The trades leading up to Monday's NHL Trade Deadline were interesting, but few and far between, that was until the final hours on Monday. That's when the sense of urgency picked up, and two teams came away with major deals among the numerous ones that were made. The Las Vegas Golden Knights were one of those teams, and they were so happy with the move, that they locked it in for a long time. The Golden Knights acquired Mark Stone from the Ottawa Senators, and quickly reached a new extension with the forward. The extension is reportedly for eight years and is worth $9.5 million annually. That will make him one of the highest-paid players in the league since the state of Nevada has no state income tax.
The Golden Knights gave away defenseman Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, and a second-round draft pick, which belonged to the Dallas Stars. The 26-year-old was on pace to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but will now enjoy his time with the Golden Knights for a majority of his career to come. He has 28 goals and 34 assists over 59 games this season, and has scored over 20 goals each season since 2014-2015. The move for the Knights may give them the extra boost needed to move from the third place spot in the Pacific, as they sit at 32-26-5 for 69 points on the season. On the other end, the Senators have dealt away some of their biggest assets, including Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel.
The Nashville Predators made the another notable move on Monday as they continue to battle the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division. The Predators went out and acquired Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Hartman and a 2020 conditional fourth-round draft pick. If the Predators advance at all in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that draft pick will turn in to a third-rounder. Simmonds is a longtime Flyer, as he has 242 goals and 229 assists over 824 NHL games, with this being his 11th season in the league.
Through 62 games this season, the 30-year-old has 16 goals and 11 assists, and is on track to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has also spent a short time with the Los Angeles Kings, but his time with the Flyers was expected to come to an end. The team had a good feeling of it after a 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stadium Series showdown, where they gave Simmonds an emotional goodbye afterwards, long before any rumors were ever confirmed. The team had talked about extending the veteran earlier in the season, but they were said to be "a ways apart" in those discussions, but that doesn't mean he can't return in free agency.
The Golden Knights gave away defenseman Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg, and a second-round draft pick, which belonged to the Dallas Stars. The 26-year-old was on pace to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but will now enjoy his time with the Golden Knights for a majority of his career to come. He has 28 goals and 34 assists over 59 games this season, and has scored over 20 goals each season since 2014-2015. The move for the Knights may give them the extra boost needed to move from the third place spot in the Pacific, as they sit at 32-26-5 for 69 points on the season. On the other end, the Senators have dealt away some of their biggest assets, including Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel.
The Nashville Predators made the another notable move on Monday as they continue to battle the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division. The Predators went out and acquired Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Hartman and a 2020 conditional fourth-round draft pick. If the Predators advance at all in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that draft pick will turn in to a third-rounder. Simmonds is a longtime Flyer, as he has 242 goals and 229 assists over 824 NHL games, with this being his 11th season in the league.
Through 62 games this season, the 30-year-old has 16 goals and 11 assists, and is on track to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has also spent a short time with the Los Angeles Kings, but his time with the Flyers was expected to come to an end. The team had a good feeling of it after a 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stadium Series showdown, where they gave Simmonds an emotional goodbye afterwards, long before any rumors were ever confirmed. The team had talked about extending the veteran earlier in the season, but they were said to be "a ways apart" in those discussions, but that doesn't mean he can't return in free agency.
