Chuck Fletcher’s trade deadline history has some gems and some gags

Chuck Fletcher was generally pretty active at the trade deadline during his stint as general manager in Minnesota (2009-18). He frequently dealt draft picks for veterans in hopes of helping Minnesota go on an extended run, which never quite happened.

Last year, in his first season as the Flyers’ general manager, the club was on the wrong end of the playoff chase at the deadline. Fletcher dealt Wayne Simmonds and his expiring contract to Nashville for Ryan Hartman and a 2020 fourth-round draft pick.

Hartman was then used to get Tyler Pitlick from Dallas in June. Pitlick has been one of the steadiest Flyers this season. Hartman signed with Minnesota when Dallas declined to extend a qualifying offer.

With the Feb. 24 deadline for this season on the horizon, here is a look at some of Fletcher’s notable deals from his time in Minnesota:

Acquired D Cam Barker from Chicago for D Kim Johnsson and D Nick Leddy.

Immediate result: The idea was that Barker, the No. 3 overall pick in 2004, could use a change of scenery. He was mostly a flop while Leddy helped Chicago win the 2013 Stanley Cup. Johnsson, by the way, is known around here as one of the players the Flyers acquired from the Rangers in the 2001 Eric Lindros trade.

The deal was … a bust. Barker played 71 games over two seasons for Minnesota. Leddy is still playing 22 minutes per game for the Islanders.

Acquired RW Jason Pominville from Buffalo in a package that included two first-round picks.

Immediate result: The Wild went 4-5-1 with Pominville in the lineup (he had nine points in 10 games). They were bounced in the first-round by Chicago, the eventual Cup champs.

The deal was … OK. Pominville missed the first three games of the Chicago series with a head injury. He had 30 goals the following season. One of the first-round picks, Nikita Zadorov, is still in the league (Colorado). The other (Vaclav Karaacek) never panned out.

Acquired G Ilya Bryzgalov from Edmonton for a fourth-round pick.

Immediate result: Sharing the work with Darcy Kuemper, Bryzgalov went 7-1-3 down the stretch and the Wild won a playoff series for the first time in 11 years.

The deal was … pretty good, especially considering the fourth-round pick (William Lagesson) turned out to be inconsequential.

Acquired G Devin Dubnyk from Arizona for a third-round pick.

Immediate result: This move was done about five weeks before the deadline, but it helped rescue the season. Dubnyk went 27-9-2 for Minnesota and finished third in the Vezina Trophy race.

The deal was … fantastic. Until they were swept by eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago in the second round.

Acquired pending free agent C Martin Hanzal from the Coyotes in a hefty package that cost Minnesota first-, second- and fourth-round picks.

Immediate result: The Wild were the top-seed in the West when they made the deal and were pushing their chips all in. Two months later, they were upset by St. Louis in the first round and couldn’t even get themselves a comped drink at the lobby bar.

The deal was … brutal, and made worse when Hanzal scored one goal in the playoff series and then bolting for Dallas in free agency.

General manager: Paul Holmgren.

Acquired LW Ville Leino from Detroit for D Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth-round pick.

The deal was ... remarkable. Leino had 21 points in 19 playoff games as the Flyers made a run to the Cup Final. He had 11 points in 55 games during the regular season.

General manager: Paul Holmgren.

Acquired RW Kris Versteeg from Toronto for first- and third-round picks.

The deal was ... meh. Versteeg was a rental. Eventual first-round pick D Stuart Percy never panned out, but third-round LW Josh Leivo put some life into his career this season with Vancouver before breaking his kneecap (cringe) in December.

General manager: Paul Holmgren.

Acquired G Steve Mason from Columbus for G Michael Leighton and a third-round pick.

The deal was ... reasonably good, since Mason wound up being the Flyers’ starter for four seasons. They didn’t do much in his time here, but he was a good soldier.

General manager: Paul Holmgren.

Acquired D Andrew MacDonald from the N.Y. Islanders for two picks and a prospect.

The deal was ... bad, especially considering the Islanders traded one of those picks `(a second rounder) to Boston, which ended up being Brandon Carlo, a top-four defenseman playing 20 minutes per game for the Bruins.

General manager: Ron Hextall.

Acquired draft picks from Chicago for D Kimmo Timonen.

The deal was ... inconsequential for the Flyers, but it did allow the popular Timonen to finish his career with a Stanley Cup ring.

General manager: Chuck Fletcher.

Acquired RW Ryan Hartman and a 2020 fourth-round pick from Nashville for RW Wayne Simmonds.

The deal was ... pretty solid, especially if that fourth-rounder develops. The Flyers were going to lose Simmonds in free agency anyway, so Fletcher did well to get some pieces for him.

Sources: Inquirer research, NHLTradeTracker.com, Hockey-Reference.com.