One of the craziest times on the NHL calendar is finally finished.
The NHL trade deadline is always hectic. Teams are moving pieces all over, whether that be contenders acquiring players to make a run in the postseason, or sellers bringing in draft capital to set up for the future.
There were a number of highly-active teams, especially in the Eastern Conference. The top six teams in the East all made additions to their squads, setting up for a bloodbath come playoff time. The West also made some notable moves even if they didn't involve big names.
NHL TRADE DEADLINE TRACKER 2023: Every player and draft pick moved
The Sporting News identifies the biggest winners and losers at the 2023 NHL trade deadline.
NHL trade deadline 2023 winners and losers
Winner: Boston Bruins
The best team in hockey added a top-four defenseman in Dmitry Orlov, a top-six winger in Tyler Bertuzzi and one of the best fourth-liners in Garnet Hathaway. The Bruins didn't have to give up any rostered players besides depth forward Craig Smith and dealt first-round picks instead of prospects, which they don't have a ton of.
MORE: Bruins ace deadline move for Dmitry Orlov
It's almost unfair how GM Don Sweeney was able to improve the team this much when it was already elite.
Winner: Toronto Maple Leafs
If this ends up being Kyle Dubas' final year in Toronto, he went down swinging. The Maple Leafs acquired Ryan O'Reilly, Jake McCabe, Noel Acciari, Sam Lafferty, Erik Gustafsson and Luke Schenn at the deadline. Out the door went Pierre Engvall and Rasmus Sandin, who Dubas fetched a first-round pick for.
If Toronto repeats as a first-round exit, it'll be hard to put the blame on Dubas, who added to the bottom six and gave the team a plethora of quality defensemen.
Loser: Chicago Blackhawks
It's really hard to blame GM Kyle Davidson for the light return in the Patrick Kane trade. With Kane's full no-trade clause, Davidson had no leverage and the Rangers GM Chris Drury took him to the woodshed. All that it cost to get Kane was a 2023 conditional second-round pick that could turn into a first and a 2023 fourth.
MORE: Rangers land Patrick Kane for minimal return
No guaranteed first-round pick and no prospects for one of the organization's superstars. Davidson managed to get a conditional first from the Maple Leafs in the Jake McCabe-Sam Lafferty trade, but the lack of return on Kane still stings.
Winner: New York Rangers
The Rangers brought in not just one quality, scoring winger, but two. New York added Vladimir Tarasenko and Kane at the deadline, giving the club one of the most talented top-six forward groups in the league. While it cost a first-rounder for Tarasenko, the Rangers didn't have to give up much at all for Kane thanks to his no-trade clause.
New York can roll out a top-six of Kane, Tarasenko, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck. That's not going to be an easy group for defenses to handle.
MORE: Rangers address top priority in deal for Vladimir Tarasenko
Loser: Arizona Coyotes
From the 2022 deadline, to last offseason, to the beginning of this season, to the 2023 deadline, all hockey fans heard was Jakob Chychrun trade rumors.
Yet, after all the rumblings and reported interest from multiple suitors, the offer the Coyotes accepted was a conditional first-round pick and two seconds from the Senators. Arizona received no prospects in the deal, despite the Senators having a number of enticing candidates. For a rebuilding team to whiff on their most valuable asset, that's an L.
After sitting on Chychrun for a year, the Coyotes got
— Matt Larkin (@MLarkinHockey) March 1, 2023
*checks notes*
less than the Jeannot return? Not one prospect?
Am I awake? Is this real life?
Winner: Ottawa Senators
On the flip side of the Chychrun trade is a Senators team that has to be jumping for joy on Parliament Hill. GM Pierre Dorion was set on not giving up prospects like Ridly Greig and Tyler Kleven in a deal for the Coyotes defenseman, and the tactic worked.
Ottawa needed to find a top-four defenseman and got a 24-year-old with two more years on his deal. That fits the mold of the team perfectly. Chychrun can help Ottawa make a push for the playoffs this year while adding an essential piece to the young core.
Loser: Pittsburgh Penguins
It felt like every playoff contender in the Eastern Conference made a significant move ... minus the Penguins. Pittsburgh traded a second-round pick for Predators forward Mikael Granlund, who is an expensive, underwhelming option for the bottom six. The Jets paid the Predators the same exact price for Nino Neiderreiter, a much better player than Granlund.
The Penguins also traded for forward Nick Bonino and defenseman Dmitry Kulivo, but both are depth options. Pittsburgh is slipping in the standings, and with the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang not getting any younger, this deadline feels like a major miss for GM Ron Hextall.
Somehow, the Penguins rid themselves of another year of Kasperi Kapanen ($3.2M), to maybe bury Brock McGinn ($2.75M) in the AHL, so they could add a bottom-six center, Mikael Granlund, that will count $5M against cap each of next two seasons.
— Rob Rossi (@Real_RobRossi) March 2, 2023
No words.
Winner: Nashville Predators
Speaking of the Predators, how about David Poile's final trade deadline? The Predators GM announced that he would retire at the end of the season and former Nashville head coach Barry Trotz would be his replacement. Poile did his buddy a solid by stocking up on tons of draft capital.
The Predators traded away Granlund, Neiderreitter, Mattias Ekholm and Tanner Jeannot. The returns yielded nine draft picks, including two firsts and three seconds. Forward prospect Reid Schaefer and young defenseman Cal Foote also were acquired by Nashville. It was a great job by Poile to recognize where the team was at and sell rather than stand pat.
Honorable mentions
Winners:
The Hurricanes made two inexpensive moves by adding forward Jesse Puljujarvi and defenseman Shayne Gostibehere, in total costing a third-round pick and European draft pick Patrik Puistola. One of the deepest teams in the league got even deeper at a minimal cost.
While the team wasn't overly active, the Devils' acquisition of Timo Meier was huge for the club, giving them a scoring winger to add to the top six. The return was not overly expensive either.
The Oilers also made a couple of strong deals. Edmonton addressed the issues on defense and acquired Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who is under contract for another three years. The club also brought in forward Nick Bjugstad as a strong depth option.
Losers:
Speaking of the Meier trade, the Sharks did not get the return many expected. The highlights of the deal were forward Fabian Zetterlund, defenseman prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin and a first-round pick. Considering the interest in Meier, his age and that he's an RFA, the Devils should have gotten more.
The Flyers had a number of potential candidates that could have been moved, yet the team failed to make any significant trade. James van Riemsdyk curiously remains on Philadelphia despite a reported deal between the Flyers and Red Wings.
The Panthers are sitting outside of the playoff picture, yet didn't make any additions. A curious choice from GM Bill Zito. Perhaps getting Anthony Duclair back from injury was considered the team's "deadline move."
