After a flurry of moves Wednesday, there’s still plenty of time for more action to take place ahead of the NHL trade deadline Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Top trade targets Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights), Adam Henrique (Edmonton Oilers), Vladimir Tarasenko (Florida Panthers) and Sean Walker (Colorado Avalanche) were among to land with new teams Wednesday.
There was also a good old fashioned hockey trade of talented young players. The Buffalo Sabres acquired defenseman Bowen Byram from the Avalanche straight up for center Casey Mittelstadt.
What’s happening Thursday? Let’s take a look. And make sure to check back often for the latest news and rumors.
Related: Top NHL trade deadline news, rumors on Wednesday
Thursday NHL trade deadline news, rumors
Maple Leafs land another defenseman in Joel Edmundson deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired a veteran defenseman for the second time ahead of the trade deadline. They picked up Joel Edmundson from the Washington Capitals for two draft picks Thursday after landing Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks last week.
Like the Lyubushkin trade with the Ducks, the Maple Leafs negotiated to have half of Gudbranson’s contract retained by the Capitals. That means Toronto is on the hook for only $875,000 for the 30-year-old defenseman, who can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Edmundson helped the St, Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup in 2019 and played in the Cup Final with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. His 75 games of Stanley Cup Playoffs experience is key for a Maple Leafs team trying to get over the hump in the postseason despite a talented core.
With Mark Giordano and Conor Timmins on IR, the Maple Leafs have Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake McCabe, Timothy Liljegren and William Lagesson as blue line options, along with Edmundson and Lyubushkin.
The Maple Leafs are 10-2-0 in their past 12 games and sit third in the Atlantic Division.
Tyler Toffoli will be scratched for Devils for trade-related reasons
Tyler Toffoli’s days with the New Jersey Devils appear numbered. The power forward won’t play Thursday when the Devils host the Blues due to “trade-deadline, precautionary reasons,” per interim coach Travis Green.
Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said two days ago that he’s “not shopping” Toffoli, but teams were inquiring about the 2014 Stanley Cup champion, who leads the Devils with 26 goals.
Fitzgerald also said they Devils were hoping to sign the pending UFA to a contract extension but were far apart on term.
One team that could be interested in Toffoli is the Los Angeles Kings, who are without injured forward Adrian Kempe for several weeks and for whom Toffoli played his first eight seasons in the NHL.
Avalanche add forwards Brandon Duhaime, Yakov Trenin in separate deals
After making two trades Wednesday, adding Walker and Mittelstadt, the Colorado Avalanche added two rugged forwards Thursday in separate deals.
Colorado first acquired Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild for a third-round pick in the 2026 draft. Then the Avalanche traded for center Yakov Trenin, sending a 2025 third-round pick and defenseman Jeremy Hanzel to the Minnesota Wild.
Each would provide some heft to Colorado’s third line. Duhaime was second on the Wild with 66 penalty minutes and has four goals and eight points in 62 games. Trenin has 10 goals and 14 points in 60 games.
Both Duhaime and Trenin can be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.
The Avalanche are tied with the Winnipeg Jets for second in the Central Division, two points behind the first-place Dallas Stars.
Related: 5 NHL GMs under most pressure ahead of trade deadline
Canucks may be out on Jake Guentzel
Two days after rumors that they were close to a three-team trade that would land them Jake Guentzel, the Vancouver Canucks appear to be out of the running for the Pittsburgh Penguins forward.
With the Penguins rightfully holding out for the best package in return for the two-time Stanley Cup winner, the Canucks may believe they do not have what it takes to meet the asking price, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
Many experts believe the Carolina Hurricanes are the frontrunners to land Guentzel from their Metropolitan Division rivals. Though loathe to spend big on a rental in the past, the Hurricanes certainly have the assets and the hunger to win a Stanley Cup that could alter their approach ahead of this deadline.
The New York Rangers are also believed to be in heavily on Guentzel, a seven-time 20-goal scorer, who’s got 22 in 50 games this season and is expected to return soon from injury. A fit with the Rangers is questionable since Guentzel is a left wing and the Rangers need a right wing. In addition, the Rangers have made it clear they do not wish to part with top prospects Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault in any deal.
Alexander Barabanov to sit out Sharks game against Islanders
At least one of the San Jose Sharks pending unrestricted free agents will be held out of the lineup Thursday when they host the New York Islanders. Forward Alexander Barabanov, who’s had a rough season with only three goals in 38 games and a minus-23, won’t play.
However, Anthony Duclair and Mike Hoffman are expected to play for the Sharks. Each can be a UFA at season’s end and is expected to be traded before the deadline.
Duclair has seven goals in his past 11 games and is coming off a four-point game against the Stars on Tuesday. There’ve been rumors that the Islanders are interested in Duclair, which could be why he’s playing against them Thursday.
Vladimir Tarasenko to be on top line for Panthers debut
When Vladimir Tarasenko was traded to the Florida Panthers by the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, it was widely assumed the veteran forward would play down their deep lineup.
Think again.
Tarasenko skated with center Alex Barkov and right wing Sam Reinhart at Florida’s morning skate Thursday ahead of their home game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Tarasenko is a natural right wing, but will play the left side in deference to Reinhart, who has 45 goals this season.
Tarasenko, a 2019 Stanley Cup winner with the Blues, has 17 goals and 41 points in 57 games. He can be a UFA at season’s end.
The Panthers also signed defenseman Gustav Forsling to an eight-year, $46 million contract extension Thursday.
Florida has won six straight games and 12 of their past 13. The Panthers are first overall in the League with 90 points.
Phil Kessel ‘on track’ to sign with Canucks: report
The Canucks are deep in the hunt for top trade deadline target Jake Guentzel. But it appears the Canucks are also expected to make a smaller move involving a big name.
Chris Johnston reported Thursday that the Canucks are “on track” to sign free agent forward Phil Kessel before the 3 p.m. ET deadline Friday. Kessel, who skated with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford last month, has not played this season after helping the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup last season.
The 36-year-old is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and 12-time 20-goal scorer. He’s scored 413 NHL goals and has 100 games of postseason experience.
At this stage of his career, Kessel would be a depth piece for a Cup contender. Despite recent struggles, the Canucks remain first in the Pacific Division.
As for Guentzel, it’s rumored that the Canucks, Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and possibly the Golden Knights are among the finalists to land the two-time Cup champ.
Anthony Beauvillier on the move again
Anthony Beauvillier is set to play for his third team this season and fourth in the past two seasons. The 26-year-old forward was traded to the Nashville Predators by the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft Thursday.
Beauvillier began the season with the Vancouver Canucks. They traded him to the Blackhawks on Nov. 28. He played his first six-plus seasons with the New York Islanders, who made him a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
He has not scored a goal in his past 12 games and has four goals and 14 points in 45 games with the Canucks and Blackhawks this season. Beauvillier scored 18 goals last season and had 21 in 2017-18.
Beauvillier, who is healthy after missing six weeks with a wrist injury, joins a Predators team that had won eight games in a row before a 4-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Nashville has a six-point lead over the Blues and Seattle Kraken for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.