Blades add depth, build for the future on WHL deadline day

The Saskatoon Blades are set for a playoff push after completing four deals ahead of Friday’s Western Hockey League (WHL) trade deadline.

The team acquired Caiden Daley from the Regina Pats in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick roughly an hour before the deadline. Then the Blades swapped import players with Swift Current, landing Martin Fasko-Rudas for forward Matej Toman, the rights to unsigned  prospect Cale Ashcroft and a sixth-round draft pick in 2022.

“Lots of things kind of fell into place, we thought,  that worked really well for us,” Priestner said of the trade activity on Friday. “We’re a definite step above where we were a few days ago on the ice, and we picked up second and third-round picks on top of that. I really like our group.”

On Thursday, Saskatoon negotiated two trades with B.C. division teams.

The Blades started the evening by moving Washington Capitals prospect Eric Florchuk and a 2021 seventh-round bantam draft pick to the Vancouver Giants for Evan Patrician, a 2020 first-round draft choice and a 2021 second-round selection.

Later that evening, the Prince George Cougars sent Rhett Rhinehart & a 2020 third-round draft pick to Saskatoon  in exchange for Majid Kaddoura, the 2020 first-round draft pick acquired from Vancouver and the rights to prospect Jayden Watson.

“I’ve always loved our group, but I think we’ve added a few pieces that have some good complementary value,” Priestner said.

Rhinehart is listed as a C-rated prospect in the upcoming 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Priestner said the upcoming bantam draft is loaded with some of the best talent he’s ever seen in his time as general manager, too.

“This is one of the best drafts in 10 or 15 years. Once we got that first (round draft choice) I made it immediately known around the league that it would be in play if we could get what we wanted,” Priestner said of baiting a high draft pick to land Rhinehart.

Head coach Mitch Love has plenty of familiarity with some of the new faces joining the Blades locker room. Love coached Fasko-Rudas when he first joined the Everett Silvertips, where Love spent time as an assistant coach.

Daley was an assistant captain for Team Canada Red at the 2016 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, playing under assistant coaches Mitch Love and Ryan Marsh.

Daley’s acquisition was out of near necessity for the Blades after forward Kjell Kjemhus decided to leave the team this week.

While Daley might be counted on for some offence for the rest of the season, Priestner just wants to see his blazing speed.

“As long as he can bring the work ethic and the speed that he has. He’s an incredibly fast skater, and that’s one thing that I felt our group lacked,” Priestner said. “We’re a faster team, and a bigger team.”

Priestner also added over 60 games of playoff experience to his young team, another goal going into deadline day.

The intent heading into the trade deadline changed drastically from what fans were expecting less than a year after pushing the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders to six games in a second round playoff series.

Priestner admitted that once the Chicago Blackhawks committed to Kirby Dach for the rest of the season part of his focus shifted to the future.

“This wasn’t the year to blow our brains out,” Priestner said. “Life happens — (Kirby) Dach is irreplaceable. That changed the season for us, but we’re in a good head space now with where we’re at.”

“We’re better than we were a few weeks ago and we’re definitely better in the future.”

Daley and Fasko-Rudas are expected to make their Blades debuts Saturday against the Prince George Cougars, while Patrician and Rhinehart arrived in Saskatoon to play against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday.