Kevin Shattenkirk was aware that a deal was on the way.
Due to being unable to reach an agreement with the St. Louis Blues on a new contract as the 2017 trade deadline neared, the defenseman tried to ignore the distractions as the time for the annual cutoff got closer. NHL Shattenkirk was just waiting for his phone to ring. The rest would be taken care of by itself.
He said, “I knew that it was going to happen. We had already gone through the process of trying to make something work. Just a matter of when.
“The weeks leading up to it were quite difficult.”
It was made even harder by the fact that the Blues were on a road trip through Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, along with the accompanying media attention, just before the deadline before he eventually joined the Washington Capitals.
Shattenkirk, who is now with the Boston Bruins, said, “Just a lot of talk. It can be really strange when you know you’re going to get traded, you’re discussing getting traded, and then you have a game that night.
“It’s just something you’ve got to deal with.”
With this year’s deadline set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET, many players around the NHL are experiencing the same emotions.
“It’s a whirlwind,” blueliner Troy Stecher, who was acquired Thursday by the Edmonton Oilers from the Arizona Coyotes, said last week. “Life gets put on ‘stop’ for five minutes. Then it’s a panic mode for the next hour.
“And you’re on your way. It happens quick.” Troy Stecher, who was acquired Thursday by the Edmonton Oilers from the Arizona Coyotes, said last week. “Life gets put on ‘stop’ for five minutes. Then it’s a panic mode for the next hour.
“And you’re on your way. It happens quick.”
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AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi has been traded four times in his career, including at the last two deadlines when he went from struggling clubs to Stanley Cup contenders.
“When you know it’s coming, it’s pretty exciting,” said Domi, who joined the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022 and the Dallas Stars in 2023. “But it’s also tough.”
It’s not just leaving teammates, but the coaches, trainers and support staff.
“Those are the relationships that last,” Domi said. “That’s the toughest part, just trying to adapt to that whole new situation — a whole new city with not much familiarity.”
Boston center Charlie Coyle described the feeling of being dealt from the Minnesota Wild to his hometown Bruins in 2019.
“Your whole world changes,” he said. “If you’re a single guy, it’s a little easier. But still it can be tough. If you’re married, you have kids, I don’t think a lot of people see that side of it where you gotta pick up and move. Or you’re going right away to meet the team, and your wife and kids are at home, and she’s gotta hold down the fort.
“There’s some life things there where it just makes it tough.”
Despite the excitement, a player’s mind is spinning.
“You kind of think, ‘Why are they trading me?'” Coyle said. “But then on the other hand, it’s like, ‘All right, well, this team wanted me.’ You look forward to that opportunity and you get excited.”
Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba was the subject of plenty of trade rumors when he was with Minnesota.
A deal never happened, but there’s more talk this year about him being on another expiring contract in Arizona.
“My name has always been mentioned around deadline day,” Dumba said. “Something I'm used to. I don't really get caught up in all the media, social media stuff. It's just business as usual.
“It was kind of a joke in Minnesota. But you get more comfortable with it and learn how to block it out, and rely more on the agent to give you the information that you need.”
Shattenkirk said it was initially “nerve-racking” when he went to the Capitals back in 2017.
“But that’s the great thing about our league,” said the 35-year-old, who won the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and is on his seventh organization. “A lot of great guys to take care of you.”
Shattenkirk also had a bit of a plan after getting traded to St. Louis from the Colorado Avalanche halfway through his rookie season.
It serves as a lesson for young players on the move from teams looking for immediate help this time of year.
“You think you’re just getting kicked to the curb,” he said. “Then you meet with your new general manager and he tells you, ‘We weren’t doing this trade unless you were in it.’ That reassures you that they have confidence in you. But it can be difficult.
“You have to realize teams out there want you … you’re what they’re looking for.”
