(With thanks, or blame, as you prefer, to Nick for the headline. I clearly liked it enough to keep it.)
Nashville Predators acquire D Erik Gudbranson from Ottawa Senators | On the Forecheck
So this…happened. Shaun, Nick, and I got together for a podcast coming later this morning, mostly about this move but also about the rest of the trade deadline as a whole.
2021 NHL Trade Deadline Coverage | On the Forecheck
Catch up on the trades thanks to Bryan and Nick’s hard work here (I helped a little).
Winners and losers of the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline | ProHockeyTalk
The Preds are listed as a loser here, which I feel is overstating it a bit. Yeah, Gudbranson doesn’t–as they say–move the needle, but who on the trade market (with the possible exception of Taylor Hall and his NTC) do they think is the guy the Preds need?
Julien BriseBois is a genius for getting David Savard and waiting for Nikita Kucherov to return from injury, but David Poile is a fool for getting (*deep sigh*) Erik Gudbranson and waiting for Filip Forsberg, Eeli Tolvanen, Matt Duchene, Dante Fabbro, Alex Carrier, and others to return from injury? Now, yeah, Kucherov is a better player than any one of those, and Savard is better than Gudbranson, but come on.
NHL trade deadline Twitter reaction: A tweet for every team | Sportsnet.ca
I wonder if the Preds’ social media manager ever got their coffee.
Dallas Stars could see the return of star forward Tyler Seguin (hip) in time for a late playoff push | ESPN
Best wishes to Seguin, but also: uh oh.
Brian MacLellan says that Jakub Vrana was a ‘frustrated player’ under Peter Laviolette. ‘We moved on from it.’ | RMNB
This sounds, uh, familiar to me as a Preds fan who watched Kevin Fiala struggle to get ice time, not to even get into the absolute mess with Kyle Turris and the near-miss with Mikael Granlund. I know it’s said that players are supposed to like Peter Laviolette, but I’m starting to wonder why.
COVID-19 cap crunch limits moves made at NHL trade deadline | ProHockeyTalk
I feel like those three-team trades to take a piece of the cap hit/salary stick around even after.
Senators deadline moves open opportunities for organization’s youth | Sportsnet.ca
They…they didn’t already have “opportunities for organization’s youth”?
Taylor Hall: Trade to Bruins nets Sabres underwhelming return | ProHockeyTalk
The formatting of this headline makes it look like they’re quoting Taylor Hall about what the Buffalo Sabres got back for him (they are not, but there’s a strong implication he vetoed more valuable trades to teams he liked less). Good luck to him in Boston.
Gotta See It: Patrik Laine finishes insane end-to-end solo rush goal against Blackhawks | Sportsnet.ca
I don’t know if you gotta see it, but you certainly love to see it. (I’m assuming John Tortorella benched him immediately afterward for playing fun, skilled, impressive hockey.)
And, on a much more serious note,
Twins, Wolves, Wild postpone games following police shooting | ProHockeyTalk
The Wild announced that they were postponing the game “out of respect for the heartbreaking incident”.