The March 3 NHL trading deadline marks the time by which playoff teams add to the roster. In some cases, teams are hoping to add a difference-maker. For others, the next few weeks will be about rounding off the roster with a final tweak.
General managers are under pressure—from fans, from the locker room and from ownership—to make a deep playoff run. Other good teams will make additions in hopes of becoming great. One has to keep up.
Consequently, the moment is ripe for ruinous decisions. Previous deadlines have provided the entertainment of some legendary blunders. In 2012, the Red Wings threw away the first-round pick that became Andrei Vasilevskiy in order to rent depth defenseman Kyle Quincey. In 2014, the Washington Capitals gifted the Nashville Predators Filip Forsberg in order to acquire Martin Erat.
The 2023 deadline should be no different. Desperation is the foundation for poor decision-making in the heat of the moment. Valuations are inflated at this time of year. By the summer, a handful of GMs will regret their decisions and wish they had kept those assets now missing from their toolbox.
Here are seven players available at the 2023 NHL trading deadline who are likely to cost more than they are worth.
Vladislav Gavrikov, Columbus Blue Jackets
Quite often, the value of a player at the trading deadline comes down to what the rest of the market looks like. Erik Karlsson and Jakub Chychrun are up for grabs as expensive long-term investments, but for teams who want to shop on the rental market, the pickings are slim. In such an environment, the correct path is to find the shrewdest values.
What one team will inevitably decide to do is overpay for Vladislav Gavrikov. The worst value at the trading deadline is often a big defenseman who is logging a lot of minutes for a terrible team. In 2022, that was Ben Chiarot, who went to Florida for a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a prospect. He performed poorly on the way to a Panthers second-round sweep versus Tampa Bay.
In fairness, Gavrikov's poor performance this season can partially be attributed to overexposure. Columbus is a bad team, and Zach Werenski's absence has forced head coach Brad Larsen to put Gavrikov in a role above his means. On a better team and in a more appropriate role, he should produce better results.
But that is the point. If Columbus holds firm on its ask of a first-round pick plus more, as reported by TSN's Chris Johnston, then a team will be parting with assets that reflect the capability of a top-pairing defenseman. Gavrikov's two-way play shows a capability closer to that of a borderline No. 3/4 blueliner. A player of that caliber is worth a second-round pick.
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
There is playoff experience, and then there is Jonathan Toews. He was the captain for three championships in Chicago, doing it as early as a 22-year-old in 2010.
That matters in a legitimate way rather than the typical way GMs overvalue a depth player who happened to be a part of a Cup winner.
But Toews, now 34, is understandably not the player he once was. He missed the entire 2020-21 season, scored only 37 points in 71 games last season and is battling to get to 50 points this season. And whereas prime Toews got the puck up the ice and created scoring chances at borderline elite levels, he is now more of a support player on offense. Meanwhile, his defensive game has dropped significantly.
To be fair, he is in an impossible situation in Chicago. Few players in the league are going to look good centering Taylor Raddysh and Philipp Kurashev on the first line. With better linemates in an easier situation, Toews should play better.
As a general premise, a team who trades major assets to rent a declining soon-to-be 35-year-old is making a big mistake. There are much better targets out there. Ryan O'Reilly of St. Louis is a better player at the moment. He is the Blues' captain and also has Stanley Cup experience. For better values, Nick Bonino from San Jose and Sean Monahan from Montreal can hold their own centering a third line.
There are a few potential exceptions. Both the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs are in desperate need of a center. Both are at the peak of their Stanley Cup windows. If they overpay for a good player with prestige such as Toews, then there would be some logic to it. For every other team, however, buyer beware.