As a hockey fan, no time is more exhilarating and nerve-wracking than the NHL trade deadline, and this year did not disappoint. Headline deals, starting with Mikko Rantanen, sparked plenty of debate — especially among Boston Bruins fans. Let’s break down the winners, losers and major trades.
The biggest moves came from the Western Conference powerhouses, the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. These teams battled last year and have maintained elite play this season. Both made significant splashes to gear up for another deep playoff run.
Starting with the Avalanche, the big storyline out of Colorado before the deadline was the trade of Mikko Rantanen. A key piece in their 2022 Stanley Cup win, Rantanen was sent to Carolina for Jack Drury, Martin Necas, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick after contract extension talks fell apart. While shocking, the move provided Colorado with depth and future assets. Necas has 20 points (8G, 12A) in 22 games, while Drury plays a key bottom-six role, crucial in the playoffs.
The Avalanche continued their deadline moves by acquiring Brock Nelson and William Dufour from the New York Islanders in exchange for Oliver Kylington, top prospect Calum Ritchie, and conditional first and third-round picks. Nelson strengthens their center depth behind Nathan MacKinnon, allowing them to further trade Casey Mittelstadt to Boston for Charlie Coyle and additional assets. MacKinnon, Nelson and Coyle form a form-idable 1-2-3 center lineup, one of the best in the league. Coyle is also under contract for another season at $5.25 million.
Colorado also made a smaller move, acquiring Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey from the New York Rangers. Lindgren, worn down from top-pairing minutes in New York, gets a fresh start with a reduced workload in Colorado, where he could thrive.
Losing Rantanen stings, but Avs fans should be thrilled with their deadline work.
On the topic of Rantanen, his final destination came after a whirlwind of moves that kept insiders scrambling for information. The Dallas Stars ultimately landed him and signed him to an eight-year, $12 million annual extension. In return, they sent Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-round picks — a solid deal considering draft picks are never guaranteed to pan out.
Dallas also added Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from San Jose for a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder. Granlund, a skilled forward, has 12 points in 18 games, while Ceci is a reliable veteran defenseman.
While the Stars didn’t make as many moves as Colorado, they made key additions to stay competitive in a stacked Western Conference. Whether these moves set them apart remains to be seen, but they secured their star in Rantanen.
Several other teams found success at the deadline. Both Florida teams made moves to add depth. Brad Marchand, despite being injured, makes the reigning champion Florida Panthers that much more of a championship-caliber team with his grit and skill. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning added key roster pieces, with Julien BriseBois once again finding value in Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
With every winner comes a loser, and while most trades made sense this year, some teams still took a hit. The Carolina Hurricanes essentially traded Martin Necas, Jack Drury and draft capital for a few weeks of Rantanen and a Rolex for Jack Roslovic (arguably the biggest winner of the deadline). After just 13 games, Rantanen made it clear he wouldn’t sign long-term in Carolina, and money didn’t seem to be the issue. Whatever the reason, Carolina continues to struggle with player retention (Rantanen, Guentzel, Trocheck, etc.). They did acquire four draft picks and Stankoven, but as a playoff team, they need impact players now — not future assets. Beyond the Rantanen saga, they made no major moves to improve their roster other than adding Taylor Hall, which is puzzling. Clearly, Tom Dundon did not see long-term value in this year’s deadline.
Carolina struggled on the ice, but no fanbase suffered more at the deadline than Bruins fans. As a Rangers fan who grew up in “Bruins Country” (where the fans were fake, at least where I lived), this deadline felt like a horror film. Losing beloved names like Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo was tough enough, but Don Sweeney twisted the knife by trading captain and lifelong Bruin Brad Marchand to a division rival. Yes, the same rival that has eliminated them in recent playoffs. Marchand was dealt for a conditional second-rounder, dependent on him, playing 50% of games and the Panthers advancing two rounds. I joke with Bruins fans, but if my team did that, I’d disappear for a while. Objectively, Boston’s return (Mittelstadt, Fraser Minten, draft capital) wasn’t bad, but watching a franchise fall apart like this is heartbreaking — I would know.
For a quick local recap, the Rangers did most of their work early, with Jacob Trouba heading to the Anaheim Ducks and J.T. Miller returning to Broadway. Deadline day itself was quiet, with only minor deals.
The Islanders’ big move was shipping out Brock Nelson, and they got a solid return — surprising given Lou Lamoriello’s history. However, they could have done more with pending unrestricted free agents like J.G. Pageau and Kyle Palmieri.
As for the New Jersey Devils, given their struggles and Jack Hughes’ injury, Tom Fitzgerald wisely stayed quiet. Even the best teams have just a 3% chance to win the Cup when fully healthy, so there was no reason to go all-in. They did add depth with Daniel Sprong, Cody Glass and Brian Dumoulin but paid a steep price — a conditional second-round pick — to do so. With Dougie Hamilton out, the move makes sense, but it was costly.
