Deadline prices plummet at the buzzer, leaving some frustration to a reasonable Oilers deadline<\/p>\n
Booooooring.<\/p>\n
The meat of the NHL trade deadline<\/a> from a pure entertainment standpoint was an unmitigated yawn-fest. As a broadcaster, these are the days you live for. Today, I didn\u2019t feel such envy, having to fill several hours with idle talk, cutting off conversations to say things like, \u201cThe Carolina Hurricanes are gunning for a bottom-six forward.\u201d<\/p>\n However, per usual, the last few minutes of the deadline, combined with the hour following it, provided some much-needed interest.<\/p>\n The Nazem Kadri trade<\/a> a full hour after the deadline to Colorado? For the package of a first-round pick, a second-round pick, Victor Olofsson, and the rights to Max Curran, while the Flames retain 20 per cent of the contract?<\/p>\n Wow. Who is beating this Avalanche team as we stand here on March 6, 2026? The Flames get a bunch of stuff, I guess. There\u2019s your deadline, folks.<\/p>\n Price fluctuation<\/p>\n This deadline seemed like one giant Mexican standoff. After the high prices we\u2019d seen earlier in the week, like a second-round pick for Michael McCarron from Nashville to Minnesota, it seems the asking prices were steep.<\/p>\n At least, much steeper than we\u2019d seen in years past.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what makes the tail end of the deadline, and the capitulation of Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, all the more frustrating from an Oilers perspective.<\/p>\n Edmonton went for the right fit<\/a> as opposed to the sexy names in acquiring Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach on Monday and Wednesday. Finding the right fit in free agency has been a struggle, to say the least, with the failures of Andrew Mangiapane, Jeff Skinner, and Viktor Arvidsson top of mind \u2014 and there\u2019s no escaping Trent Frederic.<\/p>\n So looking for a pure fit is the right idea.<\/p>\n Toronto did good business by getting a first-rounder for Nicolas Roy, but at the end of the deadline, they seemed to panic.<\/p>\n Bobby McMann for a second- and a fourth-rounder from Seattle? I think the fit with Edmonton made a ton of sense at that price.<\/p>\n Scott Laughton gets dished for a third-rounder to Los Angeles, which could turn into a second-rounder if the Kings make the playoffs. That is a basement price for a player that fulfills many of the same boxes as Dickinson.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the risk you run.<\/p>\n Struggling players need to find it<\/p>\n If Bowman waited and waited till the final moment, but didn\u2019t close a deal with the Leafs, he\u2019d be lambasted, tarred and feathered from pillar to post. So getting the business done early, and forewarning the fanbase that Friday would not be a busy day, isn\u2019t a bad way to approach the deadline, either.<\/p>\n Overall, though, the trades were made for fit. So if the pieces don\u2019t fit, then Bowman, and coach Kris Knoblauch<\/a>, especially, are in a lot of trouble. Particularly as these are rental pieces.<\/p>\n But I\u2019d argue that even more important than these pieces fitting, is getting the players they\u2019ve already committed millions upon millions to going.<\/p>\n