Heading into the offseason, the NHL trade market was expected to be full of activity. However, as things played out, the trade market took much longer to develop than anticipated, with many of the major trades taking place within the last few weeks. With most of the notable players on the trade market now having changed hands shortly before the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, we’ll look back at some of the bigger trades since the start of free agency.
The biggest trade from the start of free agency happened in the middle of the frenzy, with the Washington Capitals acquiring defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Nick Jensen and a third-round pick in 2026. Chychrun is coming off of one of the better statistical performances throughout his career on a middling Senators’ defense, with 13 goals and 41 points in 82 games. He finished the year with a -30 rating, but that had largely to do with his deployment with Ottawa, as Hockey Reference pegged his expected rating at +0.4 over the year. He will no longer be responsible for leading a defensive core with John Carlson holding that crown, but he should still receive big minutes in Washington.
Fast forward to mid-August, when the Montreal Canadiens acquired one of the better forwards available on the trade market. The Canadiens acquired Patrik Laine and a second-round pick in 2026 from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. Laine carries a bloated salary of $8.7MM for the next two years and is coming off a disappointing due to injuries and a stint with the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, limiting him to only 18 games with Columbus. However, he is only two years removed from being a point-per-game player with the Blue Jackets, as he scored 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games. Montreal recently finished 26th in the league in goals per game, as they arguably only had one line for opposing defenses to worry about. With Laine now in the fold, if he can rebound with his new team, the Canadiens will be able to spread the wealth and give more for opponents to worry about.
The last two sizeable trades from the offseason are centered around prospects, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets getting together on a swap of prospects Rutger McGroarty and Brayden Yager, and the San Jose Sharks acquired their goalie of the future in Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators.
McGroarty gives the Penguins a young, cost-effective, and hard-nosed NHL-caliber winger to place next to Sidney Crosby for the foreseeable future while the Jets acquired a right-handed centerman further down the road that should challenge for the second-line role longer-term. Similarly, Askarov represents one of the brighter goalie prospects in recent years after dominating the American Hockey League over the last two years. The Sharks rounded out an already solid prospect pool with Askarov and did not need to part with any of their top prospects in return.
There were several smaller trades throughout the summer that could be more impactful than the above-mentioned group. Now that the offseason is only a few weeks away from officially being in the rearview mirror — which trade from the summer do you think will be the most impactful moving forward?
For mobile users, click here to vote.
Watching the habs rebuild they are deep at every position and kept their big contracts low long term,kent hughes is doing a great job adding laine is only going to help the habs and marty is the perfect coach for him. The crazy part is they still have Demidov,reinbacher and hage coming in the near future
Other. None of the above.
I think the Markstrom to the Devils trade should be an option. I know technically it happened during the finals, but the finals took so long and the draft was so close after it forever trades.
I forgot that even happened.
*forced
I am thinking Chicago has amassed a treasure trove of future assets and could be a very scary team to compete against in about 3 seasons (2026-27). Not only prospects with high ceilings, but very good picks in the next 2 drafts. And I really never root for this team!
Goalie is the most important position and Russia is developing some of the best. So I’ll say Askarov.
McGroarty for Yager could benefit both teams, so I’ll go with that trade.
Long term= Askarov
Right now= Laine
This. I picked the askarov trade but only over a 15 year window. Laine wins the 3 year window
My exact thought as well
Next year, McGroarty.
Long term, Askarov.
Reilly Smith to NYR
These are all good but i also really like the theft of Matthew Savoie from Buffalo for Ryan McLeod and Ty Tullio
It’s cute to imagine that a player who’s yet to play professional hockey is thought to be a more impactful trade than that of a goalie who’s a season removed from the Vezina Trophy.
Why wasn’t the Ullmark trade even listed? Bad form.
Ullmark was traded before free agency opened.
It’s cute that, that’s not what I said at all. Valiant attempt at putting words in someone’s mouth. You may want to read my original comment again. But this time try doing so slowly
Just because his comment is right below yours doesn’t necessarily mean he was replying to you. It just might have been there in the thread. I think it was meant for the author of the piece.
Lol my bad if so. Just seemed like it was a response to savoie comment. They need to tweak comments section I suppose so we know who’s directly responding to whom more clearly
No big deal. I’ve done it. Why when I’m not sure where it’s going to end up I make sure to put the poster I’m replying to in the comment. But that’s the reason I’m assuming Nha Wasn’t replying to you because he was talking about Goalies. But In was wrong because the poll said AFTER the FA start and I was talking about Ullmark which was the most impactful trade IMO. So my bad too.
@unclemike: Which it was. Just like the nine main thread respondents before me. One would’ve thought that Joe Carter would have figured that out, given that he was #9 in that cue. Eeesh.
My apologies Nha. In my defense I was tired and had a couple Gin n Tonics. It’d also be nice to be able to go back to any article and delete comments at anytime also
Just waiting for Mitch to be traded
I’m gonna say Askarov. He potentially takes the Sharks from a team that risks being another Edmonton (stacked up front, lacking in net and on D) amd makes them scary.
If San Jose’s top-end prospects pan out, this team is gonna look similarly successful to the Thornton/Marleau days. Nabokov was very good, perhaps not great, and the team had basically 3 scoring lines and a solid D during their best years.
Hopefully Celebrini shoots the damn puck unlike Jumbo!
This season Potentially Laine. Future Askarov.
Pierre Luc Dubois to Washington Capitals.