NHL Trade Deadline winners, losers: East loads up, GM beefs

After all of the speculation and rumors the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is now in the rear view mirror. Now instead of talking about rumors and potential landing spots for players, we get to do the next fun thing: Analyze the winners and losers from all of the roster moves over the past couple of weeks. 

Here Adam Gretz and Sean Leahy take you through their winners and losers.

Winner: Colorado Avalanche. The rich get richer. The Avalanche already had one of the best, deepest teams in the league and they only added to it over the past couple of weeks by getting Josh Manson, Artturi Lehkonen, and Andrew Cogliano. All three players boost the team’s defensive presence, while Lehkonen can also chip in some offense on a newly formed third line with Alexander Newhook. – Adam Gretz

Winner: Ron Francis. The Kraken aren’t making the playoff this year so the future was the focus for this trade deadline. Francis shipped out Marcus Johansson, Mason Appleton, Jeremy Lauzon, Mark Giordano, Calle Järnkrok.

After all the moves the Seattle GM has made this season, the Kraken now have nine picks in the opening four rounds of the 2022 and 2023 NHL drafts. That includes four seconds and three fourths this season and three seconds and two thirds in 2023. As important, $8.5 million in cap space has been opened up. -Sean Leahy

Winner: Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild. Fleury gets to play in the playoffs again for a pretty good team, while the Wild address a position that was starting to become a concern – Adam Gretz.

Loser: Trying to slide players through waivers. Harri Säteri signed for the Maple Leafs but will end up on the Coyotes. With Petr Mrzek struggling and Jack Campbell still out a little while longer, Toronto GM Kyle Dubas wanted