By Rafay Desautels
The NHL trade deadline was a big event this year, and a majority of teams filled some holes in their rosters. Lots of General Managers (GMs) were scrambling around to get the newest toy. There is much to discuss, so let’s get into it.
If you don’t know, the trade deadline is the last day any player can be traded for the remainder of that season. This year, it was on March 8th. The trade deadline is put in place so that teams can’t just wait and see if they are in the playoffs before they acquire a new teammate. It’s also there so that players will have time to adjust to the new surroundings. You can’t just have a new guy show up for the playoffs without teaching them the strategies, and showing them how their new partners play. A less known reason for why the trade deadline is there is so teams cannot abuse the salary cap. Some teams, I’m looking at you Vegas, will take advantage of the fact that the salary cap is not in effect during the playoffs. Certain players who were on LTIR (Long Term Injured Reserve) may recover during the playoffs, and if that team has reached their salary cap (not including the injured player), the injured player can still play.
Speaking of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, they have gotten a lot of new players (and have some on LTIR). The Knights received defenseman Noah Hanafin in a three-way deal with the Calgary Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Knights received Hanafin from Calgary. Calgary receives a 1st round draft pick in the 2025 NHL draft, defenseman Daniil Miromanov, and a conditional 3rd round draft pick in the 2025 NHL draft. The Flyers will receive a 5th-round draft pick in the 2024 NHL draft. The Golden Knights also received forward Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick in the 2024 NHL draft, and a 4th round pick in the 2026 NHL draft. A noteworthy trade that Vegas had was acquiring forward Tomas Hertl, a 3rd round draft pick in the 2025 NHL draft, and a 3rd round pick in the 2027 draft from the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks receive forward David Edstorm and a 1st round 2025 NHL draft pick. Those were all the trades Vegas made at this deadline. Surely the NHL has to change the LTIR rules.
The best regular season team this year is the New York Rangers. At the trade deadline, the Rangers acquired forward Alex Wennberg from the Seattle Kraken. Wennberg isn’t having the greatest year, but it’s still a nice trade because all the Rangers gave up was a second-round draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in the 2025 draft. (A conditional draft pick means that the team that is having the draft pick taken from them [the Kraken in this instance] can change the pick to draft pick for the next year if the pick violates their conditions that are stated in the trade). The Rangers also added center Jack Roslovic to their roster. In exchange, the Rangers have the Colombus Blue Jackets a conditional 4th-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft. Jack Roslovic is a talented center who can be a great asset on a good team. With the Blue Jackets, Roslovic was being underutilized, with the Rangers I feel that Roslovic will shine.
Like the Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers are having a great season and didn’t quite get as geared up for their playoff run as the Rangers.
The Oilers added forward Adam Henrique from the Anaheim Ducks, in a three-way trade between the Oilers, the Ducks, and the Lightning. This season Henrique had 51 points in 82 games, which is pretty average. The rest of the trade was just draft picks. I think the Oilers should have traded for a goalie. Skinner has been playing horribly in the playoffs and the Oilers could climb to a cup if they had a solid goalie.
The Colorado Avalanche have also made some moves for the postseason. They traded 22-year-old defenceman Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for centerman Casey Mittelstadt. I think this trade is great for both teams, Buffalo had a great run at the end of the season and almost sneaked their way to a playoff spot, with some help from Byram. Colorado also got a lot of value from Mittelstadt so far, with 8 points in 9 post-season games. The Avs also had another trade with the addition of defenseman Sean Walker from the Flyers for Ryan Johansen. The Avs had a slight advantage in this trade, though, Walker currently has 0 playoff points.
The Panthers made a great move, adding Vladimir Tarasenko to their roster. Tarasenko came from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional 4th round pick in the 2024 NHL draft and a 3rd round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. Last year, the Rangers picked up Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues and did ok in the playoffs. So far, Tarasenko has been great on the Panthers, and as a Bruins Fan, I am scared.
The Maple Leafs also made some nice moves for the offseason. They buffed their weak blue line with the acquisition of defenseman Ilya Lybushkin. Lybushkin only had 8 points in 74 games with the Ducks, so I’m not sure why the Leafs wanted him. Though, he did well for the Leafs, with 3 assists in the Leaf’s 7 playoff games. In exchange, Anaheim received a 3rd round pick from Toronto in the 2025 Draft. Somehow, Carolina got wrapped up in this trade, receiving Toronto’s 5th-round pick in the 2024 Draft, and they gave up forward prospect Kirill Slepets. The Leaf’s more effective trade was with the Minnesota Wild. Toronto collected forward Connor Dewar from the Minnesota Wild. Dewar did ok with the Maple Leafs. Fortunately for the Leafs, they only traded AHL, and foreign league player Dmitry Ovchinnikov and a 5th-round pick in the 2026 draft.
The best team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars, buffed their roster even more, with the addition of defenseman Chirs Tanev. Tanev had 14 points in 56 games with the Flames, but his talents are better utilized in the defensive zone. Calgary received prospect Artem Gushnikov and a 2nd round pick in the 2024 draft, and a 3rd round pick in the 2024 draft. The Devil weaseled their way into the trade and got Dallas’s 4th-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Tampa Bay, who was on a heater at the end of the season, added Matt Dumba to their roster. Defenseman Matt Dumba played for the Arizona Coyotes. Dumba had 10 points in 58 games with the Yotes. Tampa also got a 7th-round pick in the 2025 draft from Arizona. Arizona got a 5th-round pick in the 2027 draft from the Lighting
Lots of trades were made by this deadline, but the only ones that matter are the people who produce. Sometimes, the teams that make no trades win the cup, other times, the teams that make the most trades win. The playoffs can’t be determined by statistics, it’s determined by the hustle from each player, and the effort everyone puts in. Who do you think will win the cup, and who do you think will be the "MVP" of the playoffs, and win the Conn Smythe?