There's been a sort of unintended consequence of the separation that we've seen in the Eastern Conference standings that's had an impact on the prices teams appear willing to pay at the NHL trading deadline. The top seven teams have separated themselves from the pack and yet there's only six points separating the No. 1 Montreal Canadiens from the No. 6 Pittsburgh Penguins. The net effect is every one of those clubs believes it can legitimately get to the Stanley Cup final – and every one of those teams is paying a heavy price for reinforcements as a result.
Usually, the NHL trade deadline panels need to wait a long time for the first deals of the day, but that was not the case Monday, when both the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning bolstered their blue lines with significant additions. The Caandiens gave up a second-round pick in 2015 and a conditional fifth rounder in the same draft to land defenceman Jeff Petry from the Edmonton Oilers.
The Lightning, meanwhile, gave up a decent young defenceman in Radko Gudas, plus both first– and third-round picks in the 2015 NHL entry draft to land defenceman Braydon Coburn from the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a significant return for the Flyers for an asset that they'd been talking about moving for some time. Tampa had an extra first-rounder, received from the New York Rangers in last year's deadline blockbuster that saw Ryan Callahan join them in exchange for Martin St. Louis. Philadelphia will get Tampa's 2015 first-rounder, unless they happen to slide out of playoff contention, in which case they would then receive New York's. It means GM Steve Yzerman lottery-protected his pick, although with a 13-point lead over the ninth-place Florida Panthers, it seems like an unnecessary precaution.
Coburn gives the Lightning a greater physical presence on their blue line, which is what the unpredictable Gudas did as well. But they hope Coburn steadies their group, which is a little thin after Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. Gudas has been hurt a lot this year, playing in only 31 games, but is only 24 and fits in with Philadelphia's primary plan of looking out for the future, adopted when Ron Hextall took over from Paul Holmgren as GM.
Considering what Tampa paid for Coburn, you'd have to say the price for Montreal to rent Petry is pretty reasonable. He was probably the best defensive rental still on the board, although it remains to be seen if the Toronto Maple Leafs succeed in moving Dion Phaneuf by the deadline. Detroit was long considered the landing spot for Petry, whose father, Dan, once pitched for the Tigers – and he may well end up there as an unrestricted free agent signing come July. But his presence gives the Canadiens another defender with the ability to move the puck. Petry has size, and recently, has been more inclined to use it than in the past, the one part of his game that generally received some criticism from the Oiler faithful.
The Red Wings essentially signaled they were out of the Phaneuf sweepstakes, by opting to acquire a lesser player, Marek Zidicky, from the New Jersey Devils for a third-rounder in 2016. Zidlicky is a right-handed shot defenceman, who can play on the power play and moves the puck really well. He is also an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Gudas is pals with the Flyers' Jakub Voracek, they grew up playing with and against each other in the Czech Republic.
Coburn is now 30 – he celebrated that milestone birthday this past Friday – and was part of that fabulous 2003 entry draft, which also produced Phaneuf and Ryan Suter in the first round. He was the eighth overall pick that year, by the Atlanta Thrashers, but solidified his NHL career with Philadelphia, where he played a total of 576 games over nine seasons, seventh among defencemen in franchise history.
Coburn had been linked to the Calgary Flames as a possible reinforcement for the injured Mark Giordano. The Flames are in Philadelphia for a game Tuesday against the Flyers and may still be looking to them for blue line help before time runs out.
"If there's a way to help this team at a cost that makes sense, we'll do it," Treliving told TSN this morning.
"It's a high market right now. Giving up a high prospect for a rental player isn't something we have a big appetite for."