The NHL trade deadline is just a few hours away, and Stanley Cup contenders are starting to load up for deep postseason runs. The Colorado Avalanche made an attempt position themselves among the elite teams in the league by acquiring forward Brock Nelson.
Nelson had spent his entire 12-year career with the New York Islanders prior to the trade. The talented forward provides a strong upgrade up the middle behind Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado after Casey Mittelstadt has had an up-and-down tenure since being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline.
In order to acquire Nelson, the Avalanche had to part with defenseman Oliver Kylington, forward Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick, and a conditional third-round pick. Colorado also received forward William Dufour in the deal.
The Avalanche had previously acquired defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning also made their move by reuniting with shutdown forward Yanni Gourde, as well as acquiring Oliver Bjorkstrand in a trade with the Seattle Kraken.
Gourde spent the first six years of his career with the Lightning, and he developed into an excellent two-way center while winning the Stanley Cup twice. Gourde was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, but he has now made his return to Tampa and will bring an elite defensive presence to the forward group.
The Bolts also get Bjorkstrand out of the deal, and he should give them some secondary scoring. Between his time with the Kraken and Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjorkstrand has hit the 20-goal mark in five of the previous six seasons.
Those aren’t the only big names that have been moved prior to the deadline. The Vancouver Canucks dealt J.T. Miller to the Rangers, and the San Jose Sharks dealt Mikael Granlund to the Dallas Stars. While those were all significant trades, there are still some impact players that will be available between now and the March 7 deadline.
Keep track of all the NHL trade deadline action right here as we provide updates on every deal.
Avalanche make splash by landing Brock Nelson
The Avalanche made a bold move when they landed forward Brock Nelson in a trade with the Islanders. In exchange for Nelson and forward William Dufour, the Avalanche traded defenseman Oliver Kylington, forward Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027, and a conditional 2028 third-round pick. Kylington ended up being flipped to the Ducks for future considerations in a separate deals.
Colorado was aiming to upgrade the center position on the second line after Casey Mittelstadt has struggled at times since being acquired in 2024. Nelson is a talented playmaker that should see his offensive numbers rise playing with the Avalanche, and could be an asset on the power-play unit.
One of the “Original Misfits” is returning to Las Vegas. The Golden Knights have acquired veteran forward Reilly Smith from the Rangers in exchange for 2020 first-round pick Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick.
Smith was traded from the Panthers to the Golden Knights during the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft along with Jonathan Marchessault. He ended up spending six seasons in Vegas before being traded to the Penguins during the 2024 NHL Draft. Smith has tallied 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) with the Rangers this season, and gives the Golden Knights a proven goal-scoring presence that can play on their second or third line.
Devils add Bryan Dumoulin in trade with Ducks
The Devils may have lost Jack Hughes to season-ending shoulder surgery, but that isn’t stopping them from being active at the trade deadline. They are improving their blue line by acquiring defenseman Bryan Dumoulin in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and winger Herman Traff.
The Ducks are retaining 50% of Dumoulin’s $3.15 million cap hit. The veteran blue-liner was traded to the Ducks by the Kraken this past summer, and has tallied 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) this season.
The Predators are a long way away from a playoff spot, but Nashville is still making moves prior to the deadline. In a trade with the Penguins, the Predators have acquired forward Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick in exchange for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn.
Bunting, who was acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade prior to the 2024 trade deadline, has recorded 29 points (14 goals & 15 assists) this season. The veteran winger gives the Predators some middle-six scoring depth that they could use to make a potential playoff push.
Kraken sent Gourde, Bjorkstrand to Lightning
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois knows his window to win is open right now, so he was willing to ship off valuable future assets to land Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Gourde is an excellent defensive forward, and Bjorkstrand can provide some offense in a middle-six role.
Tampa’s forward group looks quite formidable now, but Seattle made out of this deal quite well too. Landing a pair of first-round picks, a second-round pick and a young depth piece like Michael Eyssimont is good work.
Panthers land backup goaltender by acquiring Vitek Vanecek
Spencer Knight went to Chicago as part of the Jones trade, so the Panthers needed a backup goalie to replace him. For that role, they targeted the struggling Vitek Vanecek, who might improve behind a better defense in Florida. The Panthers sent minor-leaguer Patrick Giles the other way.
The Oilers have needed help in their bottom-six, and they got it by acquiring Trent Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins. With 35 goals and 36 assists from 2022-2024, Frederic was a key part of Boston’s depth. Frederic is currently out week-to-week with an injury, but he should be back in time for the postseason.
Edmonton received Frederic at 25% of his regular salary cap hit, thanks to 50% retention by the Bruins and 25% retention by the Devils. In exchange for getting Frederic at a discount, Edmonton sent a 2025 second-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and prospect Max Wanner to Boston.
Panthers land Seth Jones from Blackhawks for Spencer Knight, first-round pick
The Panthers improved their blue line by acquiring defenseman Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a 2026 conditional first-round pick. As a stipulation of the deal, the Blackhawks are retaining a portion of Jones’ salary. Meanwhile, the first-round pick moves to 2027 if the Panthers trade their 2026 first-round pick prior to the 2025 NHL Draft.
Jones is embarking on his 12th NHL season season after playing for the Blue Jackets and Predators prior to being traded to the Blackhawks in 2021. The veteran defenseman has tallied 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 42 games this season. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks may have gotten their goaltender of the future in Knight, who is still just 23 years old.
Preds trade Gus Nyquist to Wild for second-round pick
With Kirill Kaprizov out of the lineup, offense has been harder to come by for the Minnesota Wild, so GM Bill Guerin acquired veteran winger Gus Nyquist from the Nashville Predators. Minnesota sent Nashville a 2026 second-round pick while the Preds are retaining 50% of Nyquist’s $3.185 million cap hit.
Nyquist has had trouble producing this season, but he just tallied a career-high 75 points in 2023-24.
Avs acquire Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey from Rangers
The Avalanche needed some defensive depth, and they got it in the form of veteran Ryan Lindgren. A reliable defensive defenseman for most of his career, Lindgren hasn’t been as effective this season as injuries have taken their toll. Colorado also added winger Jimmy Vesey, who will play a fourth-line role.
In exchange, the Rangers will get two replacement depth pieces, Juuso Parssinen and Calvin de Haan. They also receive second- and fouth-round picks in 2025.
Canucks add Pettersson, O’Connor from Penguins
The Vancouver Canucks made a move to bolster their top-four defensemen by landing Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pettersson has turned into a reliable shutdown option, and Vancouver also gets some forward depth in the form of Drew O’Connor.
In exchange, the Penguins received a 2025 first-round pick, winger Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais and prospect Melvin Fernstrom.
Sharks send Granlund, Ceci to Sharks
The Stars are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and those odds should only improve with Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci in the fold. Granlund, 32, is having a resurgent season in San Jose. He has 15 goals and 30 assists in 52 games. That has him on pace for 70 points, which would be a career year. With Tyler Seguin on LTIR, that freed up the cap space for the Stars to acquire Granlund and Ceci.
Granlund should slot right into the Stars’ middle-six, perhaps on a line with former Nashville Predators teammate Matt Duchene, and Ceci provides a veteran presence. In return, Dallas sent a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick to the Sharks.
Rangers acquire JT Miller from Canucks
The JT Miller soap opera in Vancouver has finally reached its end. The Canucks sent Miller, along with defenseman Erik Brannstrom and prospect Jack Dorrington, to the New York Rangers. Forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick went back to Vancouver.
Miller was a 100-point player just last season, and the Rangers have been missing some dynamic playmaking at the top of their lineup this year. Miller can bring that, but the big question is whether his disappointing start in 2024-25 was due to the drama between himself and Elias Pettersson. Either way, New York did get notably better with this deal.
The Canucks were able to free up a few million dollars in salary cap space while acquiring Chytil, who will bring some speed and skill in a depth forward role.
This deal won’t get many headlines because there were no marquee names involved, but this is a very interesting player swap. Farabee, a two-time 20-goal scorer, has shown the ability to contribute offensively but seems to have hit a ceiling in Philadelphia. The same can be said for Frost, a former first-round pick who has 112 points in the last three seasons.
On the other side, Andrei Kuzmenko has a penchant for going on goal-scoring tears, but he has been rather inconsistent in that department. He will at least be able to give the Flyers more of a scoring touch. Pelletier, a first-round pick in his own right, has been unable to break through for a full-time role in Calgary.
The Islanders added some offensive skill to their depleted blue line by acquiring Scott Perunovich from the Blues. New York sent a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick back to St. Louis.
Hurricanes, Avalanche pull off blockbuster deal
The Avalanche were at a crossroads with Mikko Rantanen, a pending free agent, and they decided to ship him out and replace him with the cheaper Necas. Colorado does crate salary cap space with this deal, so Joe Sakic may have something else up his sleeve.
Carolina, already a Stanley Cup contender, only got that much better by acquiring one of the most prolific scorers in the game today. Combining Rantanen with the current Hurricanes roster and their dominant five-on-five game should be a winning combination.
In order to make the deal work, the Blackhawks will retain 50% of Rantanen’s salary, and they get a 2025 third-round pick from the Canes for that and Hall.
Avalanche add forward depth with Juuso Parssinen
The Avalanche, in need of some depth up front, have added Juuso Parssinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Predators in exchange for prospect Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick. Parssinen has 44 points in 116 career NHL games.
Predators, Canadiens exchange defensemen
The Montreal Canadiens have acquired defenseman Alex Carrier, a Quebec native, from the Nashville Predators. Defenseman Justin Barron was sent to Nashville in return. Carrier, 28, will give the young Canadiens roster some stability on the back end, and the 23-year-old Barron will allow the Predators to get younger and cheaper, if not a little more volatile, on defense.
The Rangers sent forward Kaapo Kakko to the Kraken in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and third-round and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has struggled to reach that potential at the NHL level. He had 61 goals and 70 assists in 330 carer games with the Rangers.
The Blues needed some reinforcements on the blue line, which is dealing with injuries to Torey Krug and Nick Leddy, so they added Cam Fowler from the Ducks. Fowler, now in his 16th NHL season, will bring experience and offense to the St. Louis.
The Ducks also send a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Blues in exchange for defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick.
Avalanche land Blackwood from Sharks in goalie swap
The Colorado Avalanche decided that it was time to make a change at goaltender. The team acquired Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Sharks in exchange for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Georgiev had been the Avalanche’s starting netminder since the 2022 offseason when the team acquired his services from the Rangers. In 18 games this season, the veteran put together an 8-7-0 record to go along with a 3.38 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Blackwood has racked up a 6-9-3 record, a 3.00 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage in 19 games this season. However, Blackwood has been playing much better hockey as of late with a 2.66 goals-against average over his last three games.
Rangers deal Trouba to Ducks for prospect, pick
After months of trade rumors surrounding Trouba, the Rangers finally traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Trouba had been struggling this season, posting poor five-on-five numbers in the midst of an ugly losing streak.
The Ducks will get a veteran leader on their blue line, and the Rangers shed Trouba’s $8 million cap hit while getting a young prospect in Vaakanainen and some extra draft capital.
David Jiricek, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, failed to really carve out a role for himself in Columbus. When the Blue Jackets put him on the trade block, the Minnesota Wild ponied up with a big offer.
The Wild sent defenseman Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, 2026 third-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and 2027 second-round pick to the Jackets as compensation. That’s a big price to pay for an unproven defenseman, but it could be a worthwhile gamble, given Jiricek’s pedigree and AHL performance.
Tomasino was a first-round pick by Nashville in 2019, but he struggled to remain in the lineup on a nightly basis. The Penguins chose to take a shot on the young winger, hoping he could reach his potential and help the team remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Predators received a fourth-round pick in return for Tomasino, who had 23 goals and 71 points in 159 games with the franchise.
The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-2025 season has come and gone, and there were some notable moves made by teams looking to bolster their rosters for a playoff push. Two of the most significant deals involved the Colorado Avalanche acquiring center Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning bringing back forward Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken.
The Avalanche, who currently sit atop the Western Conference standings, made a splash by adding Nelson to their already potent lineup. The 32-year-old center brings a wealth of experience and scoring ability to Colorado, having tallied over 20 goals in each of the past five seasons. Nelson is known for his two-way play and strong faceoff skills, making him a valuable addition to a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
In exchange for Nelson, the Avalanche sent a package of draft picks and prospects to the Islanders, who are currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The move signals Colorado’s commitment to making a deep postseason run and solidifies their depth down the middle.
On the other hand, the Lightning opted to bring back a familiar face in Gourde, who was a key contributor to their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. The 31-year-old forward was selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft but struggled to find his scoring touch in Seattle. Tampa Bay saw an opportunity to reacquire Gourde and add another proven playoff performer to their lineup.
In return for Gourde, the Lightning sent a package of draft picks and a young prospect to the Kraken, who are in the midst of their inaugural season. Gourde’s return to Tampa Bay provides a boost to their forward group and gives them added depth for a potential playoff run.
Overall, both the Avalanche and Lightning made significant moves at the trade deadline to strengthen their rosters for the stretch run of the season. Nelson and Gourde bring valuable experience and skill to their respective teams, and could play key roles in determining their playoff success. As the regular season winds down and the postseason approaches, these trades could prove to be difference-makers for two of the top contenders in the NHL.
