What a change a year can make. The 2025 NHL trade deadline was among the most exciting in recent memory, with several big names being moved. Last season, arguably the day’s biggest trade was the Vegas Golden Knights’ surprising acquisition of Tomáš Hertl from the San Jose Sharks for a high-end prospect and a first-round pick.
Yesterday put last year’s deadline day to shame. There were 23 total trades made on deadline day, with four first-round picks, eight top-six forwards, and one top-four defenseman changing hands. The excitement extended beyond March 7th, but we’ll isolate this list to yesterday’s events.
Earlier in the day, the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators engaged in a rare intra-divisional trade of magnitude. The Senators dealt Joshua Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Sabres for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and Buffalo’s 2026 second-round pick. Norris and Cozens are quality top-six scorers when they’re playing to their fullest potential, but both represented change-of-scenery candidates. Norris is signed through the next five years with a $7.95MM cap hit, while Cozens is making $850K less with one fewer year remaining. They both play a similar style, with Norris having the edge defensively, but Cozens has been far more available than Norris over the last several years.
Then came the big one. Mikko Rantanen quickly became one of the day’s highest-valued trade candidates after failing to reach an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes. It had been less than two months since Carolina traded for Rantanen themselves, sending a package of Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche. The Hurricanes were reportedly willing to sign Rantanen to a rich extension, but nothing materialized in the following weeks.
Rather than lose him for nothing like they did with Jake Guentzel last season, Carolina began scouting the market for potential trades. The Dallas Stars eventually won the bidding war, trading top prospect Logan Stankoven, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick to Carolina. Dallas wasn’t done capturing headlines yet, as they quickly signed Rantanen to an eight-year, $96MM extension.
Much like they attempt to nearly every year, the Toronto Maple Leafs made some notable additions. The first one of the day was a long time coming. Toronto sent prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a 2027 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Scott Laughton and a pair of late-round draft picks. Making the deal even better for the Maple Leafs, the Flyers are retaining 50% of Laughton’s salary this season and next, bringing his cap hit down to $1.5MM. Laughton immediately gives Toronto an effective third-line center while having the flexibility to play anywhere in the team’s lineup.
Shifting over to Toronto’s most fearsome playoff rival over the last several years, the Boston Bruins became an entirely different group. In three separate trades, the Bruins shipped Charlie Coyle to Colorado, Brandon Carlo to Toronto, and captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. In total, Boston acquired Casey Mittelstadt, Fraser Minten, Will Zellers, Toronto’s 2026 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick from Florida, and Carolina’s 2025 second-round pick.
It’s not an exhaustive list by any means, but it puts the magnitude of yesterday’s events into perspective. However, only one team can win the Stanley Cup every year, and it may not even be a team mentioned.
Now it’s time for you to choose — which trade from deadline day helps their new teams the most with that goal?
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The Rantanen deal was a good one for him and the Canes. He knew he didn’t want to be here as he was the square peg in the round hole in Brindy’s system. The Canes got a good young player and picks. Take that money you saved and go all in on Mitch Marner this offseason!
They gave up Drury, Necas, And Rantanen for Logan Stankoven, Tulsky really set the team back, A really reckless move.
And it also tanked their Stanley Cup aspirations for this season.
They gave up either Necas/Drury or Rantanen. You cant lump them all together since they were traded for each other.
Tulsky screwed up big time! No way around it.
Yea it’s more like Drury, Necas and those picks into Stankoven and 2x1sts and 3rds. Not a horrible pivot by any means.
Pat Falloon to the Whalers really surprised me.
Especially seeing as he never played in the Insurance Capital of the World.
Jeannot to TB for 7 draft picks was a great example of all the stupidity that goes on at the deadline, And then again in July during free agency, Some of these GMs should follow the Bill Armstrong blueprint, Teams are built in the summer time, Cheveldayoff has good team building vision as well.
None of these moves are as significant as a move that was not made: Canes not backfilling for Necas/Rantanen. Draft picks are great but the Caps should be feeling much more comfortable now.
I’ve never seen a team ACCIDENTALLY start a rebuild before.
I agree, In a salary cap league, The window is only open for a short time.
The Rantanen trade is most impactful in a positive way for Dallas and most disasterous for Carolina. The difference between an experienced GM like Nill and newbie like Tulsky.
To me, it was Seattle getting two lsts and a 2nd, plus Ellissemont and freeing up over 10 mil in cap space for Gourde and Bjorkstrand
I think that Staios got a super forward when Ottawa picked up Fabian Zetterlund, He’s very underrated.
North Carolina governor Roy Cooper even ripped Rantanen after the trade yesterday, The biggest winner in the trade sounds like Jack Roslovic, He got a nice, Expensive chain, And a Rolex for giving Rantanen his number, And then he got 96 back, Sportsnet is reporting today as breaking news, LOL, That Carolina wanted Marner in exchange for Rantanen, What passes for breaking news these days is embarrassing.