I'd have voted A- if it was a standalone option, but I voted A. I think it was closer to A than B+, so the A-/B+ combo didn't sit quite right for me. I'm inclusing the totality of everything since the All Star break.
Priority #1 Returning good value for Tarasenko and ROR. I give this an A+. By my count, there were 4 total 2023 1st round picks traded for straight rentals this deadline. LA traded their 1st (which becomes a 2nd if the miss the playoffs) for Gavrikov and Korpisalo. Boston traded their 1st for Orlov/Hathaway and we got the other two. The rest of the 1sts moved this deadline were either for guys with term or they were 2024 1sts. Army pulled the trigger early to ensure that we got 1sts in this draft and the market proved this decision correct. Teams pivoted to guys with term or started making lower-value offers for rentals. Getting 2023 1sts (along with other assets by packaging lesser rentals) was a home run. Blais (subsequently extended for $1M) is a great little throw in to the deal.
Priority #2: Returning good value for Barby. I give this an A-. A 30th overall center in his D+2 season is a pretty nice return given the season Barby was having. I think Dean becomes our 3rd or 4th best prospect and he turns pro next year. Fits the timeline fairly well even if the long term upside isn't incredible. I like it better than a mid-late 2nd. Not sure I like it better than another 1st in this year's draft, but given where the market went that was probably not realistic. I like it more than a late 2024 or 2025 1st.
Priority #3: Moving or acquiring a D man? I give this a B+. I'd have loved to get out from Krug's deal, but that felt like a long shot. I wasn't interested in moving Parayko/Faulk barring a massive return and I wouldn't have traded Parayko (with retention to get his AAV down to $6M) for what the Preds got for Ekholm. I'm also satisfied that we didn't outbid the prices for Chychrun or Ekholm. There is still plenty of work to do on the blueline, but looking at the deadline market, I'm satisfied that we stayed out of it for now.
Those were my 3 priorities in order of importance. #1 and #2 were way more important than #3 because they were the only ones with expiration dates. Moves to bolster the 2023/24 forward group were unexpected. I think Vrana, Kap, and Blais on 1 year deals for less than a combined $7M is a very, very low risk, with a moderately high return set of moves. That type of money to fill 2-3 top 9 wing spots is on the cheap side of things and the term gives us flexibility to hold, flip, or extend any of them in the next 12 months depending how the season goes. My expectations are fairly low, but they fit the 'what the hell are we next year' uncertainty very well. I'd go B+ on these gambles.