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NHL trade deadline 2025 recap: Analysis of deals, rumors from a busy day
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- NHL trade deadline 2025 recap: Analysis of deals, rumors from a busy day
Contending teams had already beefed up before Friday's NHL trade deadline.
Then the Dallas Stars pulled off the biggest deal of the day and the Colorado Avalanche and defending champion Florida Panthers also struck.
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The Stars traded for Mikko Rantanen after it was clear the two-time 100-point scorer wouldn't re-sign with the Carolina Hurricanes . He agreed to an eight-year, $96 million contract with Dallas. The Stars sent forward Logan Stankoven to Carolina along with two top-10 protected first-round picks (2026 and 2028), plus two third-rounders.
The Avalanche , who have been busy remaking their roster all season, landed No. 2 center Brock Nelson around midnight then traded for Boston 's Charlie Coyle to be their No. 3 center.
As the clock was about to hit the 3 p.m. ET deadline, the Panthers traded for longtime Bruins player Brad Marchand , adding to their earlier acquisitions of Seth Jones and faceoff specialist Nico Sturm.
Here's a look at the deals that went down on Friday ( previous deals can be found here ):
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When was the NHL trade deadline?
The NHL trade deadline was at 3 p.m. ET.
Trades trickle in
According to reports and team releases: Fabian Zetterlund to the Senators. Erik Johnson to the Avalanche, another homecoming ( Givani Smith goes to Philadelphia in the deal). Daniel Sprong and Dennis Cholowski to New Jersey . Nicolas Aube-Kubel to the Rangers with Erik Brannstrom going to the Sabres. Mark Jankowski to Carolina. Henri Jokiharju to Boston.
Who didn't move
Chicago 's Ryan Donato , Vancouver 's Brock Boeser , Pittsburgh 's Rickard Rakell and Matt Grzelcyk , Montreal 's Joel Armia and David Savard , New York Islanders ' Kyle Palmieri .
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More extensions
Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston gets $42 million over five years . New York Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen gets two years ($1.55 million average) .
Evander Kane won't play this season
The Oilers said their medical staff determined Evander Kane won't be able to return this season and will remain on long-term injured reserve. Edmonton would have been in salary cap trouble if he had been healthy enough to return.
Panthers acquire Brad Marchand from Bruins
The Bruins captain is heading to the defending Stanley Cup champions. He's hurt at the moment, as is Matthew Tkachuk , but can you imagine the snarl the Panthers will have in the playoffs with those two and Sam Bennett ?
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The Panthers give up a conditional 2027 second-round pick that becomes a 2027 or 2028 first-rounder if Florida wins two 2025 playoff rounds and Marchand plays in 50% of the playoff games.
Boston isn't done selling either, with defenseman Brandon Carlo heading to Toronto . The Bruins receive prospect Fraser Minten , a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-rounder.
It's 3 p.m. ET
But don't forget that deals are often announced after the deadline if they're already in the queue at Central Registry.
Blue Jackets acquire Luke Kunin from Sharks
The Blue Jackets go for forward depth in the trade market after claiming forward Christian Fischer off waivers on Thursday.
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Devils acquire Cody Glass from Penguins
The Devils were never going to find a replacement for injured Jack Hughes in the trade market. They settle instead for a depth center.
The full deal: The Devils acquire Glass and Jonathan Gruden from the Penguins for Chase Stillman , Max Graham and a 2027 third-round draft pick.
Avalanche, Bruins make trade
The Avalanche acquire forward Charlie Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick for forward Casey Mittelstadt , forward William Zellers and a conditional 2025 second-round pick. Colorado tried Mittelstadt, acquired last season, as a No. 2 center this season, and it didn't work. He was expendable after the Avalanche acquired Brock Nelson . Coyle can slot in as a big No. 3 center who can score 15 to 20 goals.
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Red Wings acquire Petr Mrazek from Blackhawks
Continuing the NHL trend of players going home, Mrazek is returning to the Red Wings. He became available when Chicago acquired goalie Spencer Knight in the Seth Jones trade. Mrazek has another year left on his deal and joins a crowded crease in Detroit .
Mikko Rantanen trade details begin to emerge
The Hurricanes-Stars deal on Mikko Rantanen isn't official yet. But according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the return would be center "Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks, plus some smaller pieces in the deal as well."
Devils re-sign defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic
He'll average $4 million in the five-year contract.
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Two hours to go
Still no word on whether the Mikko Rantanen trade to the Stars is official.
Maple Leafs acquire Scott Laughton from Flyers
Toronto was looking for center depth, and Laughton likely can slot in as a No. 3 center. He addressed the trade rumors before the deadline by posting a Last Supper photo on social media. The Flyers retain 50% of his salary and receive a 2027 first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin, a Russian winger in his first professional season in North America.
Jets acquire Brandon Tanev from Kraken
The Jets aren't done. They add Kraken winger Brandon Tanev for a 2027 second-round pick. Tanev is a high-energy player and kills penalties. Winnipeg 's penalty killing ranks 15th in the league. Tanev began his career with the Jets.
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Jets acquire Luke Schenn from Penguins
Schenn will bring physical play to the Jets. He has 848 career penalty minutes and more than 3,500 hits. The Penguins had acquired him this week in the Michael Bunting trade and flip him for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-rounder.
What's the latest on Mikko Rantanen?
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports the Stars are closing in on an eight-year extension for Mikko Rantanen. If it gets done, that would complete the trade of Rantanen from the Hurricanes to the Stars. No details on what the return would be.
Sabres announce they've traded Dylan Cozens
The key players are Dylan Cozens and Josh Norris . Norris can score when he's healthy, but he has had injury issues. He has 20 goals this season and had 35 goals in 2021-22. Cozens has struggled this season but scored 31 goals in 2022-23 and has a physical element to his game. The trade puts him in the playoff race. The Senators are sitting in a wild-card spot while Buffalo is last in the East.
Kings acquire Andrei Kuzmenko from Flyers
The return is a 2027 third-round pick, and the Kings also get a 2025 seventh-round pick. Philadelphia retains 50% of his salary. The Flyers acquired Kuzmenko on Jan. 30 when they dealt Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Flames. The Kings need offense, and Kuzmenko had 39 goals as a rookie in 2022-23. But he has now been traded three times and has six goals this season.
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Three hours to deadline
So far, one official trade: Anthony Beauvillier to the Capitals . But there's also a reported Senators-Sabres trade.
Report: Senators, Sabres make trade
Full details aren't available but the main players are Buffalo's Dylan Cozens and Ottawa 's Josh Norris. Cozens, 24, is 6-3 and scored 31 goals in 2022-23, though he has struggled this season. He could use a change of scenery and gets a chance to try to push the Senators into a playoff spot. Norris is a former 35-goal scorer but has dealt with injuries since then. He has 20 goals this season.
Capitals acquire Anthony Beauvillier from Penguins
The Penguins receive a 2025 second-round pick. Beauvillier offers speed and secondary scoring (seven times in double digits, including 13 this season). He had two playoff runs to the conference final when he was with the Islanders. He's a pending unrestricted free agent.
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Sabres re-sign forward Jason Zucker
He averages $4.75 million in his two-year extension, per reports. He was a good signing last summer and has 44 points in 54 games. He also provides a leadership role as a veteran on the young team.
Players to look at
With center Brock Nelson gone, teams could circle to Flyers center Scott Laughton, who has another year left on his contract. Chicago's Ryan Donato has a career-best 23 goals and would draw interest if the Blackhawks can't re-sign him.
Five hours to go
Nothing announced yet this morning, but it's early.
Islanders working to re-sign Kyle Palmieri
Just because Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello traded Brock Nelson, it doesn't mean he's having a big sale. Newsday reported that the team is still trying to get pending unrestricted free agent Kyle Palmieri signed to an extension.
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What's the latest on Mikko Rantanen?
Multiple reports late last night said the Hurricanes and Stars had worked out a framework for a trade for Mikko Rantanen, and the Stars were working on a contract extension with the winger in order to complete the deal. However, TSN's Darren Dreger reported this morning that there is no deal in place.
Jake Walman trade not a good look for Red Wings
The Red Wings had moved Jake Walman to the Sharks essentially to get him off their roster and sweetened the deal by including a second-round pick in exchange for future considerations. Walman made that deal look bad by becoming the Sharks' top defenseman and recording a career-best 32 points. So now, Sharks general manager Mike Grier has received a second-round pick (from Detroit) and a first-round pick (from Edmonton) for 50 games worth of Walman's tenure in San Jose .
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Late-night trade: Oilers acquire Jake Walman from Sharks
The Oilers acquired defenseman Jake Walman from the Sharks for a conditional 2026 first-round and forward Carl Berglund. Here are the conditions:
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If Edmonton's first-round pick in 2026 is in the top 12, the Oilers may choose to transfer their 2027 first-round pick to San Jose.
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Should Edmonton choose to trade their 2027 first round pick before the 2026 NHL trade deadline, the 2026 first-round selection will automatically transfer to San Jose, unconditionally.
Late-night trade: Avalanche acquire Brock Nelson from Islanders
The Avalanche acquire forwards Brock Nelson and William Dufour from the Islanders for defenseman Oliver Kylington , forward Calum Ritchie , a 2026 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick. According to puckpedia.com, the Islanders retain 50% of Nelson's salary.
Colorado gets its desired upgrade at No. 2 center. Nelson has 20 goals this season and has 30 or more in the previous three seasons. Islanders general Lou Lamoriello gets a first-round pick and a former first-rounder (Ritchie) for Nelson, who was a pending unrestricted free agent. Kylington was sent to the Ducks for future considerations.
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Can trades be announced after 3 p.m. ET?
Yes, and they often are. If teams reach an agreement and call Central Registry by 3, it gets in a queue and can be announced after it's approved.
What happens in a trade call?
The NHL posted video on Thursday about the Brian Dumoulin trade. Central Registry makes sure the teams are in agreement on the terms and that they're cap compliant. In rare cases , a trade could be voided.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL trades today: Analysis on trade deadline news, rumors
