak was a top-four defenceman in Montreal and adds extra depth and talent to a defence corps that's been shaky at times. The Oilers have allowed nearly 3.2 goals per game to be scored against them this season, ranking them in the bottom-third of the league.

Edmonton also picked up journeyman centre Derick Brassard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a fourth-round selection in 2023.

A veteran of 117 playoff games, he will likely add some leadership in the dressing room, as well as provide some increased depth down the middle.

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Montreal Canadiens

In: Justin Barron, William Lagesson, Nate Schnarr, conditional second-round pick (2022), second-round pick (2024), seventh-round pick (2024).

Out: Andrew Hammond, Brett Kulak, Artturi Lehkonen.

In his first trade deadline day at the helm, Kent Hughes played seller at the deadline Monday, trading off forward Artturi Lehkonen, defenceman Kulak and goalie Andrew Hammond.

In exchange for making these deals, the Habs got back forward prospects Justin Barron and Nate Schnarr, young defenceman Lagesson and some draft picks.

Considering where Montreal is in the standings and the fact just last week the team traded defenceman Ben Chiarot, making deals for the future of the club always made more sense and that's exactly what Hughes ended up doing.

As he told reporters after the 3:00 p.m. ET deadline expired on Monday, Hughes wasn't actually too active making deals himself as teams were aware of his team's situation. So he just needed to sit and wait for his phone to ring.

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Ottawa Senators

In: Michael McNiven, Zach Senyshyn, two fifth-round picks (2022).

Out: Josh Brown, Zach Sanford, conditional seventh-round pick (2022), future considerations.

The most significant move Ottawa made on trade deadline day wasn't a trade at all.

Ottawa locked up goalie Anton Forsberg to a three-year, US$8.25-million contract extension on Monday, after he's performed well between the pipes for the Senators, posting a .916 save percentage and a 2.86 goal-against average in 39 games since he was picked up off of waivers last March.

Other than that, moves to acquire prospects Michael McNiven and, in particular, Zach Senyshyn makes it look like Ottawa is still in re-build mode, something supported by the team's decision to trade Nick Paul for youngster Mathieu Joseph from Tampa on Sunday.

With that said, however, the Sens also made a deal to bring in veteran defenceman Travis Hamonic from Vancouver on Sunday, too.

The direction Ottawa is heading in doesn't look all that clear after Monday's deadline, but it'll be hard to judge how it performed at this year's deadline until probably a few years down the line.

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Toronto Maple Leafs

In: Future considerations.

Out: Alex Biega.

Toronto was very quiet on Monday, but that's because general manager Kyle Dubas made his noise the day before.

The Leafs acquired veteran defenceman and former Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano in a trade on Sunday with the Seattle Kraken that saw them also acquire depth forward Colin Blackwell in exchange for a couple second-round picks and a third-round pick.

As well on Sunday, Toronto traded defenceman Travis Dermott to Vancouver for a third-round pick in this year's draft.

With Jack Campbell dealing with injury, Toronto was unable to address its top need of goalie help at the deadline but did appear to fortify a weakness on its blue line with a veteran star in Giordano.

On the deadline day itself, the Leafs shipped out veteran forward Alex Biega to the Nashville Predators for future considerations.

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Vancouver Canucks

In: Fourth-round pick (2023).

Out: Tyler Motte.

Just approaching two months on the job, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin opted to position his team for the future at and around the trade deadline.

Allvin made just one trade on Monday, acquiring a fourth-round pick from the New York Rangers for Tyler Motte, but the work he did before Monday is more telling of the direction he's likely looking to steer the Canucks in.

On Sunday, the Canucks traded away Hamonic and appeared to find a younger replacement for him when they made a deal with the Maple Leafs for Dermott.

Vancouver is, theoretically, still in the playoff race, but the more realistic scenario is that this team will miss the playoffs again. As such, decisions were made to position the Canucks for a brighter future instead of a brighter now.

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Winnipeg Jets

In: Mason Appleton, Markus Phillips, Zach Sanford, conditional second-round pick (2022), conditional second-round pick (2022 or 2023), fourth-round pick (2022), conditional seventh-round pick (2022), sixth-round pick (2023).

Out: Nathan Beaulieu, Andrew Copp, Bryan Little, Nelson Nogier, Nathan Smith, fifth-round pick (2022), fourth-round pick (2023).

Certainly the busiest Canadian team on Monday, the Jets swung five deals as they looked to wave the white flag on making a possible playoff push in the stretch run of the season.

The biggest departure from the club was Andrew Copp, who was sent to the Rangers.

Defenceman Nathan Bealieu was also traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and even Bryan Little, who had spent his entire career as part of the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers organization, was dealt, heading to the Arizona Coyotes.

Like Vancouver, Winnipeg can make a push for the playoffs, but with so much veteran talent leaving the club, that doesn't appear to be in the cards for the Jets this season.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2022.

Steven Loung, The Canadian Press


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