Over the last few years, there have been some major trade deadline moves in the National Hockey League. These trades have been so significant that they’ve turned a team from unremarkable into Stanley Cup contenders.
In this guide, we’ll review the history of the Stanley Cup – one of the oldest competitions in the world.
We’ll look at how the trade system works in the NHL and how trades impact odds and betting. We’ll also take a look at some of the biggest deadline-day trades in recent years, including that of Stanley Cup winner Jeff Carter.
What is the Stanley Cup?
The Stanley Cup is the oldest cup in professional sports in North America. It’s awarded to the winner of the NHL’s annual playoffs, which occur at the end of the season.
The Stanley Cup’s history stretches all the way back to 1892/93. Since then, the Cup has been used in different ways, including as an award for the best amateur ice hockey team, but it is now awarded to the NHL champion team.
The most decorated team in Stanley Cup history is the Montreal Canadiens with 24 titles. Most recently, the Tampa Bay Lightning secured their third championship and their first consecutive titles too.
How Trades Work in the NHL
The NHL operates a draft and trade system when it comes to transfers between teams. The NHL imposes a deadline on trades, while the draft occurs over two days, usually during June or July.
Trades are pretty straightforward. Two teams simply agree to the terms of a deal, usually to swap a player, or a number of players or draft picks. Any trade, however, must comply with each team’s salary cap and the collective bargaining agreement. It’s also possible for teams to sign free agents.
Teams can trade as much as they like before the deadline, as long as they stay in line with the salary cap.
If you enjoy betting on the NHL, then you may already be aware of the impact that deadline-day trades can have on a team’s season. We’ll look at some examples below, but in short, they can turn an average team into Stanley Cup contenders.
If you’re looking to get the best odds, it’s worth keeping an ear to the ground when it comes to trades.
If you suspect a player may be headed to a team, you could bet on him before his odds decrease. You could even bet on the trades themselves, such as whether a player may make a transfer. If you check out sports betting at Mr Green you can see the latest odds for potential NHL trades.
How Trade Deadline Moves Can Influence a Season
There have been some major trade deadline moves in the NHL in the past few seasons, some of which have changed a team’s fortunes.
In 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded their captain, Martin St. Louis, to the New York Rangers. St. Louis’s contract was running out and he wanted a transfer. Rangers’ captain Ryan Callahan went in the opposite direction. Each team also got a draft pick.
St. Louis went on to help the Rangers through the playoffs, all the way to the Stanley Cup final, where they were beaten by the LA Kings. A few years later, St. Louis played his final career game against the Lightning and Callahan and lost 2-0.
2013 offers another great example of an effective trade in the form of Marian Gaborik. The New York Rangers swapped him and a couple of other players for Derek Dorsett, Derrick Brassard and John Moore of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Gaborik didn’t really excel for the Blue Jackets, who traded him again a year later to the Kings. He went on to lead all playoff scorers that year with 14 goals and helped the Kings secure another Stanley Cup.
Jeff Carter is another example. In 2012, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded Carter to the LA Kings for Jack Johnson. In that season, he scored eight goals and set up five in the playoffs. One of those was the Stanley Cup-winning goal against the Devils.
Carter helped the Kings win again in 2014 with an even greater number of goals and assists, which makes him one of the most influential trades in NHL history.
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