Forward Nick Schmaltz has been a staple on the Arizona Coyotes‘ top line with winger Clayton Keller. The American-born center/right-winger has spent the last six seasons in the desert, accumulating 269 points in 344 games. Amidst all the turmoil the franchise has faced over the past several seasons, he has been a steady player in terms of production. However, without making a move in 2018, he may have never become a Coyote.
2018 Coyotes-Blackhawks Trade Details and Analysis
On Nov. 25, 2018, the Coyotes sent forwards Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Schmaltz. The trade was expected to give all three players a fresh start on a new team.
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The teams were frequent trade partners. Schmaltz joined former Blackhawks forward Richard Pánik, defenseman Jordan Oesterle, and forward Vinnie Hinostroza on the Coyotes. On July 12, 2018, Hinostroza and Oesterle came to Arizona to take on forward Marián Hossa’s cap hit, with other players and draft picks being swapped in the deal. On Jan. 10, 2018, the Coyotes acquired forwards Pánik and Lauren Dauphin in exchange for defenseman Adam Clendening and forward Anthony Duclair to the Blackhawks.
Nick Schmaltz
Chicago selected Schmaltz in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (20th overall). In 2017-18, his second season in the NHL, he set career highs in goals (21), assists (31), and points (52).
In 2018-19, the Blackhawks got off to a 6-2-2 start before losing eight straight games (0-6-2), and head coach Joel Quenneville was let go from his head coaching duties. Quenneville brought three Stanley Cups to Chicago in 11 years with the team. However, a change was needed since the Blackhawks had missed the playoffs in the past two seasons.
With 11 points in 23 games, Schmaltz was not producing enough for a former first-round draft pick. He was made a healthy scratch on Nov. 1, 2018, against the Edmonton Oilers.
On the other hand, the Coyotes were looking for a true first-line center.
“Nick is a dynamic forward with top-line potential,” Arizona’s general manager John Chayka said of the trade. “We feel he can be a core player of our team now and into the future. He’s a good complement to our evolving forward group and a rare combination of speed, skill, and creativity.”
Dylan Strome
After a 24-50-3 finish to the 2014-15 NHL season, the Coyotes had the second-best odds of winning the first overall pick through the NHL Draft Lottery, but they fell to the third spot and lost out on centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Strome was selected next by the Coyotes (ahead of wingers Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen). After recording back-to-back 110-plus-point seasons with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Arizona sent the 6-foot-3, 200-pound center back to Erie for another season.
However, Strome started the 2016-17 season in Arizona. After being in and out of the lineup through the Coyotes’ first 16 games, recording a single assist, he was sent back to the Otters for the remainder of the season. He scored 75 points in 35 games at the OHL level, making his case to become an NHL regular the following season.
In 2017-18, Strome spent time with the Coyotes and the Tucson Roadrunners, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate; the Canadian center scored four goals and five assists in 21 games at the NHL level, 53 points in 50 games at the AHL level, and eight points in nine playoff games. He tripled his number of NHL games from the season before and saw improvement.
After playing 20 games the following season, Arizona had seen enough of Strome. With six points, he was not what they expected of a former top-three pick. However, he never felt he was given a full season or enough ice time to prove his worth. In an interview in Dec. 2018 (a month after he was traded to Chicago), Strome said: “It’s different going from playing 12-13 minutes a night to 19 the last couple of games. It’s definitely nice to have the coach’s trust and confidence.”
Strome was given more of an opportunity to succeed with the Blackhawks.
Brendan Perlini
Perlini was another former first-round pick by the Coyotes. He was selected 12th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, one of the few United Kingdom-born wingers to make the NHL. After scoring 31 goals and 71 points in 58 games with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL in his draft year, he returned to the team the following season, scoring 60 points in 43 games.
In 2016-17, he joined the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring 19 points in 17 games before he was called up to the NHL in early December. On Dec. 10, 2016, in his fourth career NHL game, he scored his first goal against the Nashville Predators, beating goalie Pekka Rinne top shelf. The left-handed forward scored 14 goals and 21 points in 57 games.
Perlini played 74 games with the Coyotes in 2017-18 season. It was a career year for him, setting highs in goals (17), assists (13), and points (30). He was also a solid power-play producer, scoring seven goals and six assists. Heading into his third year in the NHL, he looked to put everything together with the help of Coyotes’ long-time captain, winger Shane Doan (in the 2016-17 NHL season), and center Derek Stepan (in the 2017-18 NHL season).
“Last year, I got the chance to play with ‘Doaner’ and I got the chance to play with him for like three months,” Perlini said. “You learn from a guy like him and from guys like Stepan and (Richard) Panik this year. Stepan has obviously played with a lot of good guys in New York like (Martin) St. Louis and (Marion) Gaborik and guys like that. It’s always nice to pick his brain about what they did and maybe what we can try. It’s nice being around experienced guys just to learn from them.”
Unfortunately, Perlini’s third year in the NHL did not pan out as hoped. After scoring six points and 22 games, like Strome, he was packaged and shipped off to Chicago for Schmaltz.
Who Won the Trade?
Schmaltz has been with the Coyotes since the trade almost six seasons ago, while Perlini has played the past two seasons in the AHL, and Strome finally played his first full 82-game season with the Washington Capitals – meaning that the Coyotes still have the player they traded for, while the Blackhawks lost the two pieces they traded for.
Coyotes Acquisition
Despite dealing with injuries for most of his tenure in Arizona, the Coyotes have seen consistent production from Schmaltz when he is in the lineup. He played the most games in a single season of his career (79) this year and set career bests in assists (39) and points (61).
In 63 games over the past two seasons, he has scored 58 points (in the 2021-22 NHL season) and 59 points (in the 2022-23 NHL season). On top of this, he has played with a makeshift first line over the past several seasons. Arizona’s head coach, André Tourigny, has penciled him and Keller in on the wings with centers Travis Boyd, Barrett Hayton, and Nick Bjugstad. Overall, the Coyotes received a great return, and he remains one of their go-to players.
Blackhawks Acquisitions
Strome played four years in Chicago. His best season came when he was traded to the Blackhawks, scoring 17 goals and 51 points in 58 games in 2018-19. The next season, he notched 13 fewer points in the same number of games. The decline continued in the 2020-21 NHL season when he played 40 games and scored 17 points.
In the final year of his $3 million contract, the Canadian-born center scored 48 points in 69 games. During the 2022 NHL offseason, he cashed in, signing a five-year, $25 million contract with the Capitals. Since signing this deal, the 27-year-old has scored 65-plus-points in back-to-back seasons. It seems that he has finally found his stride in the NHL.
Perlini arguably played only one half-season with the Blackhawks, scoring 12 goals and 15 points in 47 games. He got revenge against his old team, scoring a hat trick on March 12, 2019, in the Blackhawks’ 7-1 win over the Coyotes. The following season, Perlini dressed for one game before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Alec Regula on Oct. 28, 2018. Regula scored one goal in 22 games as a Blackhawk before he was traded to the Boston Bruins last summer.
Coyotes Win
In the end, Arizona gained a steady player who has remained with the organization. While the Blackhawks saw flashes of promise from Strome, he and Perlini ultimately did not pan out. Chayka took a risk giving up on a former top-three selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and the gamble worked; the Coyotes won the trade by developing Schmaltz into a first-line forward who is under contract for the next two seasons.
