Seattle Kraken To Acquire Bobby McMann
The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The return heading to Toronto is a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-rounder in the upcoming 2026 draft, according to Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
The move ends McMann’s nearly six-year tenure with the Maple Leafs, a tenure in which he emerged a real developmental success story for the organization. He signed with the team as an undrafted player out of Colgate University, began in the ECHL, and worked his way up the professional ladder to the NHL, where he became a 20-goal scorer.
With his contract set to expire, McMann has been widely reported to be seeking a significant pay raise from his current $1.35MM cap hit. The recent signing of a comparable player, San Jose Sharks winger Kiefer Sherwood, to a five-year, $5.75MM AAV contract may very well have pushed the price tag on a McMann extension past where the Maple Leafs were comfortable going.
With Toronto likely to miss the playoffs for just the second time since drafting Auston Matthews, collecting some assets for McMann became an important goal for the team’s deadline work.
Toronto may have been hoping to receive a first-rounder for McMann, who has 19 goals and 32 points this season, rather than a second-rounder. McMann is widely considered a more valuable player than Minnesota Wild center Michael McCarron, who net the Nashville Predators a second-round pick earlier this week. But it seems as though no team was willing to part with a first-rounder for McMann, and with the deadline looming, the Maple Leafs seem to have decided that a package for McMann that is lighter than they may have hoped is better than retaining him beyond today.
More to come…
Flyers To Retain Rasmus Ristolainen
The Flyers will not be moving right-shot defender Rasmus Ristolainen in the closing minutes before the trade deadline, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports.
Philadelphia had received extensive interest in the 31-year-old, who still has another year left on his deal at a $5.1MM cap hit. That year left allowed Philly to be comfortable setting a relatively high price and sticking to it, opting to hold onto him and try to move him over the summer or as a rental next year (if at all) rather than budge from what they felt he was worth.
The long list of names calling on the Finn included the Sabres, Canadiens, Bruins, Oilers, Stars, and others. Edmonton, Buffalo, and Dallas in particular pivoted to other options in the past few days. Multiple reports indicated Philly was looking for the same return the Bruins received from the Maple Leafs for Brandon Carlo at last year’s deadline. That package included a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and an A/B-tier prospect in Fraser Minten.
As such, the Flyers are done after making two trades earlier today – the first sending Bobby Brink to Minnesota for David Jiricek, the second sending Nicolas Deslauriers to the Hurricanes for a seventh-rounder. They also claimed Luke Glendening off waivers from the Devils to give themselves some center help.
Kraken Sign Jordan Eberle To Two-Year Extension
The Seattle Kraken are signing captain Jordan Eberle to a two-year, $5.5MM AAV contract extension, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal has a full no-trade clause in each of its two seasons. The Kraken have confirmed Eberle’s new extension.
Eberle, 35, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer at the expiration of the two-year, $4.75MM deal he signed in March 2024. The veteran winger, who is repped by Craig Oster of Newport Sports Management, has been a key top-six contributor for the Kraken over the course of his time there.
An expansion draft selection by the team, Eberle ranks No. 3 in the all-time scoring rankings of the team’s brief history, and No. 2 in goals.
Despite aging deeper into his mid-thirties, Eberle has kept up his reliable levels of production. Contributing regularly on the power play, he’s scored 22 goals and 42 points in 59 games this season, which is a 31-goal, 58-point pace. If he keeps up his pace, those numbers would be Eberle’s best since 2022-23.
While there is likely some concern that Eberle might decline over the course of this extension – he will be 38 at the expiry of this extension – he has already shown an ability to keep up his high standard of play as he’s gotten older. As a result, there should be a reasonable level of confidence in Seattle that he’ll be able to remain a productive contributor deeper into his thirties.
The conversation surrounding the Kraken related to this deadline has been largely centered around the team’s pursuit of a high-end scoring winger. Eberle isn’t that kind of player, and is extremely unlikely to become one as he ages. But he’s a crucial veteran leader for a team that is desperate to make a return to the playoffs, and could very well end up on a line with any high-end scorer the Kraken eventually acquire.
Eberle’s re-signing ensures a degree of continuity in the Kraken’s forward corps, a group that could very well see some turnover, perhaps even within the next few hours.
The Kraken have reportedly been interested in trading 2022 No. 4 pick Shane Wright in their pursuit of a star forward, and he’s unlikely to be the only name the team is willing to part with as part of that chase. In the event the Kraken do make a franchise-altering trade, today’s re-signing of Eberle ensures they’ll be able to keep around a familiar face and leader to help guide their group through the changes.
Photos courtesy of Brett Holmes-Imagn Images
Blackhawks Acquire Derrick Pouliot
Speaking on Daily Faceoff Live, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are acquiring defenseman Derrick Pouliot from the New York Rangers. Pouliot has spent the entire 2025-26 campaign with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Scott Power of The Athletic reported that forward Aidan Thompson will head to New York.
Pouliot is nearly exclusively an AHL talent at this point in his career. Since the 2019-20 season, Pouliot has tallied six assists in 26 NHL contests, averaging 14:45 of ice time split between the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars.
Still, he’s been a stable top-four presence in the AHL throughout that stretch. Since joining the Stars organization ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, Pouliot has registered 18 goals and 127 points in 186 games.
Despite being a rebuilding club for the last several years, the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs don’t have that kind of stability on the blue line. Prospect Kevin Korchinski is the team’s leading scorer among defensemen with two goals and 23 points in 45 games. Pouliot will immediately become the team’s offensive leader on the blue line, despite playing in seven more games than Korchinski.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Pouliot will enjoy a trip through the Calder Cup playoffs with the IceHogs. The team is on the outside looking in with a 19-31-2-2 record. They’re currently ranked sixth in the AHL’s Central Division. They would have to find their way into the top five of the division to qualify for the postseason.
Meanwhile, shortly before the trade was made official, the Blackhawks recalled Thompson from the AHL, so he’ll presumably join the Rangers’ NHL roster. He is in his first full professional season, scoring six goals and 15 points in 40 games.
Still, he’s not that far removed from being a standout forward for the University of Denver. From 2022 to 2025, Thompson scored 42 goals and 117 points in 120 games for the Pioneers. He was drafted with the 90th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, making this a quality return for the Rangers.
Vancouver Canucks Claim Curtis Douglas
The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Curtis Douglas off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Canucks have already shipped out a veteran forward and more, such as pending UFA Teddy Blueger, could follow. This claim of Douglas adds a player from outside the organization for the Canucks, who could even use him in the fourth-line center role most recently occupied by Blueger.
Douglas, 26, is one of the NHL’s biggest players. The Oakville, Ontario native stands 6’9″, 242 pounds, and that size is an essential component of the value proposition he presents as an NHL player. He’s not much of a scorer, with just two points through 29 career NHL games, and his offense hasn’t fared too much better at the AHL level, either. But his size and strength give him notable upside as a defensive player and a physical threat, two traits teams often covet on their fourth line.
In Vancouver, Douglas will likely receive a clear opportunity to get regular minutes on a team playing out the stretch of a likely last-place season. He averaged under six minutes of ice time per game in Tampa Bay, but is positioned to see that number increase in Vancouver. Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, he’s likely staring at an extremely important set of games for the future of his career as he looks to prove he has what it takes to stick as an NHL player with the Canucks.
Kings, Mathieu Joseph Agree To Terms
The Kings have agreed to terms on a contract with winger Mathieu Joseph after he cleared unconditional waivers today to become a free agent, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports. The deal runs for the remainder of the season at a prorated cap hit of $900K, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Joseph, 29, had his contract with the Blues terminated to find an opportunity elsewhere at a reduced cap hit. He was in the final season of a four-year deal at a $2.95MM cap hit and forfeited roughly $500K in actual cash by opting for the termination and landing a prorated contract in Hollywood.
Los Angeles has signaled they’re dropping out of the playoff race after a tough stretch out of the Olympic break, dealing away wingers Warren Foegele and Corey Perry in the last 24 hours. With an injury list that also includes Joel Armia, Quinton Byfield, Kevin Fiala, and Andrei Kuzmenko, though, they were simply in desperate need of bodies up front to fill spots for the stretch run. They’ll find one for free and for cheap in Joseph, who wins a chance to continue contributing in an NHL role for the last few weeks of the season to hopefully boost his stock heading into free agency.
While Joseph brings some good speed and physicality, he’s been one of the league’s worst finishers over the past couple of years. That won’t help out a Kings team that shoots at just 9.3% too much, but he’ll still bring over 450 games of experience while helping L.A. avoid overstressing some underbaked forward prospects over the next few weeks. He’d put up two goals and 11 points in 39 showings in St. Louis this year before landing on waivers, averaging 12:41 per night.
Penguins Acquire Elmer Soderblom
According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Elmer Söderblom from the Detroit Red Wings for San Jose’s 2026 third-round pick. The Red Wings have also confirmed the trade.
The writing was on the wall for Söderblom’s tenure in Detroit. Once viewed as a potential long-term fixture in Detroit’s bottom-six, Söderblom has been a frequent healthy scratch by the team this season. Due to the team’s abundance of prospects, he was overlooked on the long-term depth chart.
Still, the Penguins are taking a chance. He doesn’t have the highest offensive upside, but he has tremendous size. Throughout the past three years, Söderblom has scored 18 goals and 46 points in 99 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and six goals and 14 points in 65 games with the Red Wings.
Standing at 6’8″ tall, Söderblom will immediately become the biggest player on the Penguins’ roster, standing a few inches taller than Justin Brazeau. Unfortunately, although he has quality hands for someone of his stature, Söderblom doesn’t engage physically as much as he should. He’s amassed 128 hits over his brief NHL career, but the Penguins will likely hope he can increase those numbers to be of more value to the club.
Regardless, he’s only 24 years old and is a reasonable fit on a retooling Pittsburgh team. Despite eyeing an unexpected postseason berth this season, the Penguins were known to be targeting depth pieces with some upside. Given his age and relative skill for his size, acquiring Söderblom for a third-round pick was likely a no-brainer from Pittsburgh’s perspective.
Florida Panthers Claim Cole Reinhardt
The Vegas Golden Knights will lose one of their bottom-six forwards. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers have claimed Cole Reinhardt off waivers from Vegas.
Reinhardt, 26, will join the third organization of his career. The Calgary, AB native was selected 181st in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and spent five years playing in the organization before joining the Golden Knights last summer.
Throughout his days in the Senators organization, Reinhardt was mostly an AHL talent. Across his five years with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, Reinhardt scored 54 goals and 131 points in 270 games with 275 PIMs.
Unfortunately, his role as a secondary scorer in the AHL hasn’t translated to the NHL level. He’s played 44 games for Vegas this season, scoring three goals and seven points in 44 games. Across his career, he has registered four goals and nine points in 62 games.
Still, he has remained a physical force. In his 62 career contests, Reinhardt has tallied 123 hits. Since he’s still on the younger side, and can immediately join the Panthers’ bottom-six. Florida is expected to move a few depth pieces ahead of today’s deadline, and Reinhardt will be a stopgap for the time being. He is signed through next season at a $813K cap hit, but will be owed $850K in actual salary.
New York Islanders To Acquire Brayden Schenn
The New York Islanders are finalizing a trade to acquire veteran center Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Islanders have confirmed the deal. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has reported its full terms: the Islanders are getting Schenn for a first-round pick, third-round pick, veteran forward Jonathan Drouin, and goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof. Per Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network, the first-rounder going to St. Louis is Colorado’s 2026 first-round pick, the one New York acquired in the Brock Nelson trade from last season.
Per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the Islanders were on Schenn’s 16-team no-trade list, but Schenn has decided to allow the trade to go ahead. 
Schenn, the Blues captain, has been at the center of significant trade rumors over the last few months. His inclusion in a trade today, assuming it is completed and confirmed, is part of a wider effort by the Blues to re-organize their competitive efforts in a more future-oriented direction.
While the 34-year-old is under contract for an additional two seasons at a $6.5MM cap hit, the Blues may not believe they are in a position to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup within that time frame. As a result, they appear to have given Schenn the chance to chase the second Stanley Cup championship of his career on Long Island.
The Islanders sit third place in the Metropolitan Division and have one of the game’s most promising young players leading their resurgence: 2025 No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer. Today’s move confirms the Islanders’ seriousness about competing for a Stanley Cup in the immediate term, even while the future face of their franchise is still just 18 years old.
The addition of Schenn provides a jolt to New York’s depth at the all-too-important center position. The club has most recently been utilizing 21-year-old Cal Ritchie as its second-line center. While the 2023 first-rounder is a promising young player, he’s not an ideal fit for that role on a team that is looking to make a deep playoff run.
Schenn, on the other hand, is an almost perfect fit for that role. While his numbers are down somewhat this year (28 points in 61 games as the Blues have struggled overall) he did manage 50 points last season and has been a steady top-six forward for much of his career. With Schenn likely to be plugged in directly to the Islanders’ second line, the team instantly becomes one of the league’s deepest teams down the middle.
With Bo Horvat manning the first line, Schenn on the second, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas in the bottom-six, the Islanders not only have a strong group of four centers, they also have the flexibility to keep Mathew Barzal on the wing, where he has excelled.
While the Islanders are without question strengthened by this trade, the deal is not without some risk. Schenn turns 35 in August, and has two more years remaining on his deal. He hasn’t quite played up to the standard of a top-six center in St. Louis this season, but it’s still to be determined whether that says more about where Schenn’s game is at, or about the state of the Blues as a whole. In any case, if Schenn experiences age-related decline that impacts his playing abilities, the Islanders will have paid a hefty price for a player who isn’t what he once was.
With that said, there is also the possibility that the trade rejuvenates Schenn, and the chance to play for a playoff contender gives him something of a second wind. We’ve seen numerous veterans remain capable contributors as they progress deeper into their thirties, capably adjusting how they play to fit how they age. It’s also entirely possible Schenn goes down that path, making it so the Islanders have added a second-line center with more than two years of team control. Putting it that way, a first-rounder, third-rounder, and a prospect is hardly an unfair price to pay.
From the Blues’ perspective, the move falls in line with what has become their hockey operations department’s modus operandi: preparing for the future. With Alexander Steen set to assume lead decision-making authority, today’s trade adds at least one premium future asset to an already growing stockpile.
While they’ll surely miss Schenn both on and off the ice, the move clears the way for 2023 No. 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky to receive even greater on-ice opportunity. If this trade can spark additional growth from Dvorsky, while also adding key draft picks and prospects to the Blues’ system, they’re likely to count it as a win.
The addition of Drouin may have been made to help balance the money being taken on by the Islanders, but there is some rationale behind his addition from the Blues’ side. Set to turn 31 this month, the odds are against him playing a role on the next contending Blues team. But with St. Louis likely to strip away further veteran talents this summer, there is the chance Drouin receives an opportunity to play regularly in the top-six in Missouri. He’s a player who never quite fit on Long Island, but excelled playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps he finds similar chemistry with Blues star Robert Thomas down the stretch.
With another year left on his deal at a $4MM cap hit, it’s not totally out of the question that Drouin seizes the opportunity ahead of him with the Blues, and becomes a trade chip for next year’s trade season, which would mean Schenn’s trade could deliver further future value to St. Louis.
Also included in this deal is Gidlof, a big goalie prospect who was a 2024 fifth-round pick. He’s been a tandem goalie in the SHL over the last two years, playing in a total of 41 games for Leksands IF. This season, he has gone 9-15-0 with an .896 save percentage. A little over a year ago, Gidlof was considered one of New York’s better prospects. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked him the No. 3 prospect in the team’s system, writing that he “has legitimate NHL upside.”
With starter Jordan Binnington‘s time in St. Louis potentially set to come to an end at some point over the summer, the inclusion of Gidlof in this deal represents further investment by the team in the future of the goalie position, a position in which the Blues have a somewhat uncertain future.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Hurricanes Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers, Flyers Claim Luke Glendening
The Hurricanes are acquiring winger Nicolas Deslauriers from the Flyers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. A conditional seventh-round pick in 2027 is headed the other way, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. The Flyers have filled Deslauriers’ roster spot by claiming center Luke Glendening off waivers from the Devils, per Friedman.
Deslauriers, now in his 13th NHL season, moves on from the Flyers amid his fourth season in Philly. While he used to have a small bit of goal-scoring upside in his game, the 35-year-old is now a pure enforcer at this stage of his career. He’s only managed 13 shots on goal this season in 25 games, recording one assist and a -3 rating.
The left winger has been in the press box more than he’s been in the lineup this season, checking in no higher than 13th on the Flyers’ forward depth chart. He’s yet to appear in more than three consecutive games. He certainly won’t see any more frequent ice time than that in Carolina, but he’ll slot in as a press-box piece and can step in as an enforcer when needed. The Flyers, who had minimal use for the pending UFA, will happily have a chance at recouping a draft pick.
It doesn’t look like they’ll be giving Deslauriers’ spot to a prospect, though. The 36-year-old will end up giving the Flyers some short-term center depth that they’ve needed in the wake of a right ankle fracture to Rodrigo Abols that’s kept him out since January, forcing natural winger Carl Grundström to slide over to the middle.
Glendening, once viewed as one of the better defensive pivots in the league, is still hanging onto an NHL job in his 13th season. He was a PTO signing by New Jersey late last summer and landed a league-minimum contract. He’s ended up serving as their fourth-line center for most of the year but has averaged a career-low 9:54 of ice time per night through 52 appearances. He’s yet to score a goal this season and has four assists with a -11 rating. Once a top faceoff specialist, he’s down to a more pedestrian 51.7% win rate on the dot this year.