The NHL trade deadline is days away and the action is picking up.
So, the Dallas Stars’ acquisition of defenseman Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames on Feb. 28 was a sign that things would begin picking up again. Since then Noah Hanifin, Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Walker, Adam Henrique, Vladimir Tarasenko and Anthony Mantha have been moved.
Follow this tracker for news and analysis on deals and other transactions that have happened this season in the months leading up to the NHL trade deadline. A separate live blog will be posted on the March 8 trade deadline day.
TRADE DEADLINE: What do playoff contenders need? | Which players could move? | Primer
DEVILS: Lindy Ruff fired; Travis Green named interim coach
March 6: Vegas Golden Knights acquire Noah Hanifin from Calgary Flames in three-team trade
Once again, the defending champion Golden Knights are aggressive at the deadline. Noah Hanifin was the top defenseman available and Vegas traded for him, even though defense wasn’t its biggest need. But the team now boasts Hanifin, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Alec Martinez, who’s currently on IR. Hanifin, 27, plays nearly 24 minutes a game and has a career-best 11 goals. It was Vegas’ second trade in two days after it acquired Anthony Mantha to improve its depth on wing with captain Mark Stone going on long-term injured reserve.
The Calgary Flames retain half of Hanifin’s salary and acquire a conditional 2025 first-round pick and third-round picks, plus Daniil Miromanov, a 6-4 American Hockey League All-Star defenseman. Miromanov has signed a two-year extension with the Flames that carries an average annual value of $1.25 million. The first-round pick is top 10 protected and the deal assumes the Golden Knights don’t trade it between now and the deadline. Otherwise, the Flames get the Golden Knights’ 2026 first-round pick. The third-round pick becomes a second-rounder if Vegas reaches the second round this season.
The Philadelphia Flyers got involved in the three-team trade to make the money work and get the Golden Knights’ 2024 fifth-round pick.
March 6: New York Rangers acquire Alex Wennberg from the Seattle Kraken
The Rangers give up a 2024 second-round selection and a conditional 2025 fourth-rounder. Alex Wennberg provides center depth to a team that has lost Filip Chytil to an injury.
March 6: Edmonton Oilers acquire Adam Henrique, Sam Carrick in a three-team trade
Adam Henrique can fit anywhere in the Edmonton Oilers forward group. With the Anaheim Ducks, he played center and wing, on the power play and on the penalty kill. He had 23 points in his last 25 games. Carrick has 90 penalty minutes and led Ducks forwards in hits and short-handed time on ice. The Ducks and the Tampa Bay Lightning retained part of Henrique’s salary.
Here are the details of the deal, per the Oilers.
Trade 1: The Anaheim Ducks have traded Adam Henrique to the Tampa Bay Lightning and will retain 50% of Henrique’s salary in exchange for goaltender Ty Taylor.
Trade 2: Tampa has traded Henrique to the Oilers and will retain 50% of Henrique’s salary in exchange for a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2026 Draft, which will become a fourth-round selection in the 2025 Draft if Edmonton fails to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Trade 3: Edmonton obtains forward Sam Carrick and Ty Taylor from Anaheim along with a seventh-round selection in the 2024 Draft in exchange for Edmonton’s first-round selection in 2024 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025. If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, the Ducks will instead receive Edmonton’s fourth-round pick in 2025. The Ducks will also retain 50% of Carrick’s salary.
March 6: Philadelphia Flyers give extension to Nick Seeler
After trading Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they signed defenseman Nick Seeler to a four-year, $10.8 million extension. Walker’s former defense partner leads the NHL in blocked shots.
March 6: Colorado Avalanche acquire Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Walker
The Colorado Avalanche sent defenseman Bowen Byram to Buffalo for Sabres leading scorer Casey Mittelstadt. They sent a 2025 first-round pick (top 10 protected) and center Ryan Johansen to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
The Avalanche were looking for an upgrade at center and Mittelstadt, 25, provides that now and in the future. He has 47 points to Johansen’s 23. He’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights and the Sabres have plenty of other younger players locked in to long-term deals. Byram, who has a year left on his deal, joins a defense corps that includes Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.
Walker, a pending unrestricted free agent, is having a resurgent year and will take the roster place of Byram. The first-round pick was a good haul for Walker, but the Flyers placed Johansen on waivers.
March 6: Florida Panthers acquire Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa Senators
The NHL-leading Florida Panthers send a conditional 2024 fourth-round draft pick and a 2025 third-round pick to Ottawa. The Senators retain 50% of the pending unrestricted free agent’s contract. Vladimir Tarasenko, who was dealt near the deadline for the second year in a row, had a no-movement clause and could dictate where he went.
Tarasenko has 17 goals and 41 points, which would place him in the top five on the surging Panthers, who are on a 9-1 run and have won six in a row. He’s a six-time 30-goal scorer who had 11 goals during the St. Louis Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup run. If the Panthers win the Stanley Cup this year, the conditional 2024 fourth-round pick becomes a 2026 third-rounder.
March 6: Washington Capitals re-sign defenseman Rasmus Sandin
Rasmus Sandin will average $4.6 million in the five-year extension. Acquired at last year’s trade deadline, he is second among Capitals defensemen in points and average ice time.
March 5: Washington Capitals trade Anthony Mantha to Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights acquired forward Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night for a 2024 second-round pick and 2026 fourth-round pick, the teams announced. Mantha’s cap hit with Vegas will be $2.85 million with Washington retaining 50% of the pending unrestricted free agent’s contract.
Mantha, who has 20 goals and 14 assists this season in 56 games, should help Vegas recover some of the offense lost with captain Mark Stone expected to be out of the lineup for the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury, reportedly a lacerated spleen. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the defending champs make another move or two as they look to load up for their title defense.
For the Capitals, this is an early indication they will be among the major sellers for the second consecutive year. Washington is seven points back of a playoff spot — likely too big a gap to overcome — so it won’t be a surprise if the Capitals move several more players before Friday’s deadline.
March 4: Nashville Predators’ Tommy Novak gets three-year extension
He’ll average $3.5 million in the extension. This is a sign that the Predators aren’t likely to be sellers this week after an eight-game winning streak got them into a wild-card spot. Novak has seven points during the streak and 34 points in 51 games this season. A late bloomer, he had a career-best 43 points last season.
March 3: New York Rangers’ Jonathan Quick signs extension
The New York Rangers’ goalie tandem is set for next season after the team signed backup Jonathan Quick to a one-year extension for a reported $825,000. Quick, 38, a Connecticut native, signed with the Rangers this season and has had a bounce-back season, going 13-5-1 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. The season before, he was up and down, as the Los Angeles Kings traded the two-time Stanley Cup winner to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who moved him soon after to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he picked up another championship ring.
March 2: Washington Capitals waive longtime center Evgeny Kuznetsov
The Washington Capitals and longtime center Evgeny Kuznetsov appear to be heading for a divorce.
Washington waived Kuznetsov Saturday, just hours after the 2010 first-round pick was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program to resume practicing.
Kuznetsov passed through waivers, not surprising given his cap hit ($7.8 million) and the real money he’s owed next season ($8 million) compared to his production (just 17 points in 43 games this season). The Capitals loaned the 31-year-old to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
General manager Brian MacLellan seemed to indicate that Kuznetsov’s time in Washington is likely over.
“It’s about a fresh start for Kuzy,” MacLellan said. “He’s been looking for a change in an environment, and I think this might set the wheels in motion for that to be accomplished.”
March 2: Vancouver Canucks, star Elias Pettersson reach 8-year extension
Elias Pettersson and the Canucks put all the speculation about the star forward’s future to bed Saturday, announcing he had signed an eight-year contract extension. The deal, which runs through the end of the 2031-32 season, carries an $11.6 million cap hit. That cap number will rank fifth in the league starting next season — behind only Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin.
But Pettersson is a player more than worthy of being included in that group. The 25-year-old entered Saturday with 398 points in 387 career games. He rang up 102 points last season and already has 75 points this year in 62 games.
March 1: New Jersey Devils acquire Kurtis MacDermid from Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche get back a 2024 seventh-round pick and the rights to Kontinental Hockey League forward Zakhar Bardakov. MacDermid, 29, who can play defense or forward, plays a physical game, though in limited ice time. The move also clears a little cap space to allow the Avalanche to make another move. MacDermid is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Feb. 29: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in three-team trade
The Maple Leafs are bringing back a familiar face by acquiring Lyubushkin. They also traded for Lyubushkin midseason in 2022. The 29-year-old is not known for his offense — he has just five goals and 38 assists in 334 career games. He has no goals and just four assists this season while skating to a -13.
Lyubushkin kills penalties and is a decent depth option for a team looking to go on a deep postseason run. (Before the trade, the Leafs saw veteran defenseman Mark Giordano exit Thursday’s game early with an injury.) Plus, Lyubushkin is coming pretty cheap in both picks and actual cost.
The Ducks are retaining 50% of Lyubushkin’s salary and the Carolina Hurricanes have been brought into the deal to retain an additional 25%. His cap hit for the Leafs will be just $687,500. The Ducks will be getting a third-round pick (2025) and the Hurricanes will get a sixth-round pick (2024). The Leafs are also getting the rights to unsigned prospect Kirill Slepets in the deal. — Jace Evans
Feb. 28: Dallas Stars acquire Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev in three-team trade
The Stars give up 20-year-old defense prospect Artem Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick and a conditional 2026 third-rounder for Chris Tanev and the rights to UMass goalie Cole Brady. Tanev, 34, a pending unrestricted free agent, is valued for his defensive play and ranks second in the league in blocked shots. He’ll help steady a Stars team that has given 23 goals during a 1-4-2 slide. He’s also a right-hand shot, important to the Stars, whose defense is filled with left-hand shots. Brady was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2019. The Stars sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Devils to retain half of Tanev’s $4.5 million salary. The Flames trade was the second in a month after they earlier sent Elias Lindholm to the Canucks.
Feb. 22: Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins make trade
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Emil Bemstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Alex Nylander and a conditional sixth-round pick. Both players are pending restricted free agents and likely could benefit from a new opportunity. Nylander, 25, whose brother William stars for the Toronto Maple Leafs, has spent most of the season in the American Hockey League. Bemstrom, 24, has played 32 games this season, recording 11 points. His career best was 22 points last season. Nylander’s career best was 26 points in 2019-20 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Feb. 2: Winnipeg Jets acquire Sean Monahan from Montreal Canadiens
The Winnipeg Jets gave up a 2024 first-round draft pick and a 2027 conditional third-round pick for pending unrestricted free agent center Sean Monahan. The move came two days after the Vancouver Canucks acquired center Elias Lindholm.
Monahan, 29, healthy this season after recent injury-filled campaigns, had 35 points in 49 games – his best scoring pace since 2018-19. Those numbers included 16 power-play points and two short-handed goals. He had 11 points in his last seven games before the trade and had won 55% of his faceoffs.
Jan. 31: Vancouver Canucks acquire Elias Lindholm from Calgary Flames
The Vancouver Canucks showed they are going for it and the Calgary Flames showed they’ll be sellers. All-Star forward Elias Lindholm, a pending unrestricted free agent, is a strong, two-way center who will boost the No. 1 overall Canucks’ top six forward group and help their middle-ranked penalty kill.
The Flames get forward Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick. Kuzmenko, who has been a healthy scratch at times this season and had only eight goals, will benefit the Flames if he rediscovers his 39-goal form from last season.
The Flames still have to make decisions on pending unrestricted free agents Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev before the deadline.
Jan. 25: Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins make minor trade
The Minnesota Wild acquired minor league defenseman Will Butcher from the Pittsburgh Penguins for minor league forward Maxim Cajkovic. Though Butcher has 275 games of NHL experience and Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon is out for the season, Butcher will stay in the American Hockey League.
Jan. 8: Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers make trade
The rights to Cutter Gauthier, 19, voted the top forward at the world junior championships for gold-medal-winning USA, are heading to Anaheim for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick. Both players were top-six draft picks. Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said the Boston College forward wasn’t interested in signing with Philadelphia, and he called Drysdale, 21, a ‘pretty special’ and ‘exciting’ player. Drysdale is in the first year of a three-year contract but missed all but eight games last season and had played only 10 games this season because of injuries. He had 32 points in his lone full season.
Dec. 15: Seattle Kraken acquire forward Tomas Tatar from Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche receive a fifth-round pick in the trade. The Kraken rank near the bottom of the league in scoring, and they’re hoping for the Tomas Tatar of previous seasons, not this season. He’s a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has just one goal this season after not getting a free agent contract until September. But he’s a veteran of 810 games with 212 career goals, including 50 on the power play. He’ll help Seattle deal with injuries among its forwards. The team placed Jaden Schwartz on long-term injured reserve.
In a depth trade, the San Jose Sharks acquired center Jack Studnicka from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek and a sixth-round pick.
Dec. 8: New York Islanders acquire St. Louis Blues’ Robert Bortuzzo
The New York Islanders acquired defenseman Robert Bortuzzo from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a seventh-round pick. The trade was announced after the team said Ryan Pulock (lower body) was going on the injured list, joining fellow defensemen Adam Pelech and Sebastian Aho. Bortuzzo, 34, won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 but had been limited to four games this season and often was a healthy scratch. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Dec. 6: Buffalo Sabres acquire Columbus Blue Jackets’ Eric Robinson
The Buffalo Sabres acquired winger Eric Robinson from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2025. The fourth-liner had 82 points in 266 career games, including one goal in seven games this season at the time of the trade.
Nov. 30: Vancouver Canucks acquire defenseman Nikita Zadorov
The Vancouver Canucks got stronger on defense by adding rugged 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames. The Canucks gave up the fifth-round pick they acquired a day earlier in the Anthony Beauvillier trade, plus a 2026 third-round pick. Calgary’s return doesn’t seem high for a player who led the Flames in hits and is going to a division rival, but Zadorov had requested a trade and is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Flames, who have pushed closer to a playoff position after a tough start, also have forward Elias Lindholm and defensemen Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev in the final years of their contracts.
Nov. 28: Chicago Blackhawks trade for Anthony Beauvillier after waiving Corey Perry
The Chicago Blackhawks placed Corey Perry on unconditional waivers in order to terminate his contract. The team said it determined that Perry ‘engaged in conduct that is unacceptable, and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.’ The Beauvillier trade happened later. The Vancouver Canucks, who acquired Beauvillier last season in the Bo Horvat trade, will receive a fifth-round draft pick. More important for Vancouver, the Blackhawks take on his entire $4.15 million cap hit, giving them flexibility before the trade deadline. Beauvillier, a winger like Perry, had two goals and six assists in 22 games this season.
Perry later issued an apology for his ‘inappropriate and wrong’ behavior.
Nov. 8: Minnesota Wild trade Calen Addison to San Jose Sharks, acquire Zach Bogosian from Tampa Bay Lightning
Addison was sent to the San Jose Sharks for forward Adam Raska and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. The defenseman is a power play specialist, but he is unreliable in his own zone. That led to him being a healthy scratch often down the stretch last season. With the Wild getting Jared Spurgeon back soon from injury (he was activated from long-term injured reserve), the power play opportunities will dwindle. Addison will be more valuable to the Sharks, who dealt Erik Karlsson last summer. He will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.
Bogosian lacks Addison’s offense, but the veteran takes care of his end of the ice. He’s a right-handed shot, like Addison.
“He’s a big guy,’ Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin told reporters. ‘He still skates well. He brings heaviness. He brings some grit and we need that.”
The trade buys the Lightning a little bit of salary cap breathing room. Bogosian, in the final season of a three-year contract, has a $850,000 cap hit.
Oct. 10: Carolina Hurricanes acquire forward Callahan Burke from Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Caleb Jones
The Hurricanes loaded up on defense this offseason and Jones was the odd man out. Both players will play for the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles.