Sometimes, the right decision for a team is to recognize that a certain player isn't going to pan out and move them while you can. That felt like the case for Haydn Fleury when the Carolina Hurricanes dealt him to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2021 trade deadline. While the return was small, it still led to a few good moments.
Fleury was drafted 7th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2014 Draft. While most mock drafts projected the Canes taking a forward, they opted for one of the best defensemen in the class. The team felt they had a good player on their hands, refusing to rush him through the system. Fleury made the jump to the pros full-time in 2016 after scoring in a one-game test with Charlotte in 2015.
After spending the 2016-17 season in Charlotte, Fleury cracked the Opening Night roster in 2017, making his debut on October 7, 2017. He played 67 games that season, notching eight assists. Fleury was up and down between the Canes and the Checkers the following season, with a stint on the IR with a concussion causing issue. He was limited to 20 games in the NHL, scoring just one assist.
Entering the 2019-20 season, Fleury had yet to score his first NHL goal. It took him 96 games, but he finally cracked through on October 18, 2019, against the team he'd eventually be traded to. Down 4-1 in the 2nd period, Fleury came off the bench and stepped into a clapper, beating Ryan Miller to get the monkey off his back.
Fleury finished the 2019-20 season with four goals and 14 points in 45 games, easily his best offensive season. He added two more goals in the bubble. By the time the 2021 season rolled around, things weren't improving offensively. The Canes felt a change was needed, trading Fleury to the Ducks for defenseman Jani Hakanpää and a 2022 6th-round pick.
Following the trade, Fleury hasn't stuck around one place for long. He played 12 games with the Ducks before being selected in the Expansion Draft by the Seattle Kraken. He spent one season in Seattle, the following two in Tampa Bay, and was with the Winnipeg Jets this past season. Fleury hasn't topped 50 games in a season since his rookie campaign, and has just 44 points in 307 games.
To get this out of the way, the Hurricanes used the pick in 2022 to select Czech goalie Jakub Vondras 171st overall. He's yet to sign his entry-level deal with the Canes, and his numbers in Czechia haven't been great. His signing rights will expire on June 1st, and I don't think the Hurricanes are likely to sign him, allowing Vondras to become a free agent.
Hakanpää's goals down the stretch have gone overlooked
While we've talked about Fleury's shortcomings offensively, the defenseman they received from Anaheim was far from an offensive dynamo. Drafted in 2010 by the St. Louis Blues, Hakanpää came to North America for a few years before returning to Finland in 2015. After a few productive seasons in Liiga, Hakanpää signed a deal with the Ducks in 2019.
Hakanpää made the Ducks roster for the 2021 season, and he became known for his hard-hitting style. In his 42 games before the trade, Hakanpää laid 168 hits, averaging four per contest. He only had one assist, though, so his contributions were limited to the weight he threw around on a nightly basis.
However, in a season when the Hurricanes needed every point to secure the realigned Central Division crown, Hakanpää scored two very big goals. His first with the Hurricanes came in his second contest. Tied at one midway through the third period, Hakanpää buried a face-off win past Juuse Saros. His goal served as the game-winner, helping the Canes earn two valuable points.
Nine days later, Hakanpää scored again, setting a new career high in goals. Needing a point to clinch a playoff spot and down a goal in Dallas, Hakanpää's drive from the point hit a Stars' leg in the high slot, deflecting past Jake Oettinger to tie it late in the third. While Dallas won the game in overtime, the Hurricanes clinched their third-straight berth on their way to a division title.
Hakanpää finished with just three points in 15 games as a Hurricane, but he was still laying the body. He finished the season with 215 hits, the third-most in the league. He was held scoreless in the playoffs and signed a three-year deal in Dallas during the offseason, where he'd find more scoring with three seasons with double-digit points.
This trade will likely go down as just another trade in franchise history. The fact that I remembered Hakanpää's two goals might be a testament to my ability to remember pointless goals in franchise history. Still, it's interesting to see how even the smallest trade can lead to impactful moments. Jani Hakanpää is far from a team icon, but he still scored a few important goals.