Player movement in the NHL heated up today involving three former OHL players, Kevin Bahl, Ty Dellandrea, and Barclay Goodrow
NHL GMs got to work this afternoon to improve their team’s roster. Two trades today involved former OHL players, and another was claimed off waivers to bring him back to the San Jose Sharks.
The day started with a bombshell drop announcing that the New Jersey Devils had acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. After everyone patiently waited to hear what the return was, it was confirmed that former Ottawa 67’s defenseman Kevin Bahl was heading back the other way to the Alberta City.
This marks the second time Bahl has been traded in his career. Even in the OHL, he was a second round pick by the 67’s and spent all four years in the Canadian capital (237 games in the OHL regular season and 26 in the playoffs). Arizona selected the towering 6-foot-6 defenseman late in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Later, he was traded to the Devils in December 2019, in a massive package deal for Taylor Hall.
Although Bahl can’t be happy about being traded again (especially after establishing himself as a regular in New Jersey), he will have more opportunities to grow and play more minutes with the Flames.
Shortly after we found out the details of the Markstrom trade, news came down that the Dallas Stars had traded ex-Flint Firebirds captain Ty Dellandrea to the San Jose Sharks.
Dellandrea was selected fifth overall in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. He went on to play four years in the league (all with Flint) where he tallied up 216 points in 231 games. Dellandrea is Flint’s franchise leader in goals (94) and assists (122). Additionally, he won Gold at the 2020 World Juniors with Canada.
Dellandrea has developed into a bottom six energy player who checks hard and kills penalties. He was a 13th overall pick by the Stars and maybe there’s more offense in his game if he plays higher in the lineup.
The last ex-OHL player to find a new NHL home today was former Brampton and North Bay Battalion captain, Barclay Goodrow.
Yesterday, Goodrow was put on waivers by the New York Rangers and was claimed by his former team, the Sharks, this afternoon. He began his NHL career with the Sharks in 2014 and spent his first six NHL seasons there. San Jose signed Goodrow as a free agent from the OHL while he was having a standout overage campaign in 2013-14. During that season, he led his team in goals (14) and points (24) in the playoffs, helping them reach the OHL Finals.
Here's a fun fact, Goodrow and Kevin Bahl's fists met each other in Game 5 of the first round playoff matchup between the Devils and Rangers. Goodrow took exception to Bahl running around and laying the body on his teammates and challenged him to a fight after the whistle.