CarterHud

                  In another move between New York Islanders GM Garth Snow and Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, the Islanders acquired defenseman Brandon Davidson for a 2019 third round pick.

                  From the Isles point of view I have NO IDEA what they are doing. I\’m an Isles fan, and they need a defenseman badly. A top four defenseman, that is. Davidson is, at best, a 7th defenseman. If he\’s an upcoming UFA, I get it. But he\’s an RFA. The Isles already have Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield locked up, plus Sebastian Aho and Devon Toews upcoming. pending UFAs Thomas Hickey and Dennis Seidenberg are guys I\’d start over Davidson. this trade makes no sense. It\’s a classic Garth Snow move. I guess Davidson will replace Hickey and Seidenberg if they leave, but that\’s a big downgrade. Plus, they are have a cap issue, and are trying to re-sign John Tavares. This trade adds cap, and it would be much more productive to bring up an AHL defenseman, cause that\’s Davidson. Also, they don\’t have a second or third round pick in 2019. I still don\’t know what they are doing.

                    Davidson, 26, has scored three goals and two assists for five points in 36 games for the Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens this season. In his NHL career for those two teams, Davidson has scored eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 137 games.

                   For the Oilers, Chiarelli has always gotten ripped off by Snow all the time. See Griffin Reinhart for the Mat Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier picks and Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome for reference. Chiarelli finally gets his revenge on Garth. A 3rd is an absolute steal for the Oilers. Maybe a fourth or a fifth rounder is fine, but not a third, this trade is amazing for Edmonton.

                  Well, I think you all know who I think wins this trade. By far, it\’s the Oilers. It\’s a minor deal, so it can\’t be that bad, but it just negatively affects the Isles in just about every aspect. It\’s not even a close deal.

                  If you saw a post with a similar title, it has been taken down from this site. Nothing was wrong with the article, there was way more information to include. So, this is a whole new writing, no copy and paste, nothing. Okay, let\’s into the post.

                  In a three team deal, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired center Derick Brassard, a 2018 3rd round pick and prospect Vincent Dunn from the Ottawa Senators, as well as prospect Tobias Lindberg from the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights acquired a 2018 4th from the Penguins, as well as forward Ryan Reaves. The Sens acquired a 2018 1st round pick, a 2019 third, prospect Filip Gustavsson and defenseman Ian Cole. Vegas is paying 40% of Brassard\’s contract.

                  For the Penguins, they get a third line center, something they\’ve been missing since Nick Bonino left for Nashville this past offseason. But, Brassard can put up 20 goals, better than most 3rd line centers. They also get him for another year after this. They traded all the things Vegas and Ottawa got, but since a 3rd and two prospects were thrown in, it\’s worth it.

                  Brassard, 30, has scored 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points in 58 games for the Sens this year. In his NHL career for the Sens, New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, Brassard has scored 159 goals and 261 assists for 420 points in 702 games.

                  Dunn, 22, can be easily confused with Blues defenseman Vince Dunn (trust me, I got confused). He has scored four points, all assists in 17 games in the AHL this year.

                  Lindberg, also 22, hasn\’t played in the NHL this year, but in his career for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lindberg has scored two points, both assists, in six games.

                  For the Knights, this really isn\’t their trade. They are just in it to resolve some cap issues. They get a fourth liner and a fourth rounder for a prospect stuck in a logjam for the second time in his career. Pittsburgh doesn\’t have as big of a jam.

                  Reaves, 31, has scored four goals and four assists for eight points in 58 games for the Pens this season. In his career for the Pens and St. Louis Blues, Reaves has scored 31 goals and 28 assists for 59 points in 477 games.

                  For the Sens, they are trying to trade expensive chips, and get good value out of them. They get really good value out of Brassard: a 1st, an experienced defenseman in Cole who could be flipped for another third, a really good prospect in Gustavsson, and another third, though they traded one and a low-leveled prospect for it.

                  Cole, 29, has scored three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 47 games for the Penguins this season. In his NHL career, all for the Penguins and Blues, Cole has scored 18 goals and 72 assists for 90 points in 385 games.

                    Gustavsson, 19, has a 2.16 GAA and a SV% of .917 in 18 games in the Swedish league this year.

                     I think the the Sens and Penguins both win this trade, and the Knights lose because they are just adding cap for nothing, Ryan Reaves is just more cap added, and they gave up to do that. The Sens got really good rebuilding chips, and the Penguins got a really good player, plus some prospects.

                The New Jersey Devils have acquired RW Michael Grabner from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick and defenseman Yegor Rykov. This marks the first trade between these divisional rivals since the Devils moved to New Jersey.

                 The Devils have been a surprise team this year, and are officially buyers this trade deadline. Grabner is a speedy winger who scores a lot of goals. He doesn\’t rack up many assists, but it\’s a decent trade-off considering his goal numbers. They give up a second round pick for a rental, which isn\’t that bad, and Rykov, an unsigned Russian defenseman.

                  Grabner, 30, has scored 25 goals and six assists for 31 points in 59 games for the Rangers this season. In his NHL career for the Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks, Grabner has scored 156 goals and 88 assists for 244 points in 532 games.

                  For the Rangers, they are sellers, who are trying to trade their smaller pieces before the big ones. They traded Nick Holden, their smallest piece, than Grabner. They are paving the way for a Rick Nash or Ryan McDonagh trade. They get a second rounder, which is pretty good for a rental, and Rykov, who they\’ll look to sign.

                  Rykov, 20, has scored two goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 51 points for St. Petersburg of the KHL this season.

                   I think this is an even trade. The Devils get another goal scorer, while the Rangers get a pick and a young prospect. It\’s a fair deal.

                 There are two types of points in the NHL. One is goals. The other is assists. Most kids want to be the one who scores all the goals. But, New York Islanders right winger Josh Bailey is that one guy who racks up the assists. In 2017-18, Bailey has scored 47 assists, making up just over 75.8 percent of his points in the season (he has 15 goals and 62 points). In his career, he has scored 121 goals and 247 assists for 36 points in 696 games. He has only played in the NHL for the New York Islanders. The 28 year old Bowmansville, Canada, native was drafted by the Isles in the first round (ninth overall) in 2008 NHL draft. He made his NHL debut the next year, at age 19. In 2017-18, Bailey made the all-star team for the first time, alongside teammate John Tavares. He\’s also tied with Sidney Crosby for 5th in the NHL in assists with his 47.

                  At linemate Anders Lee\’s kancer jam, I was able to speak to Josh on his future, plus the Islander team.

                  Carter LaCorte (me): What was it like to be named to your first all-star game this season?

                  Josh Bailey: It was great. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it, spending time with my family, and hanging out with Johnny [Tavares] was nice too. It was a great experience.

                  CL: Have you always prioritized assists over goals? 

                  JB: Yeah, I\’ve always been that type of player, even when I was younger, I was more of a pass first kind of guy.

                  CL: Why do you think you have been more successful this year than the in your previous seasons?

                  JB: I\’ve been giving a lot of opportunities to play with great players every shift, and play with Johnny [Tavares] and Anders [Lee] and on the first power play unit. It\’s a combo of both.

                  CL: Every single press member has talked about John Tavares and his contract situation, but not yours. Has there been any talks with the front office on an extension.

                  JB: We\’ve talked a little bit. We\’ve decided to keep it behind closed doors. I\’m hopeful that we\’ll get something worked out here.

                  CL: What\’s it like to be back here and Anders\’ second kan jam?

                  JB: It\’s a lot of fun. We enjoyed it last year, it\’s for a great cause.

                  CL: If you could name the NHL\’s next team in Seattle, what would you name it?

                  JB: I haven\’t thought about it. I\’ll leave that up to the new owners to pick the name.

                  CL: Who has the biggest personality on the team?

                  JB: Jason Chimera and Johnny Boychuk

                  CL: What makes their personality so big? 

                  JB: They\’re both really outgoing, they\’re fun guys, and they always find good things to say. They\’re good all-around people.

                  The Florida Panthers have acquired F Frank Vatrano from the Boston Bruins in exchange for the third round draft pick.

                   The Panthers, one of the many teams in the playoff hunt, get a young (Vatrano will turn 24 in 20 days) top 9 forward for a small price. Vatrano isn\’t the biggest player on the ice (5 foot 9 inches, 201 pounds), but he can still put up some goals for them. Plus, he\’s and RFA at the end of the year, making him more expendable.

                   Vatrano, 23, has scored two points, both goals in 25 games for the Bruins this year. In his NHL career, all in Boston, Vatrano has scored 20 goals and 11 assists for 31 points in 108 games.

                   For the Bruins, Vatrano wasn\’t starting, and since he\’s young, they got him at a better price than a 34 year old with the same stat-line. Acquiring a third round pick essentially erases the third they gave up for defenseman Nick Holden, making that a one-for-one deal (they dealt Rob O\’Gara in that trade as well).

                   I think the Panthers win this deal. They get a forward who hasn\’t had much time to prove himself, for a small price, it\’s a big point for Vatrano in his career, and a make-or-break opportunity for him.