NHL Trade Deadline Grades

The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, it is time to grade all 32 teams!

The NHL Trade Deadline has now come and gone. It was an interesting week, with lots to take away. Lets grade all 32 teams on how they did.

Note: Grades will be based one everything post-Olympic break (plus the Panarin deal).

Metro Division

Carolina Hurricanes: D

Starting off with what might be a controversial one, the Hurricanes were one of the most shocking teams this deadline, doing almost nothing. Their only move was acquiring Deslauriers for a conditional 7th rounder.

The reason they get a D, is that despite the incredibly high costs, doing absolutely nothing feels like a giant miss by this team. They are currently the favourites to win the cup on some sites because of how weak the entire Eastern Conference, and especially the Metro, is. That is even more reason to go out and add some more scoring punch to their lineup. They didn’t need to sell the farm, but when you see one-year rentals like Bobby McMann go at the last minute for a 2+4, you have to wonder why the Hurricanes were not in on that?

They will still be a favourite to win it all, and there is a defence to not spending assets. But given how wide open the path looks this season, it feels like a huge miss not to add anything.

Columbus Blue Jackets: B-

Speaking of players you would have thought the Hurricanes would be interested in: Conor Garland for a 2nd and 3rd was the only move the Blue Jackets made this deadline. I like the fit, Garland is a solid player on an expiring deal. The Blue Jackets have the Blues 2nd and Avs 3rd this year, so moving off these picks isn’t a huge deal.

However, one has to wonder if a team currently on the outside of the playoffs (only by one point) should be spending these assets on a pure rental. They currently have a loads of cap space so they may be able to work on an extension before the summer comes around.

New Jersey Devils: C

I am not totally sure what to make of this team. The sold Bjugstad for a 4th, but were not able to do anything else, which is pretty disappointing for a team having such a bad year. They didn’t really have many notable UFAs, but as we saw at this deadline, it was players with 1+ years of term left that were most valued.

Not being able to move any one of their countless players with one more year of term feels like a huge miss. Rumour was they were looking on Kovacevic, who blocked it with his full NMC. They don’t get any benefit from that as it was this management which gave him said NMC.

New York Islanders: D-

I just do not get what the vision is with this team. They made one move today, and it was acquiring 34-year-old Brayden Schenn and his full 6.5M cap hit for 2 more seasons after this. For that luxury, they gave up a 1st and 3rd round pick (and Jonathan Drouin who has 4M for 1 more season).

Schenn is a fine player, but he is yet another guy who is well into his 30’s on this Islanders team. The Eastern Conference has never felt so wide open, and the Islanders still feel like at best the 7th or 8th best team. Maybe they are hoping Sorokin has a special playoff run in him, but this is a large cost to give up for a team whose ceiling feels like round two. The only thing saving this from being an F is the fact that it is the Avalanches pick from the Nelson deal, not their own.

New York Rangers: C-

A tough deadline for teams in New York this year. The Rangers are another team with a disaster year on their hands, and yet they only managed to sell Sam Carrick this week. Including the Panarin deal doesn’t make things much better. Getting two 3rds, a 4th, a 6th and Greentree when you sent a letter out to your fans feels underwhelming.

Trochek was one of the biggest names on the board and his value will never be higher. They claim they were not going to make any move unless their price was met, but you have to wonder how high that price was? Kadri went for a 1st and a 3rd. Could they have been asking for more than that? If so, it feels like a misreading of the situation.

Philadelphia Flyers: D

Another Metro team that refused to do much and I can’t understand why? They are 6 points out of a playoff spot, and much like the Rangers, failed to move their biggest piece in Ristolainen because their ask wasn’t being met. Once again, seeing the absurd prices big defencemen were going for, this feels like a miss.

They did pick up Jiricek, who is an interesting buy-low option, but for Bobby Brink it might not be considered “buy low”. I am worried he might have more name value than on-ice value at this point in time. Another team that feels like they are stuck in the middle of not being good enough to contend, but not bad enough to bottom-out.

Pittsburgh Penguins: B

The Sam Girard trade is included in this grade which bumps things up for me. I still think getting the better player and a pick in the deal was great work, even if I am unsure how well a blueline with Karlsson, Letang, and Girard all on it will look.

They spent a 3rd on a bottom six player in Soderblom today. This is one of the few teams in the league I think it made total sense for to mostly stand pat. It looks like they will make the playoffs, but they are a long way off being a contender, and blowing a bunch of top assets to fix that short-term would have been a mistake. Nothing super special, but nothing wrong with this deadline either.

Washington Capitals: A

First A of the article! The Capitals did a great job towing the line of “competitive re-tool” in Ovechkin’s last year in my opinion. They are on the outside looking in for playoffs, and while they still feel like a decent bet to make it, getting a 1st and 3rd for 36YO John Carlson, who they were rumoured to be very far away from in contract talks anyways, is a very tidy piece of work. So is a 2nd and 3rd for Nic Dowd.

They then spent a 4th and 6th on Liljegren and Kampf to help replace the two players they traded away. Less upside with those two, but much cheaper. I think this was a great long-term outlook while not completely calling it quits on the season.

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins: B (N/A)

The Bruins are also in the mix of teams that did next to nothing, and in the mix of teams which that seems totally fine for. They end up spending a 6th on Reichel, which is a decent enough depth add. But for the most part, it didn’t make sense for this team to do much.

They were not going to sell in a playoff spot, and didn’t have many notable names to do so with anyways. But buying rentals would have also been foolish as they feel a long ways from being true contenders. The only move I saw them making would have been for someone with serious term like Robert Thomas. When that wasn’t happening, staying put seems fine.

Buffalo Sabres: C

This one isn’t particularly their fault. They had a deal in place for Parayko, which had a high cost involved but would have made a legit difference for this team. When he refused to waive his NMC, they had to pivot. Unfortunately, their backup plan appeared to be “replace him in the aggregate” and they brought in two defenceman in Stanley and Schenn from the Jets for a 2nd, 4th, Rosen, and Bryson, and they spent a 3rd on Carrick.

Just very underwhelming overall after missing on the big fish. Logan Stanley has his reputation because of his height, and an insane amount of his shots going in this season, which is more unsustainable than anything else. Every other season he has been replacement level or below. Schenn has been a good bottom pair dman for a while now, but his underlying numbers have looked really tough this year.

This team just did not meaningfully upgrad, which is unfortunate because they are super exciting and a move such as Parayko would have had potential to put them over the top. Instead, they spent three mid-round picks on depth pieces, and now do not have a 2nd or 3rd this year, and have the worse of theirs and Edmonton’s 4th. And already do not have their 2nd next year. Not the best asset management.

Detroit Red Wings: D

Talk about underwhelming deadlines for teams that have had surprisingly good years. The Red Wings are back in a playoff spot for the first time in a decade, and their big swing is… A 33-year-old defenceman who is okay defensively and doesn’t do anything else particularly well? Giving up a 1st and 3rd for that is pricey. Justin Holl also went the other way, but seeing as he is expiring this year, that doesn’t move the needle much.

Perron in and Soderblom out seems like a fine enough swap. Can’t help but feel they are another team that should have been trying for a difference-maker at forward. Instead, they get an upgrade on the blueline, but probably not as a large of one as they need, and for a significant cost.

Florida Panthers: B-

They did not do anything of note. They moved off of Petry for a 7th, and got Hinostroza for free. Moving on from Bob never felt like a real thing, especially because goalies rarely ever fetch huge hauls at the deadline. Still, it seems like a miss not to recoup some assets from AJ Greer, or maybe even Nosek. Given how much premium former cup winners had at this deadline, it’s surprising if Greer couldn’t have fetched a 3rd.

That is not the end of the world, but it would have been one more asset for them to use next year if they want to buy then. Instead, they are looking to re-sign Greer and run it back, which feels risky for physical player who is turning 30. Can’t blame them for not selling significant pieces, but a little surprising they got next to nothing back, which is why they get a just slightly below average grade.

Montreal Canadiens: B (N/A)

Take the entire Boston blurb and insert here. Another team that did not need to waste assets on rentals, but also clearly were not selling. Their GM came out and said they went down to the wire on a “big” piece but didn’t specify the position. Maybe someone like Thomas or Kyrou from St. Louis? Either way, standing pat and giving it a go with their still young core seems fine.

Ottawa Senators: B-

I might do a longer form piece on their deadline, but overall I think it is fine. The deadline essentially ends up being Perron + 2nd for Foegele + 4th and they will move down 10-15 spots in the third round as well. Foegele is a great bounce-back candidate and should be a legit upgrade on Perron in the bottom-six. He is also signed one more year and makes 500k less, so hard to dislike that.

The reason they get a B- for me is I still feel like they should have tried to take advantage of the insane prices and flipped one of Eller, Cousins, or Jensen. Jensen specifically had some interest according to reports. They could have forced the coach to use an ideal lineup for once, and gotten some kind of mid-round pick back, that would have turned this deadline into a win.

Instead, they stayed pat. Which is not the end of the world. But it is a tough look from the outside seeing a team 4 points out of the playoffs, with pretty limited draft capital compared to what you might expect, technically buy.

Tampa Bay Lightning: B

You might be reading this and asking yourself how I gave one Cup Contender a D for not doing anything, but I am giving the other one a B for only adding Corey Perry. And the answer is simple, Tampa has no space to do anything unless they were unloading a player. Bjkorstrand would have been the only option to do that, but unless they were getting a Panarin type player before the break, I didn’t see anyone who would have meaningfully upgraded that spot.

Perry is a solid addition, even at 40 years old. This team clearly looks like the best in the East. And while it would have been nice if they could have added, it was never in the cards due to their cap space, which is the massive difference between them and the Hurricanes.

Toronto Maple Leafs: C-

This one is an interesting one. The Nicholas Roy deal is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, and at 3:01pm it looked like they might be getting an F as neither a McMann or Laughton deal had been announced. In the end, they did end up moving them for a 2nd and 4th, and a 3rd respectively. Given the market, and what the Leafs paid last year, both of these deals feel pretty underwhelming.

The Leafs may have been hurt by the fact that players like Roy with term is what really drove the premiums this year. However, you can’t help but feel if they would have committed to being sellers earlier, they would have been able to take advantage of the market more efficiently. McMann was one of the more talented rentals available, and Laughton is your stereotypical playoff guy. Waiting to see if you could claw yourself back from 8 points outside the playoffs may have hurt the market.

The Roy deal was very nice though. A 1st and 5th for a bottom-six forward is solid business. The reason they get a C- though is not trading OEL after his value will never be higher (and you held him out of the lineup), feels like a giant missed opportunity. We saw defenceman having much worse years than OEL go for 2nd round picks or more.

Pacific Division:

Anaheim Ducks: C

The Ducks made a large swing acquiring John Carlson at the deadline this year. And while it gives them one of the better bluelines down the stretch, you can’t help but feel this was a large price for a pure rental, on a team that is not near the top of contenders lists. On top of that, it felt like if they were to get help, forward would have been the area of need? They currently have Trouba, Gudas, and now Carlson has UFAs this year, with Zellweger and Mintyukov due extensions, and LaCombe’s new deal kicking in.

Carlson is an interesting fit for the season, and maybe they re-sign him. But giving up a 1st and 3rd to do that, when you likely have (at very best) the 6th best odds in your own conference, feels very rich. Getting out of Ryan Strome’s entire deal for nothing was a nice piece of work though.

Calgary Flames: A

The Flames did a really good job committing to the rebuild. It looked like Kadri wasn’t going to move, and that would have been a mistake. Instead, they get the Avs 2028 1st round pick, which could be a 2029 1st depending on a bunch of T10 Protections over the next 2 years, the better of Colorado or Minnesota’s 2nd round next year, Oloffson, and Max Curran. They send a 4th with Kadri and retain 20% of his remaining deal.

I have often said if you can stomach waiting, a first in 2-3 years from a team that is all-in now is probably better than a 2026 late first. It feels guaranteed the earliest that Avs pick will be is 28th (all they need to do is make round 2 for that to be the case). However, by 2028, who knows how this Avs team will look. It is unlikely it will be a Top 10 pick, but maybe they have a down year and it is 18th? Either way, it was best to pull the trigger.

The other large deal they made is sending Weegar to Utah for THREE 2nd round picks, a prospect, and Maatta. Seeing no 1st rounder was jarring at first, but the value of the 2nds likely outweighs a 1st rounder here. One of the 2nds is New York, which is currently 35th overall. Getting Ottawa and Utah’s 2nds as well as it at worst equal to a 1st in most draft pick charts, and in a lot of them it is higher value.

They kept names like Ryan Lomberg which surprised me, absolutely thought they could and should have moved him. But overall, they really restocked the draft picks here, which was desperately needed.

Edmonton Oilers: B-

I have gone back and forth on this one so many times. The deadline itself feels incredibly underwhelming given the needs and the McDavid timeline. However, Conor Murphy and Jason Dickinson should be very useful upgrades to the roster. And for a T12 Protected 1st, and a 2028 2nd, it is not the worst costs we have seen.

With that being said, the Oilers depth scoring still feels like it is leaving a lot to be desired, and don’t even get me started on the goaltending. It is rare a contending team meaningfully upgrades their roster and it still feels lackluster, but that is what is happening here.

Los Angeles Kings: B

The Kings deadline looks absolutely bizarre when you look at it in totality. But they are the team that got completely screwed the most by the Olympics. The buy Panarin at a very cheap cost, but then lose Fiala for the year before they even play a game together. Today, they find themselves 3 points out of a playoff spot, and decide to pull a Washington/Ottawa and go half-in and half-out.

They get a B because Perry and Foegele are both good deals. Getting a 2nd and a pick swap for a guy with 9 points is good business, even if he might bounce back on a new team. They then gave up a 3rd for Laughton, which is way cheaper than I would have ever guessed. Tough spot in general, but overall it was a fine deadline.

San Jose Sharks: B

The Sharks also had a weird deadline, they ended up selling pending UFA Liljegren for a 4th, which is fine. Their big move was bringing on Sherwood, who they re-signed today. I am not judging contract signings and the Sherwood trade was too far gone to count in the grading, so they get a B. The team is close enough to the playoffs it makes sense not to have a fire sale. But they were also too far away to justify buying anything else.

Seattle Kraken: B+

I am not totally sure what the Seattle Kraken are as a team. They feel like they have a decently high floor, but a very low ceiling? I don’t see how this team wins more than one round, but they also picked up what I thought was one of the best available pure forward rentals, and didn’t have to pay a first to do it. They get an B+ for adding to the team in a meaningful enough way.

Vancouver Canucks: A-

The Canucks managed to add two 2nds, a 3rd, 4th, and 6th pick at this deadline. Again, looks a little better if you could include the Sherwood deal, but we are not for this. Overall, a decent return, especially for names such as Tyler Myers and Garland. The lack of any first rounder keeps it from a full A. Although getting an asset for Kampf, who you got for free earlier this year was a great piece of business.

It was also surprising there was no market at all for Evander Kane. He felt like a “playoff” type guy people would love. Good steps forward for Vancouver, will be interesting to see if they make a Pettersson decision in the summer.

Vegas Golden Knights: C

The Golden Knights acquired two players who don’t score much, but are solid defensively. Very fitting for their team. The issue I have is they gave up a 2027 3rd, 2028 3rd, and 2029(!) 2nd to do this. The Nic Dowd trade felt like one of the larger overpays of the deadline, and trading a 2029 pick to do so seems incredibly short-sighted.

It did not feel like they upgraded their team in a significant way, and while they remain one of two teams you feel could come out of the Pacific, they are still at best the 4th ranked team in the West. The moves aren’t awful, but they also were not very inspiring.

Central Division:

Chicago Blackhawks: A

The Blackhawks are in a tough spot, because they clearly don’t want to keep fire-selling everything on their team around Bedard, however, the team just isn’t good enough to justify keeping UFAs.

They essentially end up being on the opposite side of the Oilers deals. And getting a 1st and 2nd for two 30+ players who were not going to be long-term staples of your team is solid. Maybe they can re-build Mangiapagne’s value too. They also flip captain Nick Foligno to the Wild for nothing so that he can play with his brother and chase a cup. This probably builds Good Will for “treating your guys right” from the league. Not a huge deal considering a depth pick is all that seemed likely.

Colorado Avalanche: A-

This is possibly the toughest one of any team in the league. The Avalanche gave up a LOT of assets, but in an insane Central division arms race, they clearly upgraded the most too (unless you count Hughes as a deadline move, which we are not). The Avs deadline ends up being, IN: Kulak, Blankenburg, Kadri, Roy, 2027 4th. OUT: Girard, 2027 and 2028 1st, 2027 and 2028 2nds, 2026 and 2027 5ths, Max Curran, and Victor Olofsson.

This team is all-in right now. They have one 2nd rounder next year, and then nothing else in any of the first THREE rounds between 2026-2028. They are making it clear the next year or two is all they care about. The prices feel insanely steep, but they are hands-down the best team in the league right now. I didn’t love the Girard deal at the time, but it gave them the space to add Roy and Kadri, which has now made their biggest weakness into one of the deepest units in the league at C.

The blueline also should be solid, I’d be lying if I said knew next to anything about Blankenburg, but his underlying numbers are sneaky good, and Kulak is a solid enough player. This team is an absolute wagon for this year and next, they have to go win a Cup this year for it to be worth it.

Dallas Stars: C

The Stars deadline felt incredibly underwhelming, especially compared to what the Avs did. Bunting for a 3rd is a totally fine deal, but Tyler Myers being the big help for Harley on the blueline is really underwhelming.

They might be an okay fit, but it felt like someone who could move the puck was a bigger need for that blueline. Instead, they go with size and physicality, which will bring some positives! But I am worried the lack of puck skill might get exposed again come playoff time. They are still a very good team, but not sure the upgrades matched the cost for them.

Minnesota Wild: C+

Similar story to Dallas, they look worse in comparison to the Avalanche. However, I am slightly upgrading the Wild because it is obvious their massive addition came earlier this season. Still, it was a little underwhelming with who they chose to add. McCarron for a 2nd is a pretty steep price to pay, even for this deadlines standards.

Getting Brink is a decent enough add, probably for the best they treated Jiricek as a sunk cost. And then they got Foligno and Petry for close to free. Can’t imagine either of those guys makes a huge impact, but fine enough depth to have.

Minnesota fans won’t be worried about a C+ on paper given they now have Quinn Hughes on their roster. But it does still feel like some of their asset management at this deadline could have been done better.

Nashville Predators: A

Hard to be mad with the returns for these deals (unless your name is Steven Stamkos). The Predators got a 2nd, two 3rds, and a 5th for 4 players that were not playing a massive role on their team. The locker room did not seem happy they were sellers, but is an old and expensive team that is 3 points outside of the playoffs, despite the wild card not looking particularly strong. Doing anything other than what they did here would have been asset mis-management.

St. Louis Blues: A+

The first and only A+ of this article! (Which unofficially makes St. Louis my deadline winners I guess). Managing to get a 1st round pick for BOTH of Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn is insanely phenomenal work. Not to mention a 3rd, and Drouin who will be a fine filler piece. They also had a deal in line for Parayko that would have gotten them a top prospect and Buffalo’s first rounder. And while that didn’t materialize, it still shows they have the right line of thinking.

The Blues were always the ones to control this deadline, with the biggest talking piece of Robert Thomas not being moved. I am not shocked by that, but do wonder if they revisit in the off-season. Regardless, getting premium draft assets for two players in their mid-30’s is some phenomenal work.

Utah Mammoth: B+

Utah made one move, and it was the previously talked about Weegar for a haul of 2nds, Maatta, and a prospect. It was a steep price to pay, and I am not sure how Weegar will age as this deal takes him until he 37, which is why it is not an A. However, this team using their cap space and large amount of assets they have accumulated since being in Arizona to get a legit top pair guy on the blueline feels like a very solid move.

They still have a pretty solid prospect pool, and it feels like they are an incredibly solid bet to make playoffs. Hell, with how weak each team in the Pacific has looked at times, there is a chance that Utah would be favoured in a matchup. If they can get to the Pacific side of the bracket, things might get very interesting for them. Overall, not a cheap add, but should be a very useful one.

Winnipeg Jets: B

The Stanley and Schenn deal netted a very solid return for the Jets. However, when a team has been as disappointing as them, that being the only move of note is incredibly underwhelming. They also flipped Pearson for a 7th, which isn’t saying much.

Insiders spoke about Winnipeg not wanting to sell too aggressively, because they have a hard time attracting free agents, and while that is fair, you still need to give yourself ammo to work with if you want to rebound next year. Very surprised Nyquist is still around, that felt like an obvious piece to sell. Regardless, the Stanley/Schenn return was high enough, it feels like an average deadline for Winnipeg.

Takeaways:

And those are the grades! Drop a comment about which you agree or disagree with, or reach out on X at nhlsensandstuff. The biggest takeaway on my end is it is clear in the rising cap, teams are prioritizing term on their deals more than anything else. A complete 180 from what it was in the flat cap era just a few years ago, where anything more than 1 year on almost all players was considered a point of no return. We’re in for an incredibly exciting stretch run, with some new faces potentially being apart of the dance this year.

The biggest winners to me would be St. Louis and Washington for the assets they were able to add for players in their mid-30’s, as well as Colorado due to the sheer amount of talent they added, even if the cost was high.

The biggest losers would be the Hurricanes for doing absolutely nothing despite every chance to add something with such a clear path ahead, and the Islanders and Red Wings for overpaying on players that are older and likely will not make significant impacts for the prices they paid.