Things getting wilder in the West

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/03/2024 (577 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SEATTLE — The West was already pretty wild before the NHL trade deadline came and went.

By the time the dust had settled Friday afternoon, this arms race had ignited a flurry of deals that probably left the heads of many players, general managers, coaches and fan bases spinning.

Big names and complementary pieces were on the move all over, but the majority of the blockbusters involved players either coming to or shifting locations in the Western Conference.

That’s not a surprise when you consider the last two Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, reside in the West.

Although there are plenty of times when the importance of home-ice advantage could be overblown, there will be plenty of jockeying for position during the stretch run, since the tough matchups will be downright impossible to avoid.

“Oh, there will be a few teams upset after the first round,” Jets head coach Rick Bowness said after the morning skate at Climate Pledge Arena.

“There are a lot of good teams in the playoffs. That first round is always the toughest, it is. There are going to be four teams knocked out of that first round that are really good hockey teams who have had really good years. But we all know what we’re up against before the puck drops in October.

“You’ve got to get in the top-eight, you’ve got to make it, and all bets are off. The team that’s healthy, the team that’s playing well will keep moving forward. You see Vegas just picked up Tomas Hertl so this Conference is tough, and a lot of really good hockey teams… again, there will be four teams going home disappointed at the way this season ended.”

Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was trying to process what he had done for his own team, so he wasn’t about to dive into how some of his rivals improved their respective rosters.

“I don’t know. I think obviously we knew going in, (that) the West was tough. We knew coming out (that) the West was going to be tougher, but that’s hockey,” said Cheveldayoff.

“That’s the exciting part. The thing that you have to worry about is, again, you have to get there, you have to get there playing the game that you want to play and the game that is your identity, and the rest will take care of itself.”

It’s a bit of a fool’s game to declare winners and losers before the re-jigged clubs have even hit the ice, but we here at Dump & Chase have decided to break the eight top contenders down into four categories, with a few words on each.

Swinging for the fences

1 Vegas Golden Knights — Is anybody shocked an organization that operates with the ruthless efficiency of the Mob was at it again. Turns out forward Anthony Mantha and defenceman Noah Hanifin were just the appetizers for Friday’s shocking main course, which saw them land Hertl, the currently injured San Jose Sharks superstar, in a deal that stunned the hockey world.

Sure, they’ve once again completely mortgaged the future by moving picks and prospects, but that’s the Vegas way. Seize the moment! Live in the here and now! That Stanley Cup banner hanging in T-Mobile Arena suggests they know what they’re doing.

Of course, there’s the not-so-small matter of first qualifying for the playoffs, which isn’t exactly a sure thing given a lengthy recent slump.

 

Stringing together some hits 

1 Winnipeg Jets — They needed an upgrade at centre and got Sean Monahan. They needed an upgrade at right wing and got Tyler Toffoli. They needed an upgrade on the blue-line and got Colin Miller. That, folks, is a tidy bit of business for Cheveldayoff and company, who were as aggressive as we’ve ever seen and now have a lineup ready to make a legitimate run at a championship.

2 Colorado Avalanche — You have to like the Mile-High makeover, with centre Casey Mittelstadt, defenceman Sean Walker and rugged forwards Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime all joining an already elite core that is likely going to be a lot more difficult to play against as a result. They also recently added veteran Zach Parise as a shrewd free-agent signing.

3 Edmonton Oilers — Nothing too flashy, but the additions of forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick and steady defenceman Troy Stecher were solid moves to supplement an already potent lineup, which also includes free-agent signing Corey Perry. Suddenly, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are surrounded by the deepest talent pool they’ve ever had, especially up front.

4 Nashville Predators — A bit of a surprise entry, since plenty of pundits thought they might be sellers. Instead, a red-hot recent run had them making a couple nice adds in the form of forwards Jason Zucker and Anthony Beauvillier, plus holding on to players they might have shipped out such as pending UFA defenceman Alexandre Carrier.

 

Solid singles

1 Dallas Stars — Acquiring defenceman Chris Tanev earlier in the week was a terrific move, and it turns out it would be their only one. Of course, when you can get an internal add like rookie forward Logan Stankoven, who has set the league on fire since his recent callup from the AHL, it makes sense to otherwise stand pat.

2 Vancouver Canucks — Two-way centre Elias Lindholm got the trade party started more than a month ago, and many felt the surprisingly solid Canucks had a few more moves up their sleeves. Despite being linked to several players, most notably Jake Guentzel (who ultimately went to the Carolina Hurricanes), they opted to take Friday off.

 

Caught looking

1 Los Angeles Kings — We’d say swing and a miss, but they didn’t even step up to the plate. Frankly, that’s a shocking development for a club that has recently tumbled down the standings. Sure, there were rumours they were attempting something big, but that ended up just being talk. Given what all their closest rivals in the West did, it feels like they may ultimately regret it.

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld