NHL Draft Day Trades

Looking back at the NHL Draft, there were a lot of youngsters drafted that could end up in the NHL, however, the biggest news were all the trades leading up to and during the course of the draft. Whether you disapprove or approve of how your team conducted business this past weekend, I'll break down who went where and why.

1. Philadelphia trades Jeff Carter to Columbus for Jakub Voracek, a first-round pick (#8 overall), a third-round pick (#68 overall)
This was the beginning of a huge salary dump for the Flyers, they needed to sign Bryzgalov to a long-term contract and with Carter having a cap hit of $5,272,727 dollars per year, they needed to free up space to sign him. This is also not a bad thing for the Flyers as they got Voracek who is a RFA and can be signed to a decent amount considering he was not worth the contract he had in Columbus. They also got picks to build up their pipeline of future players. Jeff Carter actually had just signed an extension that kicks in next month that would've held a no-trade clause, but now he'll be playing with Rick Nash and former Flyer Scottie Upshall which should make for a very interesting tandem.

2. Philadelphia trades Mike Richards to Los Angeles for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, and a second round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
This was the final piece that could help the Flyers secure the future of Ilya Bryzgalov and also allow them to re-sign Ville Leino who had a monster year and is about to become a UFA. Wayne Simmonds is a guy that can fit in the Flyers bruising style of play and Brayden Schenn could become one of the best defensemen in the NHL when he gets called up. His brother Luke Schenn is currently on the Toronto Maple Leafs. My only qualm with this trade is that they traded their Captain who had recently signed a nine-year extension. He still has seven years left on that and he's only 26. He plays everywhere and is the second-line center the Kings have desperately needed. However, taking on a contract with a cap hit of $5,700,000 per year meant the Kings would have to move somebody out to make room for him.

3. Minnesota trades Brent Burns and a second-round pick in 2012 to San Jose for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, and a first round pick in 2011 (28th overall)
First off I want to say that as a fan, I have seen both players play and I am a huge fan of Devin Setoguchi. However, this is actually a really good trade for both teams. Setoguchi was woefully inconsistent during his time with San Jose, even though he was awesome when paired with top players, and terrible when on the third line, he's a scorer through and through. In Minnesota he'll be lined up with Mikko Koivu who is a great playmaker for the Wild. Brent Burns going to San Jose is an amazing deal for the Sharks. They get another Dan Boyle in a sense because that's exactly what Brent Burns can do, except he's a lot younger. I still think the Sharks will need another winger to replace Setoguchi, but they are stacked at center and now stacked at D.

4. Colorado trades John-Michael Liles to Toronto for a second round pick in 2012
This is pretty much a salary cap move for the Avs. They signed Liles to a big contract a few years back and he's been eating $4 million every year while proving he's not worth even half of that contract. The Maple Leafs take on another big salary player for reasons I do not understand. The Avs get a second round pick for next year and will probably use it to draft another prospect for their pipeline. They didn't need Liles and are better off without him. The Maple Leafs have a player who has the potential to replace Tomas Kaberle who got traded to Boston this past season.

5. Chicago trades Troy Brouwer to Washington for their first round pick (#26 overall)
It's been 10 years since the Capitals last didn't draft in the first round. Their first round picks since then, with current players in bold have been: Steve Eminger, Alexander Semin, Boyd Gordon, Eric Fehr, Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Schultz, Mike Green, Sasha Pokulok, Joe Finley, Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Karl Alzner, Anton Gustafsson, John Carlson, Marcus Johansson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov. I don't think McPhee saw a player who could contribute within a year or two and as a result, ultimately decided to get someone who could contribute right now for a few years. He traded for Troy Brouwer. For the Blackhawks, they get value out of a player they felt they would ultimately lose to free agency with some great compensation and the Capitals get a winger that they feel is a Mini-Ovechkin, a guy that loves to hit and is still capable of putting up points. The Blackhawks drafted a defensive forward that will probably end up on the roster in a few years, but not this year.

6. Calgary trades Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik, and a second round pick in 2012 to Buffalo for Chris Butler and Paul Byron
This was more of a salary cap purge for the Flames so that they could sign some players that are about to become free agents. The interesting part of this deal is that Ales Kotalik will be returning to the team that drafted him after being traded to Edmonton in 2009 and then going to the Rangers and Flames before returning home. Robyn Regehr is even more intriguing as the owner of the Sabres personally talked him into waiving his no-trade clause after spending his entire career with the Flames franchise. He's a great defensive defenseman and will contribute greatly to the Sabres in the near future.

7. Columbus trades Nikita Filatov to Ottawa for a third round pick (#66 overall)
Filatov is a very skilled player who doesn't pay much attention to defense and as a result of falling out with the team consistently, he's been sent out of Columbus to a team that may be able to harness his talent better. In return, they get a third round pick that they didn't have due to the trade for Jeff Carter.

8. New York Rangers trade Evgeny Grachev to St. Louis for a third round pick (#72 overall)
Grachev has spent most of his career in the Rangers' AHL affiliate, St. Louis feels as though he could make their team. The Rangers get a third round pick for another player they can put in their pipeline

9. Los Angeles trades Ryan Smyth to Edmonton for Colin Fraser and a seventh round pick in 2012
This was mainly due to Ryan Smyth consistently asking to be traded and going back to his hometown of Edmonton. Ever since leaving Edmonton, he has yearned to go back. With the acquisition of Mike Richards, and Smyth's huge salary, he had to go. In exchange, they get Fraser, who was part of the 2010 Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks and a seventh round pick for next year.