Desjardins, 27, switches places with Ben Smith and should slot right in on the Blackhawks fourth line. He has just eight points (5G / 3A) in 56 games, so moving to Chicago is not going to bump up his fantasy value.
Smith, 25, has one more year on his deal with a $1.5M cap-hit. Smith is a physical two-way forward, who is a few years younger than Andrew Desjardins who went the other way. Smith had five goals and four assists in 61 games with Chicago.
Michalek has missed the last six games with a concussion, but he was expected to return to the ice later today, before he was dealt to St. Louis. Michalek is a great shot blocking defenseman and replaces the hole Roman Polak left when he went to Toronto. Michalek has eight points (2G / 6A) in 53 games this season.
Flynn, 26, is a hard working forward who can play centre or wing. He was played huge minutes with Buffalo, but will play a bottom-6 role in Montreal. He has five goals and 12 assists (17 points) in 54 games. Flynn is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Petry, 27, is a strong two-way forward who is very good at breaking out of his own end. He is strong offensively as well, posting 15 points (4G / 11A) in 59 games with the lowly Oilers. He was a minus-25 in Edmonton, but that won’t be the case in Montreal. He will likely slot in on right side on the Habs second pair.
Connolly, 22, was a first round pick of the Lightning (6th overall) in 2010. He has a big frame at 6-foot-2 and he has been a proven goal scorer at all levels and tallied 12 goals and three assists (15) in 50 games usually in a bottom-6 role in Tampa Bay. He is a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Gudas, 24, is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery in early January. He has one more year on his deal with a 992K cap-hit. Gudas is extremely physical and possesses a heavy slap-shot from the point. He was second on the Lightning in hits (115) and fifth in blocked shots (63) despite playing on 31 games.
Coburn has one more year left on his deal with a $4.5M cap-hit and the Lightning feel better about their blue line depth by adding Coburn, who has playoff experience. Coburn is mobile for a big-dude at 6-foot-5, 220 lbs. and can be a good shutdown D-man with offensive upside. He has one goal and eight assists (9 points) in 39 games this season.
Sheppard is a versatile forward who can play all three positions. He has played primarily on the Sharks third line, tallying 16 points (5G / 11A) in 57 games this season. He has never really lived up to his 9th overall selection in 2006, but he is good big-body, two-way forward who will help the Rangers bottom-6.
The Red Wings were searching for a big body forward and they found that in pending unrestricted free agent Erik Cole. Cole has 18 goals and 15 assists (33 points) in 57 games with Dallas this season. The 36-year-old also led the Stars in hits with 116, so he brings a much needed physical brand of hockey to Detroit.
Klingberg, 24, was a second round pick (34th overall) in the 2009 NHL draft. He is a big-boy at 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. but has only been able to score one goal in 12 games in six years since being drafted. He has 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points) in 51 games with St. John’s (AHL) this season.
Stempniak has scored nine goals with nine assists (18 points) in 53 games with the Rangers this season. This could be just a cap-dump, but it is not a big one considering Stempniak’s cap-hit is just $900K. He should play a consistent bottom-6 role with Winnipeg.
Moore has shuffled in and out of the Rangers lineup with Matt Hunwick this season. In 38 games, Moore has scored once with five assists and a plus-7 rating. He should get a full-time role in Arizona.
Duclair, 19, displayed incredible chemistry with Max Domi, who was the Coyotes first round pick in 2013, at this winter’s World Juniors. Duclair, who had seven points (1G / 6A) in 18 games with the Rangers earlier this season, has recorded nine goals and 16 assists (25 points) in 19 games since being sent back to the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL).
Summers, 27, is a former first round pick (29th overall) in 2006. He is not known for his offence, but is capable of being a strong shutdown D-man. He has three assists in 17 games with the Coyotes this season.
Yandle, 28, has one more year on his contract with a $5.25M cap-hit. He is a left shot that will likely line up next to Kevin Klein. He is a great offensive defenseman. Yandle skates, moves the puck and shoots well, but has been known to turn the puck over frequently. He has four goals and 37 assists (41 points) but is a league worst minus-32 in 63 games this season. However, he will love heading to New York to play for a good team and will help the Rangers PP that already ranks 11th in the NHL.
Glencross is a pending unrestricted free agent this summer, so the Flames have moved him out for some assets. Glencross is a speedy two-way forward who will help the Capitals top-9. Glencross has nine goals and 19 assists (28 points) in 53 games with Calgary this season.
Dahlbeck, 23, is a big-body at 6-foot-2, 194 lbs. but is not overly physical. The 2011 third round pick (79th overall) had one goal in four games with Chicago this season and 10 points (4G / 6A) in 49 games with Rockford (AHL).
Vermette, 32, is a pending unrestricted free agent, so this is a steep price to pay for a rental. The Patrick Kane injury really forced the Blackhawks hand though. Vermette has scored 13 goals with 22 assists (35 points) in 63 games with Arizona. He is a very effective two-way forward and is excellent in the face-off circle—Vermette currently sits eighth in the NHL in face-off percentage at 56.0%.
Heatley, 34, has seen his career hit rock-bottom. He scored 50 goals in back-to-back years in 05/06 and 06/07 but will be assigned to San Antonio after being felt from Anaheim. He had just two goals and five assists in 25 games with Norfolk.
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.
