CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins swapped the rights to prospects with the Ducks on Friday.
The Penguins traded the rights to forward prospect Judd Caulfield to the Ducks for the rights to defense prospect Thimo Nickl.
Caulfield, 22, was a right wing who was the Penguins' fifth-round pick in 2019. He recently completed his senior season at the University of North Dakota, but soon after the season ended declared his intention to return to school for a fifth season, an opportunity made possible by the NCAA granting athletes a fifth year of eligibility due to the effects COVID had on several seasons.
Caulfield's exclusive signing rights would have expired on the first Aug. 15 that followed his graduation. That would have been this summer had he graduated as expected, but his intention to return to school for one more year pushed back that deadline to Aug. 15, 2024. Had Caulfield not signed with the Penguins by then, he would have been an unrestricted free agent and the Penguins would have lost him for nothing.
Since it wasn't clear whether Caulfield ever intended on signing with the Penguins -- and his decision to return to school for another year suggests that he may have been looking to improve his stock before hitting the free agent market -- trading Caulfield's rights allowed the Penguins to at least get something in return.
Nickl, 21, was the Ducks' fourth-round pick in 2020. He is a right-handed shot and listed at 6 foot 2, 176 pounds. He has not yet signed an entry-level contract, and the Penguins now hold his rights until June 2024.
Nickl, who is Austrian, spent the last two seasons playing for AIK in the second-tier Swedish league Allsvenskan. He recorded eight assists, 69 penalty minutes and a minus-9 rating in 47 regular-season games. The Swedish hockey season uses a relegation format, with the winner of the Allsvenskan moving up to the SHL, and the loser of a play-out series among the worst teams in the SHL getting bumped down to the Allsvenskan. Nickl played in three games for AIK in the Allsvenskan playoffs before AIK was eliminated in the second round.
Nickl played 15 games in the SHL for Rogle back in the 2020-21 season, going scoreless and recording an even plus/minus. Nickl spent a year in the QMJHL in the 2019-20 season, recording 10 goals and 29 assists in 58 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
The EliteProspects draft guide from Nickl's 2020 draft year describes him as a player who "uses his tools better (reach, size) and switches to his assignments in a more fluid way. Nickl's biggest potential is as a rush defender. He skates smoothly, closes his gap appropriately, and can match weaving forwards easily. His long stick also helps him direct traffic and break plays."
The NHL's trade deadline was back on March 3, but it's a common misconception that trades aren't allowed to happen after the deadline. The deadline is only a deadline to maintain a player's eligibility to play in the NHL for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. For players such as Caulfield and Nickl who weren't going to play in the NHL that season regardless, there's no limitations or consequences for trading the player after the deadline.
