After Sunday's trade that brought Daniel Winnik to the Washington Capitals from the Toronto Maple Leafs also spelled the end of Brooks Laich's 12-year run in Washington, general manager Brian MacLellan admitted that the veteran forward tried to talk him out of making the trade.
"He expressed that he really wanted to be a part of it and win a Stanley Cup here," MacLellan said, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. He also added that trading the winger was the hardest thing he's ever done as a general manager.
While both MacLellan and the Capitals players were certainly sorry to see him go, Laich's contract - which holds a $4.5-million cap hit this year and next - was limiting the team's ability to add more pieces at the trade deadline, and could have also hindered potential plans to lock up restricted free agents Marcus Johansson and Dmitry Orlov in the offseason.
The 32-year-old Laich has struggled this season, tallying just a goal and six assists in 60 games.
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The Philadelphia Flyers' dwindling playoff hopes have taken another hit.
Forward Jakub Voracek will miss approximately two weeks with a lower-body injury, general manager Ron Hextall announced Monday.
Voracek, who has already missed one game thanks to the injury, has recorded 10 goals and 38 assists in 60 games this season. The Flyers have six games on the schedule over the next 14 days.
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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello met with the media after not making a deal on deadline day, and shared news about forward Leo Komarov and defenseman Jared Cowen.
Lamoriello said the Maple Leafs never considered trading Komarov, who was an All-Star this season.
"He's a core member of our group," the GM said.
It was speculated that Toronto would try to sell high on Komarov, who has 18 goals and 17 assists, and is signed through 2017-18 at $2.95 million. Komarov remains a Maple Leaf, though.
So does Jared Cowen, but only in name. The defenseman, who was acquired in the Dion Phaneuf trade, will be shut down and have his contract bought out this summer, Lamoriello said.
Lamoriello confirms Cowen to be bought out, buy out costs are as follows:
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) February 29, 2016
2016-17: $650k credit
2017-18 $750k pic.twitter.com/xzbEDEtp1a
In the end, in the weeks leading up to Monday's trade deadline, Toronto acquired six draft picks and two intriguing prospects:
The Leafs full trade movement in the weeks before the deadline. They added six draft picks and two solid prospects. pic.twitter.com/tsaEE0d8A2
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) February 29, 2016
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The Anaheim Ducks have traded forward Patrick Maroon to the Edmonton Oilers for a prospect and a fourth-round draft pick, according to the Los Angeles Times' Helene Elliott.
Maroon, 28 on April 23, has four goals and nine assists in 56 games. He's a big man at 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, and the Oilers were open about wanting to add size. Maroon set a career high in points last season, with 34 (nine goals) in 71 games.
Maroon is big, fairly physical. Pouliot, Kassian, Maroon, Draisaitl.. team is getting heavier in their top 9, building for cycle game.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) February 29, 2016
The left winger's under contract through 2017-18 at a salary and cap hit of $2 million. He'll be replaced on the Ducks by Jamie McGinn, who Anaheim acquired at the trade deadline from the Buffalo Sabres.
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The Jonathan Drouin saga didn't end before the trade deadline, and Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman now says Drouin can return to the NHL club if he wants.
Related: Lightning hold on to Drouin at deadline
"Jonathan is suspended. If he wants to come back, the door is open," Yzerman told reporters after the 3 p.m. ET deadline passed Monday, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith. "That's up to him."
The Lightning had plenty of offers for the 20-year-old forward, but Yzerman said he was better off keeping his options open for the summer, and didn't want to lose him for a rental player.
"I wasn't going to trade (him) for (an unrestricted free agent) that I couldn't or wouldn't want to re-sign," Yzerman said. "That made no sense."
#tblightning Yzerman indicated most of conversations with teams about Drouin in past months revolve around future considerations
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) February 29, 2016
Drouin can still be traded now that the deadline has passed, but he'd be ineligible to participate in the playoffs.
He was suspended indefinitely by the Lightning in January for failing to report to a game for their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets signed Boone Jenner to a two-year contract extension Monday, the club announced.
The deal has an average annual value of $2.9 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, and Jenner will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018.
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the following in a statement:
Boone Jenner is a terrific young player, who works extremely hard at both ends of the ice and is just beginning to scratch the surface of what he can be as a National Hockey League player. He has tremendous character and is an exemplary representative of our club on and off the ice.
Jenner, 22, has a career-high 22 goals and 13 assists in 63 games.
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