The NHL deadline for 2021 on Monday was quieter than usual. There have been 17 trades, the least since 17 in 2013, involving 26 players, the least since 23 in 2000.
“It was a different year,” said Steve Yzerman, general manager of Detroit Red Wings. “Yesterday I was sitting here going, ‘Yeah, nobody’s calling,’ and I heard it was so common in the league.”
But that deadline comes amid the coronavirus pandemic with a low NHL salary cap and quarantine requirements, plus protection issues ahead of the 2021 NHL expansion concept for the Seattle Kraken.
And if you look at the past three weeks, not just the deadline, Stanley Cup candidates have still found ways to add pieces. Reconstruction teams continued to add assets for the future. Some have maneuvered creatively below the limit by retaining salary or using a cap space to help traders.
Eric Staal is to the Montreal Canadiens, Kyle Palmieri to New York Islanders, David Savard to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nick Foligno to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jeff Carter to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Taylor Hall to the Boston Bruins, Sam Bennett to the Florida Panthers, Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals and more.
“A lot has been done, and people have tended to their business, and we’ll see it now,” said Panthers GM Bill Zito. “With visas and international travel, it’s definitely going to be a hiccup. But we’ll go through it and move forward.”
[RELATED: 2020-21 NHL Trade Tracker | Maple Leafs moves could bring long playoff run]
In short: the pandemic did not dampen competition. In some ways, it even increased.
When the deadline came Monday at 15:00 ET, the top six teams in the NHL were separated by two points, the top nine teams by four points. The divisional races had a unique dynamic.
The NHL has temporarily reshuffled this season due to travel restrictions amid the pandemic. Teams play within their division in the regular season. The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, and teams play the first two rounds within their division.
“There are a lot of teams in the mix,” said Jim Nill, GM of Dallas Stars. “With the new format we play in, you can move up and down the leaderboard very quickly because of this COVID season. You play head to head every night. Those things really affect the deadline.”
In the eight-team MassMutual East, the top three teams were separated by two points. The capitals added Mantha and forward Michael Raffl, and the islanders added Palmieri, forward Travis Zajac a defender Braydon Coburn. The Penguins added Carter, a 36-year-old forward who won the trophy twice with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014), and it again with Sidney Crosby.
“I think the quote was, ‘I’m all-in. I can’t wait to get there,'” GM Penguins Ron Hextall said.
Bruins added Hall in fourth place Curtis Lazar a defender Mike Reilly. Hall is perhaps the most interesting acquisition anywhere. He scored 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games with the New Jersey Devils and won the Hart Trophy, which was selected as the NHL MVP in 2017-18, but 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in Scored 37 games with the Buffalo. Saber this season. Can he bounce back with a better team?
Video: Split out which teams improved before the deadline
In the eight-team Discover Central, the top three teams were also separated by two points. Although the Carolina Hurricanes beat, the Lightning Savard added to strengthen their blue line. The Panthers traded up front for Bennett and Brandon Montour at defender, and forward signed Nikita Gusev as an unlimited free agent. Fourth place Nashville Predators added the defender Erik Gudbranson.
In the eight-team Honda West, the Colorado Avalanche added depth in the middle (Carl Soderberg), at the back (Patrik Nemeth ) and a net (Devan Dubnyk ). Second place, Vegas Golden Knights, beat forward Mattias Janmark, which gives them speed on the wing in their middle six. The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues was quiet, but for the Blues it was great. A week ago, they were on a seven-game slide (0-6-1) and looked like sellers. Now they are in a winning streak of three games and again in a playoff spot.
“Every trade deadline has its own uniqueness, but certainly, with the shortened season, our fluctuation in the game, it has taken our minds in different directions,” said Doug Armstrong, GM, of Blues. “The game of the last three games and being in a play-off place today was definitely a [reason for] really decide to stand with this group. ‘
The first place Maple Leafs was the story in the seven-team Scotia North, which added depth up front (Foligno, Riley Nash), at the back (Ben Hutton ) and a net (David Rittich ). No Canada-based team has won the Cup since the Canadiens in 1993. Toronto has not won a playoff series since 2004. Because of this season’s format, a team in Canada will make the final four, and the Maple Leafs have the biggest lead in any of the divisions, six points ahead of second-placed Winnipeg Jets.
“We were excited to, in our opinion, add the pieces that will enhance our ability to be as competitive as possible when we go to the playoffs,” said Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, “and roll from there.”
NHL.com authors Tom Gulitti and Tracey Myers, and independent correspondents West Crosby and Louie Korac contributed to this report.