Prout has appeared in 15 games with the Blue Jackets this season, recording just three assists. In seven games with Cleveland, the rugged defenseman had two assists. He will likely serve as an extra defenseman with the Devils.
Quincey is an expiring contract at the end of the season so he gets added to a solid Columbus’ blueline, where he will likely serve as their sixth defenseman. He had 12 points (4G / 8A) in 53 games with the Devils this season.
Beck has appeared in only three NHL games with the Oilers this season, but has registered 50 points (13G / 37A) in 40 games with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL).
Fontaine, 29, has 197 games of NHL experience, registering 27 goals and 41 assists (68 points). Fontaine has spent all of 2016-17 in the AHL, where he has nine goals and 21 assists (30 points) in 50 contests with Hartford.
Iginla will be a free agent this summer, but adds some scoring depth to a Kings team that is pushing for a playoff spot. The veteran winger isn’t the player he once was, but will help the Kings’ power-play and could be rejuvenated playing with Anze Kopitar. He heads to Los Angeles with eight goals and 10 assists (18 points) in 61 games this season.
The Canadiens want to get heavier and they do so by adding another power forward in King. The 27-year-old doesn’t provide a lot in the way of offence, having scored just 15 points (8G / 7A) in 63 games with the Kings this season.
McIlrath, 24, was the 10th overall pick in 2010 and has had a tough time elevating his game to the NHL-level. The 6-foot-5, 220 lbs. defenseman has been waived a few times this season and will likely report to Grand Rapids (AHL). McIlrath has one goal and three assists in 22 AHL games this season and five points (3G / 2A) in 43 career NHL games.
Vanek has had a strong year in Detroit after signing a one-year deal with the Red Wings in the summer. With the Red Wings being sellers at the deadline for the first time in 25 years, Vanek’s fate was sealed. He heads to Florida with 15 goals and 23 assists (38 points) in 48 games this season.
Whitney has collected 11 goals and 17 assists (28 points) in 55 games with the San Antonio Rampage this season, but will head to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) in a minor league deal.
Ranford, 24, had six goals and 11 assists (17 points) in 46 games with the Texas Stars and Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) this season. He will report to San Antonio.
Goldobin, 21, was a first round pick in 2014, but has only appeared in 11 career NHL games since. He has had a really nice 2016-17 season in the AHL, where he was third on the San Jose Barracuda in points with 41 (15G / 256A) in 46 games. He is expected to report to the Canucks opposed to Utica.
Hansen spent the first nine and a half seasons of his NHL career with the Canucks after being drafted by them in 2004. Hansen had a career-high 22 goals last year, but has been hampered by injuries this season—he has 13 points (6G / 7A) in 28 games and heads to San Jose where he will likely land a bottom-6 role.
Ott has collected three goals and three assists (six points) in 42 games for the Red Wings this season. Ott brings some grit, toughness and good face-off ability to the Canadiens’ bottom-6 but likely won’t see a tonne of playing time down the stretch.
Davidson has had a long journey to the NHL as a sixth round pick, but has registered just one assist in 28 games this season. Davidson will likely find playing time hard to come by in Montreal.
Desharnais has been regressing for the last few years, but has really struggled this season, registering just 10 points (4G / 6A) in 31 games with the Canadiens. The Oilers need some help in the face-off dot and Desharnais will bring that as a bottom-6 forward.
McNeill, 24, was a first round pick in 2011 but has never developed the way the Blackhawks expected. McNeill has six goals and 22 assists (28 points) in 58 games with Rockford this season and has only appeared in just one career NHL game.
Oduya was with the Blackhawks from the second half of 2012 until 2015, where he collected nine goals and 34 assists (43 points) in 219 games. Oduya has just seven points (1G / 6A) in 37 games with the Stars this season, but is an upgrade on Michal Rozsival as the Blackhawks’ seven defenseman.
Stalberg has registered nine goals with three assists (12 points) in 57 games with the Hurricanes this season. Stalberg and Alex Burrows have been added to the Senators in the last two days, but both of their best days appear to be behind them. Expect Stalberg to make his Senators debut on Thursday.
Smith has spent the first six and a half seasons of his NHL career with the Red Wings but the pending unrestricted free agent has been traded because the Red Wings are selling contracts as their 25-year playoff streak appears to be coming to an end. Smith never really developed into the offensive force the Red Wings were hoping when they picked him in the first round in 2007. Smith won’t be in the lineup on Tuesday and has just two goals and three assists (five points) in 33 games this season.
Sanford, 22, was a second round pick in 2013 (No.61 overall) and has appeared in his first 26 career NHL games this season. Sanford has two goals and one assist in his brief NHL career and is expected to serve as a healthy scratch in his first game with the Blues. Sanford has 11 goals and five assists (16 points) in 25 games with Hershey (AHL).
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.