NHL Hockey Player News

The Ducks acquired Husso from the Red Wings on Monday in exchange for future considerations.

Husso's disappointing three-year spell in Detroit comes to unceremonious end as the Red Wings opted to clear him off their cap sheet in exchange for future considerations. Husso compiled a 36-32-11 record and an .892 SV% across parts of three seasons in Detroit, and was ultimately the odd-man out in a Red Wings crease that includes Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon. He provides organizational depth at the position for the Ducks, who are currently without the services of John Gibson (upper-body).

Ville Husso
The Predators have acquired Grigori Denisenko from the Golden Knights for future considerations.

Denisenko has spent nearly the entire 2024-25 season in the AHL, where he has 10 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 42 games. He appeared in one game with the Golden Knights this season and has just seven career points (0G / 7A) in 33 NHL games with the Panthers and Golden Knights.

Grigori Denisenko
Nashville has acquired Mark Friedman from Vancouver for Cash Considerations.

Friedman has 93 games of NHL experience but has primarily been an AHL player the past several seasons. The 29-year-old defenseman played five games with Vancouver this season, regularly being an option on the blueline whenever an injury arises. He has six points (1G / 5A) in 20 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.

Mark Friedman
Utah has acquired Sammy Walker from Minnesota for future considerations.

Walker was a seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He has two points (1G / 1A) in 13 career NHL games and has predominantly been an AHL player since graduating from the University of Minnesota in the 2021-22 season. The 25-year-old forward has 11 points (2G / 9A) in 30 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season.

Sammy Walker
The Stars have acquired Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund from the Sharks for a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick.

With Miro Heiskanen out, the Stars picked up some veteran depth to help out their blueline until he's back. During his 54 games in San Jose, Ceci had 15 points (4G / 11A), 60 SOG, 100 blocked shots, and 52 hits.

Cody Ceci
The Stars have acquired Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the Sharks for a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick.

Granlund is in the final year of a four-year, $5.0M AAV deal. The veteran forward is having an outstanding season, recording 15 goals and 30 assist (45 points) in 52 games with the Sharks. He will provide depth in the Stars' middle-6, which was lacking a little bit following the injury to Tyler Seguin.

Mikael Granlund
The Canucks have acquired Victor Mancini, Filip Chytil, and a conditional first-round pick from the Rangers for J.T. Miller, Erik Brannstrom, and Jackson Dorrington.

A fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Mancini has spent the majority of his first two pro seasons with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. Mancini made his NHL debut with the Rangers earlier this season, and has one goal and four assists across 15 career NHL games. He should compete with Noah Juulsen and Vincent Desharnais for game-time as Vancouver's sixth defenceman.

Victor Mancini
The Canucks have acquired Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a conditional first-round pick from the Rangers for J.T. Miller, Erik Brannstrom, and Jackson Dorrington.

Chytil joins the Canucks as the key piece in the trade that finally helped the Rangers reunite with J.T. Miller. After being limited to a bottom-six role throughout practically his entire career in New York, Chytil should finally get the chance to excel further up the lineup with the Canucks. He leaves New York after parts of eight seasons with the Rangers, scoring 75 goals and adding 89 assists in 378 career regular season games.

Filip Chytil
The Rangers have acquired Jackson Dorrington, J.T. Miller, and Erik Brannstrom from the Canucks for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a conditional first-round pick.

A sixth-round draft pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Dorrington is yet to make his professional debut. He is currently playing in his third season with Northeastern University of the NCAA. Dorrington has eight goals and 20 assists in 81 career NCAA games.

Jackson Dorrington
The Rangers have acquired Erik Brannstrom, J.T. Miller, and Jackson Dorrington from the Canucks for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a conditional first-round pick.

Signed from the Senators in the off-season, Brannstrom leaves the Canucks organization after just 28 NHL games. He registered three goals and five assists with the Canucks, and excelled during his short stint with Abbotsford (AHL), scoring two goals and adding ten assists in just eight games. It's unclear whether the former 15th overall pick will compete for ice-time in the NHL to start his stint with the Rangers, or if he'll be reassigned to Hartford (AHL).

Erik Brannstrom
The Rangers have acquired J.T. Miller, Erik Brannstrom, and Jackson Dorrington from the Canucks for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a conditional first-round pick.

Perhaps the most anticipated trade of the 2024-25 NHL season, Miller has finally been relocated back to the Big Apple, waiving his no-trade clause to rejoin the Rangers. On a per game basis, Miller is one of the most productive Canucks of all time, joining Pavel Bure as the organization's only other player to finish their Canuck careers with more than a point per game. Some dressing room turmoil quite obviously led to Miller's early departure, and although he's fallen off from the 102-point player he was a season ago, he's still managed 35 points (9G/26A) in 40 games this season. He brings a much needed offensive boost to a team that desperately needs it in the underperforming Rangers.

J.T. Miller
The Flyers have acquired Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick from the Flames for Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost.

Kuzmenko broke onto the NHL scene in the 2022-23 season with a tremendous 74 points (39G / 35A) in 81 games with the Vancouver Canucks. The now 28-year-old has struggled to recapture that scoring prowess, with only 61 points (26G / 35A) in 109 games since.

Andrei Kuzmenko

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.

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