Koivunen was a second-round pick (No.51 overall) in 2021 and remains in Finland, playing for Karpat (Liiga). The 20-year-old centre is tied for the team-lead with 55 points (21G / 34A) in 57 games.
Bunting is in the first year of a three-year deal that carries a $4.5M AAV cap-hit. He gets reunited with his former GM Kyle Dubas, who moved from Toronto to Pittsburgh in the offseason. Bunting picked up 13 goals and 23 assists (36 points) in 60 games with the Hurricanes this season. He could be a candidate to skate with Sidney Crosby, now that Guentzel is out of town, which would be a huge fantasy boost for the 28-year-old winger.
Smith was a first-round pick (No.17 overall) in 2018 and made an early splash with the Devils, but did not have the same impact with the Penguins after being traded for John Marino in July 2022. Smith has spent the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL, where he had nine goals and 23 assists (32 points) in 51 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Guentzel is in the final year of a five-year deal that carries a $6.0M AAV cap-hit. The Penguins retained 25 percent of his contract, so the Hurricanes acquired him at a $4.5M AAV cap hit. Guentzel, who has been out with an upper-body injury since February 14th, has scored 22 goals with 30 assists (52 points) in 50 games this season. Over the last three seasons, Guentzel ranks 22nd in the NHL with 98 goals, so he'll provide some serious goal-scoring punch to the Hurricanes' middle-6.
Labanc will replace Anthony Duclair in the Sharks' lineup after the latter was traded to the Lightning earlier on Thursday. Labanc will skate alongside Nico Sturm and Justin Bailey on the Sharks' third line.
After a miserable two-month stretch for Talbot, he appears to have returned to form and will tend the twine for the fifth straight game on Thursday. Talbot was excellent in a 2-1 losing effort in overtime against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, saving 29 of 31 shots (.935 SV%). The Kings enter action as -191 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators club that was defeated 2-1 by the Anaheim Ducks last night.
The Canucks will turn to Demko between the pipes on Thursday in a heated divisional matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Demko has been inconsistent lately, winning only two of his last seven starts, but he was tremendous in his last outing, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks enter action as slight +102 road underdogs.
A third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Thompson has enjoyed a productive year with Syracuse (AHL) and could presumably see some action with the Sharks down the stretch after making his NHL debut earlier this year. The 21-year-old defenseman had five goals and 27 assists in 46 AHL games this season.
Duclair has underwhelmed in his first season as a Shark, but will now get the benefit of playing with a demonstrably better surrounding cast in Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old winger had 16 goals and 11 assists in 56 games with San Jose. He will now return to the state of Florida where he spent the previous three seasons playing with the Panthers.
Koch will draw into the Coyotes' lineup for Matt Dumba, who is a scratch for trade-related reasons. Koch has one goal and ten assists in 47 games with Tucson (AHL) this season.
Middleton will miss Thursday's game in Arizona as he presumably deals with an undisclosed injury. Middleton has seven goals and 13 assists in 62 games this season.
Bjugstad has five points in his last eight games (4G / 1A) along with 21 shots and 19 hits. Most recently, Bjugstad has played on a line with Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse.
Dumba and Jason Zucker will both be held out of the Coyotes' lineup in anticipation of a deal before Friday's trade deadline. Dumba has 10 points (4G / 6A), 148 hits, and 84 blocks in 58 games this season.
Pettersen was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft and has yet to appear in an NHL game. The 23-year-old centre has spent the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL, where he has 30 points (7G / 23A) in 54 games with the Calgary Wranglers.
Damiani was a fifth-round pick in 2018 and has appeared in just seven career NHL games with the Stars, tallying one goal and one assist. He has spent the entire 2023-24 season in the AHL, where he has 23 points (10G / 13A) in 53 games with Texas.
Fagemo has played four games with the Kings this season and is yet to register a point. He has been very productive in the AHL, however, scoring 31 goals and adding 16 assists in 31 games with the Ontario Reign.
Saros will be right back between the pipes for the Predators on Thursday after seeing his personal six-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday. Saros allowed four goals on 30 shots as the Predators fell to the Canadiens 4-3 in overtime. After a shaky start to the season, Saros' recent run of form has seen his record improve to 26-21-3 on the year to go along with a respectable .907 SV%. He's got a great chance of getting back in the win column on Thursday as the Predators are -165 favourites over the Sabres.
Rousek will fill in for Tage Thompson, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Rousek played five games with the Sabres earlier this season but has spent most of the 2023-24 campaign with the Rochester Americans (AHL). The 24-year-old winger has 38 points (10G / 28A) in 48 games with Rochester this season.
