Matt Slocum/Associated Press
32. Montreal Canadiens (Last Week: 32nd)
A win and two OT losses meant four standings points for the retooled Canadiens, who said goodbye to defenseman Ben Chiarot and forward Artturi Lehkonen in a pair of noteworthy deals that highlighted new general manager Kent Hughes’ busy first trade deadline. “We will continue to advance. Anytime we can advance the timeline here to putting a playoff contending team on the ice. We’ll do it,” Hughes said.
31. Arizona Coyotes (Last Week: 30th)
A two-game win streak entering the week quickly became a three-game skid on the other end as the Coyotes dropped decisions to Pittsburgh, San Jose and Seattle. That said, GM Bill Armstrong had an eye on future success with trades that yielded three players, two draft picks and future considerations from Tampa Bay, Washington, Winnipeg, Minnesota and Dallas. Armstrong didn’t pull the trigger on would-be deals for defenseman Jakob Chychrun and forward Phil Kessel, however, because the right offer never came. “You gotta remember at some point in time, when teams are going for the Cup, they’re not going to break apart their team to give you the pieces that you need sometimes in a fair deal,” he said.
30. Seattle Kraken (Last Week: 31st)
A home win against Detroit and a triumph at Arizona made it three victories in four games for the Kraken, who acquired some young players and a substantial collection of draft picks while parting with Marcus Johansson, Mason Appleton, Jeremy Lauzon, Mark Giordano, Colin Blackwell and Calle Jarnkrok in trades with Minnesota, Washington, Winnipeg, Nashville, Toronto and Calgary. “We didn’t do all this to draft and develop and be good five years from now,” GM Ron Francis said. “We did this to give us the tools to try and be better next season. And that’s what our goal is between now and the start of next season.”
29. Ottawa Senators (Last Week: 29th)
One win in four games was difficult enough for the Senators but the rough week was made worse by the fact that Ottawa scored just five goals while allowing 13. The business way from the ice was more productive, at least in the eyes of GM Pierre Dorion, who swung five deals on Monday alone to close a hectic stretch. “Don’t judge us on what we have right now. Judge us on the roster when the puck drops and we’ve had our training camp,” he said. “That’s fairer to say. Up front, it’s about giving guys opportunities. We’ve set ourselves up. The team we have now is not the team we’re going to have when the season starts.”
28. Philadelphia Flyers (Last Week: 28th)
It’s suddenly a new era for the Flyers in the absence of longtime captain Claude Giroux, who was sent to Florida for 2017 first-rounder Owen Tippett after playing in his 1,000th career game with Philadelphia last Thursday. The team was 1-2 in three games following the deal, and the deadline day itself featured lower-profile deals that sent defenseman Justin Braun to the New York Rangers and forward Derick Brassard to Edmonton for draft picks. “At this point we’re carrying 18 (skaters) and two (goalies) so I think we were happy moving those two players and picking up a third and fourth round pick,” GM Chuck Fletcher said Monday. “We have 20 games left to play so I think we’re in a good spot.”
27. New Jersey Devils (Last Week: 26th)
Fans of the red goal light have been particularly pleased with Devils games lately as New Jersey allowed 18 goals while dropping games in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver before returning home to score seven times in a Tuesday defeat of the New York Rangers. New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald did swing a minor deadline deal that brought in goalie Andrew Hammond from Montreal, but he held on to rumored targets and impending free agents Pavel Zacha and P.K. Subban. “I wasn’t forcing to move anybody,” he said. “If a team wanted one of our players, in particular our UFAs, I was going to listen to them, for sure. If it made sense for us and it made sense for the player because they may have a chance to win a Stanley Cup, I wouldn’t have asked them. I think they would have thanked me.”
26. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 25th)
The Blackhawks lost two straight to extend a skid to three games entering the start of a western trip Wednesday night in Anaheim, but the news was made at deadline time with the deal that sent goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to Minnesota just eight months after he arrived in a swap with Vegas. Chicago also sent forward Ryan Carpenter to Calgary and Brandon Hagel to Tampa Bay but didn’t move forward with discussed deals for Dominik Kubalik and Calvin de Haan. “You always wish you could do a little bit more,” GM Kyle Davidson said. “But that’s also with the understanding that you can’t force anything. You can’t make something materialize that you want. There has to be some give and take with other teams, and that just wasn’t present. I’m really happy with the things we did accomplish here the last several days.”
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