While the Brady Skjei deal was the team's most successful from the 2020 trade deadline, we never got to see the extent of the trade for Sami Vatanen. Missing the last month of the season because of the pandemic prevented Vatanen from showing the Caniacs what he had after another big trade, involving three pieces going the other way.
Adding Skjei was a good step, but he's a lefty. The real issue was on the right side of the defense. To address that, the Hurricanes made another divisional trade, snagging Vatanen from the Devils for forward Janne Kuokkanen, defenseman Fredrik Claesson, and a conditional 4th-round pick in 2020.
It might seem counterintuitive to trade for an injured player, but all signs pointed to Vatanen being ready to return. He practiced with the Devils the day before the trade. Vatanen suffered a leg injury on February 1st after blocking a shot, and he had been out since. He had 23 points in 47 games before the injury.
The players in the Devils' return didn't make a lasting impact
Kuokkanen was the big piece of the Devils' return. The young forward only had 11 games under his belt with the Hurricanes, including seven in 2018-19, and he'd yet to score a point. He made his Devils debut in the season finale before getting a lot more time in 2021. Kuokkanen played 50 games, scoring eight goals and 25 points to earn a two-year extension with New Jersey.
His numbers dipped in 2021-22, scoring six times and finishing with 17 points in 57 games. The Devils bought out the final year of his extension, allowing Kuokkanen to sign in Switzerland. He's been in Europe since. Claesson never played for the Hurricanes, but he played five games for the Devils. He signed with San Jose in 2021 and was traded to Tampa. He's currently playing in the KHL.
The pause allowed Vatanen (and the Canes) to recover for the playoffs
Vatanen would've likely debuted sometime in mid-March for the Hurricanes, but the pandemic pause pushed his debut to the Toronto bubble for the playoffs. He started the Qualifying Round by recording an assist on Sebastian Aho's power-play goal in the second period. In Game 2, Vatanen assisted on two of the team's four goals in a 4-1 win.
Those three assists are all Vatanen mustered in seven postseason games. He didn't play Game 1 against Boston and was held scoreless in the four contests he did dress for. However, Vatanen playing four of the team's five games in the 1st round meant the 4th-round pick the Devils received turned into a 3rd-rounder as the condition was met.
With the pick, the Devils selected goalie Nico Daws in the 3rd round. Daws has been pushed down the depth chart with New Jersey's additions of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, but he's currently their third-stringer. He's made 52 appearances (47 starts) with the Devils over three seasons, including six last year.
Vatanen returned to New Jersey that offseason, signing a one-year contract with the Devils. After 30 games, the Devils placed Vatanen on waivers, where he was claimed by the Dallas Stars. He made nine appearances for Dallas. At the end of the season, Vatanen signed to play in Switzerland. He played four seasons in the Swiss League and has signed to play in Finland this season.
The pandemic ruined what could've been for Carolina, as the Devils made out better than the Hurricanes in this trade. The Canes got seven games with Vatanen, which is still less than New Jersey. There's no way the Hurricanes could have seen what was coming globally, so they deserve a little slack. It's far from the worst trade in team history, though it didn't pan out how they'd hoped it would.