The 2023-24 NHL trade season was a fruitful one for most NHL teams. Whether adding players for a playoff run or picks and prospects to build their next contender, there was certainly no shortage of volume.
How have players who were dealt to contenders done since they were traded? And what does their future look like this postseason and beyond?
With the benefit of the past five weeks of games, we have regraded 23 of the deadline’s biggest deals, as well as forecasted what happens next in the Stanley Cup playoffs and offseason.
Jump to a key trade:
Hertl (VGK)
Toffoli (WPG)
Guentzel (CAR)
Duclaii (TB)
Hanifin (VGK)
Mittelstadt (COL)
Tarasenko (FLA)
Tanev (DAL)
Monahan (WPG)
Grades then: VGK: A-; SJ: B-
Grades now: VGK: B-; SJ: B-
What he’s done: Vegas acquired Hertl from San Jose at the eleventh hour at the trade deadline. That was March 8. At the time, Hertl was still recovering from a February knee surgery.
The Golden Knights knew they’d have to wait for their deadline coup to take the ice. And Hertl finally did, exactly one month later, picking up an assist in Vegas’ 4-3 loss to Vancouver on April 8. That left Hertl with six games from debuting in black and gold to the end of this regular season; he’s done fine so far, with two goals (including an OT game-winner) and an assist in four contests.
Then again, right now is not when GM Kelly McCrimmon hopes the former 30-goal scorer (with an $8.137 million annual cap hit for the next six seasons) will truly make his mark for Vegas.
Future impact: The Golden Knights are committed long term with Hertl, so the fact he (expectedly) hasn’t done much to this point is completely fine. Vegas is chasing a second consecutive Stanley Cup and Hertl should be well-rested and ready to give that run his all. And if a championship isn’t in the cards this year, Hertl will be part of several more potential cracks at it.
Vegas is a perennial contender because McCrimmon isn’t shy about taking big swings (or fussing around with salary cap concerns) to ensure the Golden Knights are in a position to win. Hertl excelled even on poor Sharks teams (and has surpassed the 20-goal mark five times in his career) and that output should trend upward considerably given the talent Vegas has to surround Hertl with over the remaining six years on his deal. Suffice it to say, the Golden Knights ain’t seen nothing yet when it…
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