Blue Jackets Acquire Conor Garland
The Blue Jackets are in agreement to acquire winger Conor Garland from the Canucks, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Vancouver gets a second and third-round pick in return, Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reports. The second-round pick involved is the Blue Jackets’ 2028 selection, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Reports of Columbus and Vancouver discussing a Garland trade were first reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Both teams have since made the deal official.
Columbus traded Egor Chinakhov to the Penguins for the same price in December. There has been a hole in the depth chart ever since, forcing Miles Wood onto his off-side right-wing. The Blue Jackets solve that problem with the addition of Garland, who should beat out Kent Johnson for second on the depth chart to Kirill Marchenko.
Garland has scored seven goals and 26 points in 50 games this season. That’s just under the scoring pace that led him to the second 50-point season of his career last year. He has made up for that dip by recording the second-most blocks (28) on the Canucks offense, behind Elias Pettersson. Garland has also averaged a career-high 18:57 in ice time, narrowly beating out his previous high of 18:39 set last season.
Now in his age-30 season, Garland has finally seemed to find his rut as a hard-working, second-line winger. He averaged 19 goals and 49 points per 82 games played in five seasons with the Canucks – while only missing 18 games. The bulk of those absences – 11 – came this season, sprinkled between two undisclosed, short-term injuries and a bout with illness.
The Blue Jackets will hope Garland can bring the top-six spark they need to pull ahead of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. They sit one point behind the Boston Bruins for the second spot, with the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals both three points behind. The Blue Jackets sit in the middle of the pack, 17th in the league, in goals-scored this season.
Columbus’ 3.13 goals-per-game season average has risen to 3.75 goals in 16 games under new head coach Rick Bowness. The Blue Jackets have a 13-2-1 record in those games and now add another winger capable of reaching 20 goals this season.
Garland has achieved the feat twice before, in Vancouver’s 2023-24 season and with the Arizona Coyotes in the 2019-20 season. That performance stamped Garland’s spot in the league after he debuted with 13 goals in 47 games the year prior. The 5-foot-10 winger was a fifth-round draft pick from the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats in 2015.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Jets Recall Isaak Phillips
Earlier this evening the Winnipeg Jets announced that Isaak Phillips has been recalled from AHL Manitoba. No corresponding transaction was required. He has jumped right into action tonight against Tampa Bay, as both Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn are out on the eve of tomorrow’s trade deadline.
Phillips, a 24-year-old defenseman, has been back and forth at times throughout the campaign as a depth option. Prior to tonight, it had led to just two games dressed with the Jets this year, from January 19-20. The Ontario native averaged 8:12 between them, not recording any statistics. He was last sent down on February 5.
Standing at 6’3″, the lefty was drafted in the fifth round by Chicago in 2020, impressively breaking into the NHL within two years, but eventually becoming passed up by other young defensemen on the roster. He was traded to Winnipeg last January, where he’s spent most time in the AHL with the Moose since. In 83 games across the last two years, Phillips has 27 points.
Set to move out some pieces after nearly a decade of consistent playoff appearances, Winnipeg could keep Phillips around for a longer period than normal as a seventh defender. The Moose are ranked 20th in the AHL, and as they offer familiar names such as Kale Clague and Ville Heinola, Phillips is the top option to fill in when needed without disrupting things down the ladder. Signed through next year before hitting restricted free agency, he’ll look to make an impact in a bid to take on a larger role with the team in 2026-27.
Predators Recall Joakim Kemell
Just before their game against Boston, the Nashville Predators recalled top prospect Joakim Kemell, noted by Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Pucks. He was dropped right into the lineup, playing for the first time with the big club since October.
Blockbuster moves from the team have yet to be seen, but GM Barry Trotz has still been aggressive moving out key depth pieces, even if to divisional rivals. Michael Bunting (Dallas), Michael McCarron (Minnesota), Nick Blankenburg (Colorado), and Cole Smith (Vegas) have all been dealt. It leaves the Predators in a fascinating spot where Wild Card berth is still possible, but another early exit is only more likely, a familiar outcome they must avoid. None of the players they’ve moved out are necessarily irreplaceable, but it has been tough on team morale nonetheless.
As a result though, opportunities for young players have opened up, and Kemell is a prospect who is much in need of one. Drafted 17th overall in 2022, the 21-year-old has now played in 192 AHL games with the Milwaukee Admirals, as opposed to just four in the NHL, where he’s yet to record a point. So far this year he has 10 goals and 29 points in 46 games, which is solid production but still ranking sixth on the Admirals.
The 5’11” Finn has a wicked shot with real top six upside. The issue is that Nashville’s track record developing such forwards is not glowing. Eeli Tolvanen, of whom there are many similarities, as well as Philip Tomasino didn’t work out. The Predators have made sure not to rush Kemell, but it’s starting to reach a point where it’s time for him to graduate from the AHL, as he just doesn’t have anything to prove at that level anymore.
In order to put Kemell into an ideal role to succeed where he avoids bottom six duty, it may require moving out 35-year-old Jonathan Marchessault, whether before tomorrow’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, or in the summer.
Whatever the case, fans will get to see youth on full display for the rest of the campaign, hoping Kemell will rise to the occasion and showcase his potential.
Red Wings Acquire David Perron
The Red Wings and Senators announced a rare deal between teams in the same playoff race. Winger David Perron is headed back to Detroit, with the Wings sending a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick to Ottawa to complete the deal. Ottawa will receive the pick, the Blue Jackets’ 2026 fourth, if Perron plays in at least one game. It will upgrade to Detroit’s third-round selection this year if the Wings advance to at least the second round of the playoffs and Perron plays in at least half of the first-round games.
Detroit has been tied to forward targets of a much higher prestige and acquisition cost, and Perron wasn’t an obvious trade candidate with Ottawa still pushing to get back into the wild-card race. He hasn’t played since January after undergoing sports hernia surgery, and it’s fair to wonder if the 37-year-old requested a move back to a familiar environment with a higher likelihood of making the postseason in what could be his final NHL season. He’s nearing the end of his projected return timeline anyway, and if healthy, he legitimately provides a third-line scoring presence the Wings desperately needed to add this week.
In his last two trips through free agency, Perron has signed two-year deals – first with Detroit in 2022 and then Ottawa in 2024. Now a pending UFA, he took a marginal pay cut from his $4.75MM cap hit with Detroit to the $4MM price tag he carries now. He was a legitimately impactful top-nine presence during his pair of seasons in Hockeytown, averaging 21 goals and 54 points with 113 hits per 82 games while staying healthy the vast majority of the time.
Due to age-related decline and a pair of injury-plagued seasons in Canada’s capital, he’s not that player anymore. A back injury held him out of nearly half the 2024-25 campaign, and his ice time and production dipped. He did manage to get his scoring back on track before his surgery this year, though, notching 10 goals and 25 points through 49 games. That’s still not the rate he was producing in Detroit, but it is still a half a point per game. That’s a significant offensive upgrade over names like Michael Rasmussen and Elmer Söderblom, who have spent time on the wings in Detroit’s top nine.
A Stanley Cup winner with the Blues in 2019, Perron also brings a wealth of experience – 1,223 regular-season games and 110 playoff games – to a club primed for its first postseason appearance in 10 years. His time in Ottawa aside, he’s been one of the league’s more consistent producers in the 50-point range since debuting for the Blues way back in 2007. Assuming he can return to play from his surgery and suit up for the Wings in the playoffs, it’ll be his 12th time in 19 NHL seasons making it to the dance.
The move offers a clear reason why the Sens opted to leverage a second-round pick to land winger Warren Foegele from the Kings earlier today. Entering play tonight six points back of a playoff spot, they weren’t comfortable sending Perron away without ensuring they could bring someone in to replace him in a separate move. The Sens do clear $500K in current cap space with the pair of transactions, but are still on the hook for Foegele’s $3.5MM cap hit through next season, while Perron is long for the open market.
Ducks Sign Ryan Poehling To Four-Year Extension
The Ducks announced they’ve signed center Ryan Poehling to a four-year extension. It carries an average annual value of $3.75MM for a total value of $15MM, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’s now under contract through the 2029-30 season.
Poehling, 27, would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s in the back half of a two-year, $3.8MM deal he signed with the Flyers in 2024. Anaheim was likely never keen on letting him hit the open market after making him the key piece of the return they received from Philadelphia for Trevor Zegras last summer.
A first-round pick by the Canadiens back in 2017, Poehling has taken the long road toward being a stable top-nine contributor, but it’s looking like he’s finally arrived. He played mostly fourth-line minutes for the first several years of his career, but he first got an extended look on Philly’s third line last season. A defensively responsible pivot who’s featured heavily on the Penguins’, Flyers’, and Ducks’ penalty kills since the 2022-23 campaign, the offense arrived in earnest with a 12-19–31 scoring line in 68 games for Philly.
Anaheim was banking on him keeping that production up while continuing to feature as a #3/#4 center. So far, that’s been the case. Despite a five-point regression in shooting percentage from last season, his 7-17–24 scoring line through 54 contests as a Duck is roughly in line with his points per game output in 2024-25. He’s done that with what seems like a never-ending rotating cast of linemates while also leading Anaheim forwards in shorthanded ice time.
Poehling’s 46.3% faceoff win rate isn’t anything to write home about, but his +7 rating is tied with Troy Terry for the team lead, and his 62 blocked shots are the most among Ducks forwards. That kind of skillset, plus what seems like a consistent ability to score in the 30-to-40-point range, is valuable considering how low he generally plays in the lineup, and he’ll now be filling that role behind core centers Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish through the end of the decade.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Kings Trade Warren Foegele To Senators
5:30 p.m.: The deal is now official, per both clubs. The details of the pick swap are as follows:
Ottawa will get the worse of the Kings’ own third round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft or Dallas’ third round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft (acquired in a previous trade). Los Angeles will get the better of Ottawa’s own third round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft or Washington’s third round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft (acquired in a previous trade). However, if both Ottawa and Washington do not qualify for the 2026 NHL playoffs, then Ottawa will instead transfer to Los Angeles the worse of Ottawa’s own third round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft or Washington’s third round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft (acquired in a previous trade).
The Kings also recalled forward Jared Wright from AHL Ontario in a corresponding move, per John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor. He was sent down just yesterday after making his NHL debut against the Avalanche earlier this week, but will be back in the lineup tonight.
4:13 p.m.: The Senators are adding some depth on the wings, with Darren Dreger of TSN reporting they’re acquiring forward Warren Foegele from the Kings. Ottawa is sending the Sabres’ 2026 second-round pick (acquired in last year’s Dylan Cozens/Joshua Norris deal) to Los Angeles in return, while the clubs are also swapping conditional third-round picks, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Foegele, 30 next month, is a big left winger with some legitimate scoring upside, although he hasn’t shown much of it this season. He’s scored just seven goals and nine points in 47 games this year, and he was moved to the press box for five of the Kings’ last 10 games after being a lineup staple for L.A. and Edmonton for the last several seasons. Even still, he’s averaged 16 goals and 32 points per 82 games over his nine-year career.
Foegele is playing the season in year two of a three-year, $10.5MM deal and has a five-team no-trade list, which presumably didn’t include his home country’s capital. He still has another year left on that contract at a $3.5MM cap hit – a steep commitment if he can’t rebound to his career-average form, let alone the back-to-back 20-goal seasons he’d put up leading into this year. He’s making only $3MM in actual salary next season, though, so that’ll be financially attractive for the Sens’ books.
While he’d recently squeezed back into the Kings’ lineup thanks to their rash of injuries at forward, he’ll likely get a longer leash in Ottawa’s top-nine, at least to start. David Perron is close to a return from his sports hernia surgery, but his absence has stretched their depth scoring thin with Nick Cousins needing to step up into a third-line role (although even he’s produced at a better rate than Foegele has this year).
That makes a second-round pick a steep price to pay for a player on an undesirable contract who may not be in Ottawa’s regular lineup when Perron returns to health, but it’s only further evidence of the seller’s market this deadline is quickly turning out to be. Comparable fourth-line pieces like Michael McCarron and Nic Dowd have fetched similar returns in the past few days, but those names carry added value as centers (where Foegele has zero utility), and the Sens likely valued his controllability for another year while hoping a change of scenery could make his production more efficient.
Selling off a forward is at first glance counterintuitive for a Kings club that’s had nightmarish scoring troubles this season and is currently down a pair of top-nine wingers for the rest of the season in Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko. After swinging a deal for Artemi Panarin last month, they were clearly trying to get themselves back into the playoff picture after a rough start, but their recent rash of injuries – plus the fact they managed to get Panarin extended for two more seasons – has seemingly pushed them the other way, with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan calling them a “wild card team in terms of direction.” Nonetheless, it’s tidy work in a vacuum to land a top-64 pick for a name they haven’t been using while opening up cap space to retool for next season.
Image courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.
Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia was first to report a second-round pick was headed the Kings’ way, while Frank Seravalli of Victory+ was first to report a pick swap was included.
Stars Acquire Michael Bunting
5:05 p.m.: Both teams have announced the trade as reported.
4:23 p.m.: The Dallas Stars are bringing in a formidable middle-six forward for their playoff run. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Stars have acquired Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Predators will receive the Seattle Kraken’s 2026 third-round pick from Dallas. Beat writer Robert Tiffin reported that Dallas has reassigned forward Arttu Hyry in a corresponding move.
Moving to Dallas, Bunting will suit up for his fifth team in the last four seasons. Bunting was acquired by the Predators at last year’s deadline (along with a fourth-round pick) from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Thomas Novak and Luke Schenn.
Bunting, 30, was having a strong year in Nashville, headed into his third trip through free agency. Before the trade, Bunting had scored 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games, averaging 14:48 of ice time per game. If that scoring trend continues with the Stars, Bunting will finish a 41-point campaign.
He’s not the most physical winger in the league, but he brings a strong possession game to Dallas for a team that needed reinforcements. Tyler Seguin has already been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, including the playoffs, while Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen have each been dealing with injuries of late.
Given the injuries to Dallas’ top-six, it’s likely that’s where Bunting will begin his tenure with the Stars. Assuming everyone except for Seguin returns for the playoffs, Bunting can provide additional scoring punch to the team’s third line.
Despite being an expiring asset, a third-round pick as a return must feel underwhelming for the Predators. Only a few days ago, Nashville sent fourth-liner Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild for a second-round pick. Yes, McCarron is making $3.6MM less than Bunting, and is a center, but Bunting is outscoring him by more than double.
Regardless, it’s clear that general manager Barry Trotz is intent on accumulating draft capital for the next regime. Assuming the third-round selection is within the next three years, the Predators will have 16 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts. This will provide the next GM with significant control over team building.
Image courtesy of Tim Fuller-Imagn Images.
Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski
The Chicago Blackhawks are again giving one of their better defensive prospects more time to develop in the AHL. The team announced that they’ve reassigned Kevin Korchinski to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.
Unlike some of the other moves today, this doesn’t pertain to Korchinski’s eligibility for the Calder Cup playoffs. Since he’s exempt from waivers, the Blackhawks could have theoretically waited to reassign Korchinski tomorrow morning. Instead, they’ve opted for today, meaning Korchinski is bound for another extended stay in Rockford.
That’s how Chicago has handled him for the past two years. Two years after being selected with the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, Korchinski spent the entire 2023-24 season with the Blackhawks. He finished the campaign with five goals and 15 points in 76 games with a -39 rating, and he proved he wasn’t quite ready for NHL minutes.
Since then, he’s primarily played for the IceHogs. He has been a solid puck mover in the AHL, registering 45 assists in 101 games. Still, his -39 rating over that stretch is concerning, especially considering that Rockford has made the postseason in both years.
This season has been his most limited in the AHL. At the time of writing, Korchinski has appeared in only four games for Chicago, tallying one assist while averaging 11:42 of ice time. This isn’t to say that Korchinski should no longer be considered one of Chicago’s top prospects, but he may take a bit longer to develop than expected.
Canucks Acquire Jack Thompson From Sharks
The Canucks announced the acquisition of right-shot defenseman Jack Thompson from the Sharks in exchange for minor-league defender Jett Woo. Thompson was also in the minors at the time of the deal, so the trade doesn’t affect either club’s active roster.
Thompson is on the move for the second time in three years, as San Jose picked up the defender at the 2024 trade deadline from the Lightning as part of the return for rental winger Anthony Duclair. He was a third-round pick by Tampa in 2020 and was a legitimately intriguing prospect at the time, posting 32 points in 46 games for AHL Syracuse up to that point.
That momentum continued into last season, which Thompson split evenly between the Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. When in the NHL, he was impressive in a bottom-pairing role. He suited up 31 times for San Jose, recording a 4-6–10 scoring line and a -9 rating while averaging 15:47 per game. The 6’1″ righty isn’t overly physical and isn’t much of a defensive threat in his own zone, but he was offensively potent enough to create good possession impacts for the Sharks, ranking third on their blue line last season with a 5-on-5 expected goals percentage of 47.1.
With the Sharks’ signings of veterans Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg in free agency last summer, plus top prospect Sam Dickinson locking down a roster spot, Thompson was lost in the shuffle this season from the start. The 23-year-old somewhat surprisingly cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and hasn’t seen a recall since, spending the entire year with the Barracuda. He only has three goals and 12 points in 42 games, a far cry from his usual AHL production.
As such, he likely welcomed a change of scenery, and the Canucks presumably view this year as more of a blip than a permanent regression. After shipping out Tyler Myers to the Stars yesterday, Vancouver has an immediate need for right-shot depth.
They recalled 26-year-old Cole Clayton with no NHL experience today to serve as their #7 with Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Derek Forbort on injured reserve. It stands to reason that Thompson usurps him on the depth chart for now and will make a legitimate challenge for consistent NHL minutes with fellow youngsters Tom Willander and Victor Mancini behind top-pair righty Filip Hronek down the stretch.
If Thompson doesn’t work out, it’s not as if they’re giving up a particularly high-value asset to land him. Woo was a second-rounder in 2018, and the organization long hoped he could be a solid depth piece and power-play option, but he’s now 25 and has yet to make his NHL debut. A pending Group VI unrestricted free agent, he’s effectively just a contract San Jose is taking back to avoid Vancouver pushing closer to the 50-man limit.
The right-shot Woo has had some intriguing AHL seasons in the past, but this isn’t one of them. He’s been limited to a goal and eight points in 26 AHL games with a career-worst -11 rating. If the Sharks keep him around past this year, it won’t be anything more than a supplemental piece for their higher-value D prospects in the minors.
Minnesota Wild Acquire Jeff Petry
The Minnesota Wild are adding a veteran presence to their backend ahead of the playoffs. According to a team announcement, the Wild have acquired Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick.
Included in Minnesota’s announcement were the conditions on the draft pick. If the Wild make it to the Western Conference Final, and Petry plays in 50% or more of the Wild’s playoff games heading into the Western Conference Final, the pick will upgrade to Minnesota’s fifth-round pick this season.
At this stage of his career, Petry, 38, is only fit for a depth role. This season, his first with the Panthers, he was relegated to a bottom-pairing role. Throughout the year, he has tallied eight assists in 58 games with a -10 rating, averaging 14:51 of ice time.
That’s largely what he turned into during his time with the Detroit Red Wings. Before moving to Sunrise, Petry spent two years in HockeyTown, scoring four goals and 32 points in 117 games. Unlike his time with the Panthers, Petry was typically in Detroit’s top-two defensive pairings.
Given his play with the Red Wings, it was no question why Petry had to settle for a one-year, league minimum contract last summer. Playing next to Ben Chiarot for much of last season, the pair finished with the lowest xGoals% in the league (for pairings that had played 400 or more minutes together) with a 41.3% output.
That trend has continued with Florida. According to Moneypuck, the combination of Uvis Balinskis and Petry has combined for a 46.6% xGoals% this season, ranking 65th out of 83 defensive pairings that have played 300 or more minutes together.
That makes the move more peculiar on Minnesota’s end. The team already had seven defensemen on the active roster before the trade and had multiple defensive assets in the AHL that have already played this season. At any rate, instead of spending potentially his last season in the NHL with a team outside of a playoff spot, Petry will have the opportunity to compete for the first Stanley Cup of his career.