Cajkovic has been dealt to Pittsburgh for Will Butcher in a minor deal Thursday. The 23-year-old right-winger has bounced from both of Iowa's minor league teams this season but played majority with the Heartlanders (ECHL) and had 12 goals and 18 points in 20 games.
Cederqvist was Buffalo's 2019 fifth round pick (143rd overall) but has been acquired Thursday from Montreal for future considerations from the Sabres. The 23-year-old will provide Laval (AHL) some much needed offensive depth after he had a goal, three assists, 11 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus in 19 games played with Rochester (AHL).
It was a shocking, blockbuster trade between the Flyers and Ducks on Monday, as Philadelphia opted to move on from their fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for the sixth-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Jamie Drysdale, and a second-round draft pick. While Drysdale already has parts of four NHL seasons under his belt, Gauthier is still playing with Boston College in the NCAA, where he's racked up 13 goals and ten assists in 17 games this season.
It's a shocking move considering Anaheim selected Drysdale sixth overall just three and a half years ago in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Drysdale had played ten games with the Ducks this season, scoring one goal and adding four assists and was recently promoted to the team's top power-play unit. In exchange, the Ducks acquire the fifth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Cutter Gauthier.
Tatar was traded to Seattle in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick. Tatar's time in Colorado lasted just 27 games, where he scored one goal and added eight assists while playing just over 11 minutes a night.
Cicek was acquired along with a 2024 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for forward Jack Studnicka. The 23-year-old defenseman is yet to appear in the NHL this season after playing 16 games with the Sharks a season ago. He has one goal and two assists in 18 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season.
Studnicka was acquried in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek and a 2024 sixth-round draft pick. Studnicka played five games with the Canucks this season, registering one goal and zero assists. He's spent most of his time in Abbotsford (AHL) this year, scoring one goal and adding six assists in nine games.
Bortuzzo has yet to pick up a point while only appearing in four games thus far in 2023-24 with St. Louis and has been dealt to the New York Islanders for a 2024 7th round pick. The 34-year-old defensemen is in the second year of a two-year, $1.9 million contract ($950,000 AAV) and will replace Ryan Pulock (lower body), who was placed on the Injured Reserve earlier Friday.
Robinson has a goal, nine SOG, and a -3 plus/minus through seven games this season and has been traded to Buffalo Wednesday. The Blue Jackets' will receive a 2025 seventh-round pick for the 28-year-old and Buffalo receives a seven year veteran winger who has 38 goals and 82 points in 266 career games played and holds a $1.8 million cap hit for this season.
After trading Calen Addison the the San Jose Sharks earlier in the day, the Wild have acquired veteran defenceman Bogosian from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seventh-round pick in 2025. Bogosian has zero points and five shots while averaging 11:57 through four games with the Lightning this season and is expected to make his Wild debut Thursday.
In a trade that centred around Calen Addison going to the San Jose Sharks, Adam Raska will be going to the Minnesota Wild along with a 2026 sixth-round pick. The 22-year-old Czech Winger was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Sharks and has 25 points (9G / 11A) through 110 games with the San Jose Baracuda of the AHL.
Addison will get a chance to be a true power play quarterback after he was traded to San Jose from Minnesota for a 2026 fifth-round pick and Adam Raska Wednesday. The 23-year-old mobile defensemen had struggled to see the ice yet again in 2023-24 as he averaged just 16:48 TOI and had five assists, 18 SOG, six PIMs and a -3 plus/minus. He is expected to draw into the Sharks' lineup right away following the trade.
Plasek had six goals, nine assists, and 10 PIMs across 31 games played on loan with HC Olomouc (Czachia) in 2022-23 and has been dealt to Pittsburgh alongside Jack Rathbone for Ty Glover and Mark Friedman Tuesday. The 23-year-old left-winger was Vancouvers' 2019 sixth-round pick (175th overall) and has yet to make his NHL debut.
Rathbone has a goal, two PIMs and a +4 plus/minus through two games with Abbotsford (AHL) so far in 2022-23 and has been dealt to Pittsburgh alongside Karel Plasek for Ty Glover and Mark Friedman. The 24-year-old defensemen was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft (95th overall) and has two goals and five points in 28 career NHL games played. In 2022-23, he had a goal, an assist, 12 SOG, two PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in 11 games with Vancouver.
Glover had been assigned to the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) for the start of the 2023-24 season but has been traded to Vancouver alongside Mark Friedman for Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek. The 23-year-old forward was signed as an undrafted free agent by Pittsburgh out of Western Michigan University (NCAA) in 2021-22 and has yet to appear in the NHL. In 2022-23, he had seven goals, five assists, 15 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in 49 games played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (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.
