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.
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.
Carolina was unable to sign their 2019 fourth-round pick (99th overall) Cade Webber and traded his rights to Toronto for a 2026 6th-round pick on Thursday. The 23-year-old towering stay-at-home defenseman has scored only one goal and 16 points in 115 games played across four NCAA seasons with Boston University.
The Colorado Avalanche signed Hanzel to an entry-level contract on Thursday morning before dealing him to the Predators in the afternoon. Hanzel was the sixth-round pick of the Avalanche in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. As a 21-year-old, Hanzel has 50 points (13G / 37A) in 58 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) this season.
Sward was the fifth-round pick of the Predators in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old has not made his professional debut yet and has 73 points (15G / 58A) in 58 games with the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL.
The Avalanche acquired Brandon Duhaime on Thursday and added even more depth to their bottom six by acquiring Trenin later in the day. In 60 games with the Predators this season, Trenin had 14 points (10G / 4A), 94 shots, and 168 hits.
Duhaime will add a rugged edge to Colorado's bottom-six forward group as they shape their roster heading into the playoffs. In 62 games with Minnesota this season, Duhaime had eight points (4G / 4A), 66 penalty minutes, and 153 hits.
Stecher will add some depth to the Oilers blueline ahead of Friday's trade deadline. The 29-year-old defenseman is in his eighth NHL season and has five points (1G / 4A), 52 hits, and 67 blocks in 47 games this season.
Perreault was the 27th overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He has one NHL game under his belt but has spent most of his professional career with the San Diego Gulls (AHL), including 31 games this season, scoring 18 points (7G / 11A).
Mysak was the 48th overall pick of the Canadiens in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has yet to play a game at the NHL level. In 48 games with the Laval Rocket (AHL), Mysak has 20 points (13G / 7A) this season.
Beauvillier was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this season for a fifth-round pick and has now been flipped from the Blackhawks to the Predators for a fifth-rounder. The 26-year-old Beauvillier struggled for an offensively challenged Blackhawks team, registering six points (2G / 4A) and a - 10 plus/minus in 26 games.
Edmundson will join the Maple Leafs, likely as a bottom-pairing depth defenseman, as they attempt to bolster their blueline ahead of Friday's trade deadline. The 30-year-old Edmundson had six points (1G / 5A), 58 hits, and 49 blocks in 44 games with the Washington Capitals this season.
The Flames gave up Noah Hanifin to get Miromanov, a conditional 2025 first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick from the Golden Knights. Calgary retained 50 percent of Hanifin's contract. Miromanov, who will be an RFA at the end of the season, has played in just four NHL games this season, but has seven points (2G / 5A) in 29 career NHL games (all with Vegas).
The Golden Knights gave up a conditional 2025 first-round pick, a conditional third-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round pick and Daniil Miromanov to acquire Hanifin. The Flames retained 50 percent of Hanifin's contract and the Flyers retained 25 percent as a third-party broker. At 25 percent, Hanifin will carry a $1.2375M AAV cap-hit. The 27-year-old defenseman heads to Vegas with 11 goals and 24 assists (35 points) in 61 games this season.
Wennberg was a healthy scratch for the Seattle Kraken on Monday with his name circulating trade rumours, claims validated on Wednesday after being dealt to the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old Wennberg is an impending UFA and has seen his production dip in recent years. That said, he registered three points (1G / 2A) and six shots on goal in his last three games.
Shortly after the trade call was complete, the Flyers placed Johansen on unconditional waivers. Johansen struggled in his first season with the Avalanche, scoring only 23 points (13G / 10A) in 63 games.
Trade rumours circulating Walker for the last few weeks finally materialized on Wednesday in a trade sending him to Colorado. The 29-year-old Walker, in his first season with the Philadelphia Flyers, tallied 22 points (6G / 16A), 109 shots, 81 hits, and 98 blocks in 68 games.
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.
