NHL · 4 hours ago

Grading Winners & Losers From the Tristan Jarry and Quinn Hughes Trades

Grant White

Host · Writer

Loser: Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup Future Bettors
The futures market isn't the most efficient way to make money in sports betting, but it's still one of the most liquid markets. Anyone who bought the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup might want to check the refund policies at their specific sportsbook.

Everyone knows that Edmonton's strength is its offensive core. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have elevated this team into a perennial contender. They've dealt with a plethora of moving pieces on the backend and question marks in the blue paint. However, adding Tristan Jarry does nothing to improve their championship aspirations. In fact, his acquisition detracts from their ability to compete.

Jarry has never won a playoff series. In eight playoff games, he has a 2-6 record with a 3.00 goals against average and 89.1% save percentage. Worse, the only series he played start to finish, Jarry posted a 3.18 goals against average with an 88.8% save percentage.

If the Oilers wanted to get real about winning the Stanley Cup, they should have been sniffing around different teams. Deploying Jarry and Stuart Skinner as a tandem would have been a more effective alternative, but clearly, Stan Bowman doesn't possess that kind of foresight or shrewdness as a General Manager.

Edmonton appears destined for another lamentable playoff exit. Unfortunately, Oilers' futures bettors will be the only ones left wondering what could have been.

Grade: D-

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Loser: Stan Bowman
Stan Bowman is that fantasy football GM who inherited a winning team 15 years ago, and now thinks he's the pre-eminent superpower when it comes to all things fantasy football. In actuality, every move Bowman makes showcases his disconnect from where the sport actually is.

Over the past two decades, Edmonton Oilers fans have lived through some hellish regimes. Whether through poor drafting, bad trades, or ineffective cap management, Edmonton has consistently had its back up against the wall. But as we saw with the Chicago Blackhawks before this, Bowman's treachery will have a long-lasting impact on the franchise.

In essence, Bowman traded a top-four defenseman and a future asset (second-round pick) for a more expensive goalie with effectively the same metrics over three years. Oh, that's without factoring in the age difference and the higher salary for a cap-strapped team.

Instead of getting in on the Vancouver Canucks' fire sale or dealing Calvin Pickard and assets for Tristan Jarry, Bowman showed that he's willing to gamble to lose it all. We saw how this strategy worked out for the Blackhawks; Oilers fans should set expectations accordingly.

Grade: F

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Winner: Minnesota Wild
As is typically the case, the Central Division features some of the top Stanley Cup contenders this season. The Colorado Avalanche are the perennial favorites. The Dallas Stars have been to the Western Conference Final in each of the last three seasons. Hell, even the Utah Mammoth have shown that they're ready to take the next step. But by acquiring Quinn Hughes, the Minnesota Wild have vaulted themselves to legitimate Cup contenders.

Minnesota's systems have always been built on reliable defensive play, with an opportunistic offense. That suits Hughes' analytics profile to a tee. The former Norris Trophy winner plays with unmatched offensive upside, without being a defensive liability. His possession-driven play is captured in his career 54.5% Corsi rating. Further, he's finished with a positive expected goals-for rating in each of the last three seasons, all while decreasing the amount of scoring opportunities he's given up.

The Wild gave up a handful of top prospects to facilitate this trade, but it will be the catalyst for immediate improvement. It's time to take Minnesota seriously in Stanley Cup futures betting.

Grade: A+
Loser: Vancouver Canucks
Retrospect has afforded us a different perspective on the Vancouver Canucks franchise. The retelling of this story won't be flattering.

At the start of the 2010s, the Nucks were a dynasty in the making. Anchored by the Sedin twins, Roberto Luongo, and a collection of rugged role players, Vancouver was a Stanley Cup contender. That iteration of the Canucks gradually vanished, and the franchise sank from a dominant powerhouse to mediocrity to near extinction. Implicit in that transition, we never really saw the Canucks embrace a rebuild.

It's valiant of them to embrace this ideology ten years too late, but the damage has already been done. Vancouver has failed to develop its talent internally. Now with a stockpile of young, talented players, we don't trust the franchise to build back into a contender any time soon.

Grade: D-
Winner: Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins enjoyed many fruitful years. But the autumn of the Crosby-Malkin dynasty has been frigid and a sad reminder of what lies ahead. Over the past couple of seasons, the forecast grew dimmer, but Kyle Dubas has prepared the Pens for the inevitable end of the Sidney Crosby era.

Inconsistency has limited Stuart Skinner from reaching his full potential, but at his best, he's proven to be a top 10 NHL goalie. He was an integral part of the Oilers' run to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, outplaying Sergei Bobrovsky in the first iteration. Moreover, there's an argument to be made that the Oilers wouldn't have even made either final without Skinner's performance in earlier rounds.

He won't be able to turn back the clock, but Dubas has ensured this franchise has the building blocks to get through a short winter. Armed with some new young talent and six picks through the first three rounds in each of the next two drafts, Dubas has expedited the Penguins' rebuild.

Grade: A-
Loser: Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup Future Bettors
The futures market isn't the most efficient way to make money in sports betting, but it's still one of the most liquid markets. Anyone who bought the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup might want to check the refund policies at their specific sportsbook.

Everyone knows that Edmonton's strength is its offensive core. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have elevated this team into a perennial contender. They've dealt with a plethora of moving pieces on the backend and question marks in the blue paint. However, adding Tristan Jarry does nothing to improve their championship aspirations. In fact, his acquisition detracts from their ability to compete.

Jarry has never won a playoff series. In eight playoff games, he has a 2-6 record with a 3.00 goals against average and 89.1% save percentage. Worse, the only series he played start to finish, Jarry posted a 3.18 goals against average with an 88.8% save percentage.

If the Oilers wanted to get real about winning the Stanley Cup, they should have been sniffing around different teams. Deploying Jarry and Stuart Skinner as a tandem would have been a more effective alternative, but clearly, Stan Bowman doesn't possess that kind of foresight or shrewdness as a General Manager.

Edmonton appears destined for another lamentable playoff exit. Unfortunately, Oilers' futures bettors will be the only ones left wondering what could have been.

Grade: D-

Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
Loser: Stan Bowman
Stan Bowman is that fantasy football GM who inherited a winning team 15 years ago, and now thinks he's the pre-eminent superpower when it comes to all things fantasy football. In actuality, every move Bowman makes showcases his disconnect from where the sport actually is.

Over the past two decades, Edmonton Oilers fans have lived through some hellish regimes. Whether through poor drafting, bad trades, or ineffective cap management, Edmonton has consistently had its back up against the wall. But as we saw with the Chicago Blackhawks before this, Bowman's treachery will have a long-lasting impact on the franchise.

In essence, Bowman traded a top-four defenseman and a future asset (second-round pick) for a more expensive goalie with effectively the same metrics over three years. Oh, that's without factoring in the age difference and the higher salary for a cap-strapped team.

Instead of getting in on the Vancouver Canucks' fire sale or dealing Calvin Pickard and assets for Tristan Jarry, Bowman showed that he's willing to gamble to lose it all. We saw how this strategy worked out for the Blackhawks; Oilers fans should set expectations accordingly.

Grade: F

Have all the intel you need? Free, actionable information is just one click away! Sign up for our daily newsletter, SportsGrid Daily.

Grading Winners & Losers From the Tristan Jarry and Quinn Hughes Trades

Grade: D-

Grade: F

Grade: A+

Grade: D-

Grade: A-

Grade: D-

Grade: F

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