With the NHL playoffs about to begin, it felt like a great time to go take a look at those who have made an impact from the NHL trade deadline. This is correct. A few players have turned their teams into better versions of themselves.
Sadly, there are some players in the East that can’t be mentioned because the Eastern Conference has been so heavy on the NHL trade deadline. Take a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, they’ve made quite a few moves to improve their team heading into the playoffs.
Anyway, it’s time to reveal some of our besties.
Effective moves in the eastern conference trading deadline
Timo Meyer– F – New Jersey Devils
This was the biggest move in the NHL trade deadline. Meyer was the largest shark in the sea and was Devils got their man. His ability to be a solid striker and score goals not only in five-on-five but power play was the perfect addition to this team that was lacking an edge.
Prior to the trade to New Jersey, Meyer had 52 points (31 goals and 21 assists) on a bad Sharks team. In 21 games with the Devils, Meyer scored 14 points (nine goals and five assists), including four power play goals. In his first match with Devils Meier scored his first goal for his new team.
Meyer is a large physical object that demons used as a bumper in their power play. Although he is listed as a left winger, he can play on the right side. His presence gave demons a different element.
Patrick Kane And Vladimir Tarasenko– F – New York Rangers
The Rangers went hunting for big game at the deadline. First, they traded with Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues. Then the guards did everything they could Get Patrick Kane. There was a lot of gymnastics to make that happen. However, both players took Rangers to another level.
The Rangers top six have a different element now with these two forwards in their lineup. Not to mention their power play as well. The Rangers were already killers, but the addition of these two makes it even better. It took some time to Patrick Kane to adapt to the Rangers. His first match did not go as planned. after two games, Gerard Gallant Kane’s split Artemy Panarin. From there Kane came away with 12 points (five goals and seven assists) in 19 games with the team.
Meanwhile, Tarasenko scored 21 points (eight goals and 13 assists) in 31 games with the Rangers. Tarasenko and fellow Russian panarian are paired together Vincent Troshek In the middle, with Kane now on the top line with Mika Zibanejad And Chris Kreider. New York is a more balanced team than they used to be.
Dmitry Orlov– D – Boston Bruins
Made Boston Bruins Multiple movements On deadline too. Boston got Agate Hathaway And Tyler Bertuzzi to record depth. They both played well. But the man who made the biggest impact was… Dmitry Orlov.
Orlov was part of the Hathway trade. And he was the main piece. Hathaway was a throw-in. As for Orlov, they called him Dmitry “Bobby” Orlov for the way he was playing to start his time in Boston. Orloff scored 17 points (four goals and 13 assists) in 19 games with the Bruins including 11 points in his first 10 games as a member of the Bruins.
Plus, Orlov gives the Bruins a different element on the backend. We know what Charlie McAvoy And Hambus Lindholm He could do, but Orlov is a very solid defensive guy. He finished with a +/- of +10 playing on the top pair with McAvoy. His presence gives the Bruins more depth on defense and balance.
Honorable Mention Deadline
Rasmus Sandin– D – Washington Capitals
We usually look at the players on the playoff teams making an impact. but, Rasmus Sandin A shining star in Washington D.C., Sandin was traded from Toronto to Washington as part of the Eric Gustafson commerce.
Sandin was finding his groove in Toronto, but the way Toronto was remodeling his blues, the odd man out was. He came to Washington and got back in shape. The minutes he spent under the then coach increased Peter Laviolette Capitals are also looking to rebuild/retool on the fly.
Although he finished with a +/- of -7, Sandin scored 15 points (three goals and 12 assists) in 19 games. Sandin signed during the 2023-24 season where he was paired with Nick Jensen In the team’s second pairing. It also added four strengths.
So sometimes we forget the players on the other side of the trade during the NHL trade deadline because they make their impact known and Sandin is a perfect example.
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We all know that the trade deadline saw all the big names move to the Eastern Conference. But that doesn’t mean the Western Conference didn’t have its share of big names in the NHL trade deadline making an impact.