When people think of the trade deadline in the NHL, it often conjures the impression of the last chance to improve your team before the end of the season. If you don’t make a deal on February 26th (or whenever the deadline falls in a given year) you’ll have to wait until the draft to make a big splash.
The thing is, that’s not true.
The NHL trade deadline is poorly named, as it is actually not a deadline to make trades at all. Instead, that is the last day in which a traded player is eligible to suit up for his new team in the playoffs. It is not a beginning of a transaction freeze at all. Any team can make any trade today, though those players won’t be eligible for any postseason games.
Since 2005-06, the first year of the modern cap era of the NHL, there have been nine trades after the playoff eligibility deadline. They are as follows:
2007 – Trade Deadline February 27:
March 1:
Minnesota Wild receive Aaron Voros
New Jersey Devils receive 2008 seventh-round pick
2008 – Trade Deadline February 26:
February 28:
Columbus Blue Jackets receive Nate DiCasmirro
Arizona Coyotes receive Steven Goertzen
April 7:
Arizona Coyotes receive Cory Urquhart
Montreal Canadiens receive Olivier Latendresse
2009 – Trade Deadline March 4:
March 6:
San Jose Sharks receive Kyle McLaren
Philadelphia Flyers receive 2009 sixth-round pick
March 10:
Toronto Maple Leafs receive Jay Rosehill
Tampa Bay Lightning receive future considerations
2011 – Trade Deadline February 28:
March 1:
Columbus Blue Jackets receive Petr Kalus
Minnesota Wild receive future considerations
2012 – Trade Deadline February 27:
March 20:
New York Islanders receive Yuri Alexandrov
Boston Bruins receive future considerations
2016 – Trade Deadline February 29:
March 7:
Carolina Hurricanes receive Dane Fox
Vancouver Canucks receive future considerations
2017 – Trade Deadline March 1:
March 6:
Ottawa Senators receive Brandon Gormley
New Jersey Devils receive future considerations
Definitely not the most impactful moves of the last decade. That makes sense, because teams looking to buy are all trying to get to the playoffs and want their full team available to them if they do make it. Sellers aren’t looking to swap around contracts until they have a clearer picture of what their team looks like next season.
Interestingly though, there may be some incentive for post-deadline trades this year.
Take Edmonton for instance, who have been looking for a running mate for Connor McDavid and need to inject some speed into the lineup. If Ottawa takes your call, why not continue discussions over Mike Hoffman down the stretch to see if something can be worked out? Though the Senators know that they’d have several teams interested if the put Hoffman on the market at the draft, if the Oilers meet the asking price right now why not pull the trigger?
There is also an argument for some teams that are still in a playoff race to make a move. The Pittsburgh Penguins just lost their starting goaltender to a concussion, an injury that rarely comes with a definitive recovery timetable. Though Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith have been impressive in their rookie campaigns, perhaps Pittsburgh would be interested in adding a veteran goaltender just to help them over the next 20 games. After all, the Penguins aren’t even guaranteed a playoff spot at this point, and could drastically change their seeding with a poor stretch.
Even Boston, who are battling with Toronto and Tampa Bay for seeding in the Atlantic Division just lost arguably their best player for a few weeks. If the Bruins are set on a run at the Presidents’ Trophy and a top seed in the East, some more center depth could help even if it is only for 22 games.
All of these moves are long-shots, but there is an argument to be made for each of them. Post-deadline trades are rare, but they could have a huge impact if teams would be more open to them. Sure, they can’t suit up for the playoffs. But if you don’t make it without them, neither can the rest of your squad.