Hannah Kirkell
Extra, extra, read all about it! The trade deadline is finally upon us. I’ll be chained to my desk today, frantically working the phones and updating this live blog in a desperate attempt to keep you all informed. Every day, I get one step closer to my childhood dream of becoming a town crier.
Take care not to fall for fake Twitter accounts today, folks. Rumors are swirling, and trades are a-brewing. I’ve got you covered through it all.
Will the Boston Bruins trade Brad Marchand? Will this dramatic Mikko Rantanen situation ever be resolved? Buckle up, folks, and we’ll all find out together.
So, without further ado… here… we… go. We’re LIVE!
Vegas Golden Knights Watch
I’ve got a feeling there could be a healthy amount of movement this trade deadline. So, let’s divide all the news into three sections: Golden Knights news, Pacific Division news, and tidbits from around the rest of the league.
As of 7:45 a.m., nothing new to report. Of course, it’s possible that reacquiring Reilly Smith was Kelly McCrimmon’s only move at the trade deadline, but come on. Does anybody really think that the Golden Knights are done?
8:01 a.m.: “Watch out for Vegas.”
8:06 a.m.: Yeah… that’s not ominous at ALL.
11:48 a.m.: Oh, that’s cheeky. They’re stirring the pot now.
Pacific Division Watch
8:00 a.m.: *Crickets*
8:59 a.m.: The Los Angeles Kings sent a 2027 third-rounder to the Philadelphia Flyers for Andrei Kuzmenko at 50% retained.
12:45 p.m.: The Edmonton Oilers announced that Evander Kane will not return during the regular season.
NHL Trade Chatter, Rumors, & Moves Section
7:11 a.m.: The Chicago Blackhawks are attempting to re-sign Ryan Donato and are listening to offers for Pat Maroon.
7:30: RIP to Mikko Rantanen’s alleged tenure as a Dallas Star. It lasted less than 12 hours. Darren Dreger reports that the Stars are willing to offer Rantanen “upwards of $12 million.” That sounds like a lot of money to me, but keep in mind that since Rantanen could easily get more than that on the free market, that’s short of the mark.
7:51 a.m.: Well, wipe another target off the trade board. The Buffalo Sabres have extended pending UFA winger Jason Zucker: two years, $4.75 million.
7:52 a.m.: Woah. This sounds big, eh? The Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres are engaging in trade talks that include Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker.
8:08 a.m.: The Washington Capitals are awake. They just traded a 2025 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winger Anthony Beauvillier.
8:26 a.m.: There’s a “stalemate in contract negotiations” with Mikko Rantanen.
8:39 a.m.: The New York Islanders traded Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. But they’ve opted to keep and re-sign pending UFA Kyle Palmieri.
8:51 a.m.: The New Jersey Devils are “closing in on an extension” with pending UFA defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic.
8:59 a.m.: It sounds like there’s about a $1 million difference between what the Dallas Stars are willing to offer ($12 million) and what Mikko Rantanen’s camp is asking for ($13 million). That explains the stalemate.
9:10 a.m.: Finally, an update on the Ottawa Senators-Buffalo Sabres trade. Per Elliotte Friedman, the Senators acquire Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and a 2026 second-round pick for Josh Norris and Jacob Bernard-Docker.
9:29 a.m.: And here we go. Mikko Rantanen is closing in on an 8 x $12M AAV extension with the Dallas Stars. Open the floodgates!
9:39 a.m.: The Winnipeg Jets got a little tougher to play against. They sent a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Luke Schenn.
9:46 a.m.: Welcome to Toronto, Scott Laughton. He’s the newest Maple Leaf.
9:47 a.m.: The Winnipeg Jets aren’t done; they sent a 2027 second-round pick to the Seattle Kraken for a reunion with Brandon Tanev.
9:58 a.m.: It’s official– the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired a fourth-round pick, a sixth-round pick, and Scott Laughton at50% retained from the Philadelphia Flyers for Nikita Grebenkin and a first-round pick.
10:00 a.m.: The New Jersey Devils signed Jonathan Kovacevic to a five-year, $4 million contract extension.
10:11 a.m.: Surely, this can’t be the whole return for Mikko Rantanen, right?
11:05 a.m.: The Colorado Avalanche traded Casey Mittelstadt, William Zellers, and a 2025 second-rounder to the Boston Bruins for Charlie Coyle.
11:13 a.m.: Ah, yes, the Yzerplan. The Detroit Red Wings acquired Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks for Joe Veleno.
11:29 a.m.: The New Jersey Devils acquire Cody Glass, the first-ever Golden Knights draft pick, from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round pick and “some minor league players.”
11:32 a.m.: The New York Rangers signed Urho Vaakanainen to a two-year contract extension with a $1.55 million AAV.
11:36 a.m.: Golden Knights killer Wyatt Johnston signs a five-year, $8.4 million AAV extension to stay in Dallas.
11:59 a.m.: The Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Luke Kunin from the San Jose Sharks for a 2025 fourth-round pick.
12:07 p.m.: It’s a team full of rats– Brad Marchand is a Florida Panther.
12:13 p.m.: The Ottawa Senators are officially buyers. They’ve acquired Tristen Robins, Fabian Zetterlund, and a fourth-rounder from the San Jose Sharks for Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and their 2025 second-round pick.
12:15 p.m.: The Chicago Blackhawks receive Aku Räty and the rights to Victor Söderström from the Utah Hockey Club to take on Shea Weber’s contract.
12:21 p.m.: The Boston Bruins acquire Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres.
12:44 p.m.: The Buffalo Sabres acquired Golden Knights first-round draft-pick Erik Brännström from the New York Rangers for Nicolas Aubé-Kubel.
12:46 p.m.: The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded for Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins. It’s a three-team deal, with the Bruins getting Fraser Minten and a first-round pick; the Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to be involved, so they ate some salary.
12:47 p.m.: The Colorado Avalanche are bringing back Erik Johnson from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers get Givani Smith.
12:56 p.m.: The New Jersey Devils have traded for Daniel Sprong.
1:00 p.m.: Oh, man. The Florida Panthers swiped Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins– and it sounds like all it took was a conditional first-rounder.
1:15 p.m.: The New Jersey Devils acquired Dennis Cholowski from the New York Islanders for Adam Beckman.
2:00 p.m.: FINALLY, the full details of the Mikko Rantanen trade. He’s officially a Dallas Star.
2:03 p.m.: The Carolina Hurricanes acquired Mark Jankowski from the Nashville Predators for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
