Kaski signed with the Red Wings this summer after three years in Finland. He was the third highest-scoring defenseman in SM-liiga history last year, posting 51 points (19G / 32A) in 59 games. He hasn't had the same success in North America, scoring two goals with three assists (five points) in 19 AHL games.
Wood was originally a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2014. The 23-year-old was already been traded three times in his career--first from Colorado to Arizona (2016), then from Arizona to San Jose (2018) and then from San Jose to Carolina in August. Now he heads to Detroit, where he will likely report to Grand Rapids initially. He has five points (3G / 2A) in 14 games with Charlotte (AHL) this season.
It sounded as if the Capitals were set to waive Stephenson to clear a roster spot for Carl Hagelin to return to the lineup, but the Golden Knights stepped up. Cody Eakin is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, so Stephenson is expected to replace him in the Vegas bottom-6. The 25-year-old hasn't done much offensively this season, posting three goals and one assist in 24 games with Washington.
Saarijarvi was a third-round pick (No.73 overall) in 2015 and never really got things going in the AHL. After posting 31 points (11G / 20A) in 34 games in his final OHL season, Saarijarvi posted just 28 points (2G / 26A) in 125 AHL games. He will report to Tucson (AHL).
Comrie was originally a second-round pick of the Jets but was claimed off of waivers by the Coyotes during the preseason. Comrie has not appeared in an NHL game this season but has gone 4-0-0 with a 2.75 GAA and .900 SV% in four AHL starts. With Jimmy Howard hurt, Comrie could join the Red Wings immediately and serve as Jonathan Bernier's backup.
de la Rose was originally a second-round pick of the Canadiens in 2013 but has been with the Red Wings since 2018 after being claimed on waivers in October 2018. de la Rose has just 13 points (4G / 9A) in 76 games with Detroit but is an effective penalty killer and will battle with MacKenzie MacEachern for playing time on the fourth line.
Fabbri was originally selected in the first-round (No.21 overall) back in 2015 but injuries have derailed a once promising career. After posting 18 goals and 37 points in his rookie year, Fabbri has amassed just 36 points (14G / 22A) in 92 games over the last three seasons. He has had a hard time finding playing time with the Blues but that will not be an issue in Detroit. As long as he can stay healthy, Fabrri should be able to breathe new life into his career.
After the Lightning signed Curtis McElhinney, Domingue was pushed back to the AHL, where he is 2-1-1 with a 3.81 GAA and .863 SV% to start the season. Domingue provides the Devils with extra goaltending depth, a position that has been lacking to start 2019-20.
Regula was a third-round pick (No.67 overall) in 2018 and is currently a top-pair defenseman with the London Knights (OHL). Regula is a towering defenseman at 6-foot-4, 207 lbs. who has registered 11 points (4G / 7A) in 10 OHL games this season.
Perlini only played in one of the Blackhawks' first 10 games this season and voiced his displeasure and was hoping to be traded. The Blackhawks granted his request and send him to a Red Wings team that is devoid of NHL wingers right now. He should get all of the playing time he wants with the Red Wings and should immediately jump into their top-6 if head coach Jeff Blashill elects to get Andreas Athanasiou some help. Perlini is a former first-round pick (No.12 overall in 2014) but has career-highs of just 17 goals and 30 points (2018).
Saarela was originally a third-round pick of the Hurricanes, where he spent the first two years of his career before being traded to Chicago in a trade that sent Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling to Carolina. Saarela opened the 2019-20 season with Rockford and registered just one assist in five games. He will report to Springfield (AHL).
McCoshen made 19 appearances with the Panthers last season but has started the 2019-20 season in the AHL, where he has registered four assists in seven games. McCoshen is a big, (6-foot-3, 217 lbs) physical defenseman who averaged 2.2 hits per game with Florida last year. He is expected to report to Rockford (AHL).
Ebert’s stay with the Senators was short-lived. The 25-year-old defenseman returned from Europe after two years and appeared in just one game with Belleville (AHL) before being traded to New York. Ebert will report to Hartford (AHL).
Namestnikov had 11 goals and 20 assists (31 points) in 78 games with the Rangers last season. He has been held pointless through two games this season but has been buried in the Rangers bottom-6. With Ottawa, Namestnikov has a chance to carve out a top-6 role and that will go a long way in revamping his fantasy value.
Pope, 25, was originally selected in the fourth-round (No.109 overall) in the 2013 NHL draft and turned pro last year. Pope had 41 points (20G / 21A) in 35 games in his senior year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha before joining the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). He had two goals and one assist in 28 AHL games and will report to Utica (AHL) following the trade.
Biega was set to open the season in Utica (AHL) where he had two assists in three games last year. Biega has served as a No.6/No.7 defenseman for the Canucks over the last few seasons, posting a career-high with 16 points (2G / 14A) in 41 games last year. This trade suggests that Trevor Daley, who left Sunday’s game with an injury, could be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Meloche is a former second-round pick of Colorado and is coming off of a 21-point (6G / 15A) season with the Colorado Eagles (AHL). He will report to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
The Avalanche bolster their goaltending depth a bit by adding the 25-year-old Bibeau. The former sixth-round pick was 16-18-3 with a 2.89 GAA and .904 SV% with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) last year. He will report to the Colorado Eagles.
Bokk was the No.25 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and is set to play in his second full season with Rögle BK (Swedish Hockey League). Bokk has tremendous speed and hands and is coming off of 23 points (8G / 15A) in 47 games last year.
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.
