2021 NHL year in review: April

2021 has certainly been another eventful year, both on and off the rink.  Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis.  Next up is a look at April.

Pre-deadline trades: As is usually the case, there were some notable trades made in the days leading up to the trade deadline.  The Islanders quickly utilized their LTIR room with Anders Lee out for the season, adding winger Kyle Palmieri and center Travis Zajac from the Devils in exchange for a 2021 first-round pick, a conditional 2022 fourth-rounder and minor leaguers A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst.  To make the money work, New Jersey retained the maximum 50% on each of Palmieri and Zajac deals.

With minimal salary-cap space, the Lightning had to get creative if they wanted to add to their roster.  They were able to do just that, acquiring David Savard as part of a three-team trade that also involved Columbus and Detroit.  With the Blue Jackets retaining half of Savard’s deal, they then moved him to the Red Wings, who retained another 50% of the remainder, allowing the Lightning to add the veteran blueliner at only 25% of his AAV.  The cost was a bit higher to do so — it cost three draft picks (a first, second and a fourth) but it enabled them to add another impact defender on their way to their second straight Stanley Cup title.

The Maple Leafs also decided to strike early and made a similar move, picking up winger Nick Foligno as part of a three-team swap with the Sharks — this time picking up a chunk of the contract after the Blue Jackets retained 50%.  That allowed the Leafs to get the veteran at 25% of his AAV, enabling them to squeak him in under the cap.  Again, the acquisition cost was higher with Toronto parting with a first-round pick plus two fourth-rounders while also adding winger Stefan Noesen from San Jose.  Foligno was unable to score with the Maple Leafs, as injuries limited him to just 11 games between the regular season and playoffs.

Extensions: Trade-deadline day featured plenty of movement but also saw three players stay put, taking themselves out of any trade talk in the process.  Alex Iafallo inked a four-year, $16M extension, ensuring he’ll be staying with the Kings after receiving considerable trade interest.  Scott Laughton was the next to sign, accepting a five-year, $15M extension to make sure that he’ll remain with the Flyers for the foreseeable future.  Lastly, the Jets signed center Adam Lowry to a five-year, $16.25M extension, taking what would have one of the more intriguing UFA pivots off the free-agent list in the process.

Breaking the record: While April will be remembered for the trades (more on those shortly), there was another notable event when Sharks forward Patrick Marleau broke the record for all-time NHL games played, surpassing Gordie Howe’s mark of 1,767.  The old record stood for 50 years, but if Joe Thornton and Zdeno Chara hang around a little longer, they could have a shot at besting Marleau’s total of 1,779.  Thornton is at 1,698 and would need to play next season to have a chance to beat it, while Chara has a much lesser chance, sitting at 1,632 and would have to play at least two more years to get there.  Meanwhile, Marleau isn’t playing anywhere this season but has not yet announced his retirement.

Hall to Boston: Back to the trades.  Taylor Hall to Boston had been speculated for a while, and with the veteran having trade protection, he was able to ensure he was indeed dealt to the Bruins along with center Curtis Lazar.  Going the other way were Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round pick, while the Sabres also retained half of his remaining salary and cap hit.  Hall had just two goals in 37 games with the Sabres, which didn’t give them a lot of leverage in the trade.  He went on to be more productive with Boston, picking up 14 points in 16 regular-season games down the stretch, making a good case for him to eventually re-sign with the team.

Carter to Pittsburgh: The new management team in Pittsburgh made a surprising splash when they picked up center Jeff Carter from Los Angeles for a pair of conditional mid-round picks; the Kings also retained half of Carter’s contract, which runs through the end of this season.  Carter had been speculated to not be interested in a move with a suggestion that he’d consider retiring if it happened.  However, the Penguins were able to make a compelling case for Carter, and the move worked out well for them.  He had nine goals down the stretch for them and is off to a good start this season with 17 points in 27 games.

Mantha to Capitals: With minimal cap space, Washington was expected to be quiet at the trade deadline.  That turned out to not be the case, as the Caps made the biggest swap of deadline day, acquiring winger Anthony Mantha from Detroit in exchange for wingers Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-rounder.  Part of the draft capital moved in the swap was to clear out the rest of Panik’s $2.75M AAV that runs through the end of next season, but the Capitals paid a premium to go from Vrana to Mantha, a big winger with a good scoring touch but a history of inconsistency and injury trouble.  This season, Mantha has been limited to just 10 games, while Vrana has yet to play after undergoing shoulder surgery late in the preseason.