As the March 7th NHL trade deadline approaches, some players will find themselves with new homes. On January 24, The Colorado Avalanche traded winger Mikko Rantanen in a three-team deal involving the Hurricanes and Blackhawks. Carolina acquired both Taylor Hall and Rantanen in exchange for Jack Drury and Martin Necas. The Avalanche also received a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Hurricanes. The Blackhawks reacquired their 2025 third-round pick while retaining 50% of Rantanen’s salary. Prospect Nils Juntorp went from Chicago to Colorado then to Carolina.
On January 31, the New York Rangers acquired center J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers received Miller, defenseman Erik Brannstrom and prospect defenseman Jackson Dorrington, with center Filip Chytil, prospect defenseman Victor Mancini and a protected 2025 first-round pick going to the Canucks.
The Canucks used the first-round pick they received from the New York trade to get defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canucks also received forward Drew O’Connor. In addition to the first-round pick, Pittsburgh acquired forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnai and the rights to forward Melvin Fernström.
Toronto Maple Leafs
After barely qualifying for the playoffs last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs look primed to do much better in 2025. Toronto’s style of play under head coach Craig Berube has turned heads, and fans have to be pleased with their team’s defense and goaltending this season. The Maple Leafs rank just outside the top 10 in scoring, defense, power play and the penalty kill.
Toronto needs to add another center, as Yanni Gourde, Brock Nelson and David Kampf are too heavily relied upon and rookie Fraser Minten is not ready for additional ice time. General Manager Brad Treliving is actively exploring the market for a center, and Yanni Gourde is frequently mentioned as a candidate to fill the Maple Leafs needs. Acquiring a center would give defenseman Conor Timmins more playing time and allow the organization to develop give their young prospects like Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten.
The Maple Leafs will likely need to trade some of their draft picks to add depth for a playoff run because they lack prospects after not having any second- or third-round selections in 2023 or 2024.
San Jose Sharks
With the arrival of the new year, NHL teams have started focusing on the looming trade deadline (March 7) to either add missing pieces for a potential Stanley Cup run or procure draft picks to rebuild their rosters. San Jose remains in rebuilding mode and recently added draft picks in an effort to build a foundation for the future.
On February 1, San Jose GM Mike Grier sent forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars for a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick. The Sharks have a talented core with Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund and Yaroslav Askarov, and this trade gives the organization a total of eight picks in this year’s draft.
“In a perfect world, I maybe would’ve held on to ‘Granny’ and ‘Cece’ closer to the deadline so our group could have them for a little bit longer,” Grier said. “But it doesn’t always work out that way and the market just kind of heated up over the last week. We kind of took advantage of the opportunity that came my way.”
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are in a playoff race and General Manager Kelly McCrimmon won’t hesitate to make a bold move at the trade deadline. Since its inception, Vegas has not been afraid of trading high-end draft picks in exchange for players that will immediately benefit their organization. McCrimmon adheres to the credo that no player is untouchable, and the Golden Knights need scoring depth on the wings.
Taking bold steps has paid dividends as the Golden Knights have become one of the league’s premier clubs, and they have the cap space to improve their roster without major subtractions.
On January 31, former St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad signed with the Golden Knights for the remainder of the season in a deal that is worth a prorated $1.5 million. Saad, 32, has 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) in 43 games this season, together with a 9.3 shooting percentage — the second-worst mark of his 14-year career.
Utah Hockey Club
Utah is slowly building toward contention. While Utah’s young core has shown promise, defensive lapses and limited playmaking have prevented them from stringing wins together. Utah remains in the race for the final wild-card spot, but it needs to find more offensive firepower to make the postseason. Utah desperately needs more production from players other than Clayton Keller (50 points), Logan Cooley (42), Nick Schmaltz (37) and Dylan Guenther (0.85 points per game) when he’s back from injury.
With plenty of cap space remaining, Utah has the flexibility to add offensive talent to their roster, although Lauri Markkanen may sign a long-term deal. In addition to having plenty of cap room, Utah has an ample roster with expiring contracts such as John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and Svi Mykhailiuk who could all potentially be traded. Utah’s draft picks may come in handy during future trade negotiations.
Names of potential trade candidates include goaltender Karel Vejmelka, forward Nick Bjugstad, wing Alexander Kerfoot and defensemen Robert Bortuzzo, Ian Cole, and Olli Maatta.
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