CarterHud

                    The Florida Panthers have acquired forward Mike Hoffman and a 2018 7th round pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2019 2nd round pick, and a 4th and 5th round pick, both in 2018.

                    For the Panthers, their expansion draft blunders last year left them without two scoring wingers in Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. Hoffman would definitely help them. They give up some picks, but none of them are big picks, except for next year\’s second.

                   Hoffman, 28, scored 22 goals and 34 assists for 56 points in 82 games for the Sens this season. In his NHL career, all in Ottawa, Hoffman has scored 107 goals and 123 assists for 230 points in 342 games.

                  For the Sharks, Hoffman was acquired this morning from the Ottawa Senators. They traded Mikkel Boedker for him, freeing up $4 million in cap space. This gives them room to make a run for John Tavares in free agency. Even if it\’s not him, it\’s good to have the space to sign other players, or to use it for a trade. They got a better return from the Panthers then the Sens got from the Sharks, which is a plus. The picks could be valuable to them if they want to trade up. In all, it\’s a really good move for them.

                  I think this is an even trade. The Sharks get picks and free up cap space, and get a better deal than the Senators got. The Panthers get the winger they need. That\’s why it\’s an even trade.

                The San Jose Sharks have acquired winger Mike Hoffman, D Cody Donaghey and a 5th round draft pick in 2020 from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Mikkel Boedker, defenseman Julius Bergman and a 6th rounder in 2020.

               For the Sharks, they are taking a big risk here. Recent allegations against Hoffman\’s fiance have started a lawsuit where defenseman Erik Karlsson\’s wife is asking for an order of protection against Hoffman\’s fiance, Monika Caryk. But, Hoffman is a good player, and they get him for much less than they regularly would. They move up a round in 2020, and exchange prospects. Hoffman has two years left of control, so he isn\’t a rental.

               Hoffman, 28, scored 22 goals and 34 assists for 56 points in 82 games for the Sens this season. In his NHL career, all in Ottawa, Hoffman has scored 107 goals and 123 assists for 230 points in 342 games.

              Donaghey, 22, scored no points in one AHL game last season, and nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 54 ECHL games last season, his first professional.

              For the Sens, they need to blow up and start over. The whole situation they are in (see above) caused them to either trade Hoffman, or Karlsson. Karlsson is their best player, so Hoffman was the easy choice to trade. Boedker scores about ten goals less than Hoffman a year, and has the same amount of years left as him. The only part of this trade where they really win is the defensemen. Bergman is a level higher than Donaghey. That\’s their advantage.

             Boedker, 28, scored 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points in 74 games for the Sharks this past season. In his NHL career for the Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, Boedker has scored 109 goals, 179 assists and 288 points in 618 games.

             Bergman, 22, scored 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 65 AHL games last year. In his AHL career, Bergman has scored 16 goals and 45 assists for 61 points in 190 games.

            I think the Sharks win this trade. It\’s simple. Hoffman is way better than Boedker. Bergman is better than Donaghey, but the NHL players favor the Sharks, and that\’s what matters.

               The Washington Nationals have acquired RHP Kelvin Herrera from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for 3B Kelvin Gutierrez, OF Blake Perkins and RHP Yohanse Morel.

               For the Nats, they are once again in the playoff race, but the Braves and Phillies are pressuring them this year. They once again need a reliever, and Herrera should be a good fit. He is coming off a rough 2017, but is having a spectacular 2018. Sean Doolittle will probably remain Nats closer, and Herrera will be the set-up man. The prospects they give up aren\’t spectacular because he is a rental, but still pretty good.

               Herrera, 28, has a 1.05 ERA, a .81 WHIP, 22 strikeouts and 14 saves in 25.2 innings for the Royals this season. In his MLB career, all in Kansas City, Herrera has a 2.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 438 strikeouts and 57 saves in 441.1 innings.

              For the Royals, they are rebuilding, after losing Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain in free agency and trading Jon Jay to the D-Backs. Herrera is a rental, and would have no influence on the Royals future. They get three prospects, including the Nationals\’ 10th and 11th best prospects in Gutierrez and Perkins.

              Gutierrez, 23, has a .285 batting average, 12 homers, 177 RBIs and 55 stolen bases in 1741 Plate Appearances in his minor league career.

              Perkins, 21, has a .239 batting average, 11 homers, 99 RBIs and 57 stolen bases in 1336 career minor league Plate Appearances.

             Morel, 17, has a 8.10 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and five strikeouts in 3.1 innings in rookie ball this season.

            I think this is an even trade. The Nats get the reliever they need, and the Royals get the prospects. That\’s why it\’s an even trade.

            The Arizona Coyotes have acquired center Alex Galchenyuk from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Max Domi.

            For the Coyotes, Galchenyuk has just missed 20 goals in two consecutive seasons, scoring 19 this year with 51 points. But in in 2015-16, Galchenyuk scored 30 goals, just six under Domi\’s career totals. He is also locked up, at $4.9 million. Arizona could be good within three seasons, and Galchenyuk could be a key top six center for them.

             Galchenyuk, 24, scored 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 82 games for the Habs this season. In his NHL career, all in Montreal, Galchenyuk has scored 108 goals and 147 assists for 255 points in 418 games.

             For the Canadiens, they save some cap space with this trade. Galchenyuk has a $4.9 million cap hit, and Domi is currently an RFA. He might sign a bridge deal, but even if he signs long term, he will likely get less than $4.9 million. Domi doesn\’t have as good career numbers as Galchenyuk, but is a year younger, and could have more control, depending on the contract he signs with the Habs.

           Domi, 23, scored nine goals and 36 assists for 45 points in 82 games this past season. In his NHL career, all in Arizona, Domi has scored 36 goals and 99 assists for 135 points in 222 games.

           I think the Coyotes win this trade. Galchenyuk has better career numbers than Domi, is locked up, has a pretty low cap hit, and is just a year older than Domi. That\’s why they win this trade.

              The Los Angeles Kings have acquired goalie Peter Budaj from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for center Andy Andreoff.

               For the Kings, the only NHL goalie on the books for 2018-19 besides starter Jonathan Quick was Jack Campbell, who only played five games last season and had mediocre numbers in the AHL. Budaj is a rental and a veteran that has been the Kings\’ backup before, and was really good when Quick was injured in 2016-17. While he had a rough 2017-18 season, he\’s shown that he\’s better than that, and that he can be more reliable than Campbell.

              Budaj, who turns 36 in a week, had a .876 SV% and a 3.76 GAA in eight games for the Lightning last season. In his NHL career for the Lightning, Kings, Montreal Canadiens ans Colorado Avalanche, Budaj has a .904 SV% with a GAA of 2.69 in 365 games. 

               For the Bolts, they currently have 13 forwards on the roster besides Andreoff, but Chris Kunitz is a UFA, three others are RFAs, and some of them (hint, hint, Cory Conacher and Adam Erne) have never played more than 60 games in a season. While they are thin on goalies, Louis Domingue can be their backup, and they can sign a third goalie for the AHL squad. Andreoff can be a fourth line winger or center for the Bolts this year.

                Andreoff, 27, scored three goals and six assists for nine points in 45 games for the Kings this past season. In his NHL career, all in Los Angeles, Andreoff has scored 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 159 games.

                I think this is an even trade. The kings needed a backup goalie, and the Lightning needed a depth forward, and they got what they needed.