Jooris has just six points (3G / 3A) in 31 games this season and is expected to go to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) right away. This is a minor trade and Jooris will likely serve as wing depth during the postseason.
Namestnikov had a blistering start to the season picking up 33 points (15G / 18A) in his first 38 games but has struggled with just 11 points (5G / 6A) in his last 24. In New York he won’t have the luxury of playing with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, but he should still play a top-6 role.
Miller basically replaces Vladislav Namestnikov in the Lightning lineup, but may not see the first line ice-time that Namestnikov was playing. Miller brings a solid amount of offence to the table as well, having picked up 13 goals and 27 assists (40 points) in 63 games with the Rangers. He should play a very similar, middle-6 role with some PP time as he did in New York.
McDonagh has missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury but is expected to be back in the near future. His 50th game of the season will come in a Lightning uniform, but his fantasy value may actually take a hit because he will probably see less minutes behind Victor Hedman. McDonagh boosts the Lightning’s blueline a lot and make them and solidify them as Stanley Cup favourites.
Maroon had a career-year while playing with Connor McDavid in 2016-17, but couldn’t quite find the same success this year. With his contract expiring at the end of the season and the Oilers out of the playoff hunt they had to trade him. Maroon made it seem possible that he could return to the Oilers this summer, but for now he heads to the Devils where he could find himself in the top-6.
Shore, who was recently acquired by the Senators in the Dion Phaneuf trade, is moved again after picking up just one assist in six games in Ottawa. Shore heads to the Flames, who were looking for a right-handed centre with four goals and 12 assists (16 points) in 55 games this year.
No one expected the Golden Knights to be buyers at their first trade deadline but here we are. Tatar has picked up 16 goals and 12 assists (28 points) in 62 games with the Red Wings this season and should be a great fit on Vegas’ third line with Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch.
Jokinen heads to his fourth team this season and has picked up just one goal and six assists (seven points) in 46 combined games with the Oilers, Kings and Blue Jackets. After a great year in 2015-16, Jokinen has no fantasy value at this point in his career.
Motte was a part of the Artemi Panarin trade this summer, but only had five points (3G / 2A) in 31 games with the Blue Jackets this year. He has struggled at the AHL level as well, picking up just 19 goals and eight assists (27 points) in his last 60 AHL games. So this return doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Canucks.
Vanek is no stranger to bouncing around at the trade deadline but the return he brings continues to diminish. The decreasing trade value isn’t connected to his regular season offence, because he has 17 goals and 24 assists (41 points) in 61 games with the Canucks this season. However, he has not performed very well post-deadline after being traded. Look back to last season, when he had just two goals in 20 games after being dealt to the Panthers last year.
O’Regan, 24, was a fifth round pick (No.138 overall) in 2012 and has picked up just five points (1G / 4A) in 22 career NHL games. O’Regan has 25 points (7G / 18A) in 31 games with the Barracuda (AHL) this year. He was also a teammate of Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues at Boston University.
Kane brings size, speed and scoring to the Sharks, who are in need of top-6 goal scoring help. Kane has scored 20 goals and 20 assists (40 points) in 61 games this season. If he does not re-sign with the Sharks this season, the 1st round pick in 2019 becomes a 2nd round pick.
Wagner is a versatile fourth-line forward who can play the wing and centre, but has picked up just 15 points (6G / 9A) in 64 games with the Ducks this season. He should fit in on the Islanders fourth line as well.
Chimera has picked up just two goals and nine assists (11 points) in 58 games with the Islanders this season. The 38-year-old brings a lot of speed but not a lot of offence to the Ducks bottom-6.
Leipsic had registered just 13 points (2G/11A) in 44 games with the Golden Knights this season. He had recently fallen out of favour with head coach Gerard Gallant, as he was routinely scratched and averaged just over 11 minutes of ice time per game. The move to Vancouver should give Leipsic plenty of opportunities to show what he can do at the NHL level.
Holm played three seasons in the Swedish Elite League before signing an entry level contract with the Canucks this past off-season. The 26-year old has some offensive upside from the blue line, registering 29 points (11G/18A) in 42 games with Utica (AHL) this season. He even saw some time on the Canucks' top powerplay unit in his lone NHL game this year. Holm will join Chicago (AHL) for the time being.
The Blues have surprisingly started to drop out of the playoff race in the Western Conference so they decided to trade one of their pending free agents. Stastny was a player the Jets had their eye on before he signed with St. Louis prior to the 2014-15 season and now they’ve got him for the stretch run. He has 40 points (12G / 28A) in 63 games this season and will likely skate as the Jets’ third line centre—giving them one of the deepest lineups in the NHL.
Hartman was a first round pick in 2012 and has built on a solid 2016-17 season, picking up 25 points (8G / 17A) in 57 games with the Blackhawks this season. With Chicago falling out of favour in the Western Conference and the Predators taking an all-in approach, Hartman brings a ton of versatility to the Nashville bottom-6.
Moutrey, 22, was a fourth round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2013 (No.105 overall) and has picked up just three goals and three assists in 22 games with Cleveland (AHL) this season. He will report to Belleville (AHL).
Cole was acquired in the Derick Brassard trade but was always expected to be flipped before the trade deadline. The 29-year-old can help on the offensive end and should slot in as a third-pairing defenseman with Columbus. He had 13 points (3G / 10A) in 47 games with the Penguins before his first trade.
NHL trades are decided between two or more team general managers. The front office’s job is building a winning team. Building a winning team means discussing trades with other general managers across the league.
During the NHL regular season, players can be traded up until the trade deadline. The deadline is the official cutoff point for when teams can no longer make moves between each other. Players can also be traded throughout the offseason.
Teams trade players in hockey for a variety of reasons, but generally, it is done to find success, whether that is in the short term or long term. Teams may trade their top players in search of draft picks if they are undergoing a rebuild, whereas contending teams may look to acquire talent to boost their playoff chances.
Trades are a common occurrence throughout the NHL and happen often. Some years feature less trades than others, it all depends on each teams needs and the availability of attractive talent.