The regular season is nearing its end and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are just around the corner. It is the most exciting time of year to be a hockey fan. While it is a quiet period in the hockey calendar for trades, there have been a handful of updates on trade conditions from previous deals that have been made. First of all, capfriendly.com confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks will be receiving the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. This was part of the Brandon Hagel trade from a year ago. The condition on the deal was that it was a top-ten protected pick, but with the Lightning qualifying for the playoffs, the pick will be outside the top 16 and therefore transferred to the Blackhawks.
The San Jose Sharks will also officially receive the New Jersey Devils first-round pick in 2023 according to capfriendly.com. This was a part of the Timo Meier deal that saw a total of 13 pieces involved. One component was a conditional first-round pick that would top-two protected. Essentially, the Devils would have needed to completely fall apart in the second half, win the draft lottery and end up with a top-two pick in order to keep it. They of course did not, and will host a first round series next week, so their first-round pick will go to the Sharks.
The Arizona Coyotes will receive yet another second-round pick as well. Again, capfriendly.com points out that conditions in the Jakob Chychrun trade dictated the 2024 second-round pick that was included as part of the deal would move up to a first-round pick if the Ottawa Senators made it to the Eastern Conference final this season. The Senators did not make the playoffs, so their second-round pick goes to the Coyotes who now have ten second round picks in the next three drafts.
- Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press reports Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson does not require surgery in the offseason, but has been dealing with pain since a scooter accident in Detroit on February 8. The 26-year-old was riding a scooter to dinner that night when he was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk. He went to hospital for observation but was released and he missed three games before returning to the lineup on February 16. He quickly returned to his role as a top-pairing defenseman, but did struggle down the stretch, scoring just one point in his final ten games.
- Agent Shumi Babaev tweeted that his client, Vladimir Tkachev is not happy with Avangard Omsk’s latest offer to return to the KHL, so he will look to return to the NHL next season instead. Tkachev played his Junior hockey in the QMHL with the Moncton Wildcats and Quebec Remparts and played the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Kings and Ontario Reign of the AHL. He played four NHL games, scoring two points and had 29 points in 41 AHL games that season. He returned to the KHL for the 2022-23 season and scored 23 goals and 59 points in 64 games, leading Omsk and finishing second overall in the KHL. The 27-year-old is a skilled winger and will now look to sign with an NHL team this summer.