I recently asked a Western Conference veteran what he thought of the 2023 NHL trade deadline.
“The East is insane. It’s my opinion”.
It was such a precise and concise overview that it can be applied to the days leading up to Friday, March 3rd, when the West essentially became a feeding system for the East.
The New York Islanders kicked off the fun by acquiring Bo Horvath from Vancouver. The New York Rangers included Patrick Kane from Chicago and Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis. The New Jersey Devils won the derby against San Jose’s Timo Meyer. The Toronto Maple Leafs brought in Chelsea’s Ryan O’Reilly and about a dozen defenders. Carolina hurricanes brought in Jesse Pulujärvi (Edmonton) and Shane Gostisbehere (Arizona). The Tampa Bay Lightning added Nashville’s Tanner Jeannot, while the Pittsburgh Penguins added Predators’ Mikael Granlund. For some reason.
Then on Wednesday, things got really silly in the East: The Ottawa Senators won a year-long contest to get Arizona’s Jacob Chichran, to the shock of the hockey world. If the Senators aren’t real contenders this season — they have a 17% chance of making the playoffs for a cash puck — they’ll at least join the Buffalo Sabers and Detroit Red Wings and be part of the next wave. .
“It’s just crazy how all these teams are loaded,” said the Western Conference player. “It almost reminds me of the rich guys at the country club. They all want to show who has the biggest clock. It’s hard not to try to keep up.”
Source: www.espn.com
