For the second straight season the Everett Silvertips have made a splashy trade with the Saskatoon Blades.
Last year it was scoring forward Nikita Scherbak, this year it’s offensive defenceman Brycen Martin.
Everett sent a message to its U.S. Division rivals on Monday when they acquired Buffalo Sabres prospect Martin from the Saskatoon Blades. While they didn’t have to empty the bank to get him in Silvertips green, they did have to make a decent-sized withdrawal.
Going to the Blades in this deal are former first-round Bantam pick Jantzen Leslie, forward Ryan Anderson and a 2017 second-round draft pick.
Martin will add offence to a team that is among the lowest scoring in the WHL – at only 2.69 goals per game – while giving the Silvertips defensive depth at the same time. Martin joins Everett after picking up 24 points with Saskatoon and instantly becomes the Silvertips’ leading scorer.
“He skates especially well and is very good with the puck,” Everett general manager Gary Davidson says of Martin. “Those are two dynamics that are critical for us. But the other thing is we’re adding another defenceman to our back end. You’re always concerned that you have enough depth there.”
With over a month to go from the trading deadline, Davidson felt like the deal was worth making now for a couple of reasons.
“I’ve always in the past tried to make deals early as opposed to waiting until the deadline,” Davidson said. “At the deadline they can be more expensive and also they can go south on and you can’t get anything done.”
Davidson had to give up some of Everett’s future to make this deal happen. Leslie was a promising first-round Bantam pick but Davidson felt that they have some depth in their system that makes the risk of moving players like Leslie and Anderson worth it.
Everett is currently trailing Spokane by one point and division leader Seattle by four but has games in hand. Before Martin, the Silvertips did not have the offence to match Seattle as the Thunderbirds have scored 29 more goals this season.
“I think it is a very exciting and tight division,” Davidson says. “All five U.S. teams are in the mix and I think this adds a need for us. It should make us better and therefore give us an opportunity to compete with the other teams in the division moving forward.”
While they’ve struggled on offence, the Silvertips have the league’s best defence and goaltender. Carter Hart has been lights out in net so far and has recorded an astonishing six shutouts in 22 games. Everett already has a winning record while barely scoring goals and now with Martin, will become that much tougher to beat.
Expect Martin to step into the Everett power play, which currently sits ninth in the league, and most likely team up with Montreal Canadiens first-round pick Noah Juulsen as a top pair. Last season the Silvertips relied on the third best power play in the league and it was a major reason for their success. Can Martin get them back to those heights?
He comes in with six points on the power play so far with Saskatoon and could help players like Patrick Bajkov and Remi Laurnencelle pick up more power-play points. His puck-moving skill and play-making ability – he has 21 assists – will help Everett get the puck out of their end and up ice to its forwards much easier. That in turn makes the Silvertips a real threat in the U.S. Division and Western Conference.
Everett still could use some help up front and Davidson says they’re still on the lookout.
“We still think we have some needs but whether we can fill those needs I’m not sure,” he says. “But we’ll do our due diligence and see what we can come up but time will tell.”
Monday’s trade was a direct shot across the bow to the rest of the U.S. Division and especially to the current leaders in Seattle. Will the Thunderbirds respond with a move of their own? A tight division just got a little tighter.