Gudbranson, Pearson, Del Zotto & More Traded

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In the minutes that followed the 3:00 pm Trade Deadline, a flurry of trades were announced. Although none were as seismic as the Mark Stone trade, all players involved could have impacts on their new teams.

Related: 2019 Trade Deadline Tracker

Gudbranson for Pearson

The Vancouver Canucks dealt defenseman Erik Gudbranson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for left winger Tanner Pearson. It is the second time both players have been traded, including Pearson’s second time this season.

Gudbranson, the 6-foot-5 right-shot blueliner was drafted third overall in 2010 by the Florida Panthers. He made his debut in 2011-12 and played five seasons in Florida before they traded him to the Canucks for Jared McCann and two draft picks in May 2016. Not known for his offensive skillset, Gudbranson has 16 goals and 62 points in 448 regular-season games in his career, including two goals and eight points in 57 games.

Not known for his defensive prowess either, he has sub-50 percent possession metrics in his career. He is, however, unafraid to use his body to his advantage in the hitting department, although this has caused him to miss time throughout his career, including 31 games in 2017-18. The 27-year-old has two years remaining on his contract with a $4 million cap hit. The Penguins added him to bolster a blue line that is missing Olli Maatta, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang.

Going back to Vancouver is Pearson, a 26-year-old whom the Los Angeles Kings drafted 30th overall in 2012. Pearson played in parts of six seasons with the Kings and won the 2014 Stanley Cup with them as part of their ’70s Line’ with Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli. After 17 games and one assist this season, the Penguins acquired him from the Kings in exchange for Carl Hagelin. Following the trade, Pearson added nine goals and 14 points in 44 games with Pittsburgh. He has two years remaining on his contract with a $3.75 million cap hit.

Del Zotto to the Blues

The St. Louis Blues have acquired defenseman Michael Del Zotto from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2019 sixth-round pick. It is the second time he has been traded this season as the Ducks acquired him from the Canucks on Jan. 17 in exchange for Luke Schenn and a seventh-round pick. In total, he has appeared in 35 games this season with one goal and seven assists.

In addition to playing for the Canucks and Ducks, the 28-year-old veteran defenseman has played for the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers. He has 54 goals and 218 points in 601 regular-season games for his career. He will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at season’s end.

The Blues acquired Del Zotto to add depth to their blue line as they continue their playoff push. For the Ducks, it’s a continuation of their sell-off that included trading Brandon Montour on Feb. 24.

Jets Acquire Beaulieu from the Sabres

The Winnipeg Jets added defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

The 26-year-old left-shot blueliner has appeared in 30 games this season with three goals and seven points. It was his second season in Buffalo after he played parts of five seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, the team that drafted him 17th overall in 2011. He has 11 goals and 76 points in 314 career regular-season games. The Sabres acquired him from the Canadiens in June 2017 in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick. Beaulieu is a restricted free agent at season’s end and his current contract has a $2.4 million cap hit. The Jets acquired him to add depth to a blue line that has been questionable at times this season.

Jets Acquire Lindholm From Maple Leafs

In the Jets’ second deal of the day, they acquired center Par Lindholm from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nic Petan.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1100136141196410880

In this deal, the Jets bolster their center depth by adding Lindholm, whom the Maple Leafs signed as an undrafted free agent in May 2018. Lindholm was a fourth-line forward for the Maple Leafs this season and was winning 50.9 percent of faceoffs. However, he wasn’t contributing much offensively with one goal and 12 points in 61 games. The 27-year-old will be a UFA at season’s end.

Going back to Toronto is Petan, a 23-year-old former second-round pick who has been a healthy scratch more often than not this season. Although he is a natural center, he has also played on the wing. He has two points, both assists, in 13 games at the NHL level this season in a fourth-line role. He was a point-per-game player in the AHL last season. He will be a restricted free agent this offseason and his current contract has a cap hit of $874,125.

Other Trades of Note

Jets Add Kiselevich

The Jets continued to add blue line depth by acquiring Bogdan Kiselevich from the Panthers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. The 29-year-old Russian defenseman was in his first season in North America having signed a one-year, $925,000 with the Panthers in June 2018. In 32 games this season, he has eight points, all assists, while averaging 14:51 of ice time per game.

Canucks Acquire Linus Karlsson from the Sharks

The Canucks traded forward Jonathan Dahlen to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the rights to center Linus Karlsson, whom the Sharks drafted in the third round in 2018. The Canucks had previously acquired Dahlen from the Ottawa Senators in a deal that sent Alex Burrows to Ottawa in Feb. 2017. The 21-year-old, and former second-round pick, has spent all of 2018-19 in the AHL where he has accumulated 14 goals and 29 points in 50 games. He has one year left on his contract with a $925,000 cap hit.

Karlsson is currently in Sweden’s Allsvenskan league and has four goals and 17 points in 48 games. He represented Sweden at the 2019 World Junior Championships where he had one assist in three games.

Penguins Bolster Blue Line with Wideman Addition

The Penguins further added to their defense by acquiring Chris Wideman from the Panthers and gave up forward Jean-Sebastien Dea in the process. It is the third time Wideman has been traded this season – once from the Senators to the Edmonton Oilers and again from the Oilers to the Panthers. In total, he has two goals and five assists in 25 games this season. The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman will be a UFA at season’s end.

Dea is a 25-year-old center whom the Penguins signed as an undrafted free agent after a productive three-season career in the QMJHL. He has spent the last five seasons in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Devils in Sep. 2018 and claimed again off waivers, this time by the Penguins, in November. He has appeared in 23 games this season and has totaled four goals and six points. He currently has a $650,000 cap hit and will be a UFA at season’s end.

Blue Jackets Deal Broadhurst for Future Considerations

The Jets also acquired center Alex Broadhurst from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for future considerations. The Blue Jackets drafted him in the seventh round of the 2011 Draft and he appeared in two NHL games in 2017-18, going pointless. He has spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL where he has eight goals and 29 points in 48 games this season. He is scheduled to be a UFA this offseason.