Bruins Acquire Pat Maroon, Reassign Marc McLaughlin
12:31 p.m.: The deal is now official, per the Wild. They’re also receiving minor-league forward Luke Toporowski from the Bruins in the swap. The 2026 sixth-rounder will transfer to Minnesota if Maroon plays in at least one playoff game for the Bruins in 2024, per CapFriendly.
11:32 a.m.: McLaughlin has been assigned to Providence, per PuckPedia. The move clears his $775K cap hit and makes the Bruins cap-compliant ahead of the Maroon trade call.
10:40 a.m.: The Bruins are acquiring veteran winger Pat Maroon from the Wild for a conditional late-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The conditional pick is a sixth-rounder in 2026, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
Maroon was on injured reserve after undergoing back surgery early last month. He’s just entered his four-to-six-week return timeframe, so while he won’t debut for Boston immediately, he won’t be out of the lineup for too much longer. Russo reported this morning that Maroon and Connor Dewar were both drawing trade interest.
The 35-year-old has settled into a comfortable fourth-line role in the later stages of his career, recording four goals and 16 points in 48 games with the Wild before landing on IR. The bruising power winger led all NHLers in PIMs last season with 150 and made four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals over a four-year run from 2019 to 2022 with the Blues and Lightning. He wrapped up his four-year stint in Tampa last summer as the second year of his $1MM cap-hit deal was traded to Minnesota for a seventh-round pick with 20% retention.
As such, Maroon will carry a slightly reduced cap hit of $800K for the Bruins. Minnesota is not expected to retain salary in this transaction.
With three Stanley Cup rings and nearly 800 games of NHL experience, Maroon provides Boston with a veteran fourth-line presence that they were sorely lacking. Jesper Boqvist, Justin Brazeau, and Jakub Lauko were staffing the Bruins’ bottom forward unit, all averaging less than 11 minutes per game. Maroon can shoulder a bit more ice time – he averaged nearly 13 per game with the Wild – and carries any intangible that a playoff contender could want.
The Bruins must assign one player to the minors to remain cap-compliant after this trade. They had only $57.5K in cap space, so one of Brazeau or Marc McLaughlin, neither of whom requires waivers, will likely be assigned to AHL Providence.
Rangers, Wild Swap Turner Elson For Nic Petan
The Rangers and Wild have exchanged minor-league depth forwards, sending Nic Petan to New York in exchange for Turner Elson. Both players remain on assignment to their new teams’ respective AHL affiliates.
Both Elson and Petan are pending UFAs in the back half of two-year, two-way deals with $762.5K cap hits. Petan makes slightly more in the minors, earning $550K compared to Elson’s $225K, although the latter carries a $250K guarantee.
Petan, 28, has far more NHL experience than his counterpart in the deal. Once a high-flying scoring center in major junior play with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, Petan has bounced around teams and leagues since being a second-round pick of the Jets in 2013. He’s played in parts of nine consecutive seasons with the Jets, Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Wild, although he’s eclipsed the 30-game mark just once. He had two assists and a -2 rating in six NHL games this year. He’d been a point-per-game player in five straight AHL campaigns but has regressed slightly with the Iowa Wild, posting 12 goals and 40 points in 44 games.
Elson is the more veteran pro at 31 years old, but he’s played in only three NHL games – one with the Flames back in 2015-16, and two with the Red Wings in 2021-22. He carries much lower potential to factor into an NHL lineup down the stretch than Petan, posting only 12 points in 38 games with AHL Hartford. Unfortunately for him, he’s heading from a Hartford team destined for postseason play to an Iowa squad that sits last in their division.
Rangers Acquire Chad Ruhwedel
The Rangers acquired right-shot defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the Penguins for a 2027 fourth-round pick, per a team announcement.
Ruhwedel, 33, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Sabres in 2012 and remained in the organization as a depth option for four years until landing with Pittsburgh in free agency in 2016, where he’s remained as a bottom-pairing/press box fixture since. He logged 28 AHL games in his first campaign with the Penguins but has not been assigned to the minors on a full-time basis since, save for a five-game stint in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2018-19.
The San Diego native has played more than 50 games in a season just once but may do so this year with 47 already under his belt. A pending UFA with an $800K cap hit, Ruhwedel had one goal, three assists, four points and a -4 rating while logging 12:33 per game, competing for limited minutes among a crowded group of depth defenders in Pittsburgh.
Ruhwedel has had middling possession numbers with a 48.0 CF% at even strength and a 46.5 xGF%, but he’s also received some of the most taxing defensive-zone usage in the league with a 74.5 defensive zone start rate at even strength. He’s able to slot in on the penalty kill, too, where he’s averaged around two minutes per game.
It’s a solid piece of work for Rangers GM Chris Drury to add a capable penalty killer to serve as injury insurance down the stretch and in the postseason. Ruhwedel was scoreless with a -3 rating in 25 postseason games with Pittsburgh, including six games in 2017 that got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. The Rangers still have $2.1MM in cap space ahead of the 2 p.m. CT deadline.
Ducks Acquire Ben Meyers
The Ducks have acquired forward Ben Meyers from the Avalanche in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick, per a team announcement. Meyers, who was on assignment to AHL Colorado, will report to the Ducks’ NHL roster.
Meyers has seen limited NHL action over the past three years, logging five games in 2021-22 after signing as an undrafted free agent, 39 games in 2022-23, and just nine games this season. The former University of Minnesota star center has spent most of this year with the Avs’ AHL squad, last suiting up for an NHL game in early January. He’s signed to a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K and had six goals and a -10 rating across 53 career games in Colorado.
The trade has no salary cap ramifications for the Avs since he was not on the active roster. This is purely a pickup of a potential mid-ceiling player who’s failed to adjust to the NHL by Anaheim, who will give Meyers some runway in their bottom six as they close out another rebuilding season. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
Blue Jackets Acquire Malcolm Subban
The Blue Jackets acquired minor-league goaltender Malcolm Subban from the Blues in exchange for future consideration, the team announced. Subban, who was playing for the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, will now report directly to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Subban, 30, was a first-round pick of the Bruins back in 2012 but has now settled in as a minor-league starter. After spending the last two seasons in the Sabres organization, Subban inked a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) with the Blues in free agency last summer to provide short-lived competition to youngster Joel Hofer in the backup role to Jordan Binnington. He hasn’t made an NHL appearance since January 2022.
He’s been half-decent with Springfield this year, recording a .907 SV% and an 11-14-4 record in 31 games. However, he’s been outplayed by the younger Vadim Zherenko, who has an 11-7-2 record and .913 SV% in 21 games. As such, the Thunderbirds are no longer relying on him to be a bona fide AHL starter, and he’ll finish out the season as a veteran presence in Cleveland to aid in their stretch run while providing a veteran call-up option for Columbus if injuries strike Elvis Merzļikins or Daniil Tarasov in the last few weeks of the season.
Subban will be a UFA this summer. This trade will likely be completed in a separate minor-league trade, with Cleveland sending an AHL-contracted player to Springfield as compensation.
Hurricanes Acquire Evgeny Kuznetsov
The Hurricanes have acquired center Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Capitals, per a team announcement. A 2025 third-round pick is heading back to Washington, which is retaining 50% of Kuznetsov’s $7.8MM cap hit.
Kuznetsov and the Capitals clearly wanted a fresh start after the player exited the first stage of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and was subsequently placed on waivers last weekend. The 31-year-old has one season remaining on the eight-year, $62.4MM deal he signed with the Caps in the summer of 2017 and has a 10-team no-trade list. The Hurricanes will owe him half of his pro-rated $6MM salary this season, a $3MM salary next year, and a $1MM signing bonus this summer thanks to Washington’s retention, and he’ll cost $3.9MM against their salary cap this year and next.
A point-per-game threat at his peak during the Capitals’ run to the championship in 2018, it’s been a rather sharp decline in production this season. He’s tallied only six goals and 17 points in 43 games this season, tallying the worst points-per-game rate of his 11-year career. He’s never been a strong defensive player, either, and that hasn’t changed with a 43.6 CF% at even strength and a 39.3 xGF%.
Nonetheless, the Hurricanes could bank on surrounding him with much better wing talent and look to utilize him in a top-six role. The team has a gaping vacancy at center on their second line behind Sebastian Aho. Both Jack Drury and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have tried and failed to hold down the spot with acceptable production from a second-line pivot on a contending team, and while Kuznetsov’s numbers haven’t been any better, he at least has the history of holding down top-six minutes on a contending team. A hypothetical trio with Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov (or their other big deadline splash, Jake Guentzel) is far from a shutdown line, but playing with two highly skilled wingers should help restore Kuznetsov’s production closer to his former levels.
Carolina indeed views Kuznetsov as a potential top-six piece and is expected to recall him from the minors after the trade call is completed, per Emily Kaplan of ESPN.
The Capitals, meanwhile, free up half of Kuznetsov’s remaining money to spend elsewhere over the next 15 months. His departure opens up more guaranteed ice time for youngsters Hendrix Lapierre and Connor McMichael down the middle down the stretch and into next season, too. Notably, the Capitals are now utilizing all three of their salary retention slots this season and won’t be able to execute another retained salary transaction before today’s deadline.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the Hurricanes were trading for Kuznetsov.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic first reported the return and salary retention details.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Devils Listening To Offers For Depth Defensemen
The Devils are fielding offers for depth defenders Colin Miller and Brendan Smith, reports Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. While secondary targets for teams compared to top-six winger Tyler Toffoli, Miller and Smith have a fair amount of playoff experience and are pending UFAs.
Miller, 31, could be flipped for more than the Devils paid for him last summer. The Stars signed him to a two-year, $3.7MM contract in free agency in 2022, but a cap crunch in Dallas forced him out after one season. He headed to New Jersey in exchange for their 2025 fifth-round pick.
The veteran right-shot defenseman has posted four goals, four assists, and eight points in 41 games in 2023-24, adding a +10 rating and 55.3 CF% at even strength while averaging 15:55 per game. He’s been a positive possession player for every team he’s played for except for his three-year run with the Sabres, and he’s logged a 52 xGF% in New Jersey while spending most of his time as a more steady partner for rookie Luke Hughes.
A few contending teams are still looking for a depth defender. Miller could be a cheap solution for the Lightning, as Nicklaus Perbix and Darren Raddysh have struggled significantly to maintain possession when paired alongside Victor Hedman. After losing out to the Golden Knights for Noah Hanifin‘s services, Miller could be a much more cost-effective solution for the Lightning’s most significant deficiency on paper. He carries a $1.85MM cap hit, which the Lightning could absorb without retention.
Smith’s value to playoff teams comes more from his willingness to hit and drop the gloves than his possession-control ability. The 35-year-old can play defense and wing and has had minimal offensive contributions this season, recording three goals and six assists for nine points in 44 games with a 14:34 ATOI. He was once a reasonably successful possession player during his prime on the Red Wings blue line in the early 2010s, but those days are behind him – he has just a 49.5 CF% at even strength this year, -5.5% worse than the Devils’ overall CF% without Smith on the ice.
Enforcers remain desirable assets for contenders at the deadline regardless of their possession impacts, though, as evidenced by the Avalanche picking up fourth-line grinder Brandon Duhaime for a 2026 third-round pick from the Wild yesterday. Smith could realistically fetch a fourth or fifth-round pick, as his age makes him a less desirable asset. He and Duhaime have identical $1.1MM cap hits and are pending UFAs.
It will be an active day for the Devils on all fronts, as they remain in pursuit of long-term goaltending help and have reportedly inquired about multiple high-profile targets, including the Flames’ Jacob Markström, the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark, and the Predators’ Juuse Saros. Toffoli could also very well be on the move with extension talks stalled.
Bruins Extend Parker Wotherspoon
The Bruins have signed defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to a one-year, $800K extension, per Darren Dreger of TSN.
Wotherspoon, 26, has played in a career-high 32 games this season, recording six assists and a +5 rating while averaging 17:58 per outing. He’s been a frugal free-agent pickup for GM Don Sweeney, who signed Wotherspoon to a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) when he reached Group VI status last summer.
His ice time has steadily increased as the season progresses, logging some significant penalty-kill time with veteran Derek Forbort battling injuries and inconsistent play. He’s been passable on special teams and at even strength, where he’s recorded a solid 46.7 CF% and 51.3 xGF% in extreme defensive-zone usage.
A fourth-round pick of the Islanders in 2015, Wotherspoon spent parts of eight seasons with their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport before making his NHL debut last season. He was solid in a 12-game stint, recording an assist and a +5 rating, but the Islanders opted not to re-sign him and let him reach free agency.
Wotherspoon was set to be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. This will be the first one-way contract of his career.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 2024 Trade Deadline Edition
Click here to read the transcript of a special deadline morning live chat with PHR’s Josh Erickson!
Hurricanes Acquire Jake Guentzel From Penguins
2:30 a.m.: The trade call is now complete with the Hurricanes also receiving Ty Smith as part of the trade, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms. The Penguins will receive Bunting, forward prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, and Cruz Lucius, a conditional 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick. If the Hurricanes don’t make the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the first-round pick downgrades to the Flyers’ 2024 second-round pick. The fifth-round pick only transfers if the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. The Penguins are also retaining 25% of Guentzel’s $6MM cap hit. A previous report indicated that defense prospect Scott Morrow was headed to Pittsburgh in the deal; this is false.
5:26 p.m.: The Hurricanes and Penguins are close to a trade that would send star winger Jake Guentzel to Carolina, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Forward Michael Bunting is expected as part of the return to Pittsburgh. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds that both teams being in action tonight may delay the final trade call but that “all signs point to Guentzel going to Carolina.”
This is the first major splash at this year’s deadline for Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, who’s largely held out of making big moves late in the season throughout his time at the helm in Carolina. He notably didn’t swing for a forward upgrade at last year’s trade deadline, and his Metropolitan Division-winning squad ended up bowing out to the Panthers in an Eastern Conference Final sweep. The Hurricanes have seemingly beaten out four other teams – the Canucks, Golden Knights, Panthers, and Rangers all remained in contact with Pittsburgh today – for Guentzel’s services.
Guentzel, 29, has been a first-line staple in Pittsburgh alongside Sidney Crosby since making his debut in 2016, memorably scoring on his first NHL shot. After leading Pittsburgh in playoff goals during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2017 and breaking out for a 40-goal regular season two years later, Guentzel inked a five-year, $30MM contract that will expire this summer. There was little reason to believe Guentzel wouldn’t extend in Pittsburgh after he hovered around the point-per-game mark yet again last year with 73 in 78 games, but a disappointing season for the Penguins in the standings has caused the organization to shift to retool mode.
This year, Guentzel is back above the point-per-game mark, notching 22 goals and 52 points in 50 games. He’s missed the last few weeks with an upper-body injury and, until the trade goes through, remains on the Penguins’ LTIR list. However, he’s not expected to miss much more time and skated in a full-contact jersey today for the first time since the mid-February injury. Averaging 20:53 per game, his possession metrics across the board are strong, logging a +9 rating, a career-high 56.3 CF% at even strength, and a spectacular 57.1 xGF%, per Hockey Reference.
Surely, Guentzel’s career numbers have benefitted from so much ice time with one of the best players in league history. Hurricanes number-one center Sebastian Aho may not fall into the generational category, but he’s still among the league’s elite and should form a mutually beneficial relationship with Guentzel down the stretch and into the postseason. There’s no reason to believe Guentzel won’t slot into a top-line role immediately, allowing 23-year-old Andrei Svechnikov to drop down to the second line and receive some easier 5-on-5 matchups.
That addition will cause some domino effects, although the pressing issue of an upgrade on Jack Drury or Jesperi Kotkaniemi as a second-line center remains. While depth scoring wingers like Stefan Noesen have been a revelation, posting 31 points in 60 games for the ‘Canes despite logging under 12 minutes a night, he’s no Svechnikov. The 23-year-old is playing some of the best hockey of his career and is scoring at a career-best 0.93 point-per-game clip, and he and Martin Necas anchoring Carolina’s second line offers much more insulation to the overtaxed Drury as a true strong secondary scoring unit behind the Aho line. Noesen could then slot into a more comfortable fourth-line role, boosting their bottom unit alongside Kotkaniemi and Jesper Fast to be more well-rounded offensively.
While there won’t be an extension for Guentzel as part of this deal, it’s certainly possible before he reaches free agency on July 1. Bunting was signed for two more seasons with a $4.5MM cap hit, so moving him to the Penguins opens up a fair amount of cap space to devote to what could very well be a Guentzel extension that comes in north of $8MM per year. The Hurricanes will have $36.15MM in projected cap space next year after the trade, assuming no other players are coming from Pittsburgh to Carolina, with a roster size of 11. They have multiple impact players unsigned for next season, though, including Necas, Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teräväinen, and Brett Pesce.
For the Penguins, this confirms the start of GM Kyle Dubas’ retooling to give the team a third wind in the twilight years of Crosby’s, Evgeni Malkin‘s, Erik Karlsson‘s, and Kris Letang‘s careers. They still have an incredibly formidable core but lack much speed, depth, youth, or skill among their secondary. Guentzel’s departure tonight could signal the departure of other assets, such as winger Reilly Smith and netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, before tomorrow’s deadline.
Bunting will provide a slightly younger and cheaper option in Pittsburgh’s top six compared to Smith, Rickard Rakell, or Bryan Rust. It marks the second time Dubas has moved to acquire him – his former GM with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds was responsible for his big major-league chance by signing him in Toronto as a UFA, where he broke out as a top-line threat alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Even away from Toronto’s stars, Bunting maintained a decent level of production in Carolina, scoring 13 goals and 36 points through 60 games while averaging 15:07 per game. His possession impacts have nosedived away from Matthews and Marner, though, posting a 49.2 xGF% this year compared to his 58.2 mark throughout his two years with the Maple Leafs.
A first look at the futures the Pens acquired looks like a rocky start to the Dubas-led retool. Despite interest from multiple teams with deep prospect pools, Pittsburgh failed to secure a guaranteed first-round pick or a first-round-caliber prospect in the swap, opting for a trio of U-22 players instead.
The most notable prospect heading to the Penguins is Koivunen, who the Hurricanes selected in the mid-second round of the 2021 draft. A 20-year-old who can play both wing and center, Koivunen has dominated the Finnish Liiga in a proper breakthrough campaign this year, tied for first in points with Oulun Kärpät with 21 goals and 55 points in 57 games. He represented Finland at the 2022 and 2023 World Juniors and scored once in 12 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season, his only North American professional experience. Koivunen signed his entry-level contract in August 2021, but the deal slid twice due to his European Assignment Clause kicking in for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. As such, his contract only began in earnest this season and doesn’t expire until 2026, when he’ll be an RFA.
Ponomarev, 21, is the only prospect picked up by Pittsburgh with NHL experience. Another mid-second round pick of the Canes, selected one year before Koivunen, the Russian center notched a goal and an assist in his first two NHL games earlier this season. On assignment to the AHL at the time of the deal, he’s expected to join the Penguins’ affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after spending time with both the Tuscon Roadrunners and Chicago Wolves earlier this year. A Calder Cup champion with the Wolves in 2022, Ponomarev has eight goals, 29 points, and a -17 rating in 41 minor-league games this year. He’s in the second active season of his entry-level contract and will be an RFA in the summer of 2025.
Lucius, 19, was the latter of the Canes’ two fourth-round picks in 2022 and has not yet signed his ELC. The Lawrence, Kansas, native plays right wing and is in his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin, where he’s been highly productive with 23 goals and 65 points in 66 games since 2022. He missed a solid chunk of his draft year due to injury, limiting his stock, so he does have a higher likelihood of cracking the NHL than his fourth-round billing suggests. The Penguins have until Aug. 15, 2026, to sign him to a deal before losing his exclusive signing rights.
While the Penguins may have technically added a second first-round pick in the upcoming draft, their selections are conditional. Pittsburgh could end up with no first-round selections this year if Carolina doesn’t reach the Final and their own first-round pick ends up outside of the top 10. The Pens dealt their 2024 first-rounder to the Sharks in last summer’s Erik Karlsson trade, but the pick is top-10 protected and would defer to 2025 if Pittsburgh ends up with a top-10 pick after this year’s draft lottery.
By removing Guentzel from LTIR, the Penguins now exceed the cap by $2.275MM, according to CapFriendly. They must clear space via additional trades, placing another player on LTIR, or reassigning players to the minors by 4 p.m. CT Friday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.