Ducks Claim William Lagesson Off Waivers From Maple Leafs
The Ducks have claimed defenseman William Lagesson off waivers from the Maple Leafs, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.
Lagesson has served as one of many depth defenders to fill in for injured Leafs this season, playing in 30 NHL games and recording four assists, 19 penalty minutes, and a +5. He’s still searching for his first NHL goal, failing to score in any of the 90 games he’s played, dating back to the 2019-20 season when he made his debut with the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, Lagesson hasn’t scored a goal in any of his last five seasons – save for a scoring explosion with the Chicago Wolves last year, when he managed a career-high 10 goals and 32 points in 65 games. But outside of that burst, Lagesson’s role has largely been on the defensive side of the puck, with his long reach and control along the boards helping to control transition up and down the ice.
The Ducks will likely lean on Lagesson as extra defensive depth behind current seventh-defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who has one goal and 12 points in the first 54 games of his career. Anaheim has seen a rotating door of defensemen this season, leaning on eight different blue-liners despite not bearing with substantial injuries. Their defense corp is also incredibly young, with rookies Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and LaCombe all earning routine roles.
Bruins Acquire Andrew Peeke
The Bruins have acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Blue Jackets, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. Columbus is acquiring 2015 first-round pick Jakub Zbořil in return, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. Boston has also sent a 2027 third-round pick to Columbus in the swap, per an official release.
With the attachment of a third-round pick, Boston is placing clear trust in Peeke to slot into a solid role on their blue-line. The 25-year-old defenseman has operated in a fairly limited role this season, averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time across 23 games. He’s scored one goal and eight points in that stretch. While he’s seen a decreased role this year, Peeke is no stranger to serving on a top pair, averaging over 21 minutes of ice time in each of the last two seasons. Standing at 6’3″ and 210 lbs, Peeke has established himself as a hefty, physical defender capable of shutting down opponents in his own end. He made his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season but more formally played his first season in 2021-22, scoring two goals and 15 points in 82 games with Columbus. The Blue Jackets drafted Peeke in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
In return, Columbus receives Jakub Zboril – a player that’s earned infamy after getting drafted 13th-overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, a part of Boston’s three consecutive picks along with Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn. The trio was immediately followed by the selection of Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot. Zboril has since struggled to find a groove in North American pros, recording just one goal and 16 points across 76 career NHL games and 66 points in 213 AHL games. That includes the nine assists he’s managed in 31 AHL games this season, though he’s still searching for his first goal of the year. Zboril has scored one goal across the last four seasons. He now moves to a new club for the first time in his career, hoping that a change of scenery will also bring newfound production.
Devils Acquire Jake Allen
2:30 p.m.: The trade is now official, per a team announcement. The condition on the pick has been clarified to mean if Allen plays more than 40 games next season en route to a Devils playoff berth.
12:38 p.m.: The Devils are “gaining traction” on acquiring goaltender Jake Allen from the Canadiens, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Canadiens will receive a third-round pick in return, Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports. The third-round pick is conditional and can upgrade to a second-rounder if Allen hits a certain games-played benchmark, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, it’s a 2025 third-rounder with 40 games played as the condition cutoff. Montreal is retaining 50% of Allen’s $3.85MM cap hit that runs through next season, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic says.
Allen was always the most logical option to ship out of Montreal if the Habs opted to move out one of their three NHL-rostered goaltenders. The 33-year-old has been the worst out of his trio with Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau this year in what’s been a second straight season significantly below 
average, averaging a .892 SV% in 62 starts and one relief appearance since 2022.
Signed to a two-year, $7.7MM extension in October 2022 that kicked in this season, Allen regressed sharply before his new deal kicked in. He was decent in his first two seasons in Montreal, though, posting a .906 SV% and 20-32-9 record in 64 games between 2020 and 2022 while backing up Carey Price and platooning with Montembault after the former played through a career-ending knee injury in the Habs’ run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. With the younger Primeau surpassing Allen on the depth chart as of late, the veteran has only played four games since the beginning of February.
This year, Allen has made 21 starts, posting a 6-12-3 record. His .892 SV% and 3.65 GAA are both far below the league average. While his -2.8 goals saved above expected (MoneyPuck) is the worst on the team, it does demonstrate that his poor base-level stats are exacerbated by playing behind a rebuilding team. He immediately becomes the best-performing goalie on the Devils relative to expectations, who have had absolutely no sustainable success in the crease with Vítek Vaněček (-11.2 GSAx), Nico Daws (-4.5 GSAx), and Akira Schmid (-3.0 GSAx) all performing at a below-replacement level. Allen brings in Stanley Cup pedigree, having won with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, as well as over 400 games of NHL experience.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
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.