NHL
2026 NHL
Trade Deadline
Utah made arguably the second-biggest move of deadline week, acquiring MacKenzie Weegar from the Flames. Sergei Belski / Imagn Images
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
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Good afternoon, hockey folks. The NHL’s trade deadline jussssst passed, and we’ve got details on everything that happened right here.
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In all, it was a quiet day by deadline standards, with only around a dozen deals of note made today. But roughly 30 trades were made this week across the NHL, with almost every team getting involved.
We’ve been tracking all that movement to provide you with a quick run-through of the 20 highest-impact deals from the past few days:
1. The Avalanche acquired Nazem Kadri from the Flames, a deal that broke well after the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Analysis: We don’t know the return package as of sending, but Kadri back in Denver just feels right, as both team and player attempt to recreate the magic of their 2022 Stanley Cup win together.
2. The Mammoth acquired MacKenzie Weegar from the Flames for Olli Maatta, prospect Jonathan Castagna and three 2026 second-round picks.
Analysis: Utah making arguably the second-biggest move of deadline week is a bit of a surprise, but Weegar is a significant long-term addition for a team clearly on the rise. The Mammoth have served notice they want to join the big clubs in the division — even if it’ll be tough to beat them this postseason.
3. The Ducks acquired John Carlson from the Capitals for a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third.
Analysis: After 1,143 games and a Stanley Cup in Washington, it’ll certainly be weird seeing Carlson in a different jersey leading the Flying V. We wonder if this is a pure rental — and if Carlson returns to D.C. in the offseason.
4. The Red Wings acquired Justin Faulk from the Blues for Justin Holl, a first-round pick and a third-round pick.
Analysis: This is a huge upgrade for Detroit, which missed out on Tyler Myers but gets an even better addition on right defense. The Red Wings are looking like a dark horse in the East right now after a decade out of the playoffs.
5. The Islanders acquired Brayden Schenn from the Blues for Jonathan Drouin, prospect Marcus Gidlof, a first-round pick and a third-round pick.
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Analysis: One of the most interesting moves all week, with New York adding the Blues captain, dumping a bad contract and giving up a first-round pick as it continues to try to make the postseason. The Matthew Schaefer era on Long Island has sure been entertaining.
6. The Avalanche acquired Nicolas Roy from the Maple Leafs for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 fifth.
Analysis: Roy didn’t really make as big of an impact as expected in Toronto during a disastrous season for the Leafs, but it won’t surprise if he is a key piece for the Avs in the playoffs, given his play in Vegas on that team’s runs.
7. The Blue Jackets acquired Conor Garland from the Canucks for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2026 third.
Analysis: A very nice heart-and-soul addition who is already signed long-term, with a six-year extension beginning next year. Columbus is suddenly in solid position to push for a playoff spot, and Garland will only help with that — and in the postseason.
8. The Lightning acquired Corey Perry (50 percent retained) from the Kings for a 2028 second-round pick.
Analysis: The ageless wonder (40) is going for his sixth appearance in the Cup final in seven years and couldn’t have landed with a better team to try and do so.
9. The Kings acquired Scott Laughton from the Maple Leafs for a third-round pick.
Analysis: Los Angeles adds a strong defensive depth center to replace what it lost in moving out Phillip Danault earlier this season. Do the Kings get an extension done with Laughton?
10. The Kraken acquired Bobby McMann from the Maple Leafs for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
Analysis: The Leafs were hoping to get at least two second-round picks, so this was a slight disappointment for Toronto. Seattle, meanwhile, is being aggressive for a team with just a 15 percent shot at the playoffs right now.
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11. The Sabres acquired Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn (50 percent retained) from the Jets for Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth.
Analysis: Another one that feels like a steep price, depending on how Rosen develops from an AHL scoring talent into a regular in the NHL.
12. The Stars acquired Tyler Myers (50 percent retained) from the Canucks for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 fourth.
Analysis: It’ll be interesting to see how Myers fares in the Central Division playoff wars. The Stars needed an upgrade in their top four; it’s fair to question if this will be that.
13. The Oilers acquired Jason Dickinson (50 percent retained) and Colton Dach from the Blackhawks for Andrew Mangiapane and a 2027 first-round pick.
Analysis: Feels like a real overpay for Edmonton to get out of the mistake that was Mangiapane’s contract. Upgrading at 4C didn’t feel like the biggest need to address.
14. The Wild acquired Bobby Brink from the Flyers for David Jiricek.
Analysis: One of the few player-for-player deals and one that could have interesting ramifications beyond this season. Brink gives the Wild some additional scoring depth. Scott Wheeler has a good video explaining why Jiricek, the 2022 No. 6 pick, has been traded twice already.
15. The Oilers acquired Connor Murphy (50 percent retained) from the Blackhawks for a 2028 second-round pick.
Analysis: Murphy’s minutes have fallen to third-pair territory this season, but he should be able to at least stop some of the bleeding defensively for Edmonton.
16. The Golden Knights acquired Nic Dowd from the Capitals for prospect Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round pick and a 2029 second.
Analysis: Feels like a Nic Roy replacement for Vegas. Dowd has an extra year on his deal, so as a non-rental, this is a win for the Golden Knights.
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17. The Senators acquired Warren Foegele and a 2026 third-round pick from the Kings for a 2026 second and a 2026 third.
Analysis: Ottawa has made a nice push back into the playoff conversation in the Atlantic since the Olympic break, and Foegele has another year on his deal, so this is a double win for the Senators.
18. The Blackhawks traded Nick Foligno to the Wild for future considerations.
Analysis: A big-time vibes play as Chicago basically gives Foligno away to allow him to play for a Cup with his brother, Marcus. That’ll be a great story if the Wild go deep.
19. The Stars acquired Michael Bunting from the Predators for a 2026 third-round pick.
Analysis: Some annoying scoring depth for Dallas. Get ready to see Bunting in a few scrums come April.
20. The Red Wings acquired David Perron from the Senators for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Analysis: Perron, 37, gets a chance to go back to Detroit, where he had a lot of success before his recent two tough seasons in Ottawa. An interesting deal, given they’re jockeying for playoff spots with one another.
Whew. ICYMI: We have trade grades for every significant deadline deal.
On to more instant takeaways.
As per tradition, Mark Lazerus has a breakdown of the teams that won and lost the day. Here are a few that stand out to me on either side:
👍 What I liked:
👎 What I didn’t like:
Again, here’s Mark’s full winners and losers file.
💡This week’s MirTrivia: The two biggest names traded this season were icons with their now-rebuilding former franchises: Quinn Hughes (back on Dec. 12) and Artemi Panarin (Feb. 4).
Hughes fetched Vancouver three young roster players and a pick from the Wild. Panarin brought the Rangers a prospect and two picks from the Kings.
How many of those four players can you name? What were the draft picks in each deal? And which player involved immediately signed a contract extension, and for how much? Scroll to the bottom for the answers.
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📰 The trade deadline live blog has the blow-by-blow rundown of the day from our army of hockey writers.
🔄 If you missed it earlier in the day, this was Chris Johnston’s final trade board entering the deadline. Hard to believe he only made nine of them this year, the slacker.
👀 The Power Rankings are updated as we hit the season’s home stretch. The Sabres are one of the big teams to watch, given how hot they’ve been.
🤔 Evgeni Malkin is in hot water with the NHL Department of Player Safety after a dangerous slash on Rasmus Dahlin. The Penguins can’t afford to lose him for long, as they’re already without Sidney Crosby.
🎤 “The Athletic Hockey Show” will have a full recap of the day’s moves wherever you get your podcasts.
The haul the Canucks received for Hughes was Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium — plus a first-round pick.
The Rangers, meanwhile, landed Liam Greentree (bonus points if you got that one) and conditional third- and fourth-round picks. And Panarin immediately signed a two-year, $11 million extension in Los Angeles.
Those will both be interesting deals to look back on a few years from now, once the dust settles on the returns.
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James Mirtle is a senior writer covering the NHL for The Athletic. James joined The Athletic as the inaugural editor in Canada in 2016 and served as senior managing editor of The Athletic NHL for four years. Previously, he spent 12 years as a sportswriter with The Globe and Mail. A native of Kamloops, B.C., he appears regularly on Sportsnet 590 The Fan and other radio stations across Canada. Follow James on Twitter @mirtle
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