On Wednesday, the Spokane Chiefs made a blockbuster deal for one of the most dynamic players in the Western Hockey League. It's a strong signal that they are "all-in" in their pursuit of a WHL title and to earn a berth in this year's Memorial Cup. It may not take the sting out of losing their bid to host the 2026 Cup, but winning cures a lot of ills.
The deal itself is impressive enough: the Chiefs acquired 2005-born forward Andrew Cristall from the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for 2007-born forward Hayden Paupanekis, first- and third-round picks in 2025, second- and sixth-round picks in 2026, and a first-round pick in 2027.
Cristall is second overall in the WHL in scoring with 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 28 games - and his 2.14 points per game are tops in the WHL. Last season, he finished sixth in the league in scoring with 111 points, including 71 assists - just behind Chiefs center and captain Berkly Catton, who is expected to return to the lineup against first-place Everett on Friday for Cristall's debut after spending several weeks with Team Canada's World Junior squad.
"A player like Andrew, he is so dynamic in what he brings to a team. He's a scoring threat," Chiefs general manager Matt Bardsley said. "I felt that with where our group's at, he was a player that we had a lot of interest in. There certainly were a lot of other really good players (traded). ... But our focus was a little more on Andrew in that situation."
The idea of pairing Catton and Cristall on the Chiefs power play - which already leads the league by a good margin at 29.6 percent - has to have head coach Brad Lauer salivating.
The trade is like one of those baseball deals at the deadline when a contender makes a splash for a veteran with an expiring contract. Technically, Cristall could return to the Chiefs next year as an overage player, but it would be highly unlikely as signed overage players typically stay in the NHL farm system.
Heck, Cristall almost didn't return to the WHL at all this year. He was so impressive at Washington Capitals training camp - the tops in the Eastern Conference Caps - that he almost made the team out of camp.
"When I spoke to Washington they spoke highly of him," Bardsley said. "They were excited about what they saw, but just felt like they had to send him back."
It's not easy making the NHL as a 19-year-old, but that's the level of skill we're talking about with Cristall. He was one of the final two players trimmed from the Caps roster out of camp.
The sheer number of picks given up - two firsts, a second, a third and a sixth, spread over three drafts - is pricey enough. But the quality of player - and young person - that was included in the deal speaks to the value Bardsley puts into the transaction.
"It was hard to move Hayden Paupanekis, believe me," Bardsley said. "He's a real good young player. But if you're going to make a move like this you have to be willing to give up a good young player and picks. I hope the fans are excited to know that we are trying to make a push this year and give them something really exciting to see on the ice."
But here's the thing: Bardsley has been preparing for a trade like this since he took over as GM of the Chiefs in May 2022. He's been stashing draft picks in just about every deal he's made since, waiting to cash in on the opportunity he was afforded on Wednesday.
Despite the trade, the Chiefs still have a good amount of picks this year, and a first, second, two thirds, two fourths, two fifths and a sixth in 2026. It's not like they are going into next year with no picks for the first five rounds.
First-round picks are critical. But where the Chiefs hope to be picking the next couple of years - at or near the bottom of the list - maybe those picks are discounted just a little bit.
"I think our team is going to be strong going forward and (first-round picks) have value, but we didn't think they would be top five picks in those years," Bardsley said. "We gave up a first-round pick (next) year, but our second-round pick - which we have from another team - could be a top five, top six pick (in the second round). Maybe we're only talking about a difference of seven or eight spots. You have to look at all of that."
It's what those in the business call "draft capital."
"That was always the mindset. The draft capital gives you options," Bardsley said. "It gives you flexibility. Whether you're drafting or where your team is at. Our team is having good success this season so that's where I felt, 'OK, I want to reward our group, and I believe in our group.' We can make a move - make a significant move - right now and try to achieve a championship this year without sacrificing next year.
The Chiefs (26-13-0-0) currently sit in second place in the U.S. Division, nine points behind first-place Everett (28-5-3-2) - with five games left against the Silvertips. Spokane is third in the conference, with the B.C Division's Prince George (24-10-3-2) one point ahead of them, and they would lead both divisions in the Eastern Conference.
With Catton - the No.8 overall pick of the Seattle Kraken in last year's draft - poised to make his own jump to the NHL soon, clearly now was Bardsley's time to strike.
"I like our group. I like our team," Bardsley said. "A player like Andrew adds to our group, but it also sends a message to our team, to our organization - that we believe in them, and that we want to give ourselves the chance to try to win this year."
There was a flurry of players dealt before the Thursday trade deadline, including several defensemen that were part of Canada's World Junior team that was ousted in the quarterfinals for the season year in a row. But Bardsley always had his eye on Cristall.
Whether it was patience or providence, Bardsley got his man.
"For us, for Kelowna, maybe for the other teams that were bidding for the Memorial Cup, we were all just waiting to see what was going to happen before teams made some decisions on which direction they were going to go," Bardsley said. "When Kelowna won the bid, they made the decision that they were probably have to move some of their older players to help build their team for next year."
In a way, it turns out the bitter disappointment of losing to Kelowna off-the-ice might help the Chiefs go through the front door to the Memorial Cup as a WHL champion, as opposed to the back door of hosting it.