The Golden Knights have acquired Cole Smith from the Predators for a 2028 3rd Round Pick.
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NHL Trades
The Wild have acquired Michael McCarron from the Predators in exchange for a 2028 2nd Round Pick.
One day after the Wild claimed Robby Fabbri off of waivers, the reimagining of their bottom-6 continued on Tuesday night when they acquired McCarron from the Nashville Predators. McCarron is a 6-foot-6 centre who was a prominent penalty killer in Nashville, leading all forwards in shorthanded TOI/gm (2:29), which ranks top-15 leagues wide. McCarron is also tied-16th among forwards in hits (165).
Edmonton has acquired Connor Murphy (50% retained) from Chicago for a 2028 2nd round pick.
Edmonton, one of the NHL's worst defensive teams (3.38 GA/GP), have acquired Murphy from Chicago to help them shore up their blueline. In 60 games with Chicago this season, the 32-year-old Murphy averaged 16:34 time-on-ice, recording 13 points (4G / 9A), 62 hits, and 87 blocks.
Colorado has acquired Brett Kulak and a 2028 2nd round pick from Pittsburgh for Samuel Girard.
Kulak will join his third NHL team this season after spending stints in Edmonton and Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old defenseman has accompanied his team to the Stanley Cup Finals in two straight seasons and will add some stability and experience to Colorado's blueline. He has nine points (1G / 8A) and 77 blocks in 56 combined games this season.
Pittsburgh has acquired Samuel Girard from Colorado for Brett Kulak and a 2028 2nd round pick.
Girard is a talented offensive defenseman who was buried on a deep Colorado blueline, but could see a larger role after being traded to Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old defenseman has 235 points (37G / 198A) in 588 career games. He had a career-high 37 points (6G / 31A) in 76 games with Colorado in the 2022-23 season.
New York has acquired Matt Luff from St. Louis for Julien Gauthier.
Luff is an undrafted forward who has yet to make his impact at the NHL level. The 28-year-old has only 28 points (16G / 12A) in 111 career NHL games, but has been impressive in the AHL this season, scoring 39 points (14G / 25A) in 42 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
St. Louis has acquired Julien Gauthier from the Islanders in exchange for Matt Luff.
Gauthier was drafted 21st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but has yet to make his mark in the NHL and will get a fresh start, joining the St. Louis Blues, his fifth team. The 28-year-old forward has 41 points (19G / 22A) in 181 career NHL games, but has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL.
New York has acquired Liam Greentree, and a conditional 3rd round pick from Los Angeles for Artemi Panarin (50% of salary retained).
Greentree was a key part of a trade that sent superstar Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings. The 20-year-old Greentree was drafted 26th overall by the Kings in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and has yet to play an NHL game. He is in his fourth season with the Windsor Spitfires (OHL), where he has 45 points (23G / 22A) through 34 games.
Los Angeles has acquired Artemi Panarin (50% salary retained) from New York for Liam Greentree and a conditional 3rd round pick.
Panarin has not played since January 26th, being held out of the lineup with the New York Rangers, who tried to facilitate a trade for the impending UFA, which came to fruition on Wednesday in a deal that will see him sent to the Los Angeles Kings. The 34-year-old Panarin had a poor start to the 2025-26 season, with just seven points (2G / 5A) in his first 14 games, but has since returned to his elite form and proven he is still one of the top offensive players in the NHL, scoring 50 points (17G / 33A) in his last 38 games. The trade to Los Angeles was quickly accompanied by a two-year, $11 million contract extension.
New Jersey has acquired Thomas Bordeleau and a 2026 4th round pick from St. Louis for Nick Bjugstad.
Bordeleau has been semi-productive in limited NHL exposure, scoring 18 points (6G / 12A) in 44 career games, but has almost exclusively played in the AHL for the past two seasons. The 24-year-old forward has 37 points (2G / 6A) in 35 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) this season.
New Jersey has acquired Nick Bjugstad from St. Louis for Thomas Bordeleau and a 2026 4th round pick.
Bjugstad had been used sparingly by the Blues this season and will hope for a bigger role after being acquired in a trade by the New Jersey Devils. The 33-year-old averaged 11:38 time-on-ice and had seven points (6G / 1A) in 35 games with the Blues this season.
Dallas has acquired Jeremie Poirier from Calgary for Gavin White.
Poirier was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames and has spent the past four seasons in the AHL. The 23-year-old defenseman had an impressive 42 points (5G / 37A) in 71 games with the Wranglers (AHL) last season, but only had six points (1G / 5A) through 35 games in 2025-26.
Calgary has acquired Gavin White from Dallas for Jeremie Poirier.
White was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars and has spent the past three seasons in the AHL. The 23-year-old defenseman had five points (3G / 2A) in 23 games with Texas (AHL) this season.
The Devils acquired Tsyplakov from the Islanders on Tuesday in exchange for forward Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round draft pick, and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick.
Tsyplakov showed flashes of promise as a 26-year-old rookie a season ago when he tallied 10 goals and 25 assists in 77 games, but has gone ice-cold this year and was ultimately deemed to be expendable by Isles General Manger Mathieu Darche. Tsyplakov has just a single goal and no assists in 27 games this season, routinely bouncing in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. He'll get a fresh start in New Jersey where presumably he'll compete for playing time in their bottom-six.
The Islanders acquired Palat, a 2026 third-round draft pick, and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.
Palat was rumoured to be on the move on Tuesday after he was a late scratch due to "roster-related" reasons. A one-time 20-goal scorer, Palat's offensive production has seen a steep decline this season, with just four goals and six assists to show for his efforts through 51 games. The Devils reportedly did not retain any salary in the deal, so the Islanders are on the hook for Palat's full $6-million cap-hit through the end of the 2026-27 season.
The Islanders have reportedly acquired Soucy from the Rangers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
It's the second time in less than a calendar year that Soucy was acquired in exchange for a third-round pick, after the Canucks shipped him to the Rangers last March. Soucy appeared in 62 games over the last two seasons during his brief tenure with the Rangers, tallying four goals and 11 assists while playing just under 17 minutes a night. Soucy now joins a crowded Islanders blue-line that already includes the likes of Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech, Tony DeAngelo, and Ryan Pulock, though Pulock is currently sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Carolina has acquired Viktor Neuchev from Buffalo for Gavin Bayreuther.
Buffalo has acquired Gavin Bayreuther from Carolina for Viktor Neuchev.
Pittsburgh has acquired Ilya Solovyov from Colorado for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 7th round pick.
Solovyov was often the odd-man out of the lineup for the Avalanche this season, mostly drawing in due to injuries, and will hope for a more defined role with the Penguins. The 25-year-old Belarusian defenseman averaged 11:34 time-on-ice and had three points (1G / 2A) in 16 games with Colorado this season.
Colorado has acquired Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 7th round pick from Pittsburgh for Ilya Solovyov.
Puustinen has 24 points (7G / 17A) in 66 career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh, but he has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL. The 26-year-old Finnish forward has 26 points (7G / 19A) in 35 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) this season.
NHL Trade Tracker
Are you looking for all the latest NHL trade news from around the league? Then you’ve come to the right spot! Daily Faceoff’s NHL trade tracker provides up-to-the-minute updates on the latest personnel moves and trade rumours from all 32 franchises. When your favourite player gets dealt for future considerations, you’ll be the first to know!
Along with our NHL trade tracker, we also provide information on how hockey trades work, the strategy behind these moves, and how the latest NHL trades could impact your sports betting strategy.
It’s important for fans, sports bettors, and fantasy managers to stay informed on the latest NHL transactions. If you can keep tabs on the latest moves in the NHL, this can assist you in making intelligent pickups or trades in fantasy hockey and help shape your bets based on the new personnel added to a team.
NHL Trade Rules
NHL trades can be quite lucrative, with players, prospects, and draft capital moved to complete a deal. While there are a variety of ways to finalize trades, they all need to abide by the trade rules and regulations set by the league. Even the San Jose Sharks can’t take on everyone’s bad contracts.
Learn more about the rules around trades below so you can better understand how trades work, and the transactions made in our NHL trade tracker.
Salary Cap
In order for any NHL trade to be processed successfully, all parties involved must abide by the league’s salary cap rules. The current NHL salary cap is $88M, meaning that each team’s total payroll must fall within the budgetary restriction.
The salary cap in the NHL is considered a “hard cap,” meaning that no team can exceed it. While the limitations around roster construction can be strict, there are still ways for teams to legally exceed the set limit that won’t cost teams a first-round pick.
In the playoffs, teams are technically able to exceed their cap space through the long-term injured reserve (LTIR). The LTIR allows teams to place injured players on extended leave (24+ calendar days or 10 NHL Games) and fill their roster spots based on their cap space heading into the regular season.
If a player is on the LTIR heading into the postseason, they can be activated regardless of if their re-addition to the team puts them over the salary cap.
Roster Limit
For any active NHL roster, they can only dress 23 skaters. While they’re able to move players up and down through their farm system (AHL/ECHL/International Players), they must abide by this player limit when it comes to active players dressed in each game.
This plays a big factor in determining trades, as teams will need to make salaries work to make the move official and fit the current team’s available roster spots.
Depth is an incredibly important part of any successful NHL team, so filling out their roster with talented players is pivotal to their success. Each roster spot holds immense value.
NHL Trade Deadline
The NHL trade deadline is the last opportunity for teams to make moves between each other during the regular season. The trade deadline generally falls after the All-Star break so teams can make their last-ditch efforts before the playoffs begin. Players must be on the team’s roster by the deadline at 3 PM to be eligible for the NHL playoffs.
Technically, teams can still make trades after this point if they don’t qualify or have been eliminated from the postseason. These trades will not take effect until the next season, but the transactions can still go through.
The deadline can make or break a team’s playoff hopes, making it a dramatic and hectic period for hockey fans and managers alike. Be sure to regularly check back with our NHL trade tracker around the deadline so you don’t miss any latest moves from across the league.
Understanding the Strategy Behind NHL Trades
NHL teams may want to make a trade for a number of reasons. Often, teams make trades when they are looking to head in a certain direction, whether this means trying to improve and compete for the Stanley Cup or tank and enter a rebuild.
A team that feels it has a strong enough unit to make a deep run into the postseason will likely forgo some of its draft capital to acquire proven talent and enhance its winning capabilities.
Conversely, a team that has hit a wall in terms of success and doesn’t feel they have what it takes to compete in the playoffs may opt to trade away valuable assets in favour of draft picks or promising prospects.
Other NHL trade strategies may involve team culture/personnel fits. If a player doesn’t fit within a coach’s game plan or doesn’t have chemistry with his line mates, teams may opt to deal him to find a better fit.
For daily fantasy sports players or hockey bettors, understanding the logic behind NHL trades can play a big part in your success. If you have a solid understanding of a team’s needs and the value brought by particular players, you can use this to gain an edge on your roster moves and bets.
Check out the most recent roster moves from around the league with our NHL trade tracker, and be sure to analyze the strategy used by each team when making their next move.
How NHL Trades Impact Sports Betting
NHL trades can have a major impact on sports betting, both in terms of daily games and futures. Players moving from team to team can alter a squad’s potential success and on-ice production.
For example, if a team decides to trade their leading goal-scorer, you can rightfully assume that their overall scoring numbers may drop as a result. This means a team you once would’ve taken the Over on may be better suited for the Under due to their new lineup.
Acquiring an all-star player for futures bets can dramatically influence the betting lines, increasing one team’s value while dropping another. If you’ve already placed a futures bet and the team you wagered on makes a trade, this could possibly increase or lower the value of your original ticket, depending on the result of the roster change.
Daily fantasy hockey players can also be impacted by NHL trades as you will need to see how a player fits into their new setting before including them in your drafted lineup.Be sure to watch for any of the latest transactions by using our NHL trade tracker to stay informed on all the roster changes occurring throughout the league.
NHL Trades FAQs
Who decides NHL trades?
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.
When can players be traded in the NHL?
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.
Why do they trade players in hockey?
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.
How often are NHL players traded?
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.