Wiebe's World: Examining how trade-deadline deals are paying off for playoff teams

WINNIPEG — It is the time of year when the initial sticker shock has been replaced by either buyer’s remorse or never-ending joy.

Sure, it’s only the first round of these Stanley Cup playoffs, but there’s been ample time to sort out whether or not some of those trade deadline deals have been paying dividends or are an example of paying too much and getting too little.

Sometimes the fit can be absolutely perfect. In others, it simply doesn’t pan out the way a general manager and his staff thought it would.

That’s one of the many storylines to emerge as all eight series have played three games going into Sunday’s action, with four of those best-of-7’s having Game 4 on the docket.

There is still ample time for some of the rentals and other players under contract beyond this season to make an impact on these playoffs, but we’re also getting to a point where some teams are on the verge of being pushed to the brink of elimination.

That’s generally when the regret stage occurs, given what teams often need to give up to bolster their respective rosters for the stretch drive and beyond.

You can be sure Los Angeles Kings GM Rob Blake is happy he was able to complete the deal that brought goalie Joonas Korpisalo and defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov into the fold from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both players are playing an important role in helping them build a 2-1 series lead with the Edmonton Oilers.

Korpisalo was involved in a crease share situation with Pheonix Copley but has taken the ball in the playoffs and is running with it.

As for Gavrikov, he’s been an excellent fit as well on a Kings’ blue line that is holding up well so far while dealing with one of the stiffest challenges in hockey, dealing with a potent Oilers’ attack that features Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, among others.

Gavrikov and Korpisalo were already going to attract plenty of interest if they get to the open market this summer and they’ve done nothing but boost their stock.

Teams looking for a starting goalie are definitely going to have Korpisalo under consideration, while Gavrikov will be one of the D-men who will be looking for a significant raise from the $2.8 million AAV he played on during the past three seasons.

Although Gavrikov isn’t a big point producer, he does more than just play a shutdown role. His AAV could end up being in the $5 million range, depending on how many teams are bidding for his services.

That number could be tricky for the Kings to hit, considering they already have $22.625 million committed to five blue-liners under contract next season.

One of the most seamless fits of all the deadline acquisitions is defenceman Mattias Ekholm with the Oilers.

Ekholm has been nothing short of spectacular since being picked up from the Nashville Predators and the fact he’s under contract at $6.25 million for the next three seasons lines up well with this window of contention.

Ekholm has been averaging just north of 23 minutes of ice time in the playoffs.

Not only does he play in all situations, he’s brought a stiffness to his game that has bolstered the defence corps while also chipping in offensively.

He’s also helped guys like Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard immensely.

The longer the Oilers run is, the more valuable Ekholm figures to be.

After losing Cole Perfetti to injury, the Winnipeg Jets might not have earned the final wild card spot in the Western Conference were it not for the additions of Nino Niederreiter (who has one more season at $4 million) and Vladislav Namestnikov (who is a pending UFA that the Jets would like to extend).

With Nikolaj Ehlers out with an undisclosed upper-body injury, both Niederreiter and Namestnikov are playing important roles in the top-6 during the series with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Although it came on a fortuitous bounce, the Golden Knights got an important assist from forward Ivan Barbashev in double overtime of Game 3, as the breakout pass from Dylan Samberg bounced off his shin pad and landed right on the tape of Michael Amadio, who delivered the game-winner.

Barbashev has shown his versatility since his arrival, moving around the lineup from the top line to the fourth while chipping in offensively and bringing a physical component that has fit in nicely with a Vegas team that plays a heavy game.

Colorado Avalanche centre Lars Eller is looking for his first playoff point, but he’s the type of guy whose value stretches well beyond the point totals and he’s providing depth and two-way dependability since the trade with the Washington Capitals.

“I saw it coming. When you’re on an expiring deal, you’re always a potential asset that can be offloaded, especially when we weren’t looking too good in the standings and the team decided to be sellers,” Eller said when asked about the trade and why it’s been a good fit so far. “Here, it’s been good. I’m in that third line role and I’m in the centre position, that’s where I’m best. We’re going to need contributions from everyone up and down the lineup to be successful in the playoffs.”

Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin was active leading into the deadline, first as a third party broker, then as a guy who added depth up front and on the back end.

The forward additions have been making their presence felt in the early stages of the series with the Dallas Stars, with Gustav Nyquist already recording four assists, Marcus Johansson scoring a pair of goals and Oskar Sundqvist adding one of his own after checking in for Game 3.

Although he was a healthy scratch in each of the first two games after playing mostly third-pairing minutes and helping the power play since his arrival from the Anaheim Ducks, John Klingberg entered in Game 3 and chipped in with a pair of helpers.

The Stars didn’t want to give up a top prospect or a first-rounder for a rental, but Evgenii Dadonov's under-the-radar addition provided complementary scoring that's carried over into the early stages of the playoffs.

Dadonov has two goals in three games against the Wild after chipping in three goals and 15 points in 23 games since his arrival from the Montreal Canadiens.

Over in the Eastern Conference, there’s Ryan O’Reilly doing what he often does during the Stanley Cup playoffs, immersing himself right in the middle of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Through three games, O’Reilly is tied for second on the team in points (five) with Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly. He trails only Mitch Marner (eight points) while being leaned on to play tough minutes against top competition.

For those constantly wondering about Patrick Kane's health prior to his trade to the New York Rangers, those concerns have quickly been alleviated with the shifty winger producing a goal and five points against the New Jersey Devils.

Timo Meier has yet to record a point in the series, but he’s registered 12 shots on goal, so you can expect him to make an impact before long, as he fit in well (nine goals, 14 points in 21 games) after he was acquired from the San Jose Sharks)

The Boston Bruins were already a force to be reckoned with before adding defenceman Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals and Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings.

With Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron not available for at least the first four games of this series, those additions by GM Don Sweeney continue to look shrewd.

Although New York Islanders centre Bo Horvat is also looking for his first point of the playoffs, there is no doubt that his addition by GM Lou Lamoriello was a sharp one, especially after getting him signed to a contract extension.

After late-season injuries to Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov, the Carolina Hurricanes forward depth is going to be further tested after they lost fellow forward Teuvo Teravainen to a broken hand after he was on the receiving end of a slash.

Although the Hurricanes brought in winger Jesse Puljujarvi from the Oilers, he only entered the series in Game 3 and hasn’t made much of an impact, chipping in two assists in 17 regular season games.

Only one team will be sipping from Lord Stanley’s mug, but it’s already a guarantee that many GMs will be applauded for their willingness to sacrifice part of the future for a shot at glory.

EICHEL HEATING UP

There were plenty of folks weighing in online and elsewhere about Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel's playoff debut after he was held without a point and on the ice for three goals against (including the empty-netter) in the series opener against the Jets.

It was important to note that while things didn’t always go smoothly in that Game 1, Eichel was still around the puck a lot, generating two shots on goal and 10 shot attempts to go along with three hits and three blocked shots.

The hot takes were flowing and Eichel quickly quieted some of those doubters by getting on a roll during the next two games, scoring three times and adding an assist as the Golden Knights took a 2-1 series lead.

With a nifty redirection in Game 2 and a pair of power play one-timers in Game 3, Eichel demonstrated the type of game-breaking ability he’s shown throughout his career while also showing off his improved two-way game that Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy touched on going into the series.

THE MATCHUP GAME

There are a lot of bright and articulate head coaches in the NHL, though some of them are a lot less open than others when it comes to sharing some of those insights with members of the media.

Whether it’s a first-time bench boss in the NHL searching for that comfort level with a microphone around or sometimes believing that providing too much information could potentially help an opponent, the difference can occasionally be stark.

That’s a matter of personal preference, but one thing that’s been abundantly clear so far in this series between the Jets and Golden Knights is that Cassidy is mostly an open book. And speaking with people around the team regularly, this is how it’s been throughout the course of the season.

Listening to Cassidy dig into a variety of subjects during this series with thoughtful answers to pretty much any question tossed his way has been highly enjoyable — and I’m fortunate enough to have Jets coach Rick Bowness and his direct and open approach to deal with on a daily basis.

Cassidy has done a fantastic job in his first season behind the Golden Knights bench, leading them to the top seed in the Western Conference. When you hear him talk about enjoying the chess match that comes with a playoff series and how important those adjustments that come along with it, it’s easy to see why he’s been able to connect with his players.

Specifically on the subject of line matching, Cassidy spoke openly about not trying to chase matchups or shy away from them when he doesn’t have the last change. That is one of the many benefits to having the type of depth at each position the Golden Knights feature.

“We talked about line matchups and again, you just have to watch our team this year. We’re not going to change a million different things,” said Cassidy. “We’ll change our line chemistry, (that’s) what we’ll do if we don’t like where we’re going with a line, we’ll move people around. That’s more about necessity for our group and less about what the other team is doing.

“It’s the playoffs. There will be little things that we’ll talk about at the end. Whatever team wins (they’ll know) what they felt they’ve done better. For me, at the end of the day, if the players execute, the coaches look like their adjustments are great.”

TO SWITCH OR NOT TO SWITCH?

Goaltending is always under the spotlight at this time of the year, as is how head coaches deal with pulling the starting netminder during a game and when they opt to make a change within a series.

There were plenty of folks who weighed in on how Wild coach Dean Evason made the switch for Game 2 against the Dallas Stars after Filip Gustavsson set a franchise record with 51 saves in the opener.

But the two goalies had a job share during the course of the season and switched back and forth down the stretch, so it’s easy to see why Evason decided to stick with what has been working.

But after Gustavsson went back into the net and won Game 3, he’s expected to return to the crease for Game 4 on Sunday.

It was a gutsy decision for Devils coach Lindy Ruff, who turned to Akira Schmid for Game 3 against the Rangers, down 2-0 in the series.

Vitek Vanacek (who allowed nine goals in the first two games) wasn’t being blamed for his team being in a hole, but Ruff got the spark he was looking for after making the change and after Dougie Hamilton scored the OT winner, the Devils suddenly have some life.

Schmid certainly did his part, going toe-to-toe with reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin.

By the time Hamilton found the back of the net at 11:36 of overtime, Schmid had turned aside 35 of 36 shots he faced to earn his first Stanley Cup playoff victory.

He also earned another start.

Schmid is one of seven goalies to record their first Stanley Cup playoff wins in 2023, joining Linus Ullmark of the Bruins, Alexandar Georgiev of the Avalanche, Stuart Skinner of the Oilers, Laurent Brossoit of the Golden Knights, Alex Lyon of the Florida Panthers and Gustavsson.

A total of 19 different goalies have appeared in the playoffs so far and that number is expected to rise before the first round is complete.