NHL trade deadline: Marc-Andre Fleury wins big

Marc-Andre Fleury could have been the most important winner on the NHL commerce deadline, getting dealt by the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks to the possibly contending Minnesota Wild.

Minnesota acquired the most important identify obtainable on Monday, including a three-time Stanley Cup winner. The daring transfer boosts the Wild’s probabilities of making the playoffs and maybe making a deep run for the primary time since reaching the 2003 Western Convention finals.

The Wild gave up a conditional first-round choose on this 12 months’s draft, and Chicago agreed to pay half of what’s left on the final 12 months of Fleury’s three-year contract.

“It was a really open, collaborative course of and Minnesota clearly was a really beneficial location for him,” Chicago’s first-year basic supervisor Kyle Davidson stated. “I’m glad we might work out one thing that labored for the Wild, Marc, and in addition the Blackhawks.”

The 37-year-old Fleury, who was 19-21-1 with 4 shutouts in Chicago, gained the Vezina Trophy because the league’s high goalie with the Vegas Golden Knights a 12 months in the past. The high-scoring Wild successfully exchanged Fleury for Kaapo Kahkonen, who they traded to San Jose for a fifth-round choose, and gave themselves an choice in web apart from Cam Talbot.

Here is a take a look at among the different winners on the deadline, when 33 offers had been made involving 54 gamers, and within the days main as much as the possibly pivotal day:

NEW YORK RANGERS

The Rangers, who did not make the playoffs final season for the third time in 4 years, improved their probabilities of making noise within the postseason for the primary time since reaching the 2015 Japanese Convention finals.

New York bolstered its defence by buying Philadelphia’s Justin Braun and improved their depth up entrance, including Tyler Motte from Vancouver and Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp. The Rangers gave up a complete of 5 picks, together with two conditional second-round alternatives to Winnipeg, together with a pair of minor league prospects.

COLORADO AVALANCE

The NHL-leading Avs, clearly, usually are not content material with their place within the standings by buying ahead Artturi Lehkonen from Montreal to make performs at each ends of the ice. Additionally they landed San Jose ahead Andrew Cogliano so as to add depth after bolstering the blue line after buying defenceman Josh Manson from Anaheim final week.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Winners discover a means, and the Lightning seemed as in the event that they did on Friday by buying 23-year-old ahead Brandon Hagel, after he scored 21 targets for a second straight season in Chicago, for a pair of first-round picks.

Tampa Bay additionally added a layer of toughness by including 6-foot-3, 225-pound ahead Nick Paul from Ottawa in a quest to change into the NHL’s first to win three straight Stanley Cups because the New York Islanders gained 4 in a row from 1980 to 1983.

“All people’s making an attempt to get that further edge — no matter they suppose that’s,” coach Jon Cooper stated.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

The Panthers, who lead the rival Lightning within the Atlantic Division, made a splash Saturday by buying seven-time All-Star ahead Claude Giroux from Philadelphia a number of days after including standout defenceman Ben Chiarot of Montreal.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Vying with Carolina and the Rangers to win the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins added 16-goal scorer Rickard Rakell from Anaheim. His 154 targets in 550 video games rank fifth on the Geese’ all-time checklist and his secondary scoring is required in Pittsburgh.

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AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow and freelance reporter Denis Gorman contributed.