Carolina has acquired Viktor Neuchev from Buffalo for Gavin Bayreuther.
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NHL Trades
Buffalo has acquired Gavin Bayreuther from Carolina for Viktor Neuchev.
Pittsburgh has acquired Ilya Solovyov from Colorado for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 7th round pick.
Solovyov was often the odd-man out of the lineup for the Avalanche this season, mostly drawing in due to injuries, and will hope for a more defined role with the Penguins. The 25-year-old Belarusian defenseman averaged 11:34 time-on-ice and had three points (1G / 2A) in 16 games with Colorado this season.
Colorado has acquired Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 7th round pick from Pittsburgh for Ilya Solovyov.
Puustinen has 24 points (7G / 17A) in 66 career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh, but he has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL. The 26-year-old Finnish forward has 26 points (7G / 19A) in 35 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) this season.
San Jose has acquired Kiefer Sherwood from Vancouver for Cole Clayton, a 2026 2nd round pick an a 2027 2nd round pick.
Sherwood has not played in over a week due to an undisclosed injury, and his first game with the San Jose Sharks likely won't be until after the Olympic Break. The 29-year-old hard-hitting Sherwood truly broke out last season, scoring 40 points (19G / 21A) and recording an absurd 462 hits in 78 games. He has continued the 2025-26 season on a similar pace, with 23 points (17G / 6A) and 210 hits through 44 games.
Vancouver has acquired Cole Clayton, a 2026 2nd round pick an a 2027 2nd round pick from San Jose from Kiefer Sherwood.
Clayton is an undrafted defenseman that has never played an NHL game and will likely be an organizational depth blueliner for Vancouver, playing in Abbotsford (AHL). The 25-year-old Clayton had five points (2G / 3A) in 33 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) before the trade.
Calgary acquired Wiebe, Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 conditional 1st-round pick, and a 2028 conditional 2nd-round pick from Vegas for Rasmus Andersson.
Calgary acquired Whitecloud, Abram Wiebe, a 2027 conditional 1st-round pick, and a 2028 conditional 2nd-round pick from Vegas for Rasmus Andersson.
Whitecloud spent the first eight years of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights, but will head to the Calgary Flames in a major trade with Rasmus Andersson as the major piece. The 29-year-old Whitecloud played exclusively as a bottom-four defenseman with Vegas. He recorded seven points (2G / 5A), 63 blocks, and 73 hits in 47 games this season.
Andersson was acquired in a trade from Calgary for Zach Whitecloud, Abram Wiebe, a 2027 conditional 1st-round pick, and a 2028 conditional 2nd-round pick.
Andersson was finally acquired by the Golden Knights on Sunday, materializing trade rumours that have circulated since the offseason. The 29-year-old Andersson was having a tremendous season with the Flames, but an eventual trade was all but certain for the impending UFA defenseman. He was pacing for career-best offensive totals before the trade, scoring 30 points (10G / 20A) in 48 games with Calgary.
Anaheim has acquired Jeffrey Viel from Boston for a 2026 4th round pick.
Viel has not played much this season, limited to only one game since the beginning of December, and hopes that a fresh start with the Anaheim Ducks will allot him more playing time. The 28-year-old forward has five points (3G / 2A) in 64 career NHL games.
Chicago has acquired Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong, and a 2028 4th round pick from San Jose for Laurent Brossoit, Nolan Allan and a 2028 7th round pick.
Ellis is in the 7th year of an eight-year, $50 million contract, but is not eligible to play due to a significant back injury, making this trade a salary dump for San Jose. Ellis's last NHL appearance was in the 2021-22 season.
Chicago has acquired Jake Furlong, Ryan Ellis and a 2028 4th round pick from San Jose for Laurent Brossoit, Nolan Allan and a 2028 7th round pick.
Furlong was drafted in the fifth round by the San Jose Sharks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman has two assists in 12 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season and has yet to play an NHL game.
San Jose has acquired Nolan Allan, Laurent Brossoit, and a 2028 7th round pick from Chicago for Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong and a 2028 4th-rounder.
Allan was drafted 32nd overall by the Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut last season, scoring eight points (1G / 7A) in 43 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL.
San Jose has acquired Laurent Brossoit, Nolan Allan and a 2028 7th round pick from Chicago for Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong and a 2028 4th-rounder.
The Sharks have added some goaltending depth by acquiring Brossoit from the Chicago Blackhawks. The 32-year-old Brossoit recently returned from a two-year absence due to injury and a 3.38 GAA and .901 SV% in six games (3-3-0) with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL). He has a 2.64 GAA and .911 SV% in 140 career NHL games (64-46-13), but has not played an NHL game since the 2023-24 season.
Carolina has acquired Juuso Valimaki from Utah for Cash Considerations.
Pittsburgh has acquired Egor Zamula from Philadelphia for Philip Tomasino.
Zamula had been in and out of the lineup for the Flyers all season and he will hope to find more stability on the blueline with the Penguins. The 25-year-old defenseman averaged 14:02 time-on-ice and recorded one assist in 13 games with the Flyers.
Philadelphia has acquired Philip Tomasino from Pittsburgh for Egor Zamula.
Tomasino had not played much this season, limited to only nine games with Pittsburgh, and will hope a change of scenery helps him find another gear in Phiadelphia. The 24-year-old forward has 95 points (34G / 61A) in 218 career NHL games.
Pittsburgh has acquired Yegor Chinakhov from Columbus for Danton Heinen, a 2026 2nd round pick and a 2027 3rd round pick.
Chinakhov was drafted 21st overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but had trouble establishing himself with the Blue Jackets and will hope a change of scenery in Pittsburgh can get him going. The 24-year-old forward has 77 points (37G / 40A) in 204 career NHL games.
Columbus has acquired Danton Heinen, a 2026 2nd round pick, and a 2027 3rd round pick for Yegor Chinakhov from Pittsburgh.
With healthy bodies returning to Pittsburgh's lineup, Heinen was placed on waivers with the intention of being assigned to the AHL, but has instead been sent to the Columbia Blue Jackets via trade. The 30-year-old Heinen has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he scored an impressive 17 points (6G / 11A) in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Tampa Bay has acquired Michael Milne from Minnesota for Boris Katchouk.
NHL Trade Tracker
Are you looking for all the latest NHL trade news from around the league? Then you’ve come to the right spot! Daily Faceoff’s NHL trade tracker provides up-to-the-minute updates on the latest personnel moves and trade rumours from all 32 franchises. When your favourite player gets dealt for future considerations, you’ll be the first to know!
Along with our NHL trade tracker, we also provide information on how hockey trades work, the strategy behind these moves, and how the latest NHL trades could impact your sports betting strategy.
It’s important for fans, sports bettors, and fantasy managers to stay informed on the latest NHL transactions. If you can keep tabs on the latest moves in the NHL, this can assist you in making intelligent pickups or trades in fantasy hockey and help shape your bets based on the new personnel added to a team.
NHL Trade Rules
NHL trades can be quite lucrative, with players, prospects, and draft capital moved to complete a deal. While there are a variety of ways to finalize trades, they all need to abide by the trade rules and regulations set by the league. Even the San Jose Sharks can’t take on everyone’s bad contracts.
Learn more about the rules around trades below so you can better understand how trades work, and the transactions made in our NHL trade tracker.
Salary Cap
In order for any NHL trade to be processed successfully, all parties involved must abide by the league’s salary cap rules. The current NHL salary cap is $88M, meaning that each team’s total payroll must fall within the budgetary restriction.
The salary cap in the NHL is considered a “hard cap,” meaning that no team can exceed it. While the limitations around roster construction can be strict, there are still ways for teams to legally exceed the set limit that won’t cost teams a first-round pick.
In the playoffs, teams are technically able to exceed their cap space through the long-term injured reserve (LTIR). The LTIR allows teams to place injured players on extended leave (24+ calendar days or 10 NHL Games) and fill their roster spots based on their cap space heading into the regular season.
If a player is on the LTIR heading into the postseason, they can be activated regardless of if their re-addition to the team puts them over the salary cap.
Roster Limit
For any active NHL roster, they can only dress 23 skaters. While they’re able to move players up and down through their farm system (AHL/ECHL/International Players), they must abide by this player limit when it comes to active players dressed in each game.
This plays a big factor in determining trades, as teams will need to make salaries work to make the move official and fit the current team’s available roster spots.
Depth is an incredibly important part of any successful NHL team, so filling out their roster with talented players is pivotal to their success. Each roster spot holds immense value.
NHL Trade Deadline
The NHL trade deadline is the last opportunity for teams to make moves between each other during the regular season. The trade deadline generally falls after the All-Star break so teams can make their last-ditch efforts before the playoffs begin. Players must be on the team’s roster by the deadline at 3 PM to be eligible for the NHL playoffs.
Technically, teams can still make trades after this point if they don’t qualify or have been eliminated from the postseason. These trades will not take effect until the next season, but the transactions can still go through.
The deadline can make or break a team’s playoff hopes, making it a dramatic and hectic period for hockey fans and managers alike. Be sure to regularly check back with our NHL trade tracker around the deadline so you don’t miss any latest moves from across the league.
Understanding the Strategy Behind NHL Trades
NHL teams may want to make a trade for a number of reasons. Often, teams make trades when they are looking to head in a certain direction, whether this means trying to improve and compete for the Stanley Cup or tank and enter a rebuild.
A team that feels it has a strong enough unit to make a deep run into the postseason will likely forgo some of its draft capital to acquire proven talent and enhance its winning capabilities.
Conversely, a team that has hit a wall in terms of success and doesn’t feel they have what it takes to compete in the playoffs may opt to trade away valuable assets in favour of draft picks or promising prospects.
Other NHL trade strategies may involve team culture/personnel fits. If a player doesn’t fit within a coach’s game plan or doesn’t have chemistry with his line mates, teams may opt to deal him to find a better fit.
For daily fantasy sports players or hockey bettors, understanding the logic behind NHL trades can play a big part in your success. If you have a solid understanding of a team’s needs and the value brought by particular players, you can use this to gain an edge on your roster moves and bets.
Check out the most recent roster moves from around the league with our NHL trade tracker, and be sure to analyze the strategy used by each team when making their next move.
How NHL Trades Impact Sports Betting
NHL trades can have a major impact on sports betting, both in terms of daily games and futures. Players moving from team to team can alter a squad’s potential success and on-ice production.
For example, if a team decides to trade their leading goal-scorer, you can rightfully assume that their overall scoring numbers may drop as a result. This means a team you once would’ve taken the Over on may be better suited for the Under due to their new lineup.
Acquiring an all-star player for futures bets can dramatically influence the betting lines, increasing one team’s value while dropping another. If you’ve already placed a futures bet and the team you wagered on makes a trade, this could possibly increase or lower the value of your original ticket, depending on the result of the roster change.
Daily fantasy hockey players can also be impacted by NHL trades as you will need to see how a player fits into their new setting before including them in your drafted lineup.Be sure to watch for any of the latest transactions by using our NHL trade tracker to stay informed on all the roster changes occurring throughout the league.
NHL Trades FAQs
Who decides NHL trades?
NHL trades are decided between two or more team general managers. The front office’s job is building a winning team. Building a winning team means discussing trades with other general managers across the league.
When can players be traded in the NHL?
During the NHL regular season, players can be traded up until the trade deadline. The deadline is the official cutoff point for when teams can no longer make moves between each other. Players can also be traded throughout the offseason.
Why do they trade players in hockey?
Teams trade players in hockey for a variety of reasons, but generally, it is done to find success, whether that is in the short term or long term. Teams may trade their top players in search of draft picks if they are undergoing a rebuild, whereas contending teams may look to acquire talent to boost their playoff chances.
How often are NHL players traded?
Trades are a common occurrence throughout the NHL and happen often. Some years feature less trades than others, it all depends on each teams needs and the availability of attractive talent.