The NHL trade deadline is upon us and after a slow start to the week deals are starting to roll in and set the tone for what we’ll see on Friday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have started to be a seller, sending Nicolas Roy to Colorado. Utah, anticipated to be a big-time buyer, has brought in MacKenzie Weegar, but are now on the prowl for a scoring forward.
And some of the biggest action hasn’t unfolded yet.
Vancouver, NY Rangers and St. Louis haven’t moved out some of the bigger names who are still rumoured to be available. Montreal, Detroit and Buffalo (though it tried to bring in Colton Parayko) haven’t yet made any big moves that might change the picture in a crowded Atlantic Division race. And then you have teams like Seattle, Carolina, Anaheim and Dallas who are the wild cards that could be the story of the day, or remain generally quiet.
And, of course, there’s always a chance that a team we don’t see coming dives into the blockbuster pool.
The rumours are picking up and the time is running thin. Teams have until Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET to decide what they’re going to do with their rosters this season.
Here, we give you an outlook for everyone, with cap space, possible trade candidates and needs. We’ll show you what Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has said about some of these teams on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, anything the team’s GM has said recently, and a general overview of everyone’s situation.
All cap numbers and draft-pick information come via PuckPedia. You will notice some very high “deadline day cap space” totals in some places. That’s because, if a team has been under the cap, it accumulates space, and the longer it does this the more room it’ll have to play with at the trade deadline.
At this time of year, a traded player is paid the remaining percentage of his salary by the acquiring team, and the remaining cap charge is actually added to its total — the former team has paid everything up until this point. But, to make it simple when looking at the salary-cap charts, what the “deadline day cap space” number shows is simply the full, season-long AAV a team can add on March 6.
And there are two other important wrinkles new to this year’s deadline. First is the “projected playoff cap space” which you can see on every team’s page at PuckPedia. New rules this season demand every team be cap compliant in the playoffs with the 20 players they dress for any given game. No longer can you take advantage of regular season LTIR to then return everyone healthy and ice a playoff roster that’s over the cap.
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The rules on salary retention have also changed. Teams can still keep up to 50 per cent of a cap hit, but you won’t see any double retention trades that involve a third team on Friday. That’s because it’s required that 75 days must pass between deals where a salary is retained, so for someone to have had double retention at this deadline, they would first have had to have been traded by Dec. 2.
How much will these two new CBA rules impact the 2026 trade deadline? We’re about to find out.
To get you ready for the action ahead, here is our trade deadline primer, with an overview of each NHL team.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $52.616 million
Team Needs: Right shot defenceman, backup goalie, scoring forward with term, defensive forward
Potentially Available: Ryan Strome, Frank Vatrano, picks
What the GM said: “I’m not sure at this point. I think there’s a lot of avenues we can go down, but I’m not 100 per cent committed to doing anything, not 100 per cent committed to not trying to do something.” – Pat Verbeek on Jan. 27.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “Verbeek is a tough one to read. I heard he made a non-extension pitch at Panarin, I heard he liked Whitecloud, mindful of big contracts.”
Outlook: Three wins upon returning from the Olympic break extended the Ducks’ winning streak to five, though they did lose the next two. Still, with help from Edmonton and Vegas struggling around them, Anaheim is second in the Pacific with a real shot at the regular season division title. The goal heading into this season was playoffs, and that’s looking more likely with each passing day. Their weakness is team defence. Anaheim is 31st in the league in GAA and 28th in expected goals against at 5-on-5, putting immense pressure on Lukas Dostal. So, their top priority may be to add at the edges of the roster to improve defensive responsibility.
They are transitioning from a rebuild into a winning window, and have tons of assets and cap space, so we can’t rule out the possibility that they are a surprise actor. However, keep in mind, big extensions are due to Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson this summer, while Jackson LaCombe begins his $9 million AAV contract next season. They have less cap space to work with than it seems.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $5.069 million
Team Needs: Right shot defenceman, maybe a forward
Potentially Available: Viktor Arvidsson, Andrew Peeke, draft picks
What the GM said: “In all likelihood it’ll be a little different than last year. Not necessarily as aggressive and active, but we would like to continue to improve our hockey club if possible…We’d like to give them a bump because they’ve earned that. But it’s an eye towards obviously this year, but moving forward as well.” – Don Sweeney on March 2.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “We know they tried Rasmus Andersson, so I could still see them being on the D market. I’ve heard they want to add a forward if they can.”
Outlook: This time last season the Bruins were retooling at the deadline and brought in a couple of first-round draft picks and Fraser Minten, who is off to a great start in his NHL career. They’re back in the playoff hunt, hanging on to the East’s second wild-card spot, but not all the way back as a contender. Boston gets to the deadline perhaps looking to round out its blue line, or add some depth to its forwards, but we shouldn’t expect them to spend any big assets on a rental player. The long-term view is still in mind here. James Hagens may yet be on this roster when Boston College’s season ends. If an impactful player with term could be had, maybe then we’ll see Sweeney push in some of his chips, but since the playoffs are far from a guarantee, it’s more likely that Boston will be looking to add at the edges.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $7.865 million
Team Needs: Physical and defensive defenceman, top-nine forward
Potentially Available: Draft picks, prospects, Alex Tuch, Josh Norris, Owen Power
What the GM has said: “We want to make our team stronger. We have a lot of skill on our team, a lot of ability to score. Really good defence, our goalies have played well this year, so we have a lot of strengths but we want to make them stronger. We’re looking at all the avenues to do that whether it’s a role player or somebody who has some special skills we need. We haven’t been great in the face-offs. We’re talking.” – Jarmo Kekalainen on Feb. 25.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I’m actually really interested in Buffalo. This is going to be a really interesting deadline for them because they’re going and they look good.”
Outlook: It’s been a long time since the Sabres were a trade deadline buyer to watch, but here we are. Since Dec. 1, Buffalo is 26-8-2 with a .743 points percentage that is tops in the NHL over that timespan. They are rolling and don’t need to mess much with what’s got them here, but we can’t rule out a blockbuster. New GM Jarmo Kekalainen can put his stamp on Kevyn Adams’ team by adding something significant like Robert Thomas, and he’s got a reputation of being a bold manager.
He already tried to add Colton Parayko from the Blues, but the player rejected the move with his no-trade clause. So now Buffalo looks at other options. Reuniting with Rasmus Ristolainen might be a possibility. Kekalainen may also look to pick up a forward to play on the second or third line, someone with a little quickness and a strong forechecker. Alex Tuch is still unsigned, which makes him a possibility to get traded, but keeping him as an own-rental probably makes the most sense. Buffalo can snap the NHL’s longest playoff drought, and may also make some noise this post-season.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $47.083 million
Team Needs: Draft picks, prospects, young NHL-ready players
Potentially Available: Nazem Kadri, Zach Whitecloud, Blake Coleman, Devin Cooley, Ryan Lomberg
What the GM has said: “We have to do what’s best for the organization. If that’s making a move like today with (MacKenzie Weegar) or if it’s just not there we can’t force things that aren’t there. I know people just want to do stuff we have to do things with a purpose and that we think will make us better in the next few years. We’ll be fielding calls and see where teams are at and if it makes sense we’ll look hard at it.” – Craig Conroy on March 4.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “The biggest challenge I think the Flames will have is that all of their guys have competition. I think people love Kadri the player, I’m not sure they’re crazy about the term and also there’s other centres available. People like Coleman, people like Weegar, but there are other players around then. And Conroy has shown he’s not afraid to be patient.”
Outlook: The Flames are deep in a rebuild with plenty of veterans they could trade, but since every one of them (with the exception of Ryan Lomberg) have term on their contracts, GM Craig Conroy doesn’t have to be overly active at the deadline. Still, the goal here should be to accumulate future assets and take advantage of the value some of their early-to-mid-30s players still have. With a new arena opening in 2027-28, Calgary will be trying to position itself to be on the upswing again by then. Calgary has one unused salary retention slot remaining, will they use it to help beef up someone’s trade return?
Status: Buyer, blockbuster potential
Deadline Day Cap Space: $40.349 million
Team Needs: Forwards, possibly another goalie
Potentially Available: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, draft picks and prospects
What the GM said: You never know what’s going to happen; it takes both sides. It’s hard to control the market. But, we are shopping very aggressively, trying to find ways to bring in the pieces that will help us take steps forward.” – Eric Tulsky on Feb. 12.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “Always looking to add.”
Outlook: Over the past two seasons Tulsky has made big trades for Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen in the final season of their deals, but neither stuck around with the Hurricanes. While Guentzel walked, Rantanen was flipped again and so you can see a pattern of big-game hunting Carolina might continue pursuing in 2026. In the playoffs, it often comes down to scoring for the Hurricanes, so maybe they’ll be a surprise landing spot for Robert Thomas in a true blockbuster. Or perhaps they’ll look to re-acquire Vincent Trocheck in a move that would require fewer assets going the other way, but comes with long-term, age-related concerns about the player. Their Cup window is wide open and the Eastern Conference is there for the taking. Carolina will add, but will they be the biggest dealer of deadline day?
Status: Leaning buyer, could stay quiet
Deadline Day Cap Space: $45.551 million
Team Needs: Depth, experience, leadership.
Potentially Available: Elvis Merzlikins, Charlie Coyle, Boone Jenner, Danton Heinen
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I know they’ve got some UFAs everybody’s kind of wondered about. I think there it’s they want to make the playoffs, or try to.”
Outlook: A 13-2-1 run since mid-January makes Columbus one of the NHL’s hottest teams for the past two months, and they’re in the middle of a playoff race behind Boston now. They have two more games ahead against the Bruins as well, so the Blue Jackets figure to be in this thing until the end. With the playoffs such an uncertainty, the Blue Jackets aren’t likely to be the biggest spender at this deadline. Instead, they may elect to keep their pending UFAs, such as Coyle, Jenner and Mason Marchment, instead of offloading them.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $61.483 million
Team Needs: Young NHL players or players on the cusp of the NHL
Potentially Available: Ilya Mikheyev, Nick Foligno, Sam Lafferty, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Korchinski
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I’ve heard they’ve got Mikheyev out there. I think they tried to sign him at one point.”
Outlook: Chicago hoped to be in the same boat as San Jose and Anaheim at this point in the season, turning the corner out of a rebuild, hanging in the playoff race, and looking to add to their group. But losing nine of their past 11 games killed those chances, and so now the Blackhawks will be looking to keep stocking up and reset for next season. Outside of veterans on expiring contracts, one young name that surfaces in rumours is Kevin Korchinski, the seventh-overall pick of the 2022 draft. In the games he has played, ice time has been limited and so the Hawks may look to go in a new direction and move the young, left-handed defender. Will the value be worth it, though?
Deadline Day Cap Space: $6.94 million
Team Needs: Winger, maybe another centre
Potentially Available: Draft picks
What the GM said: “We’re going to leave no stone unturned, like we usually do, if it makes sense,” MacFarland said. “We’ve got some cap space to play with, and we’ll see if there’s the right fit. It’s got to make sense from the asset acquisition cost, but if we can improve the team, we’d like to try to do that.” – Chris MacFarland on March 3.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I do think Colorado’s looking at a centre. I don’t know if they can pull out one of the big ones, like a Trocheck, and I don’t know where they fit on the map for Trocheck — he doesn’t want to go far west — but I think they’re looking at that group of centres and they’d like to do something. But their cap situation and also, what do they have to move especially after all they did to get Brock Nelson last year?”
Outlook: Last year the Avalanche acquired two centres ahead of the deadline, Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle. Nelson is still with the team and having a heckuva season, while Coyle was traded to Columbus in the off-season. Colorado added the third-line centre it needed on Thursday by bringing in Nicolas Roy. That was their most glaring need, so they may be done. Aside from that, the Avs already addressed some depth on the back end by bringing in Brett Kulak. Artturi Lehkonen was injured Tuesday night, so that could lead the Avs to also be on the lookout for a scoring bump on the wing.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $1.96 million
Potentially Available: Futures
What the GM said: “I don’t see us doing a big splash. First of all, the salary cap still comes into play more than ever, not only for this year, but for next year. I’ve got some very good players, and very good players eventually make big money.” – Jim Nill on March 1.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “They don’t like the idea of (adding players with) term until they sort out Jason Robertson.”
Outlook: They officially shut down Tyler Seguin for the regular season and playoffs, and so get the maximum space allowable under the new LTIR rules. That will push them into the centre market, where there is plenty to choose from. The Stars will try and hold out for any prices to drop. With Robertson’s RFA situation hanging over the team, it’s unlikely they’d be in on a centre with a heavy contract and lots of term (like Nazem Kadri) so look for something shorter. All Cup contenders like adding defensive depth at this time of year, and Dallas went out and got theirs with the Tyler Myers trade.
Status: Buyer, potential for a blockbuster
Deadline Day Cap Space: $59.527 million
Team Needs: Centre, defence
Potentially Available: Draft picks and prospects
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I’ve wondered about Trocheck for them.”
Outlook: Is the Yzerplan finally coming together? Detroit is seven points into a playoff spot and just three points behind Tampa Bay for the division lead, but they are 11th in the East with a minus-2 goal differential. Their most glaring need is at centre, where Andrew Copp and Marco Kasper fill the middle-six role and this is where Yzerman may push in some of his chips. Detroit has been linked to Elias Pettersson and Robert Thomas, among others, in rumours so the potential to go big is there. Last season Yzerman only added Petr Mrazek in a quiet deadline season, and Dylan Larkin voiced his disappointment the front office didn’t give the team more help. This time, the sense is the Wings will be active.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $475,000
Team Needs: Depth defence, goalie
Potentially Available: Alec Regula, Ike Howard, picks, prospects
Outlook: Edmonton thought it was addressing one of its needs earlier this season when it traded for Tristan Jarry, but he has not stabilized the goaltending and, in fact, has been second-best on the team behind Connor Ingram. If Game 1 of the playoffs were today, smart money would be on Ingram being the starter. Does that mean Edmonton will be looking to add another goaltender? There are a few out there, but the sense is the Oilers already made this bed and have to spend the remaining hours of trading filling in other needs.
With Connor Murphy acquired from Chicago this week, the immediate need for a defenceman is over, though they may still add someone for further down the depth chart. Attention turned to a bottom-six centre, and Jason Dickinson was acquired on Wednesday to fill that role. Andrew Mangiapane was dealt, but Edmonton had to attach a first-round pick to do it. Some mistakes have been made to force them into that scenario, and now it has to pay off with a Cup.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $2.187 million
Team Needs: Accumulate assets to help next season’s roster
Potentially Available: Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov, A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I can’t get a good handle on this Bobrovsky situation. The one thing I’ve been waiting for in Florida is do they wave the white flag and do guys get shut down? I think they wanted to see if they could make a charge in a week.”
Outlook: Well, well, well, the Panthers surely didn’t expect to be here. A post-Olympics bump has not happened and now Florida is among the bottom-10 teams in the league — if they end up with a top-10 pick after the lottery, they will keep it this year and send their 2027 unprotected pick to Chicago to complete the Seth Jones deal. That seems like the best-case scenario for the back-to-back champs.
They’ll look to offload their pending UFAs for assets that they can later use to improve next year’s roster, because they certainly have designs of returning as a contender in 2026-27. The mystery here is Bobrovsky. The 37-year-old pending UFA is wrapping up a contract that paid $10 million AAV and so while a paycut is in order, how much that should be might get complicated. If no extension is reached by Friday, it’s possible he could be moved, though it will be tricky given he’s not had a great season. Florida signed AHL goalie Louis Domingue to a two-way contract for the rest of this season on Wednesday, raising eyebrows that they may be preparing for one of their NHL goalies to depart by week’s end. Bobrovsky only has partial trade protection.
Status: Neutral, leaning buyer
Deadline Day Cap Space: $18.158 million
Team Needs: Centre, puck distributor
Potentially Available: Corey Perry, futures
What the GM said: “I’ll work the phones. I’ll see what’s out there. Given where we are in the standings I don’t anticipate our first round pick being in play.” – Ken Holland on March 1.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I do think Holland’s gone pretty hard after Trocheck and I’ve heard Trocheck’s preference is to stay east, although it’s not locked in. I think Holland badly wants to add someone who can get his scorers the puck and Fiala’s a big loss...I don’t know if it’s going to be so simple for them to trade their way out of this one.”
Outlook: Since trading for Artemi Panarin the Kings have won a single game and lost top-line winger Kevin Fiala for the rest of the season. Not how Ken Holland planned for this to go. Los Angeles is now an unlikely playoff team, with their chances down to around 25 per cent. The cap space and draft picks are there to still add, and maybe the Kings do dabble as a pot-committed buyer. Time may be better spent thinking ahead a year.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $11.252 million
Potentially Available: Futures
What the GM said: “I always like to be confident, but you just don’t know. It’s a crazy time. You might think you have something and you don’t, and you might think you’re done and something big comes across your desk. We’re continuing to try and improve the team and help. We’ll see at what level we can do that.” – Bill Guerin on March 3.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “Bill Guerin, he talked about it when he made the Quinn Hughes trade, he comes in with his offer and is like ‘this is my offer.’ I think he’s done that with the Rangers (on Vincent Trocheck).”
Outlook: This might be the best team the Wild have ever iced and that makes them a Stanley Cup contender. But their path is as tough as it can get. Minnesota is a top four team in the NHL, but are third place in the Central Division and might have to go through both Colorado and Dallas just to get to the conference final. The Quinn Hughes blockbuster trade in December is the biggest move anyone will make this season. A perfect trade season would culminate in the Wild now acquiring a centre.
Status: Buyer, blockbuster potential
Deadline Day Cap Space: $1.49 million
Team Needs: Second-line centre, top-four defenceman, possibly a goalie
Potentially Available: Patrik Laine, Jayden Struble, Oliver Kapanen, Zach Bolduc, Alexandre Texier
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I don’t see them being in the big rental game. I think Montreal is a gatherer. Give us somebody who will be around for a while. Somebody who’s going to be part of our group. Maybe a middling rental if they had to. But someone who will grow with the rest of them.”
Outlook: It feels like the Stanley Cup window is opening for Montreal and though some of their core players still have their peak years ahead of them, the Eastern Conference is so wide open that Montreal could position itself for a run. The timing might even be perfect for them to make a big swing, so the Canadiens should be included in a pool of teams (with Utah, Detroit, and Buffalo) that could pull off a blockbuster.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $34.358 million
Team Needs: Young players, picks
Potentially Available: Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Erik Haula, Ryan O’Reilly
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I’ve had people say to me O’Reilly’s not going to move, I’ve had others say 50-50. I don’t know what to make of it. Also you’ve got a new owner now who’s starting to go public a bit, I think it’s hard when you’re a new owner and the team makes a charge for the playoffs, to wave the white flag.”
Outlook: At one point this season the Predators looked like sure sellers who had a few big-name veterans on the block. But as their season turned around the their playoff chances improved, now they are in a more neutral position. Yes, the Predators still want to get some younger bodies into the organization and so they’ll be more a seller than a buyer. So far that has meant trading away Michael McCarron and Cole Smith. Another UFA or two might follow, but it now seems less likely they’ll move Stamkos, Marchessault or O’Reilly — but we can’t rule it out. The Predators are still in a playoff race and none of these players are on expiring contracts. Bigger changes can be saved for another day.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $2.935 million
Potentially Available: Dougie Hamilton, Simon Nemec, Nick Bjugstad, Brenden Dillon
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I think they have some of their D out there. Not Luke Hughes. I don’t know about (Simon Nemec). I don’t think Pesce. Maybe some of the other D.”
Outlook: New Jersey has had an up-and-down few seasons and as promising as 2025-26 started, it will end on a down note and well out of the playoffs. This was a first-place team in their division at American Thanksgiving and now they’re well-placed to pick a top prospect early in this draft. They could undergo some kind of shake up, though Luke Glendening is the only regular starter on an expiring UFA contract, and he hasn’t scored a goal all season.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $6.021 million
Team Needs: Top-six forward
Potentially Available: Futures, a cap hit
What the GM said: “I’d love to get another scorer, but everyone does, they don’t grow on trees. And the ones that have them don’t want to get rid of them. Easier said than done. I have two first round picks, I have no problem moving one of them for a player that makes sense. Not just for this year, but for a few years going forward.” – Mathieu Darche on Feb. 18.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “The Islanders have a lot of bodies. And I think they want to reward their guys. They’ve having a magic season.”
Outlook: With the East wide open for the taking and since Ilya Sorokin is having a marvellous season, the Islanders may see this as an opportunity for some aggression. Some rumours have linked them to Jordan Kyrou and/or Robert Thomas out of St. Louis. Sitting 21st in goals per game and 31st in power-play percentage, the Isles would do well to add a big point producer like either of those guys. If they use up a lot of assets to bring one in, expect that player to have term.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $8.685 million
Team Needs: Draft picks, prospects, new young players
Potentially Available: Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Adam Fox, Braden Schneider, Taylor Raddysh, Sam Carrick, Conor Sheary
Outlook: Ever since The Letter, Part II came out earlier this season, the Rangers declared their intention to retool and that started by sending Artemi Panarin to the Kings before the Olympic break. That’s not going to be the end of it though. Trocheck is likely to follow and might be the most likely centre to move of the many that have come up in rumours. From there, we’ll see what sort of offers the Rangers get. Schneider, a young defenceman, has been on Nick Kypreos’ trade board for some time. If the Rangers want to go really big, Fox could become the surprise of the day following some comments he recently made about the team’s struggles and how he sees the future. However, that is likely a conversation for another day.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $8.988 million
Team Needs: Top-four right-shot D, scoring forward
Potentially Available: Carter Yakemchuk, Ridly Greig, Fabian Zetterlund
What the GM said: “At this point in time typically when you look at where you are in the standings you say well maybe it’s better to prepare for next season, but that hasn’t been my approach. I’m looking for every opportunity to try and help this team with anything I can do.” – Steve Staios on March 4.
Outlook: Lots of the Atlantic Division’s rebuilding teams have taken steps forward this season. But while Montreal, Buffalo and Detroit are all in playoff positions, the Senators are going to have to come from behind and are right now six points out of the wild card. Better goaltending from Linus Ullmark would go a long way in getting them there, but some work at the deadline from GM Steve Staios would help. The Sens were reportedly in on MacKenzie Weegar before he was dealt to Utah, but it’s that type of defenceman they need most. Some help in the middle of the forward lineup could be useful as well, since the Senators might need to outscore some of their goaltending concerns.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $31.315 million
Team Needs: Core player to push forward with, futures
Potentially Available: Owen Tippett, Rasmus Ristolainen, Trevor Zegras, Bobby Brink
What the GM said: “You know, what matters for us is obviously the future. We’re still building for the future.” – Daniel Briere on March 3.
Outlook: Six points out of the playoffs, perhaps the Flyers still have a chance to make a race out of this, but a more realistic approach might be to take a step back, acquire assets, and try to return better next season. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported the Flyers had checked in on Robert Thomas with St. Louis, but that the price was much too high for their tastes.
The top trade candidate they have is Ristolainen, a big, top-four defenceman who has another season left on his contract. As defencemen start to get moved, however, the market might be shrinking for this player and the Flyers could always run it back with him and explore moving him as a rental in 2027. There is also a logjam of wingers in the organization. This isn’t something they have to deal with now, but the possibility exists. Tippett is on Nick Kypreos’ trade board and doesn’t necessarily have to go to a contender — he could be the source of a hockey trade with anyone. Tippett doesn’t have any trade protection for now, but a partial clause is introduced to his contract after this season.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $49.325 million
Team Needs: Middle-six centre, right shot defenceman
Potentially Available: Stuart Skinner, Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Sam Girard
What the GM said: “In terms of acquisitions, I think where we look is both up front and on defence. I think the ideal acquisition for us will be a player that’s in their 20s, closer to their mid-20s, that has some team control. Either they’re signed, or they are a pending restricted free agent, where they’re not a rental. That said, if we get closer to Friday and there’s a chance to add to the team with someone who is a rental, we could look at that, too.” – Kyle Dubas on March 4.
Outlook: Few would have predicted the Penguins would be in this position, but as they sit second place in the Metropolitan Division, GM Kyle Dubas could help his roster. Without Sidney Crosby, hurt during the Olympics, the Penguins have earned five of a possible eight points, so they’re staying afloat without their captain, who will still be out a few weeks. Not upgrading this roster in any way might put the Penguins in danger of slipping behind the chasing teams who might be buyers at this deadline. They are only in a playoff spot by five points, with Columbus pushing hard. Dubas has done well to start restocking the prospect pipeline and adding draft picks. He’ll want to keep most of that for the years ahead, but there are an abundance of assets to pull from if they can find the right upgrade.
Status: Buyer, blockbuster potential
Deadline Day Cap Space: $22.066 million
Potentially Available: Shane Wright, draft picks, prospects
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I don’t think they’ve given up on a big offensive player or somebody who juices their lineup offensively. And that’s Shane Wright to me and we’ll see where that goes.”
Outlook: The Kraken made a big attempt to get, and sign, Artemi Panarin but that didn’t come to pass. We shouldn’t expect them to quit there. The Kraken have a real shot of getting back to the playoffs, either through the wild card, or in a top-three spot in a weak Pacific Division. However, among any team in a playoff spot right now, the Kraken struggle to score the most and it’s been an area of need for years now. They won’t want to just make it and be overwhelmed by more skilled teams — the Kraken are a motivated buyer to try and get some winning momentum in their young NHL market. This is not a team that tends to act boldly — will that change now?
Deadline Day Cap Space: $614,345
Team Needs: Defensive defenceman, preferably with term
Potentially Available: Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren, some futures
Outlook: A three-game winning streak has the Sharks back in the hunt, three points out of the wild card with two games in hand of both Utah and Seattle. A leaky defence and a still-maturing goalie are two things that probably will hold San Jose back from making any real noise in the playoffs if they did get there, so while this season has been a big step forward for the group, GM Mike Grier is probably not ready to get very aggressive. You might say he already made his big move by acquiring, then signing, Kiefer Sherwood.
Still, Grier only has one NHL defenceman under contract for next season and that is an area of the roster that needs improvement. The long-term view is still important here, but if a helpful player can be added without a significant cost to the future, the Sharks could be a player.
Status: Possibly the biggest seller of the day
Deadline Day Cap Space: $2.574 million
Team Needs: Futures, young players, re-tool
Potentially Available: Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko, Jordan Binnington, Jordan Kyrou, Justin Faulk, Brayden Schenn
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “Everybody knows they’ve been out there for a while but the prices are big. The price for Thomas is very high, either a younger player than Thomas who’s a potential 1C or a Quinn Hughes-type deal. I think the price on Kyrou is high. The price on Faulk is the Rasmus Andersson trade. There’s been talk of Binnington. I think they’d consider just about anything but the price is high.”
Outlook: There are many rumours floating around the Blues, but we should be cautious for a few reasons. First is that we’ve heard this about them before. GM Doug Armstrong put his group on notice last season too, but they turned it around and made the playoffs so no significant shift happened. This time playoffs won’t be part of the equation. Second, the asking prices for these players is enormous and since none of them are on expiring deals, the Blues could wait it out and try again in the summer. A Parayko deal to Buffalo nearly happened. Will the Blues be a source of a deadline day blockbuster…or two?
Deadline Day Cap Space: $2.207 million
Team Needs: Winger, depth defenceman
Potentially Available: Depth player, futures
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “They don’t have a lot of holes there. I’m beginning to wonder if they almost just say this is our team and we’re pretty good.”
Outlook: The Lightning have limited cap space, no glaring holes, and they aren’t overloaded with picks or prospects so they could stand pat. However, that’s not to say they have nothing to trade. They have all of their second- and third-round picks, Sam O’Reilly is a first-round pick having a good OHL season, so it’s possible they could find a move. They will be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference though so, at the very least, we should maybe look for the Lightning to bring in depth.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $7.183 million
Team Needs: Draft picks, prospects, young NHL players
Potentially Available: Scott Laughton, Anthony Stolarz, Matthew Knies, Bobby McMann, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi, Calle Jarnkrok, Matias Maccelli, Brandon Carlo, Morgan Rielly
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I think the Maple Leafs are asking themselves some questions here. And that is: Is this a one year thing? Do we have to consider doing more than we thought we were going to do? Can we turn it around a little quicker like Boston has? I think right before the Olympics they were like ‘OK this is not going to be our year and let’s talk about the UFAs.’ And now it’s ‘this is not going to be our year and it’s really not our year’ and you get to a point where you almost say ‘let’s just say to teams talk to us about our guys.’ I do think Toronto wants to know what the market is for their guys.”
Outlook: We have to wonder if the best years of the Auston Matthews era are over in Toronto. The longest active playoff streak is set to come to an end this season and now the Leafs have to think about the ramifications. No doubt they’ll have designs of getting back to the playoffs next season, but that’s going to take a lot of work on the NHL roster. Nicolas Roy has already been moved for a first-round pick, which is either a starting point to a re-tool, or a flippable asset in the summer for a more immediate need. Expect more of that heading into the deadline. The Leafs could be one of the more active teams towards the deadline, but the bigger questions about the future of this group will come in the summer.
Status: Potential big-time buyer
Deadline Day Cap Space: $24.813 million
Team Needs: A star forward under contract
Potentially Available: Any combination of picks and prospects
What the GM said: “When we’re acquiring someone we’re looking at age, we’re looking at length of contract, and can they move with the club. We’re not at the point where we’re risking it all for rentals to come in. We’re a lot the same, but probably a little more aggressive. Each year we go by, our team becomes a little more cemented in and you can kinda go after what your needs are. Our best team is not here yet. There’s still more young prospects to come in and play.” – Bill Armstrong on March 4.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I think they were around on Panarin and made a serious pitch so I look for them to add, or at least try to.”
Outlook: After years of struggle to just stay afloat in Arizona, the Utah Mammoth can now change the trajectory of their team with a big trade deadline. No team has made more draft picks in recent years, so GM Bill Armstrong is flush with tradeable assets that could bring immediate improvement to this team. They already made a big trade for MacKenzie Weegar, adding a needed top-four defenceman. Now they could go for a big forward and have been one of the teams linked to Robert Thomas. Can they get it done in time to help this year’s playoff push?
Deadline Day Cap Space: $6.747 million
Potentially Available: Elias Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser, Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, David Kampf
What the GM said: “Could be busier leading up to the draft for sure. Have in mind what we did earlier. I think we did a couple big moves here and probably didn’t help other teams by setting the market so high. They definitely could be something we’ll be looking at in the summertime too leading up to the draft. We gotta have a good team here next year too. I think it’s important for the future that we surround the young players with some leadership and continue to build.” – Patrik Allvin on March 4.
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “There’s been some reports that it’s hot around Pettersson, I haven’t heard that. I’ve heard it’s been quiet and I’ve heard that the Canucks are not willing to retain on him.”
Outlook: It’s officially a rebuild for Vancouver, who should easily have the best odds to pick first overall at the draft this season (good luck Canucks fans!). Jim Rutherford is no shrinking violet when it comes to huge hockey trades and the Canucks already made one earlier this season when Quinn Hughes went to Minnesota. Nothing they do from here will be bigger than that, but they could radically change the direction of this team if even a few of the rumoured trade candidates do get moved. Any pending UFA should go, but can palatable trades be found for their players with term? Is this finally the end of Pettersson with the Canucks, after so much promise early in his career? A disaster of a season arrives at the trade deadline, where management needs to carefully maneuver into a rebuild people can believe in.
Deadline Day Cap Space: $1.503 million
Potentially Available: Futures, Akira Schmid
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “The one thing about Vegas is their goaltending hasn’t been very good this year, so we’ll see.”
Outlook: This team has been so active on the trade market in recent seasons that their collection of assets is thin and their roster needs are few. The on-ice results were expected to be better this season, but they’re still leading the Pacific and likely to make the playoffs. If there is a weakness, though, look to the net. The Golden Knights are last in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage and starter Adin Hill is 87th out of 92 goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected. Might they try to jump on one of the available goalies and upgrade here? That might be easier said than done, but Vegas has surprised us at the deadline before. You can never count them out.
Status: Straddling between buying and selling
Deadline Day Cap Space: $18.085 million
Team Needs: Top-six winger
Potentially Available: Trevor van Riemsdyk, futures
What the GM said: “For us, we view our biggest need as a higher-end skilled winger. Those aren’t always available at the deadline. When they become available, they become available. So, we’re going to keep trying to pursue those guys if they’re out there.” – Chris Patrick on Jan. 16
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “It’s going to be a tough battle for them to make the playoffs, so if they add, I think their preference is to add someone they can keep for a while.”
Outlook: The Caps already traded out Nic Dowd and on the surface there’s no reason to believe they’ll do any substantial selling. They are in a playoff hunt, but have played more games than any team they’re competing against so have a disadvantage in trying to make up ground. They’d like to add another scoring winger and that player probably has to have some term on their contract as opposed to being a rental. The most likely conclusion is that Washington plays a neutral role at this deadline.
Status: Should be a seller
Deadline Day Cap Space: $13.920 million
Team Needs: Picks and prospects to flip this summer; second-line scorers
Potentially Available: Jonathan Toews, Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, Cole Koepke, Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola
From the 32 Thoughts Podcast: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets look at it like a lot of this year was a bad year, everything went wrong, maybe we’re not as good as we were a year ago, but we’re better than we showed this year. I don’t expect a fire sale.”
Outlook: It just didn’t happen for Winnipeg this season, but they have every reason to believe they can come back and compete in 2026-27. The biggest need for Winnipeg is to build a scoring second line that can properly support the top unit, but that won’t be accomplished by Friday. What can be done, however, is trading out any expiring contract on a player who can bring back a draft pick or two, with the idea that those assets can then be used to acquire players in the summer. The Jets should be using this deadline to set up an active summer.
