The NHL Trade Deadline has passed, and there definitely were some big trades made around the entire NHL. We will be talking about these deals for a long time, but today let’s focus on who the winners were from the deadline.
Some of our staff got together to answer the question of who won the 2022 NHL trade deadline, and the results might surprise you.
Brendan Semon – Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche were already the best team in the NHL who are knocking on the door of the ’95 Red Wings and the late ‘70s Canadiens for the best record in league history.
Currently 45-13-5, the Avs are by all means a wagon and are gently cruising to the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs supported by a +69 goal differential. This is all without three monster transactions completed by Colorado ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.The best offense in the NHL is adding forwards Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano from the Montréal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks, respectively.
While Cogliano will serve as a depth player in the bottom-six rotation, Lehkonen adds another hot weapon to an abundant arsenal of firepower in the top-six. Both guys will have immediate impacts in the lineup as they are absolute workhorses.
While it was of misfortune to lose defenseman Samuel Girard for the remainder of the 2021-22 NHL regular season, the Colorado Avalanche made sure to reinforce their top-four group by making a push for Josh Manson of the Anaheim Ducks. Manson is a big-bodied defender who makes life miserable for opposing forwards.
There isn’t a team in the NHL that has solidified their chances in the postseason quite like Colorado. There’s no reason to doubt that they will absolutely dominate the Western Conference and represent it in the Stanley Cup Final. Simply put, anything short of a ring this year is an absolute failure, but they’re not planning on slipping up and the trade deadline showed that.