NHL Trade deadline reshapes American Hockey League landscape

The impact of the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline was felt in the American Hockey League as well.
Several AHL prospects were on the move, either as part of trades to benefit NHL teams or deals to strengthen an AHL affiliate for a long run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Here is a look at several NHL organizations that were active before the deadline passed Monday:

Tucson (Arizona Coyotes)

NHL success often starts at the AHL level.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals are among the NHL teams that have built some of the most productive farm systems in hockey and blended development with a winning culture in the AHL.
"For us to have success and grow, we need a good American League team, and that's usually the first step," general manager John Chayka told the Coyotes website.
Tucson has three rookies who were first-round selections in the 2015 NHL Draft, and getting AHL playoff experience for them spurred the Coyotes to act Monday.
Forwards Dylan Strome (No. 3), Lawson Crouse (No. 11, by the Florida Panthers), and Nick Merkley (No. 30) make up that 2015 draft crop. They are joined by other talented prospects who have a chance for a long playoff run.
Tucson leads the Pacific Division with a .633 points percentage, sixth-best in the AHL.
To give those prospects a boost, Tucson acquired veteran forward Carter Camper, who has 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists), from Cleveland (Columbus Blue Jackets) in an AHL trade. The Coyotes also brought in defenseman Trevor Murphy and forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie from Milwaukee in a trade with the Nashville Predators for forward Tyler Gaudet and defenseman John Ramage.
Camper, 29, is an established AHL center who will bring depth to that position. He has reached the AHL postseason in four of the past five seasons, including a trip to the Calder Cup Final in 2016 with Hershey (Capitals). He had a team-leading 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 21 playoff games for Hershey.
Murphy, 22, is in his third pro season and is a mobile defenseman with an offensive mindset. He had 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 48 games for Milwaukee. He joins a group of defensemen that includes rookie Kyle Capobianco and Kyle Wood.
The Coyotes also gave Tucson another center with the assignment of Laurent Dauphin, who has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 16 AHL games since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 10.

Rochester (Buffalo Sabres)

Much like Arizona, Buffalo has made building a strong AHL affiliate a priority as part of its rebuild.
Forward Daniel O'Regan is on his way to Rochester after the Sabres acquired him from the San Jose Sharks as part of the Evander Kane trade.
O'Regan, 24, had four assists in 19 games for the Sharks, and 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 31 AHL games. He won the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the top rookie in the AHL in 2016-17 when he had 58 points (23 goals, 35 assists).
After starting 23-8-4-3, Rochester remains firmly in a North Division playoff spot but has fallen into a slump in the past six weeks with four wins in its past 18 games.
O'Regan's departure is the latest for the AHL roster in San Jose; Troy Grosenick, the Aldege (Baz) Bastien Memorial Award as the top goaltender in the AHL last season, and forward Brandon Bollig were traded to the Predators on Monday. Each player has been assigned to Milwaukee, a team trying to remain in the Central Division race.

Hartford (New York Rangers) and San Antonio (Colorado Avalanche)

Two young AHL defensemen got fresh starts Monday. The Rangers traded Hartford's Ryan Graves to the Avalanche for San Antonio's Chris Bigras.
Graves, 22, has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 57 AHL games in his third pro season. However, defensemen John Gilmour and Neal Pionk had been recalled to the Rangers recently ahead of Graves.
Graves was assigned to San Antonio, where he could be a big boost for a team trying to stay in playoff contention during a month-long 12-game road trip.
Bigras, 23, had started the season with the Avalanche but found himself back in San Antonio. He has six points (one goal, five assists) in 20 AHL games and will join Hartford.

Syracuse (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Most notable for the Syracuse roster is it remained intact.
Syracuse, loaded with higher-end prospects, has 71 points, fourth-most in the AHL.
However, the multi-player trade with the Rangers that brought defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay did not cost the Lightning any of their Syracuse prospects.

Utica (Vancouver Canucks)

It was an up-and-down day for Utica. Philip Holm, who is third among AHL defensemen with 11 goals, was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Holm, 26, was assigned to Chicago, a team that is 23-5-2-1 since Dec. 8.
However, the Canucks acquired forward Tyler Motte from the Blue Jackets in the Thomas Vanek trade. Motte, 22, will remain with the Canucks but he is eligible for the AHL postseason. He had 11 points (nine goals, two assists) in 17 AHL games for Cleveland.