As if Erik Karlsson hasn't suffered enough.
The Senators' superstar captain was pulled through the rumor mill for weeks leading into Monday's NHL trade deadline. Just when it seemed he might get a one-way ticket out of Ottawa to chase his first Stanley Cup, the 3 p.m. ET cutoff came and went without a deal, leaving all parties feeling a bit awkward.
"Multiple teams phoned, but Erik's a franchise player and we felt there was no franchise deal out there that could satisfy to make the best hockey deal," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in attempting to explain the deadline dud to reporters.
MORE: Grading every trade made on 2018 deadline day
It's difficult to blame Dorion. Orchestrating a blockbuster of this caliber midseason is highly complicated. He faces a lose-lose situation with Senators fans unlikely to be satisfied no matter how many draft picks and prospects arrive in Karlsson's stead. Dorion's boss, Eugene Melnyk, might be the most hated owner in sports, and he owns the missteps that led to the deterioration of the relationship with the face of the franchise.
That's kind of the point, though.
Nine months ago, Karlsson willed the Senators within one win of the Stanley Cup Final. It was unfathomable then to imagine No. 65, arguably the world's best player not named Crosby or McDavid, playing anywhere else the rest of his career. Now it's an inevitability, one that will have to wait until summertime to sort itself out. More teams will be able to join the sweepstakes then, free of salary cap constraints, but there's no telling what might happen between now and then.
The Lightning, believed to be his top suitor, opted for Plan B instead. That's one less bidder. Dorion lathered on the optimism Karlsson might consider signing an extension in Ottawa on July 1, but it's more likely he's already tuned out.
Until then, Karlsson remains with the Senators to ride out a lost season. He's the trade deadline's biggest loser; he found the escape hatch, only to be pulled back in.
MORE: Ryan Hartman trade a reminder of the times for Blackhawks
Loser: Erik Karlsson
He was *this close* to playing professional hockey in Las Vegas. I'd be upset, too.
Winners: Lightning and Rangers
Unable to reach a deal for Karlsson, the Lightning zeroed in on Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, no slouch in his own right. J.T. Miller is joining him in Tampa for good measure to balance out the departure of Vladislav Namestnikov. New York also received a bounty of prospects in Libor Hajek and Brett Howden, Tampa Bay's 2018 first-round pick and a conditional first-rounder in 2019. A rare blockbuster that looks good for both sides.
The Rangers made good on their rebuild declaration to fans. Say what you will about the lack of top prospects, but GM Jeff Gorton now possesses 10 picks in the 2018 draft, including five in the first three rounds. McDonagh, Miller, Rick Nash and Michael Grabner are gone. Now the Rangers can begin the next phase.
For the Lightning, the addition of McDonagh to complete a top four with Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Mikhail Sergachev should scare the entire Eastern Conference. That was the crux of this trade, after all: to keep up with the Bruins and Maple Leafs in the intradivision arms race. If there were any doubt, the Lightning look like Cup favorites once again.
GRADES: Lightning beef up for Cup run; Rangers plot future
Winner: Steve Yzerman
By now it's no surprise we're talking about the mastery of Stevie Y on deadline day, but this year might be one of his best acts to date.
The Lightning were awfully quiet in the final hours. They'd been in on conversations about Karlsson and McDonagh, the two biggest names to be had, so it was easy to connect the dots. When a Karlsson deal got too complicated and/or pricey, Yzerman pivoted to the Rangers with nary a minute to spare.
Told the Ryan McDonagh trade was in fact a last minute deal: Agreed upon at 2:59 p.m. ET.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 26, 2018
While getting McDonagh is great, the highlight of the deal (and what makes Yzerman one of the best in the biz) was the inclusion of Miller to balance out the loss of Namestnikov, an NHL roster player in the midst of a career year. He was steadfast in his refusal to part with young studs Sergachev and Brayden Point and also managed to keep intact the Lightning's treasure trove of prospects. At this point, we're not sure why NHL GMs pick up the phone when Yzerman calls.
Losers: Buffalo Sabres
What will it take to turn this franchise around? The Sabres have been through hell and back the last decade, but this season challenges for worst of them all. Thirtieth place. Jack Eichel probably won't play again until the 2018 opener. And even though it's not entirely his fault, general manager Jason Botterill set the wrong tone for the offseason, the only thing Sabres fans have to look forward to anymore, by botching the Evander Kane trade and failing to find takers for Robin Lehner, Benoit Pouliot and Josh Gorges.
Buffalo sits in an uncomfortable position. Its rookie coach and GM already sound frustrated and out of answers. How much are they to blame? There's only one way to find out, and that likely means surrounding Eichel with a bunch of new faces next season.
GRADES: Jason Botterill flunks first trade deadline test
Winner: 2018 draft hysteria
Botterill seemed to be the only one to have trouble getting his hands on a first-round pick Monday. Five first-rounders changed teams, a new high for a single deadline day. The previous record was four in 2007, when they were used to acquired the likes of Keith Tkachuk and Peter Forsberg.
NHL general managers have hoarded their picks in recent years. Maybe this is a sign there's no longer a premium on late firsts. That's good news for draft-day drama seekers and bad news for anyone who has to keep track of all these picks.
MORE: Rasmus Dahlin can change conversation on D-men drafted No. 1
Winner: Kevin Cheveldayoff
He did it. He finally did it. In seven years as Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff made exactly three deadline-day trades. Three! Turns out it was all buildup for Monday, when Cheveldayoff shed his gun-shy label and swung the most surprising trade of the day, acquiring Paul Stastny from the struggling Blues.
The Jets were no-doubt losers if not for this deal. Sorely lacking center depth, Cheveldayoff was conned out of Derick Brassard and then saw fallback option Tomas Plekanec go to the Maple Leafs in pre-deadline deals. Stastny, 32, is the best of the three. He wasn't even available until St. Louis lost its sixth in a row Sunday Cheveldayoff forked over a 2018 first-round pick and more for a rental, so his new center help didn't come cheap. But this is the sort of bold, swing-for-the-fences trade GMs make when they smell a Stanley Cup.
MORE: Jets take center stage in West with Paul Stastny trade
Loser: Dumb rival trades theory
You know, that misguided notion that trades between rival GMs are taboo because the NHL's marketing arm has brainwashed everyone into believing the league is just a bunch of intradivision rivalries, or something. It started Saturday with a trade between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs (gasp!) and continued Monday, when two of the biggest deals stayed within the Central Division: Paul Stastny from St. Louis to Winnipeg and Ryan Hartman from Chicago to Nashville (double gasp!). Really, it's easy. Anyone can do it.
Losers: Vancouver Canucks
OK, fine. This wouldn't be a real-life winners/losers column without slapping a big, fat "L" on Jim Benning's forehead. It's not that the Canucks' deadline was awful. They didn't have much to screw up, with only a handful of pending UFAs. Alas, Benning's team is rebuilding, and the best way to do so is by obtaining draft picks.
Erik Gudbranson and Thomas Vanek aren't world-beaters, but in this market, second- or third-rounders weren't out of the question. Yet the Canucks re-signed Gudbranson (for some reason) and came away with a deadline haul of ... Philip Holm, Tyler Motte and Jussi Jokinen, who literally has played for four teams this season alone.
Taking on Jokinen in the Vanek deal was a condition to sweeten the pot to include Motte, but no, not a draft pick, which Benning insisted "wasn't available to us." Uh-huh.
It's a wash
These teams didn't totally screw up their trade deadline, but they sure didn't come out on top, either.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Tomas Plekanec is a solid, if underwhelming, addition, but the Leafs otherwise sat idle while the Lightning and Bruins added big. The gap between 1, 2 and 3 in the Atlantic got wider this week, even if the standings don't show it yet.
Detroit Red Wings
GM Ken Holland deserves full marks for unloading Tomas Tatar's contract on the Golden Knights, extracting first-, second- and third-round draft picks to boot. It's the failure to find a partner for UFA-to-be Mike Green that left us scratching our heads. Green has been injured and owns no-trade rights, but there's no explaining why he's still a Red Wing.
Vegas Golden Knights
Speaking of ... GM George McPhee has an arsenal of draft picks from which to deal thanks to the expansion draft, but it's hard to figure out his high-risk, low-reward play to add Tatar. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Vegas' against-the-odds run this season is predicated on good fortune and team chemistry. It's admirable to push the chips all in to see how far the fairytale season will go, but if it falls short (likely), the Knights possess only one pick in the first three rounds of the 2018 draft. It would have been better to let this one ride.
Washington Capitals
Maybe the Caps learned their lesson after the Kevin Shattenkirk dud of 2017, but they were alarmingly quiet before a deadline that saw the Penguins, Blue Jackets, Devils and Flyers make moves for the better.
Edmonton Oilers
Much like the Sabres, the Oilers learned a hard lesson about the risk of waiting out a market. Demand caved on Patrick Maroon, who wound up going to the Devils for a third-round pick and a prospect. Otherwise, the addition of Pontus Aberg and the Brandon Davidson deal even things out.
Montreal Canadiens
Similar to the Senators, the Canadiens have their own captain conundrum after deciding to hold off on trading Max Pacioretty. The embattled winger almost certainly will be traded this summer after a deadline deal didn't materialize. GM Marc Bergevin might be fighting for his job. He did salvage things with a better-than-expected return for Plekanec, though.
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