Toronto Maple Leafs: Grading the 1st Big Trade Of the Off-Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t involved, but the NHL saw a very big trade this week. It is very weird to have a high-profile trade happen in the middle of the Stanley Cup Final, however here we are.

On June 6th, a three-team-trade took place between the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings.  The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans are still waiting for the first move from their new GM.

There were plenty of moving parts in this deal. The Flyers sent former seventh overall pick, Ivan Provorov and Hayden Hodgson to the Kings in exchange for Cal Petersen, Sean Walker, Helge Grans and LA’s 2024 second-round pick.

Columbus receives defensemen Kevin Connauton in exchange for the 22nd overall selection in the 2023 draft and a conditional second round pick in 2024 or 2025. LA then traded Provorov to Columbus for Connauton.

I told you there was a handful of moving parts in the trade.

But how did each team do? How does it help them moving forward and ultimately, who won the trade?

Toronto Maple Leafs Watch From the Sidelines!

Philadelphia Flyers: A

I think this is an absolutely fantastic move for Philly and in my opinion, I believe they are the winners of this trade. It is clear the Flyers are in rebuild mode, so gathering some draft capital is the best route for them. Interim GM, Daniel Briere and the Flyers management have ushered in on a “new era of orange,” and this move solidifies it.

One of the key parts of a rebuild are building a good prospect pool and this deal helps Philadelphia begin that process. The 2023 draft is a deep one and it gives them an opportunity to work on that. Philly has great prospects like Bobby Brink and Cutter Gautier in their system and with this selection in this years draft, the Flyers can have a great player added to their pool of prospects.

Los Angeles Kings:  A-

Right behind Philly in the winners of this triple-threat-trade are the LA Kings. The Kings shed the contract of Cal Petersen who is in year two of his three year $15 million dollar contract which pays the 28-year-old $5 million dollars per season, and the price LA paid was not too steep either, only losing Sean Walker, Helge Grans and a second-round pick.

It frees up some much-needed cap space for Los Angeles to sign some pending UFA’s, and making some signings in the offseason. Vladislav Gavrikov was already extended to a two-year deal, making the move even sweeter for the Kings as they hope to generate some playoff success with their great young core.

Columbus Blue Jackets: B

Finally the Columbus Blue Jackets. Personally, I don’t think this is a move they needed to make, but I can see why they did it. Johnny Gaudreau came to Columbus to win and this season, the Jackets were the furthest thing from a winner.

You don’t want to waste Gaudreau and Laine’s prime years of their careers on a rebuilding roster so adding Provorov to help the blueline in Ohio is a move that makes sense, but I think they paid a premium to get the deal done. Trading the 22nd pick in a deep 2023 draft could prove to be a move that Columbus might regret making in a few years.

Although Provorov is a player who has his flaws, pairing him with one of Columbus young defensemen could do the trick to help rejuvenate his career. We saw the wonders being paired with Matt Niskanen did for the Russian defender so maybe a change of scenery will make Provorov play up to his projected form as a former top ten pick.

Here’s hoping the next trade that goes down actually involves the Toronto Maple Leafs.