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The 2024 NHL trade-deadline rang off major-major noise across the hockey world as teams got active under the wire to bolster up their squads with the Stanley Cup Playoffs looming. We saw 41 trades go down in the final week before the deadline activation... 23 of the 41 happened on the final day. It was one wild Friday. The quantity of trades was quite remarkable, and we saw some high quality skaters be shipped to playoff contenders.
Several of the biggest players in acquiring assets were playoff contenders. That includes the defending champion Golden Knights and the current President leader in the Panthers. No settling. Pure gas pedal. Just the type of energy you need with aspirations of wanting to hoist Lord Stanley. Several teams got better, several have major cards lined up to play come April, and several did nothing to improve. Now, I don't get enough readers just yet to find the time to break down 20, 30, or 40 some trades, but I will discuss my top winners, disappointments, and trades in a light scoop. Strap 'em up.
We had a slew of solid moves be made across the deadline with several of teams making a splash to bolster their lines and depth. Not too many of the trades had me shaking my head. A few overpays, but nothing too outlandish. Four moves stuck out to me the most. You can guess two of them quite easily with the skill involved.
Hurricanes acquire F Jake Guentzel
Carolina sent a tidal wave over the league when they acquired stud winger Jake Guentzel in a blockbuster deal with their division rival Penguins. What a piece for Carolina to add. All eyes on a run for the Cup as they bring in hands down the best available player at the deadline. The move is a major positive, but it's a move that can come with some risk.
Pittsburgh only dealt their best player because he is on the last year of his contract. That and they could use a list of assets in what is soon to be a full on rebuild once the trio of Crosby-Malkin-Letang departs. Hurricanes gave up some assets to reel in Guentzel, doing so for just a two-month title chase rental won't make the trade seem worth it. Carolina should and will look into an extension with the 29-year old forward to make the deal feel worth it. Here are the full trade deets:
Knowing that the chances of Guentzel staying in Pittsburgh long-term was slim to none; Pens got a solid haul in exchange for the winger. Solid haul, but overall the trade by GM Kyle Dubas was quite poor. Don't show me his other trade offers. The four players, topped off with Bunting is solid, it's the picks that cause some outrage. How do you accept conditional picks in this exchange? The conditions on the picks is what makes Dubas a loser here. The first rounder becomes a second-rounder if the Hurricanes can't make the Stanley Cup Final this season & they won't receive the 5th-rounder unless they win the Cup. Dude... Dubas? Terrible negotiating.
Awful for Pittsburgh, exceptional for Carolina. Beyond exceptional. Not only could it potentially give them a star-winger for the future, with a contract extension, but it also makes them a dangerous contender out of the Eastern Conference in the playoffs. The playoffs got so much better with all the recent trades, with the Canes' addition of Guentzel being the best example. I love this trade for Carolina. A complete game-changer for their Cup potential this season. Best thing? It wasn't their only move. I'll get to that later.
Golden Knights acquire D Noah Hanifin & C Tomas Hertl
The defending champions just got better on paper. With the team struggling in the new year going 12-13-2, the front office got active in a big way under the wire bringing in three players, including the best defensemen available in Noah Hanifin and in a shocker, Sharks center Tomas Hertl. Talk about creating a wave to get the ship back on track in Vegas.
Both trades were done well by Kelly McCrimmon. The Hanifin trade was perfection; getting Philadelphia in on things to force Calgary to retain 50% of Hanifin's salary sealed the deal. What an addition for Vegas who now has arguably one of the deepest defenses with Hanifin in the mix. The cat should thrive with the Knights. A perfect pairing with Pietrangelo. Just when you thought VGK was done bolstering, they drop the Hertl bomb.
A first-rounder and forward David Edstrom is all it took to acquire Hertl, and Vegas got two future 3rd-rounders from San Jose on top of it. Sharks will retain 17% of Hertl's salary that has six years remaining on the eight year bid. Golden Knights get a top-30 center that is locked down for the foreseeable future and a player that can turn it up a notch now that he is on a playoff contender/defending champ rather than being on the second worst team in the league. A center trio of Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Hertl is one appealing trio. There is a strong chance Hertl can make a return from IR in time for the playoffs. Watch out for VGK... they wanna run it back.
Jets acquire Winger Tyler Toffoli
Winnipeg knew they had to make a move after they witnessed every top Western contender makin' moves including their division rivals Dallas and Colorado. That's exactly what they did by acquiring winger Tyler Toffoli. Jets gave up a '24 third-rounder and a '25 second-rounder to the Devils, so I'd hope they would look to extend the impending free-agent to be Toffoli. I love the move regardless for the Jets. Now they can maximize the potential of what has been an exceeding of expectations type of season. Prior to the trade, star-forward Kyle Connor was Winnipeg's only 20+ goal scorer (26). Now they have two with the addition of Toffoli, who has 26 goals as well.
Jets needed another winger who could score at a high clip and Toffoli delivers that. Head coach Rick Bowness solidified his top line trio of Connor, Scheifele, and Ehlers followed with the second line of Iafallo, Monahan, and newbie Toffoli. I like the lines; I am excited to see them test the wheels now when they can before the playoffs begin. Kevin Chevy Cheveldayoff is cookin' good of late with the trades of Monahan and Toffoli. Lets not shy away from Toffoli's playoff experience. He has had two great playoff runs including, of course, his Stanley Cup dub with the Kings in 2013-14. This is a money trade for Winnipeg.
Panthers acquire Winger Vladimir Tarasenko
As if the current President rider wasn't good enough, the Panthers drop a bomb and acquire forward Vladimir Tarasenko. They are loaded! Panthers arguably have one of the top two lines in hockey. They are pissed off since the Cup loss and now are ready to go gun blazing for a shot to redeem themselves. All the Cats gave up was a conditional '24 fourth-rounder and a '25 third-rounder for one of the games best snipers. Rental or not; this is mega.
Barkov and Tarasenko is such a sweet duo. A duo that is going to be dangerous together... which will probably make Sam Reinhart even better. Florida now has eight double digit goal-scorers with the addition of Vlady and his presence makes them even deeper across all four lines. Having an elite natural winger is a plus for a heavy based center rotation as well. Not sure if there is anyone who can actually degrade this pickup for Florida. For a team with the best overall record chasing the Cup- it's an absolute no-brainer. Not bad for basement Ottawa, who gets two picks for a guy leaving in the off-season.
My biggest losers are playoff chasers who didn't get active under the wire. Outside of Kyle Dubas' lackluster job in handling the Guentzel trade, I won't degrade any team that was active prior to the trade-deadline. Even if they over-paid or got a player past their prime; they added pieces knowing anything can happen once the season flips from regular to post. Not to be active at all is an issue in my opinion. Sitting back and watching all the teams above you improve? Pssh. I consider that wasting your season.
With the Isles and Wings now tied for the final East Wild-Card spot, only three of the current 16 (17) playoff spotted teams stayed quiet in trades: Red Wings, Kings, and Islanders. All three just sat back and allowed the other playoff chasers to improve their rosters. Yzerman selling off Kostin to San Jose for nothing that helps them right away, was a poor choice. The team is weak in the aggression department. Extremely weak; possibly one of the "softest" rosters in the NHL. Getting rid of Kostin makes them even worse in that regard. Eastern Conference side of the Cup is going to be a bloodbath; not having aggression really hurts the potential of the Wings. I can see them being swept by the Panthers solely off that factor. I would have liked Yzerman to bolster the team rather than weaken it to look ahead.
Islanders and Kings did nothing. Kings haven't even made a trade this season. LA may have a 2-point advantage over the Knights for the 3-seed, but they just watched Vegas get a whole lot better with just three moves. Not just VGK; the Kings watched every other Western Conference playoff spotter add assets or get busy at the deadline. GM Rob Blake is like ehhhh, we're good. It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for'em.
I was impressed with several clubs. A slew of teams can be considered winners based off a variety of moves or one giant move like the Panthers acquiring Tarasenko. I have three winners that stood out the most to me: Avs, Hurricanes, and the Golden Knights. It's no surprise Vegas was makin' money moves at the trade-deadline. Being heavy players in the trade department is part of the VGK culture. GM Kelly McCrimmon has made that known time and time again. Checkout the notable trades McCrimmon has struck since 2020:
Vegas don't win their first Cup in just the franchise's sixth season without utilizing the trade tool. They are big winners again as they acquire three valuable pieces. All eyes are on a Stanley Cup repeat. Just a massive kudos. Vegas has been on the wrong side of the spectrum in 2024 and have dropped all the way down to the final seed. They knew they needed to create a positive wave, and do so by adding the three new pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the Knights turn things around on the ice to close out their regular season. Moves like this don't just make a roster better on paper; they can elevate the team and create positive vibes that can be needed when on a slump. I love the actions by Vegas.
I have the same feelings for the Avalanche and Hurricanes. Chris MacFarland was on a mission as he made the Avs one of the busiest teams under the wire. They made a SLEW of moves that, in my opinion, made the roster better and more suitable. I am iffy on the trade with Buffalo, sending a young fan-favorite in Bowen Byram for Casey Mittelstadt. Sometimes you must pay the price in this game; that trade is no different. Colorado knew their weaknesses, and knew what holes to fill. They needed more offense and depth at center. Trading for the Sabres' leading scorer is a smart move, despite the price in losing a solid young defenseman. Replacing Byram with Sean Walker (trade with Philly) makes the move a little less painful. Mittelstadt is a huge get for the Avs. His play should only elevate now that he is on a determined contender. They also added two solid wingers for rotation depth as they fight injuries. MacFarland knew what the Avs needed, and delivered.
Don Waddell and the Hurricanes being winners was something I didn't expect on the card. What a splendid job by Waddell to add two high-ceiling forwards in Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel. Waddell went HAM mode with the acquisition of Guentzel.
Carolina's second line is now dangerous to follow the top line. Their special teams and man-advantage just got better. The locker-room morale got better. The fan morale is at a 2006 level. Waddell delivered the goods, and didn't have to give up much. Not sure how the cat spun his words with Kyle Dubas, maybe he sold the "Cup or bust" line to him, but Waddell came out of the war-room a champion. Just great GM work by a guy you wouldn't expect great work from. Carolina officially adds it's name as a dangerous contender in the Eastern Conference. Is it playoff time yet!?
What a wild trade-deadline off the ice. The anticipation for the Cup to start is now at a HIGH. Moves that shift tectonic plates. Moves that made playoff contenders more dangerous. Moves that make the Cup a tough evaluation. Pure electricity. First, we need to settle things in the regular season. The faces in new places have just a small window of time to utilize to get comfy in their new threads prior to do or die time. The front offices did their part, now the figures of puck must put it all on the line to secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Wave that green flag, we have just a few more laps to go!
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