Elite Prospects Trade Grades for the 2024-25 trade deadline
Trade Season seems to start earlier every year in the NHL. With the Four Nations tournament looming, it makes sense that GMs are trying to get out in front of this kind of thing, locking in their rosters for at least a week or two before most of the league goes on break.
Nonetheless, as February begins, a number of notable trades have already taken place and it seems that this is officially going to be a trend. These transactions aren't gonna grade themselves, y'know?
Without further ado:
After the deadline
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Brandon Carlo (15 percent retained) from the Boston Bruins for Fraser Minten and a 2026 first-round pick; Pittsburgh acquires Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar
Toronto grade: B
Boston grade: B-
Pittsburgh grade: C+
Nice little upgrade for the Leafs' blue line, which they badly needed, but it was a steep price. They kinda had to do it, frankly. The way Florida and Tampa added the last little while, you just couldn't stand pat with “We added Scott Laughton.” Just plain ol' couldn't. Especially because you really need to finish first in the division to not get the insanely tough matchup in the Nos. 2/3 slot of the Atlantic.
And again, this is one of those, “They kinda had to do it at that price," thing for the Bruins. Wise of Don Sweeney to sell off whatever he can here. Had to be done.
The Pens did the smart thing to swoop in and buy two guys a certain someone in their front office would be fairly familiar with, and it only cost them $600,000 for the next couple seasons. That said, for both Boston and Pittsburgh, it's always buyer beware on Leafs prospects because they get insanely hyped up and then don't really reach the level purported. So I guess we'll see.
New Jersey Devils acquire Marc McLaughlin from the Boston Bruins for Daniel Misyul
New Jersey grade: C
Boston grade: C
McLaughlin certainly seems to be an upgrade for New Jersey over Misyul, but here, too, they're just getting youngish defensemen. What I like about today for the Bruins is that Don Sweeney probably sees the writing on the wall and is really trying to look busy.
Boston Bruins acquire Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2026 fourth-round pick
Boston grade: C+
Buffalo grade: C
I don't hate this for the Bruins or anything. They seem most intent on rebuilding the blue line on the fly, first and foremost. I think that's fine. Don't know how high of a ceiling Jokiharju has at this point, but he's not horrible or anything. And it's not like Buffalo could ask for much more than this.
Carolina Hurricanes acquire Mark Jankowski from the Nashville Predators for a 2026 fifth-round pick
Carolina grade: C+
Nashville grade: C
Jankowski provides a bit of injury cover and not much else, but mostly this reminds me that I think this was Nashville's only trade today? Wow, turns out all the guys who made the team so bad this year are part of the solution for next year!
New Jersey Devils acquire Daniel Sprong from the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 seventh-round pick
New Jersey grade: C+
Seattle grade: C
Maybe this is where Sprong puts it all together! But I can mostly just see everyone kinda looking at a guy who's somehow already 27 and go, “Nope, didn't work out.” Hope it does, but we gotta be realistic here at a certain point.
New Jersey Devils acquire Cody Glass and Jon Gruden from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Chase Stillman, Max Graham, and a 2027 third-round pick
New Jersey grade: C-
Pittsburgh grade: C+
I don't really rate Glass at this point but maybe the Devils just feel like they need NHL-level bodies, and he's certainly that. New Jersey gave up three assets for him and while maybe they don't collectively matter all that much – meaning you can say they didn't really give up a ton — it's all probably a bit too much, for me.
New Jersey Devils acquire Dennis Cholowski from the New York Islanders for Adam Beckman
New Jersey grade: C
New York grade: C
Wow, THE Dennis Cholowski?
Florida Panthers acquire Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins for a conditional 2027 second-round pick
Florida grade: B
Boston grade: C
Awooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
This is what it's all about. The Panthers get real creative, go out and get the captain of the team whose psyche they shattered in the playoffs last year, an in-division trade. They probably can't keep him but this rocks. I love this. What a team the Panthers are. Thank you, Bill Zito.
For the Bruins, woof, hurts to lose your captain, a guy whose number you might retire in the next several years. But also, they leveraged the chaos in their division — and the Central, too — with Toronto, Tampa, and Florida all buying to find motivated buyers for a number of players. Some people might scoff at the relatively small return given the reputation of the player, but he had control over his destination, and a second that could become a first isn't terrible for an old guy who's currently injured when you're just starting your rebuild.
Colorado Avalanche acquire Erik Johnson from the Philadelphia Flyers for Givani Smith
Colorado grade: C
Philadelphia grade: C
We love nostalgia, don't we, folks?
Buffalo Sabres acquire Erik Brannstrom from the New York Rangers for Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Buffalo grade: C
New York grade: C
I really struggled with which team to put first here, because I don't think this is especially helpful for either team. I guess you'd say Aube-Kubel won a Cup a few years ago but like, what's he done since then?
Ottawa Senators acquire Fabian Zetterlund, Tristen Robins, and a fourth-round pick from the San Jose Sharks for Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and a 2025 second-round pick
Ottawa grade: B
San Jose grade: D+
Not sure why the Sharks did this except to slightly upgrade their pick, but Zetterlund potentially adds some pop at the bottom of the lineup for Ottawa, so I like that for them.
Chicago acquires Shea Weber, Aku Raty, and the rights to Victor Soderstrom from the Utah Hockey Club for a 2026 sixth-round pick
Chicago grade: D+
Utah grade: C+
Utah needed to free up some money for this summer, I guess. Don't really get the motivation for Chicago.
Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Luke Kunin from the San Jose Sharks for a 2025 fourth-round pick
Columbus grade: C
San Jose grade: C
Kunin doesn't really do much to impress but he's a pain in the ass to play against when you're not scoring on him. As always, hard to separate his minus-56 at full strength over the last three years from “he was on the Sharks” but he was a minus-15 over five seasons in Minnesota. Which is where Dean Evason knows him from, so he understands how to coach Kunin and get some utility out of him.
I would've liked to see Columbus do a bit more than this, but it didn't cost them much, so I get it.
DEADLINE DAY AGGHHH
Colorado Avalanche acquire Charlie Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Boston Bruins for Casey Mittelstadt, Will Zellers, and a 2025 second-round pick
Colorado grade: B+
Boston grade: B-
Here's why I like this for the Avs. It's really simple. Ready? They won't use him as their second-line center, which was Boston's problem the last few years. He shores up the Avs' bottom six pretty nicely and it also saves them money AND term? Hmm.
If you told me the Bruins would be getting out from under the Coyle deal, I would have said that was good. Bringing in Mittelstadt, though, means more term and more money for a guy who I don't know is that much better. At least he's five or so years younger.
Zellers and the pick are also important here, I guess. Zellers is second in the USHL in scoring and isn't yet 19. That's more palatable.
Detroit Red Wings acquire Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith from Chicago for Joe Veleno
Detroit grade: C+
Chicago grade: C
Not sure why the Wings thought this was their need, but I guess I see Smith as an upgrade over Veleno. Not sure why they want Mrazek, who doesn't have it, but maybe it wasn't all the way up to them.
Chicago adding Veleno, I guess, is just a little bit of youth and term. Not a guy I super rate, but still, that has to be the thinking.
Dallas Stars acquire Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes for Logan Stankoven, a 2026 first-round pick, and 2027 first-round pick
Dallas grade: B+
Carolina grade: C
A thought experiment to start us out here: Imagine the Hurricanes had traded Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a second rounder and a fourth rounder for Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and two first-round picks. How would we feel about that? Because that is kinda what happened here. I think we'd like it, wouldn't we? Stankoven's not quiiiiite living up to the hype yet (43 points in 73 career games), but he's only 22 and costs next to nothing for 2025-26. It's definitely a risk, based on what everyone thought of the Rantanen trade a month ago, but it's not humiliating or anything. They do kinda gotta a hit a homer with those picks, whether they keep them or trade them later today.
The fact that they couldn't get Rantanen to commit there for the next eight years is not good, vibes-wise. But keeping him as an “own rental” — a vile term — for this stretch run probably wasn't going to be tenable, either. They're making the best of a bad situation, but “the best” here isn't particularly good. On paper, they just got worse than they were yesterday, but Rantanen-away-from-MacKinnon is still a kinda unproven property, isn't it?
But Dallas? I mean, I wonder how they make the money work without making a few other tough decisions this summer, but that's a June problem and it's currently February, y'know? Eight years, $12ish million, not bad. This is officially a capital-B Blockbuster, and the Stars are (theoretically) much better than they were this morning.
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Scott Laughton (50 percent retained), a 2025 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers for Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick
Toronto grade: C+
Philadelphia grade: B+
I guess the good thing is Laughton – who's a perfectly fine player — is signed for next season and costs half his cap hit. Otherwise he's not really a huge help. The Leafs are 10th in the league in per-game offense, and I don't know how much he juices that. They're 12th in per-game defense, and I don't know how much he tightens it up for them. Plus they gave up a decent amount (but not as much as I was kinda dreading) for a guy who doesn't do much to move the needle. But again, if this is their big addition I don't know how you justify this to your fans when the Lightning and Panthers are adding much more impactful players.
But hey, good for the Flyers. They acted like, “Oh, this guy who's playing 15 minutes a night for us? You're gonna have to knock our damn socks off!” for the last month and a half. And it mostly worked. Pretty good, but the salary retention isn't ideal.
Winnipeg Jets acquire Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken for a 2027 second-round pick
Winnipeg grade: B-
Seattle grade: B
Okay I like this a little better. Tanev is pretty good and shores up some forward depth that has been super-reliant on the top guys shooting the lights out all year. Not that Tanev is an offense guy, but they just gotta win the territorial battle. And it's hard to blame the Jets for Going For It.
And again, I'm loving this Seattle fire sale. They had to take a hard look in the mirror and they arrived at the right decision.
Winnipeg Jets acquire Luke Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick
Winnipeg grade: C-
Pittsburgh grade: B+
The Avs add, the Stars are allegedly about to add (big-time), and your pickup is… Luke Schenn? He's not too bad or anything but I said this about a trade a couple days ago, but it's the opportunity cost. This cannot be the big addition you make. Maybe it's not, I guess, but if this is their Big Splash or whatever, I cannot be impressed.
Anyway, the Penguins get two more picks for a guy they didn't really want in the first place, and I like that for them. This also makes the Predators look worse because they could have gotten two picks for him instead of just tacking him onto a trade for Michael Bunting that they'd already lost.
Los Angeles Kings acquire Andrei Kuzmenko from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2027 third-round pick
Los Angeles grade: B-
Philadelphia grade: B-
Can't get too excited about this one. Kuzmenko gives the Kings a bit of depth for a relatively low cost, but let's just say he's not the guy that accidentally shot 30 percent a few years ago, or whatever number that was. So, y'know, a little help never hurts.
Ottawa Senators acquire Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and a 2026 second-round pick from the Buffalo Sabres for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker
Ottawa grade: B
Buffalo grade: B-
I guess my big thing with Cozens is that if the Sabres, who are feverishly re-signing every just-okay veteran on their roster, feel like Cozens isn't in their long-term plans, why is he in anyone else's? Obviously if you're the Sens you feel like you're going to be able to unlock something the Sabres can't, which isn't a bad instinct, but I don't really think of the Ottawa Senators as being the place where reclamation projects on supposedly high-end young forwards really work out. They need Cozens to put the puck in the net. When was the last time he did that with any real consistency? You can see the vision, but they need him to put it together sooner than later.
Norris is a little more than a year older and obviously does have a bit more of a track record as a scorer, but that's when he's in the lineup, which he often isn't. Bernard-Docker isn't really anything I'm getting too excited about if I'm the Sabres. Selling low on Cozens probably doesn't matter, though. They need to do another rebuild.
If you could get someone to explain why Buffalo included the second rounder here, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Washington Capitals acquire Anthony Beauvillier from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2025 second-round pick
Washington grade: B-
Pittsburgh grade: A
I don't know that Beauvillier is gonna be a huge help for the Caps or anything, but he's an NHL-quality player and provides them with just a little more depth, so that ain't bad.
Nice, too, to see the Pens continue to just move guys out and acquire futures. Getting a second-round pick for him is really good, considering where he is in his career.
Edmonton Oilers acquire Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and Carl Berglund
Edmonton grade: B+
San Jose grade: A-
I really like Walman. Not sure that I think the Oilers' big need today was a very good puck-moving defenseman who's not great in his own zone but that's beside the point. They added a nice player whose value is gonna be a little limited by the fact that he can't get a lot of power-play time all of a sudden, and if he can hold up even kinda well as the No. 1 guy on the Sharks, he's gonna look great on the second or even third pair for the Oilers.
And I guess I'll keep saying this kind of thing: What good is a late first-round pick for the Edmonton Oilers these days? Might as well trade it for a guy who is good.
The Sharks have now received a second and then a first for taking and then offloading Walman, too. That's just good work.
The day before
Anaheim Ducks acquire Oliver Kylington from the New York Islanders for future considerations
Anaheim grade: C+
New York grade: C-
I guess all I can muster here is a hearty, “If you say so.”
Colorado Avalanche acquire Brock Nelson (50 percent retained) and William Dufour from the New York Islanders for Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, a conditional 2026 first-round pick, and a conditional 2028 third-round pick
Colorado grade: B+
New York grade: B
One last one before bed, I guess. Anything that happens after this will have to wait until I wake up. Even us trade graders need our 8 hours (in an ideal scenario).
Interesting that the Avs got this done without throwing in multiple future firsts. Obviously, Ritchie was one of those a couple years ago so maybe that's part of the calculation here; the Islanders don't want to be waiting for like a 2028 first, so they take the guy who's 10th in the OHL in per-game scoring. I personally see it as a longer-term project than that, but at least they're being realistic about the short term.
Colorado gets its second-line center and they're a Vegas-style team where it's like, “Yeah, looks as though they hit a home run with a late pick, but what do they need that kid for right now?” They're all in and they should be. Nelson is a nice upgrade for them. Don't feel like they overpaid or anything, considering how much talk there was that the Islanders might keep Nelson, which felt like posturing. Did Colorado have to throw in the extra third because of it? Nothing to worry about there.
Minnesota Wild acquire Justin Brazeau from the Boston Bruins for Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov, and a 2026 sixth-round pick
Minnesota grade: C+
Boston grade: B-
Okay so Brazeau is probably the best player in this trade and Boston certainly used him in a way that allowed him to maximize his value (power-play time, etc.). He is also a certified Big Boy which is easy to sell to a buyer like the Wild. Maybe not a huge upgrade but they'll take it.
Lauko is by no means having a great year but he's a known quantity for the Bruins, who also add a 22-year-old who can play in the NHL right now and boy do they need guys like that. There aren't many NHL-ready 22-year-olds in their entire system. The sixth, well, nice to add a pick when you're rebuilding, isn't it?
New York Rangers acquire Carson Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks for 2025 third-round pick
New York grade: B-
Vancouver grade: C
Soucy can contribute to the bottom of an NHL lineup and he's signed for next season at a little too much money. But they only gave up the pick they just got in the Reilly Smith trade so certainly this isn't bad for them.
I'm a little surprised this is all Vancouver could get for Soucy. Isn't this supposed to be a seller's market? Shouldn't they not be selling? Hmm. What's up? Is something up? I guess we'll see.
Florida Panthers acquire Kaapo Kahkonen from the Winnipeg Jets for Chris Driedger
Florida grade: B-
Winnipeg grade: C+
This is an AHL goalie trade but I gotta tell ya: If you look at the stats both these guys have posted in the minors this season, you'd rather have Kahkonen than Driedger. Ultimately, if either of them are getting NHL minutes, these teams have bigger problems.
Vegas Golden Knights acquire Reilly Smith (37.5 percent retained) from the New York Rangers for Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick
Vegas grade: B-
New York grade: B-
Who says you can't go home again? Smith is back in Vegas and that's fine and dandy. Seems like he won't be as useful to them as he was before — a while in the wilderness will do that — but they know him, he knows them, it all makes sense. Maybe you don't like to see them give up on yet another high pick but also, was Brisson gonna help them down the stretch? Next year? Probably not. So what harm does it do for a team that is just gonn be Going For It in perpetuity?
And hey, the Rangers have a long and track record of developing young forwards who go on to become stars for them. … On freaking opposite day!!!! But they got two assets for a guy they didn't want, so, all good with me.
Florida Panthers acquire Nico Sturm from the San Jose Sharks for a 2027 seventh-round pick
Florida grade: B
San Jose grade: C+
My only problem with this for the Panthers is the opportunity cost. I would have liked to see them take a bigger swing than this with their deadline dollars, because bringing in Sturm — who I like just fine as a depth piece for them — eats up some of that Matthew Tkachuk LTIR space they could have used on, say, Trevor Zegras or someone who represents a little more of a Swing. Nothing wrong with this trade but let's dream bigger.
And for the Sharks, I don't know how much this affects them at all. Get back to me in 2032 and we'll see how this seventh rounder went for them.
New Jersey Devils acquire Brian Dumoulin from the Anaheim Ducks for Herman Träff and a 2025 second-round pick
New Jersey grade: B-
Anaheim grade: B-
The Devils kind of had to do this because Dougie Hamilton is once again on the LTIR (as is Jack Hughes but that's a whole different thing). Dumoulin hasn't really been making it work the last few years, in terms of what Hamilton brings to the table, but he could be a bit of duct tape trying to hold the Devils' playoff situation together. Don't look now, but they're only four points up on Columbus, and the Blue Jackets have two games in hand. It's not panic time yet as far as “being in the playoffs” goes, but with these injuries, maybe they're starting to feel like the Wild Card is a little too real of a possibility all of a sudden.
And hey, the Ducks got a pick and a prospect for a defenseman their fourth-most used defenseman who couldn't be in their long-term plans, so good for them.
The week of
Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn from the Nashville Predators for Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick
Pittsburgh grade: C+
Nashville grade: C-
I get why Pittsburgh did this. Novak is young enough that he might be a player they can rehab into a more useful player than he has been in Nashville this season. And Schenn is certainly a guy they will be able to flip in the next 36 hours. Sure.
Why did Nashville do this? Not that Bunting is bad or anything, but this is the return? What do they think is going on with their team next season, I wonder. When he's in the lineup, he's pretty good, but you can't exactly count on him to play the full 82 lately. Just a weird one for me. Unless, of course, they also plan to flip Bunting. In which case, I get it. I'm with it. Not a bad idea.
San Jose Sharks acquire Vincent Desharnais from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2028 fifth-round pick
San Jose grade: C+
Pittsburgh grade: D+
This is just some deck-clearing, and just like that, the Desharnais era is over after just 10 games in which the Penguins were outscored 10-3 when he was on the ice. Not sure how much utility he has for the Sharks, but he's an NHL player for next season.
Tampa Bay Lightning acquire Yanni Gourde (75 percent retained), Oliver Bjorkstrand, and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Seattle Kraken for Mikey Eyssimont, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick; Detroit Red Wings receive a 2025 fourth-round
Tampa Bay grade: B+
Seattle grade: A
Detroit grade: C+
This is an interesting one. Gourde leaving Tampa in the expansion draft always felt like there was a reunion there, and now here it is in the form of what feels an awful lot like a pure rental. Lots of familiarity on both sides and hopefully Tampa can get a little more out of him as he just returned from injury. Bjorkstrand is one of those guys where it's always been like, “He just has to put it all together, then look out!!” and if anyone can help guys do that, it's Tampa. The fact that he's signed for next year is (probably) a positive. They can put both these guys to good use, and all of a sudden that forward group is looking pretty stacked. They weren't using those picks anyway, really.
And I would just like to say this to Seattle: Hey, congrats on realizing it wasn't working and loading up on picks. Eyssimont probably isn't a huge needle mover or anything but he can be helpful to them in certain ways, especially if they're really embarking on a more serious rebuild after buying their own hype coming out of Year 2's shooting percentage bender. This is certainly better than holding onto everyone and trying to run it back. Nice job.
And then Detroit just bought a fourth-round pick to make it happen, which I appreciate because I like trades. Thanks!
Florida Panthers acquire Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks for Patrick Giles
Florida grade: C+
San Jose grade: C
Florida needed a goalie after the Seth Jones trade and they got one, basically. They traded a 24-year-old with nine career NHL games, which makes it safe to say he wasn't part of their long-term plans, and they weren't really gonna go after any bigger fish on the goalie market anyway. It's not like the Sharks were gonna get much more than this for Vanecek, either. This is all fine by me.
Edmonton Oilers acquire Trent Frederic (75 percent retained), Max Jones, and Petr Hauser from the Boston Bruins for Max Wanner, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick; New Jersey acquires Shane Lachance
Edmonton grade: C+
Boston grade: B
New Jersey grade: B-
Fun fact: Every player in this trade is 6-foot-3 or taller. Big boys!!! And the three prospects are all 21. Feels like there's some deck-chair shuffling going on there.
Frederic is the big central piece here and I think he has more to give than what he's shown in Boston this season. I'm not sure he's what Edmonton needs, necessarily, but he plays a Hard Game and that's the kind of thing teams with serious Cup aspirations will prize. Don't hate this at all for them, except from an asset allocation standpoint. Taking Jones, who is similarly big and Hard To Play Against, seems like “Just in case Frederic gets hurt” insurance, which is fine.
This is the start of the Boston rebuild, and it feels like it's simultaneously been coming for a while, and arrived all at once. The real aspect of this trade, for them, is that they get a couple of picks, and that's about it. I don't think Wanner projects as an impactful NHLer — nor does Hauser — but he might be able to help in Providence, where things have gone quite well this season.
As for the Devils, well by taking on 25 percent of Frederic's cap hit, they simply purchased the rights to their head of US scouting's son for $575,000. Shane Lachance is a goodish college player who is absolutely enormous, but will also be 22 by the time next season starts, so I don't know what his development path holds in store.
Florida Panthers acquire Seth Jones (26.3 percent retained) and a 2026 fourth-round pick from Chicago for Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick
Florida grade: B
Chicago grade: D+
Now, look. I wouldn't want to have Seth Jones locked in at $7 million a year for the next five seasons and change, because he hasn't been very good for a while now and that's a lot of money even if he improves in what is sure to be a lesser role. But two, three years from now, that AAV is going to be a lot easier to handle because of how much the cap is going up. Then again, and you're not gonna believe this, Jones is already 30, so the runway for improvement doesn't feel super long.
On the other hand, Chicago ate some money (for five years!!!) and took back a problem contract, so the net impact on the Panthers' bottom line isn't that bad at the end of the day. They're probably better than they were this morning, and they for sure don't care about losing the draft pick.
For Chicago? Ehhhhh, it's tough. They couldn't have a guy who was publicly complaining about the state of the team, and getting out from under the Jones contract, even with eating that $2.5 million a season, is better than keeping him. They didn't get back a lot because they had tanked his value, and he wasn't that valuable to begin with because of how bad the contract was. Now it's (mostly) someone else's problem. Which is better than it used to be, but not by much. When does the clock start ticking on that “wasting Bedard's prime” talk?
Minnesota Wild acquire Gustav Nyquist (50 percent retained) from the Nashville Predators for a 2026 second-round pick
Minnesota grade: B+
Nashville grade: C+
Despite his age, Nyquist brings a lot to the table offensively. Not so much defensively, but the Wild need someone who can generate offense with Kirill Kaprizov still out, and they got him at a pretty low cost, especially considering Nashville ate half the salary.
As for the Preda, well, sucks to have to rebuild but they do, so they're doing what they have to.
Colorado Avalanche acquire Ryan Lindgren (50 percent retained), Jimmy Vesey, and Hank Kempf from the New York Rangers for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen, a conditional 2025 second-round pick, and a conditional fourth-round pick
Colorado grade: C+
New York grade: B
I don't really rate Lindgren very highly at this point in his career and Vesey has use at the bottom of the lineup for a lot of NHL teams, but not much more than that. One of the things I think about a lot with Lindgren is that everyone has decided Adam Fox doesn't have it anymore, for reasons I can identify but don't agree with, and I think a lot of that has to do with “he plays the vast majority of his minutes next to Ryan Lindgren." Obviously, Lindgren will not be getting those kinds of top-minutes assignments in Colorado anymore because they have someone to play with Cale Makar already, so I am open to the idea that he can look better in a reduced role, but I also can't be enthusiastic about this trade because I need to wait and see if Lindgren can excel in a middle-pair capacity. I bet he can, but I'm not betting that house.
(And for those wondering about Kempf, he's a 22-year-old No. 4 or 5 defenseman on Cornell, a just-okay college team, this season, averaging under 19 minutes a night.)
That said, the Avs gave up two picks they didn't have a lot of use for and two guys whom they apparently didn't value much, either. DeHaan is averaging less than 15 minutes a night and Parssinen less than 10. In the end I don't think they gave up a ton, and the Rangers got roster players to finish out the year, plus some picks for what I think is maybe a lateral move at worst. They save some money against the cap, too. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
The lead up
Minnesota Wild acquire Tyler Madden from the Los Angeles Kings for Joseph Cecconi
Minnesota grade: B-
Los Angeles grade: C+
Madden, at 25 with a career high of 34 points in the AHL and no NHL games played, isn't really a prospect anymore. Cecconi, at 27, never really was. But I still think if you look at the numbers the Kings kinda sold low on Madden. Obviously they know him better than anyone at this point, and if they're letting him go, it doesn't matter much. At the end of the day, this doesn't amount to much of anything at the NHL level for either team.
Tampa Bay Lightning acquire Anthony Angello from the Nashville Predators for Jesse Ylonen
Tampa Bay grade: C
Nashville grade: B-
Another in an increasingly long line of pre-deadline AHL trades, but Ylonen had 96 NHL games in the two seasons preceding this one. Probably wasn't gonna get that opportunity in Tampa due to their roster quality, but in Nashville, well, let's just say there aren't as many roadblocks. Angello is older and less productive, but he's much bigger. Maybe Tampa feels like they need that in Syracuse.
Anaheim Ducks acquire Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations
Anaheim grade: D+
Detroit grade: A
Awesome cap dump for Detroit because they get one of their too-many NHL-adjacent goalies off the books and save a bunch against the cap with the deadline approaching and Andrew Copp apparently done for the season. They now have a ton of flexibility and the motivation to make a splash. That said, I dunno why Anaheim wants to be in the “helping Detroit” business this badly. Seems clear they will be moving John Gibson, but to not even get a pick for eating all that cap money is a very weird move to me. Maybe they will reveal more later.
Nashville Predators acquire Grigori Denisenko from the Vegas Golden Knights for future considerations
Nashville grade: B-
Vegas grade: C
Reinforcements for Milwaukee, it seems to me. Denisenko is now on his third NHL organization since 2023, and while he can't seem to find purchase in the top league, he is a very effective scorer in the AHL.
Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Mathias Laferriere from the St. Louis Blues for Corey Andonovski
Pittsburgh grade: C
St. Louis grade: C
Two relatively versatile AHL depth forwards who don't score much. Like for like. Hard to get worked up.
Nashville Predators acquire Mark Friedman from the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations
Nashville grade: C+
Vancouver grade: C
Friedman had a handful of games in Vancouver this year but we can be honest and call this an AHL transaction. Not a bad first-defenseman-called-up option when an injury arises but the Canucks won't miss him much, and the Predators have bigger problems.
Utah Hockey Clubs acquires Samuel Walker from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations
Utah grade: C+
Minnesota grade: C-
Walker is a solid AHL player but not much more than that. Nice for Tucson to add, but the odds are strong that there's no real impact from this trade at the NHL level for either org ever.
Dallas Stars acquire Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks for a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick
Dallas grade: C
San Jose grade: A
Finally, a trade that is contemporaneous with the publication of the beautiful Trade Grades.
This is another classic case of a team rehabbing a couple distressed assets and turning them into something of pretty notable value. Not that I expect the Stars' first-rounder to be lower than, like, 20th or so, but Dallas just burned a big chunk of the cap space they got when Tyler Seguin's regular season ended, taking on $8.25 million to bring in two guys who haven't been particularly good this season, albeit in tough circumstances on a very bad team. The Stars' defense is such that even Ceci and his 37.5-percent xGF share might be an upgrade on their bottom six, but Granlund has at least been extremely productive (because the Sharks didn't have anyone better to put on their power play).
Because there are so few teams that are clearly willing to sell at this point, it turns out you gotta give up a first and a later-round pick to get two guys who might not move the needle that much for you, without salary retention. Tough stuff for the Stars, but they wanted an upgrade and, they would say, got one.
As for the Sharks, they got out from under two not-so-good contracts without retaining (because they couldn't) and still wrangled a first? Very nice for them, especially because it feels like they still have more to give up. Because there are so few sellers out there right now, the sooner they seek out additional trades, the more likely they might be to get another first.
Vancouver Canucks acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, Melvin Fernstrom, and a conditional 2025 first-round pick
Vancouver grade: B+
Pittsburgh grade: B
You can read my take on this one here, but I'll expand on it here because it was obviously a somewhat secondary trade in comparison with the Canucks getting rid of JT Miller.
I mostly didn't cover it from the Penguins' perspective, because it feels like we're in wait-and-see mode with whatever Kyle Dubas is planning. He gets a first rounder for taking on two salary-dump contracts, which adds to their obligations for next season but also, I kinda think they're gonna try secretly tanking, so this helps them do that. So does the pick.
For the Canucks, you can kinda call it Miller and two defenders who don't feel like NHL players for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, Pettersson, and O'Connor. Which ultimately adds up to a nice roster upgrade for a team that, frankly, needs it. Still, some might be underwhelmed by the return for Miller, but you can't say he didn't play his way out of town.
New York Rangers acquire JT Miller, Erik Brannstrom, and Jackson Dorrington from the Vancouver Canucks for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a conditional 2025 first-round pick
New York grade: C+
Vancouver grade: B-
You can read my take on this one here. To quickly summarize: I don't know that the Rangers are going to get as much value as they think they will unless they put him on the top power-play unit, and even then, I don't think they're gonna run the offense through him; the real problem for them is the term on the Miller contract. They didn't give a ton to give up a player of Miller's quality, so that's good. I also don't think it hurts them to give up on Chytil, but there's room for the Canucks to wring more value out of him.
Calgary Flames acquire Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost from the Philadelphia Flyers for Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick
Calgary grade: B+
Philadelphia grade: B
You can read my take on this one here. To quickly summarize: The Flames gave up relatively little from their big-picture plans to get younger and arguably better, while the Flyers moved on from two guys who didn't really seem to have the coach's favor, and added a pick in the upcoming draft. Not bad.
Carolina Hurricanes acquire Mikko Rantanen (50 percent retained), Taylor Hall, and Nils Juntorp in a three-way trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick; Chicago acquires a 2025 third-round pick
Carolina grade: A
Colorado grade: B+
Chicago grade: B-
You can read my take on this one here. To quickly summarize: Everyone did well to one extent or another, but the Hurricanes got a star, Colorado got a little more cap flexibility (even as they gave up an elite player), and Chicago got more than they would have in a normal Taylor Hall trade without retaining on him.
