Ritchie signed a two-year, $5.0M deal with the Maple Leafs in the offseason but had a hard time finding a full-time spot in the lineup. Overall, he had nine points (2G / 7A) in 33 games with the Maple Leafs before being waived and sent to the Marlies. He had one goal in two AHL games. Ritchie should have no problem finding playing time with the Coyotes.
Dzingel has appeared in just 26 games with the Coyotes this season, scoring four goals with three assists (seven points). Dzingel wil likely serve a similar role in Toronto, being a fringe roster player that will play in the bottom-6 when he gets into the lineup.
Lyubushkin is a big (6'2", 201 lbs) rugged defenseman, who is in his fourth year in the NHL. Lyubushkin has just one goal and 18 assists (19 points) in 180 career NHL games but has 498 hits and 246 blocked shots. Lyubushkin was a key penalty killer for the Coyotes and should serve a similar role as a third-pairing defenseman for the Maple Leafs.
Heineman was originally a second-round pick (No.43 overall) of the Panthers but was traded to the Flames as part of the Sam Bennett trade last April. Heineman is a 20-year-old winger, who has scored 11 goals with five assists (16 points) in 36 games with Leksands IF (SHL) this season.
Pitlick never found his groove with the Flames, registering just two assists in 25 games. He gets sent to Montreal to help clear salary space for the Flames to bring on Toffoli. He'll likely play a similar, bottom-6 role in Montreal.
Toffoli began his career under Flames head coach Darryl Sutter when they were with the Kings. Toffoli will provide middle-6 depth for the Flames and scored 37 goals with 33 assists (70 points) in 89 games with the Canadiens in last year and this season combined.
Felhaber was an undrafted free agent out of Ottawa (OHL), who has scored two goals in 14 games with Texas (AHL) this season. He will report to Syracuse (AHL).
Lipanov was a third-round pick of the Lightning in 2017, who has appeared in just one AHL and eight ECHL games this season. He will report to Texas (AHL).
Lafferty was a fourth-round pick in 2014 and is in his third season with the Penguins. The 26-year-old winger has picked up just two assists in 10 games this season.
Nylander was the No.8 overall pick in 2016 but was traded to Chicago in 2019 and has spent all of 2022 with Rockford (AHL). Nylander who has 32 points (13G / 19A) in 84 career NHL games, has tallied 12 points (8G / 4A) in 23 AHL games this season. It's unclear whether or not he will report to the Penguins or the AHL.
Stevens was a fifth-round pick in 2016 and has spent the first four years of his professional career in the AHL. He has picked up three goals and nine assists (12 points) in 20 AHL games this season.
Bitten was a third-round pick of the Canadiens in 2016 but was traded to Minnesota in 2018. He has picked up just eight points (3G / 5A) in 23 AHL games with Iowa this season.
The Devils are worried about Jonathan Bernier's health, so they were looking for cheap goaltending help. Gillies showed he can handle the NHL in his season debut on Sunday, stopping 36 of 39 shots in a loss to the Ducks. The former third-round pick is 4-5-2 with a 2.72 GAA and .905 SV% in the NHL.
Gabriel is a massive body (6-foot-4, 200 lbs) who has one goal, one assist and 36 PIMS in 13 AHL games this season. The 2013 third-round pick has just five points (2G / 3A) in 49 career NHL games with the Wild, Devils, Sharks and Maple Leafs.
The Sabres have been searching for goaltending help and they found some in Subban, who was in the AHL and stuck behind Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Lankinen on the depth chart. Subban has gone 2-2-1 with a 3.38 GAA and .893 SV% in the AHL this season.
Sherwood has scored one goal with three assists in 13 games with Belleville this season. The 24-year-old forward has one assist in 11 career NHL games (with CBJ) and will likely report to Milwaukee (AHL).
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.
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.
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.
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.
