With the Stanley Cup Playoffs just under a week away, what a perfect time to look at those players who will look to make an impact from the NHL Trade Deadline. Here at NHLRumors.com, we have already looked at the players from the East that will make an impact in the playoffs.
In this edition, we will look at those players that will impact the Western Conference in the playoffs from the Trade Deadline. Similar to the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference has a top-heavy feel, especially because the teams in the Central Division did the most. However, there are a couple of underrated moves from two Pacific Division teams.
Anyway, it is time to reveal some of our best.
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Impactful Western Conference Trade Deadline Moves
Mikko Rantanen – Dallas Stars
The biggest fish of the NHL Trade Deadline was Mikko Rantanen. In January, Rantanen was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, but the fit was never there. He never wanted to go there and was never signing there, so Carolina traded him to the Dallas Stars. As part of the deal, Logan Stankoven went the other way.
It is hard for a player to get traded, but Rantanen got traded twice, not once. It took some time for him to find his footing in Dallas, but he has. Rantanen has 17 points (five goals and 12 assists) in 18 games. He is playing on a line with Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn. There is something there between those three.
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However, GM Jim Nill will probably want to see this superstar in the top-six come playoff time. There is a reason he acquired him and then signed him to an eight-year, $96 million extension carrying a $12 million AAV. So, the expectation is that he will be in the top-six in the playoffs, especially against his former team. Rantanen is averaging 1.25 points per game in the playoffs, with 101 points in 81 games. So, he will make an impact in the second season.
Brock Nelson – Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche revamped its entire team throughout the season, culminating at the trade deadline with the acquisitions of Charlie Coyle and Brock Nelson. GM Chris MacFarland wanted to add center depth similar to what he had in 2022, when the Colorado Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup. Colorado looks like that team, especially Nelson, whom they acquired from the New York Islanders a day before the deadline.
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Through 19 games, Nelson has recorded 13 points (six goals and seven assists). It is expected he will center Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin when the playoffs begin. Nelson has been as advertised, coming over from the Islanders. When Colorado won the Cup, they had that center depth and four lines they could roll out shift after shift. They never found a replacement for Nazem Kadri until now.
Nelson has shown he is a playoff performer; he did so with the Islanders. In 78 playoff games, he has 50 points (27 goals and 23 assists). In back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Final with the Islanders, Nelson had 18 points (nine goals and nine assists) in 22 games in 2020 and then 12 points (seven goals and five assists) in 19 games in 2021. So, the Avalanche have a proven goal scorer in the playoffs.
Andrei Kuzmenko – Los Angeles Kings
One of the more sneaky and underrated moves of the NHL Trade Deadline was the Los Angeles Kings’ acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko. It was the second time Kuzmenko was traded. The Philadelphia Flyers acquired him along with Jacob Pelletier from the Calgary Flames for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee on January 30th.
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Kuzmenko only played seven games in Philadelphia but recorded five points before the Kings added their depth scoring piece. In Los Angeles, Kuzemnko is looking like the player who scored 39 goals and put up 74 points with the Vancouver Canucks in his first season. Through 19 games, he has recorded 16 points (five goals and 11 assists). He has more points and goals than he did when he played for the Flames earlier in the season.
Recently, it seems like Kuzmenko has been everywhere on the ice for the Kings. Kuzmenko has points in six of his last seven games. He is showing he could be an impact player in the playoffs, playing alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. The Triple K Line is rolling, heading into the playoffs.
Honorable Mention Move Of The Deadline
Reilly Smith – Vegas Golden Knights
In the honorable mention category, it is hard not to go with Reilly Smith of the Vegas Golden Knights. Smith was one of the original Golden Misfits. Smith is the perfect fit, and it was a move everyone saw coming at the NHL Trade Deadline.
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With the New York Rangers season in disarray, the Golden Knights were looking for depth scoring, and Smith fit the bill. Vegas did not want to get rid of him in the first place, but he was a cap casualty. However, they found a way to get Smith back at the NHL Trade Deadline. In 19 games of the trade, Smith has 11 points (three goals and eight assists). He is the perfect depth piece for the Golden Knights.
We saw what Smith did for the Golden Knights in their run to the 2023 Stanley Cup. There is a reason why GM Kelly McCrimmon wanted him back. Teams can never have enough depth in the playoffs, and Smith fits the bill.
That does it for NHL Trade Deadline Impacts for the West. Check out the trade deadline impacts from the East right here.
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