NHL Draft 2018: 15 first-hand takeaways from a weekend in Dallas
By Josh Clark
12. The trades and moves of Day 2
Though the draft didn’t necessarily live up to the expectations set by many hockey fans in regards to trades and movement, there were still some major transactions to keep up with.
On Friday night, the Philipp Grubauer deal dominated trade talks. It wasn’t much, but it was still a big enough move to ponder on. But on Saturday, another deal was added to the mix.
Aside from Grubauer signing a three-year extension with his new team in Colorado, the Flames and Hurricanes also struck a deal.
After weeks of rumors and suspicions, it was clear that the Carolina Hurricanes were in the market to make some big moves as they realign their roster in an attempt to move in a new direction. The Canes had put some of their more popular names on the market in an attempt to gauge interest and see what kind of offers they could get in return.
They hooked a suitor in Calgary on Saturday and quickly struck up a trade. In the deal, the Flames sent Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox to Carolina in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.
Though it’s hard to determine the winner of an offseason trade until the season actually begins, it’s hard to say that the Hurricanes lost this one. They landed themselves a young and established NHL defender in Hamilton that can play in multiple scenarios and is a good all-around player, an experienced winger in Ferland that is coming off of a solid season, and a quality defensive prospect in Fox.
While the Flames did get young talent in Lindholm and Hanifin that can have solid upside, the Canes simply received more in the return. It was a great deal for Carolina that should help them greatly in their retooling project.