Trade Deadline Live Blog

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. Several trades, including some with big-name players, were completed on Friday. NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen provided all the news, rumors and analysis up to and past the deadline. Here is his Live Blog from Friday:

4:42 p.m. ET

A crazy day of trading is over. Now for the crazy final quarter of the season and run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The race in the Central Division will be fascinating as the Winnipeg Jets (Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev), Dallas Stars (Mikko Rantanen) and Colorado Avalanche (Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle) all loaded up in the past 18 hours.

It makes you wonder where the Minnesota Wild fall in all of this now. Then again, their cap issues this season are well known. They'll be erased starting next season, which is when the Wild might really start to load up.

Brad Marchand will be wearing a Florida Panthers jersey, and coach Paul Maurice will eventually have the ability to send out a line with Sam Bennett between Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk. How terrifying that will be for whoever the Panthers play in the Eastern Conference First Round.

The Toronto Maple Leafs got the job done today, acquiring the third-line center they need (Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers) and the top-six, big right-shot defenseman they needed (Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins).

Considering the Tampa Bay Lightning's moves Thursday to acquire forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken, it's fair to say the Atlantic Division, much like the Central, is loaded.

There is a premium to finishing in first place in the Central and Atlantic divisions. At least two teams that loaded up before the deadline will be eliminated after the first round.

The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres reshuffled things around with Dylan Cozens going from Buffalo to Ottawa and Josh Norris from Ottawa to Buffalo. But Ottawa's addition of forward Fabian Zetterlund is also significant as the Senators try to make a push toward a playoff berth.

Several players who could have been moved today were not, including pending UFAs Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks), Kyle Palmieri (New York Islanders), Ryan Donato (Chicago Blackhawks), Joel Armia and David Savard (Montreal Canadiens).

There was a lot more that happened today too. Follow all the coverage on NHL.com.

And now it's time for me to get to writing a story looking ahead to the final quarter of the season and how the moves made in advance of the deadline will impact what we see.

3:42 p.m. ET

Another trade that has trickled in post-deadline has the Ottawa Senators acquiring forward Fabian Zetterlund from the San Jose Sharks. Zetterlund has 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 64 games with the Sharks this season.

Also going to Ottawa is forward Tristen Robins, who is playing in the American Hockey League, and a fourth round pick, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who reports the Sharks are getting forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Noah Gregor, and a 2025 second-round pick.

The key piece for this season is Zetterlund, who gives the Senators another depth scorer. The only players who have scored more goals for the Senators this season than the 17 Zetterlund had for San Jose are Brady Tkachuk (24), Josh Norris (20) and Tim Stutzle (20).

Norris was traded to the Buffalo Sabres earlier Friday in the deal that brought center Dylan Cozens back to Ottawa.

Zetterlund can be a restricted free agent this summer.

3:15 p.m. ET

In addition to trading forward Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, the Boston Bruins are also trading defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

So, the Bruins, a perennial contender in the Atlantic Division having a down year, are helping two division rivals by sending Marchand to Florida and Carlo to Toronto.

Again, like with an earlier post about the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals making deals, I say, whodathunkit.

The Bruins are now the biggest sellers at the deadline with Marchand going to Florida, Carlo to Toronto and Charlie Coyle to Colorado.

Carlo still has two years left on his contract with a $4.1 million AAV.

3:07 p.m. ET

Hold on, we might have one more big one.

Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers?

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman just put on his X account, "Last minute possibility: Hearing Brad Marchand could be traded to Florida."

Could the Boston Bruins be trading their captain in the division to the defending Stanley Cup champions?

Marchand joining Sam Bennett.

The Panthers play in Boston on Tuesday.

Oh the storylines.

Let's see.

3 p.m. ET

The clock has stopped ticking. The deadline is here. And by the time you're reading this, the deadline has passed.

We still don't know if the Vegas Golden Knights have something cooking. Remember, trade calls can still happen after 3 p.m. ET.

But as we wait to see on those Golden Knights, here's what we do know.

We've seen a lot today, notably Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars and the blockbuster between the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres.

But here's what we didn't see, at least not yet.

The Edmonton Oilers were quiet today. They acquired defenseman Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, but they did not get the extra forward they were reportedly looking for.

The Detroit Red Wings landed goalie Petr Mrazek and forward Craig Smith, but they did not replace Andrew Copp at No. 2 center.

The Montreal Canadiens did not trade forward Joel Armia and defenseman David Savard, who are both pending UFAs. The Canadiens do not want to punt on this season.

The Calgary Flames were quiet.

The Vancouver Canucks did not trade forward Brock Boeser, a pending UFA.

The Boston Bruins did not trade captain Brad Marchand, a pending UFA. Yet.

The St. Louis Blues did not trade captain Brayden Schenn.

2:58 p.m. ET

The Vegas Golden Knights just put one word on their X account.

"hi"

Stay tuned because this could mean nothing, but it could mean everything.

2:30 p.m. ET

The New Jersey Devils are acquiring center Cody Glass from the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The Devils need bodies down the middle and Glass is an NHL center. He's not replacing Jack Hughes, but he can fill a role for now and with 30 minutes left it's possible the Devils have more coming.

Glass has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 51 games with the Penguins this season. Two years ago he had 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 72 games with the Nashville Predators. Those were NHL highs across the board for Glass.

2:25 p.m. ET

The Detroit Red Wings have entered the chat for the first time today and it's not a move that is going to move the needle much. In fact, it looks like a move a team makes with a bigger move in mind.

The Red Wings, who have lost four games in a row, have acquired goalie Petr Mrazek and forward Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks for center Joe Veleno.

Mrazek is a nice insurance policy in net, but it is likely Cam Talbot's net down the stretch for the Red Wings. Smith is a solid veteran forward, but he's not a top-two centerman that can replace Andrew Copp, who is out for the rest of this season with a pectoral muscle injury.

However, we'll reserve judgment to see if the Red Wings are using this trade to arrange things in order for a bigger move to come before the deadline in 35 minutes.

The Red Wings have Talbot, Mrazek and Alex Lyon in net. They don't need three goalies unless one of them is injured and we don't know about it yet.

2:05 p.m. ET

A couple of trades breaking in the past 10 minutes, according to reports.

The Boston Bruins are trading forward Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche with forward Casey Mittelstadt as part of the return, according to The Athletic.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are acquiring forward Luke Kunin from the San Jose Sharks, according to TSN and The Athletic.

More to come.

2 p.m. ET

It's now time to start wondering about what the Vegas Golden Knights might be up to.

The Golden Knights are notorious for jumping in late, just before the deadline, and making a monster move.

They did it last season with Tomas Hertl, getting the forward in a blockbuster with the San Jose Sharks with what seemed like seconds before the deadline.

Vegas has been quiet today. It could stay that way, but that's not the Golden Knights M.O.

So here we go, one hour to go, and it feels like the Golden Knights are on the clock.

1:42 p.m. ET

Brock Boeser is on the ice in Vancouver for the morning skate.

If the forward was close to being traded you'd think the Vancouver Canucks would keep him off the ice, but he's out there and Sportsnet had a video of him having a lengthy discussion with coach Rick Tocchet. It appeared they were talking strategy.

Boeser is a pending UFA, but the Canucks are one point out of a playoff spot. It's been 50-50 going into deadline day if they were going to trade him because doing that would hurt their chances of making the playoffs, which is still very much the goal this season in Vancouver despite all the noise around the Canucks.

1:31 p.m. ET

We're starting to get some details on the Mikko Rantanen trade-and-sign to the Dallas Stars.

Rantanen is reportedly signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Stars. That's a $12 million average annual value.

The Stars are sending the Carolina Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks.

Stankoven is a 22-year-old rookie with 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 59 games this season. He had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 24 games with the Stars last season and then eight points (three goals, five assists) in 19 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

We will have plenty more analysis of this trade here in this trade deadline blog and all over NHL.com when it becomes official.

1:22 p.m. ET

Some particulars are out now on the Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs trade.

According to multiple media reports, Toronto is getting Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Maple Leafs are also getting a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.

Key, though, is that the Flyers will retain 50 percent of Laughton's remaining contract, meaning he will go to Toronto with a $1.5 million AAV through next season.

Grebenkin, 21, has been playing for the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League.

1:12 p.m. ET

The New Jersey Devils have re-signed defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to a five-year, $20 million contract ($4.0 million AAV). Kovacevic could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

This contract shows how much the Devils value the 27-year-old defenseman, but also that they're not close to punting on this season despite the injury bug biting them in a bad way this week, losing forward Jack Hughes for the season and defenseman Dougie Hamilton for at least a little while.

The Devils have reportedly been scouring the market for a center, but they're likely doing their due diligence on centers with term remaining on their contracts, like Ryan O'Reilly and Elias Pettersson.

It makes sense too. Getting a center this season would keep the Devils afloat without Hughes and still give them a better chance to not only reach the playoffs but have a chance to win when they get there. But it also looks ahead to next season, when Hughes comes back healthy.

We'll see where it goes in the next hour-plus for the Devils, but this Kovacevic signing shows they didn't just flip to being a seller because of some injury woes.

1:05 p.m. ET

The Winnipeg Jets are getting defenseman Luke Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Winnipeg is also reportedly getting forward Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken.

The price for Schenn shows how much this is a seller's market. He's a 35-year-old rental depth defenseman. Also, what I speculated in a below post about the Jets and Luke Schenn might be less likely now with Tanev going to the Jets, but until the deadline you just never know so let's not delete anything regarding another Schenn joining the Jets.

Tanev going to the Jets gives them more forward depth and a lot of energy and bite. Good teams with aspirations for a long playoff run need depth and energy and bite. Tanev likely will play in a bottom-six role and he won't score a lot, but he'll play his game.

He can, however, pop in some goals. He has nine in 60 games this season, already two more than he had in 66 games last season. He's doing it with the Kraken, a team that is scoring 2.94 goals per game. The Jets are scoring 3.48.

Tanev is a pending UFA.

12:56 p.m. ET

Scott Laughton is going to the Toronto Maple Leafs, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. We'll await the return that the Philadelphia Flyers are getting from Toronto and have more analysis of this trade when we get all the particulars.

For now, Laughton seems like a nice addition for the Maple Leafs, who needed another center and now have Laughton to slide in at No. 3 behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. It also moves Max Domi to the wing.

Laughton is signed through next season for $3 million. The 30-year-old is from Oakville, Ontario. He has 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 60 games this season. He has spent his entire career in Philadelphia, playing 661 games with 265 points (106 goals, 159 assists).

12:54 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Kings need some extra offense, some secondary scoring. They're 24th in the League with 2.80 goals per game. That's the fewest among the 16 teams in a playoff spot right now.

So it's no surprise they added someone who can score.

Andrei Kuzmenko is off to Los Angeles, traded there from the Philadelphia Flyers along with a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft for the Kings' third round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Kuzmenko is a pending unrestricted free agent.

He has 140 points (67 goals, 73 assists) in 197 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Flyers. He has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 44 games with the Flames and Flyers this season.

Philadelphia got Kuzmenko from the Flames on Jan. 31.

12:48 p.m. ET

Luke Schenn is on the move to Winnipeg, his second trade this week.

The 35-year-old defenseman has reportedly been traded to the Winnipeg Jets from the Pittsburgh Penguins with Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reporting it's for two draft picks, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.

Particulars of those picks are not yet known.

Schenn was traded to the Penguins from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. He did not play for the Penguins.

Will this be the Jets big move today or will they be doing more?

There have been reports in recent weeks that Schenn's brother, St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, could also be moved before the deadline. The Jets need a No. 2 center, which is what Brayden Schenn is. It might be a longshot, but it could make some sense.

Let's wait and see.

12:33 p.m. ET

Mikko Rantanen will be traded to the Dallas Stars, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The forward will also sign an eight-year, $96 million contract with the Stars. That's a $12 million average annual value.

There are no details yet as to what the Carolina Hurricanes will be getting in return for Rantanen.

More to come.

12:15 p.m. ET

OK, now we've got something to sink our teeth into with this trade between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, per Sportsnet.

To Ottawa: Forward Dylan Cozens, defenseman Dennis Gilbert, second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

To Buffalo: Forward Josh Norris, defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker.

Cozens, as mentioned in my post at 10:28 a.m. ET, was a candidate to be traded out of Buffalo as the Sabres get to work on re-tooling the roster (again).

Cozens is in the second year of a seven-year, $49.7 million contract ($7.1 million AAV). Norris is in the third year of an eight-year, $63.6 million contract ($7.95 million AAV). Bernard-Docker can be a restricted free agent after this season.

On Cozens, he is having a down year, his second straight season of regression after he topped out with 68 points (31 goals, 37 assists) in 81 games in 2022-23. He dropped to 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 79 games last season. He has 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 61 games this season.

But he's 24 years old and maybe a change will re-ignite the hard-nosed, 200-foot, skilled game he has shown flashes of in Buffalo.

Gilbert is a pending UFA making $825,000 this season. He's a hard-nosed, depth defenseman who has played in 25 games this season and has five assists.

Norris has played in 53 games this season. That alone is a win. He has had three surgeries on his left shoulder since 2019, including two in the previous two seasons that limited him to 58 out of a possible 164 games.

Norris has 33 points, including 20 goals, this season. He scored 35 goals in 2021-22, the last season he was mostly healthy (66 games).

The Sabres are changing direction and Norris is the pivot after they also re-signed forward Jordan Greenway on Tuesday and are reportedly re-signing forward Jason Zucker today.

The Senators are also pivoting away from an oft-injured Norris to get a No. 2 center in Cozens that they obviously believe can do way more for them than he's done for the Sabres, especially this season.

12:09 p.m. ET

Andrei Kuzmenko is reportedly on the move again, for the second time this season, back to the Western Conference.

The Philadelphia Flyers are trading Kuzmenko, a forward, to the Los Angeles Kings for a third-round draft pick, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported. The particulars of the draft pick are not known yet.

Kuzmenko was traded to the Flyers from the Calgary Flames on Jan. 30. He played seven games with the Flyers and had five points.

Of note, Kuzmenko and center Scott Laughton are not on the ice at Flyers practice, per multiple media reports.

We clearly know why now with Kuzmenko, but Laughton's absence is notable.

As mentioned in this blog this morning, Laughton is a solid middle-six center with a very reasonable $3 million salary cap charge through next season. If the Flyers are going to trade him, expect a significant return.

11:47 a.m. ET

Are we taking Kyle Palmieri's name off the trade board today?

TSN's Pierre LeBrun is reporting the New York Islanders have told Palmieri they will not be trading the 34-year-old pending unrestricted free agent forward and are instead focused on re-signing him in the coming days.

The Islanders reportedly were unsuccessful in trying to re-sign center Brock Nelson before they traded him to the Colorado Avalanche late Thursday. If they're not trading Palmieri it's quite clear they're confident that they can get him locked up to stay on Long Island.

Palmieri has 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 61 games this season. It's clear how much the Islanders value him if they're not going to trade him, because you have to assume he'd fetch a pretty good return in what has to this minute been a very clear seller's market.

11:35 a.m. ET

Update from the 11:20 post below: Forward Anthony Beauvillier has officially been traded to the Washington Capitals from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Beauvillier has 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) in 63 games with Pittsburgh this season.

Beauvillier's value has clearly grown in what is now a seller's market. Exactly one year ago he was traded to the Nashville Predators from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

11:20 a.m. ET

Forward Anthony Beauvillier is being traded to the Washington Capitals from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round draft pick, Sportsnet is reporting.

Beauvillier has 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) in 63 games this season. The Capitals will be his sixth team since the start of the 2022-23 season (New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Penguins, Capitals).

He was traded to Nashville from Chicago exactly one year ago today.

This is also the second trade between the Penguins and Capitals this season. Pittsburgh also sent forward Lars Eller to Washington on Nov. 12, 2024.

Pittsburgh helping Washington with forward depth.

Whodathunkit.

11:14 a.m. ET

Go back a few posts and you'll see I wrote about Dylan Cozens and the potential of the Buffalo Sabres trading him.

Well, Kevin Weekes of ESPN and NHL Network reported he's hearing the Sabres and Ottawa Senators are working on a trade, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN took it further by saying Cozens is part of that trade Ottawa and Buffalo are working on.

Weekes mentioned Senators forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker as players involved. TSN's Claire Hanna, reporting from Senators practice, said Norris and Bernard-Docker are not on the ice.

We'll see where this goes.

10:57 a.m. ET

Jason Zucker could be coming off the board as a potential rental acquisition with TSN's Darren Dreger reporting the Buffalo Sabres are signing Zucker to a two-year contract worth $4.75 million annually.

Zucker is playing this season on a one-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Sabres on July 1, 2024. He has 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 54 games this season.

The Sabres re-signed forward Jordan Greenway to a two-year, $8 million ($4.0 million AAV) on Tuesday. Greenway is in the last year of a three-year, $9 million contract ($3.0 million AAV).

10:43 a.m. ET

Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios joined TSN this morning to discuss what they're thinking and potentially looking at with less than five hours remaining before the deadline.

"We're certainly working through a lot of different scenarios," Staios said. "Looking at our team moving into this deadline we're pleased with the step that they've taken. The depth has been tested, and it's hung in pretty good. We feel like we're a good team when we're fully healthy so we're looking at a few different options right now."

Staios did not talk specifics TSN, but he expressed optimism and confidence in the Senators, especially when they're healthy.

But the Senators are in a bit of a difficult predicament approaching this deadline because they know they have to sacrifice their first-round pick in either the 2025 NHL Draft or the 2026 NHL Draft.

This goes back to a ruling by the NHL on Nov. 2, 2023, that the Senators had to forfeit their first-round pick in 2024, 2025 or 2026 because of their role in the trade of forward Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 28, 2021, and the subsequent, invalidated trade of Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks by the Golden Knights on March 21, 2022.

If the Senators are going to forfeit the 2025 pick they have to let the NHL know within 24 hours of the conclusion of the NHL Draft Lottery.

It is impacting their deadline plans.

"Well, it's something we certainly have to keep in mind," Staios said. "Those first-round picks are very valuable. It's an unfortunate situation that we're going to have to deal with at some point. Obviously, it's one of those things where we keep it in mind in certain situations like this and also we're going to have to look at what year we have to give it up, this year or next year. We have to make our best estimation on when it is."

10:28 a.m. ET

Could Dylan Cozens be the player traded today that makes the biggest impact on his new team?

I ask this question knowing full well the answer very well could be no because the obvious answer is Mikko Rantanen if he's traded to the Dallas Stars and signs a new contract with them.

But if that doesn't happen and the Buffalo Sabres trade Cozens, well that could be it.

Cozens is potentially available in a trade, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver that it would have to be what is constituted as a "hockey trade," meaning it's not a trade for future draft picks and/or prospects, that if the Sabres move Cozens they're getting NHL players in return.

Cozens is 24. He was the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has 191 points (77 goals, 120 assists) in 341 games with the Sabres. But he's in his second straight regression year, which obviously is not good.

Cozens had 68 points (31 goals, 37 assists) in 81 games in 2022-23. He dropped to 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 79 games last season. He has 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 61 games this season.

It hasn't worked out the way he or the Sabres thought it would, but there's zero question that Cozens still has big-time upside in the NHL, likely as a No. 2 center, and the market for him should be big. He's in the second year of a seven-year, $49.7 million contract ($7.1 million AAV).

10 a.m. ET

Some players to keep an eye on with the deadline five hours away.

Mikko Rantanen, Carolina Hurricanes: We wait on this one. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reported that there are two steps to Rantanen getting traded to the Dallas Stars, which Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman first reported as a possibility late Thursday. Step 1 is the Stars and Hurricanes agreeing on the framework of a trade, which Johnston reports has happened. Step 2 is Rantanen agreeing to a contract with the Stars, which Johnston said has not happened. Both steps have to be completed for the Stars to acquire Rantanen.

Kyle Palmieri, New York Islanders: Pending UFA forward. Big decision coming from the Islanders. Re-sign or trade before 3 p.m. ET.

Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins: Unclear what happens here for the Bruins captain, who is a pending UFA and is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

David Savard, Montreal Canadiens: Pending UFA defenseman who would be a top rental addition to any team needing help on the blue line. But that team could also be the Canadiens, who are one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Joel Armia, Canadiens: Same situation as Savard, only Armia is a pending UFA forward. Does Montreal keep Armia and Savard as its own rentals? Certainly reasonable to think it could happen.

Ryan Donato, Chicago Blackhawks: TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported this morning the Blackhawks could be close to a contract extension with Donato. If they can't get that done, expect him to be traded in this seller's market.

9:30 a.m. ET

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was on TSN this morning. Cheveldayoff, not surprisingly, kept his cards close to his vest even though, as host James Duthie pointed out, the Jets are looking for a second-line center.

Cheveldayoff, however, did not give a direct answer when asked how involved the Jets were in trade talks involving Brock Nelson, who went to the Colorado Avalanche from the New York Islanders late Thursday.

Cheveldayoff also dodged Duthie's question asking him what he hopes to do today to improve the team that has been the best in the NHL this season.

"I love our group," he said. "It's a good group of guys that have worked together for a long, long time. The interesting thing there is even when you talk about the moves that I made, last year we traded for Sean Monahan so early that no one thought it was a deadline deal. It's not about the moves you make, it's about the results in the end and we'll see how it goes. You've seen situations over the course of time where bold moves are made and nothing happens. We'll see how things unfold. Any move you make you have to put it up against what it displaces on your team and what that does to your team and certainly it has to be the right fit."

9:15 a.m. ET

The Philadelphia Flyers are a team worth keeping an eye on today. The Flyers have forward Scott Laughton and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen signed beyond this season, but they're reportedly receiving interest on each player.

Of course they are. Laughton is a solid middle-six center with a very reasonable $3 million salary cap charge through next season. Ristolainen is a big, top-four, right-shot defenseman who has a reasonable $5.1 million cap charge for two more seasons beyond this one.

Why would the Flyers even think about trading Laughton and Ristolainen?

This is a seller's market and the Flyers know the value of each player might not get better than what it is now, especially considering how thin the center depth is on the trade market and how valuable a big right-shot defenseman is for any team.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported the Flyers are asking for a lot for both players, as they should.

The Edmonton Oilers traded a first-round pick and a prospect for defenseman Jake Walman. The Flyers have to be asking for more than that as Dreger said it's a first, a prospect and a player to put in the Flyers lineup.

Dreger also reported teams that missed on Brock Nelson, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, are circling around Laughton now, but the price is big. Nelson is a rental and the Islanders locked in a top prospect in Callum Ritchie and a first-round pick in the trade.

The Flyers don't have to be in a rush to trade Laughton or Ristolainen, so this all depends on who wants to pony up the big return to make this worthwhile for them.

9 a.m. ET

As we wait, a quick rehash on another trade that went down late Thursday night; defenseman Jake Walman traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Carl Berglund.

Let's not forget that the Detroit Red Wings traded Walman to the Sharks on June 25, 2024 as part of what was really a salary dump. The Red Wings packaged Walman and a second-round pick in the 2024 draft to San Jose for future considerations.

Walman, 29, has one season remaining on a three-year, $10.2 million contract ($3.4 million AAV) that he signed with the Red Wings on Feb. 28, 2023.

Clearly, Detroit soured on Walman or just simply wanted to go in a different direction. And, clearly, Walman thrived in San Jose or else he wouldn't have fetched the Sharks a first-round pick.

He has a career-high 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 50 games this season.

What a turn.

It also speaks to the seller's market we have this year. Teams on the fence should be looking to take advantage of it.

8 a.m. ET

I went to sleep shortly after 1:30 a.m. thinking I'd wake up and Mikko Rantanen would be on the move to the Dallas Stars with a new contract in place.

That did not happen, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Carolina Hurricanes and Stars have the framework of a trade in place, but it's contingent on Rantanen signing a contract with Dallas.

However, this morning TSN's Darren Dreger said the Stars and Hurricanes do not have a deal as of yet because of the particulars with the contract.

We'll see where it goes, but clearly Rantanen is the top player who could be on the move.

If he goes to Dallas, well, just think of what that all means for the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche traded Rantanen to the Hurricanes on Jan. 24 because they did not feel they could come to an agreement on a contract for the pending UFA. The return was strong for the Avalanche even if Carolina got the best player in the deal.

Colorado got back forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Avalanche sent Rantanen out of the Western Conference, and specifically out of the Central Division.

Well, that might be changing.

The Stars could end up playing the Avalanche in the Western Conference First Round. Moreover, if Rantanen goes to the Stars and signs a contract, he could become Colorado's nemesis in the Central for years to come.

It's fascinating.

We don't know the particulars of what the Hurricanes will get back if they trade Rantanen to the Stars or any team today, so we all have to reserve judgement on Carolina and the totality of its trades involving Rantanen.

Stay tuned. We're just getting started.

2:20 a.m. ET

Defenseman Jake Walman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the San Jose Sharks on Friday for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Carl Berglund.

12:30 a.m. ET

It's officially trade deadline day here in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, the headquarters of this trade deadline blog, otherwise known as my home office.

And wouldn't you know it the day has already started with a bang. Well, technically Brock Nelson was traded from the New York Islanders to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, with the Islanders sending out an official announcement via X at 11:55 p.m. ET and the Avalanche following with theirs one minute later.

Close enough.

The news, though, is significant as Nelson was one of the top players on the trade market as a No. 2 center who is kind of like a Swiss Army knife in that he can do just about everything, including play on the wing if necessary.

He's the perfect fit for what the Avalanche need to bolster their secondary scoring and he's off the market and on his way to Denver to compete for the Stanley Cup this season, ending a run with the Islanders that saw him play in 901 games with the team, fourth in team history.

The Islanders got a solid return with forward Calum Ritchie and a 2026 or 2027 first-round pick certainly coming back. They'll get Colorado's 2028 third-round pick if the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup and Nelson plays in 50 percent of their playoff games.

Ritchie was the No. 27 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He's 20 years old and he's currently playing for Oshawa in the Ontario Hockey League. He leads the Generals with 53 assists and is third with 67 points. He scored a goal in seven NHL games this season.

Oliver Kylington also came to the Islanders in the trade, but they flipped the defenseman to the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations. Colorado also got forward William Dufour from the Islanders.

With Nelson off the board and the Avalanche getting the No. 2 center they so desperately need, there are still several big questions remaining.

Is Mikko Rantanen staying or going?

This one is up to the Carolina Hurricanes, who have reportedly been fielding offers for the pending unrestricted free agent forward they acquired from the Avalanche on Jan. 24. In fact, Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported early Friday that talks between Carolina and the Dallas Stars about Rantanen are heating up. Rantanen is not close to ready to sign a new contract with the Hurricanes, so the team has to make a decision if they try to contend for the Stanley Cup with him knowing he could walk July 1 or if they try to get the best deal possible and still try to contend for the Cup only without big No. 96. The Hurricanes could be holding up the trade market as teams interested in Rantanen and with offers on the table for him wait for them to decide what they're doing. No doubt if a trade is made the teams that don't get him will have to pivot. If the Hurricanes tell the rest of the League he's not going anywhere then every team has to pivot.

Will Brad Marchand be traded?

The Boston Bruins captain is a pending UFA and he's out week to week with an upper-body injury. The Bruins have to decide what is their next move with Marchand, who is the lone holdover from their 2011 Stanley Cup winning team. A trade could signify a culture change in Boston. Perhaps the Bruins are able to extend Marchand instead. Maybe they wait it out and work on a new contract in the offseason. Boston's next move with Marchand will impact the rest of the trade market maybe not as significantly as Carolina's with Rantanen, but enough to move the needle.

The Bruins made a move late Thursday, sending forward Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild for forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick, which was originally Boston's. Lauko previously played for the Bruins.

Will Kyle Palmieri also be on his way out of Long Island?

Like Nelson, Palmieri is a pending UFA. The Islanders are on the outside fringe of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. On one hand, it makes sense to trade Palmieri now that the Islanders already traded Nelson. Get more assets in return and re-tool for next season. If that's the decision, you wonder if the Islanders are able to get a player along with a prospect or a pick back in the trade for Palmieri like they did Ritchie in the deal for Nelson. That should be the goal. But there's also still the possibility of the Islanders holding onto Palmieri and extending him.

Will the Blue Jackets be buyers?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have played their way into the playoff race and are in a wild-card position going into deadline day. They certainly shouldn't be sellers even though defenseman Ivan Provorov, a pending UFA, would be one of the most valuable targets on the rental market. But will they be buyers to bolster the roster for a stretch run and a possible playoff berth that months ago didn't seem realistic? The Blue Jackets are also a tight-knit team, so any addition would have to be weighed heavily as to how he would fit into the room. They could stand pat too. They're a team to watch.

What will the Canadiens do?

The Montreal Canadiens have played their way back into the playoff race and this week they re-signed forward Jake Evans to a four-year contract ($2.85 million AAV). They also have pending UFAs defenseman David Savard and forward Joel Armia. Do they trade those guys and send a message to the rest of the team that it's still about the future? Do they keep them and show the team what it has done to this point means it's about this season and then the future? It's interesting times in Montreal for a team that had won five games in a row after a 1-7-1 stretch before a 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers on Thursday.

Is Ryan O'Reilly in play?

It's hard to determine this, but the Nashville Predators are no doubt getting calls on O'Reilly, the 34-year-old center who still has two years beyond this season left on his contract with a $4.5 million AAV. O'Reilly could be part of the solution in Nashville after a season that has gone off the rails in a way no one expected. But if the interest is high the Predators certainly have to be listening. One team reportedly interested is the New Jersey Devils. And boy does that make sense. They just lost center Jack Hughes to season-ending shoulder surgery. They arguably were in need of another center before Hughes' injury. If the Devils can get O'Reilly, he'd fill Hughes' spot for the rest of this season and then they'd have Nico Hischier, Hughes and O'Reilly down the middle next season. It would be among the best top three center depth in the NHL.

There's plenty more questions and a lot more players who could be in play on deadline day.

The clock is ticking.