We’re into the final day of NHL trading season, with the deadline to complete in-season deals set for 3 p.m. Friday. We’ll be tracking all the big moves here and looking at what they mean for the Bruins.
Takeaways from Bruins' win over Leafs, loss to Oilers
Speaking of the Bruins, general manager Don Sweeney has not pulled the trigger on anything as Friday morning. The most interesting reports earlier this week were about the possibility of them acquiring center Elias Lindholm from the Vancouver Canucks, but that seemed to be contingent on the Canucks landing Jake Guentzel. Guentzel instead ended up going to the Carolina Hurricanes (more on that below).
Thursday night brought a fresh batch of Bruins rumors, with ESPN's Emily Kaplan calling them "the team to watch" on Friday.
"This, to me, is the team to watch [Friday]," she said. "I’ve heard so many things about them. I keep hearing that they’re up to something big. There were some interesting rumors percolating that Vancouver was trying to flip Elias Lindholm to Boston if they could get Jake Guentzel. We know that Boston still needs a center, so look for them in that space. They’ve been shopping around Matt Grzelcyk. I think that Jake DeBrusk’s future is in question. Getting a lot of calls on Linus Ullmark. I don’t think he moves tomorrow, but keep an eye on the Bruins. They could be up to something."
She may not think Ullmark gets traded, but ESPN colleague Kevin Weekes tweeted overnight that the Bruins trading a goalie remains in play.
We will continue to monitor all the latest Bruins news, rumors and moves right up through 3 p.m. Friday. Here's a running breakdown of all the big trades so far:
Jets get Tyler Toffoli from Devils
The return here isn't yet known as of this posting, so we'll update once it is. But Toffoli is a really nice addition for Winnipeg -- a veteran scorer who can play either wing and who has a ton of playoff experience, including a Cup. He has 26 goals this season and adds some punch that helps the Jets try to keep up with the likes of the Avalanche, Stars, Golden Knights, Oilers and Canucks in a loaded West.
Hurricanes get Jake Guentzel (25% retained), Ty Smith from Penguins for Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasili Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, conditional second-round pick, conditional fifth-round pick
Hurricanes get Evgeny Kuznetsov (50% retained) from Capitals for third-round pick
The Hurricanes land arguably the best player available with a rare -- for them -- all-in move for a rental. General manager Don Waddell had been notoriously stingy around the trade deadline, which had resulted in fair criticisms in past seasons when Carolina wound up short on firepower come the playoffs. If ever they were going to splurge, Guentzel and his career point-per-game playoff scoring pace seems like the player worth doing it for.
With a trade like this, the Hurricanes certainly plant their flag among the elite of the elite when it comes to Stanley Cup contenders. On paper, Carolina, Florida and the Rangers look like the class of the East, with the Bruins and a few others a tier below that.
Speaking of the Bruins, Guentzel going to Carolina and not Vancouver might kill the idea of the Canucks flipping center Elias Lindholm to Boston, although that could potentially still be in play if Vancouver pivots to another top winger like Pavel Buchnevich or Tyler Toffoli.
As for the Penguins, they got a bunch of good pieces in return, but this feels like a little too much quantity over quality, as they may not have landed any true blue-chip assets. They did not get any of Carolina's top five prospects (according to The Athletic's latest rankings), and they only get a first-round pick if the Hurricanes reach the Stanley Cup Final.
On Friday morning, the Hurricanes made another splash by taking a chance on Evgeny Kuznetsov, who has had a rough season between a sharp decline in production (17 points in 43 games) and time spent in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. If Kuznetsov can get back on track, he could be another big offensive boost for Carolina. If not, then at least they didn't give up much to get him.
Lightning get Anthony Duclair from Sharks for Jack Thompson, third-round pick
Thompson was the Lightning's No. 3 prospect, according to The Athletic, and looks close to being an NHL-ready defenseman, so that's a pretty nice return for the Sharks, especially considering they only gave up a fifth-round pick and a depth forward to get Duclair over the summer.
Duclair could be a really good fit in Tampa, though. The speedy, offensive-minded winger helped division rival Florida on its run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, and the Lightning will be hoping he can do the same for them -- while potentially meeting his former team in the first round.
Avalanche get Yakov Trenin, Graham Sward from Predators for Jeremy Hanzel, third-round pick
Avalanche get Brandon Duhaime from Wild for third-round pick
I already loved the Avs' deadline after their big trades for Casey Mittelstadt and Sean Walker on Wednesday (read more about those below). I love it even more after these two depth moves on Thursday.
Trenin and Duhaime are two extremely physical wingers who will help make the Avs' bottom six a nightmare to play against. Both are responsible defensively and can kill penalties, and Trenin brings a little bit of offensive pop, too (double-digit goals each of the last three seasons).
I thought either one would have been a nice addition for the Bruins -- especially Trenin. You could argue both deals were slight overpays, but I don't really mind those prices at all.
Maple Leafs get Joel Edmundson (50% retained) from Capitals for third-round pick, fifth-round pick
The Bruins were linked to Edmundson earlier Thursday, but the veteran defenseman winds up going to Toronto instead. Edmundson is big (6-foot-5, 221 pounds), physical, and he won the Cup in 2019 with the Blues. Because of all that, you can understand the Bruins’ interest.
That said, I never considered Edmundson much of a needle-mover. He was the sixth defenseman on a subpar Washington team this season. Ideally, he would be a seven or eight on a Cup contender. He’s not as good defensively as people think, and the analytics indicate he isn’t even particularly good at preventing net-front chances, which is supposed to be a strength. He brings little offensively.
Would he have even been an upgrade over Derek Forbort? I’m skeptical. The Leafs, meanwhile, have now added two fringe top-six, physical defensemen in Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin. I’m not convinced they’ve actually gotten better.
Panthers get Vladimir Tarasenko (50% retained) from Senators for third-round pick, conditional fourth-round pick
As of Thursday morning, the NHL-leading Panthers were the only team in the Atlantic Division to make a real splash so far (your mileage may vary on whether Toronto's moves qualify as splashes).
Florida benefited from Tarasenko’s full no-trade clause here, as the winger reportedly angled his way towards a move there, resulting in the Senators not getting nearly as much in return as many expected. Tarasenko, 32, isn’t quite what he was in his prime, but he’s still a pretty high-end offensive player who should plug right into the Panthers’ top six and round out a unit that was a player short.
There is a little bit of risk in the sense that Tarasenko plays virtually no defense, but the Panthers have been an excellent defensive team this season and should be as well-equipped as anyone to hide Tarasenko’s flaws. Florida was already looking like the Eastern Conference favorite, not to mention the Bruins’ boogeyman, and Tarasenko only helps solidify that.
Rangers get Alex Wennberg (50% retained) from Kraken for second-round pick, fourth-round pick
The Rangers, currently first in the Metropolitan Division, needed a center and found one who can plug into their third line in Wennberg. I can’t say I’ve ever been especially impressed with Wennberg’s game, to be completely honest; he feels like a player who’s just kind of there. But he does better balance New York’s lineup, and they’re probably not done dealing, so we’ll have to wait to judge their full deadline.
Golden Knights get Anthony Mantha (50% retained) from Capitals for second-round pick, fourth-round pick
Golden Knights get Noah Hanifin (75% retained) from Flames for Daniil Miromanov, first-round pick, conditional third-round pick, fifth-round pick
Everyone knew Vegas would be adding up front with Mark Stone out until at least the start of the playoffs. They did that with Mantha, a solid third-liner who’s finishing at a career-best rate this season and who can bump up to the top six if needed.
We didn’t know the Knights would be big-game hunting on defense given that they still have their entire starting D corps from last year’s Cup team, but a recent injury to Alec Martinez apparently changed that. General manager Kelly McCrimmon landed the best defenseman available in Hanifin, a Norwood native that most expected to end up in the East.
The Bruins had been linked to Hanifin for a long time. He would have helped for sure, but didn’t really address their biggest needs (physical defenseman, scoring forward). They could still make a run at him in free agency if the Knights can’t sign him to an extension. On the plus side, at least Hanifin didn’t end up in Boston’s division; Tampa Bay had been rumored to be his preferred destination as recently as a couple days ago.
The Golden Knights, meanwhile, are clearly going all-in on a chance to repeat, and are putting the $9.5 million freed up by Stone going on long-term injured reserve to good use. My take on "going over the cap" is the same as it was when the Bruins and Knights did it last year and the Lightning did it a few years ago: the CBA allows it, it's within the rules, and as long as that remains the case, there's nothing wrong with it.
Avalanche get Casey Mittelstadt from Sabres for Bowen Byram
Avalanche get Sean Walker from Flyers for first-round pick, Ryan Johansen
I love what the Avs did with these two trades. Mittelstadt gives them the second-line center they needed. Walker gives them another mobile, two-way defenseman who immediately fills the void created by Byram’s exit. Despite being third in their own division, the Avs are now very much one of the top Cup contenders.
I like the Sabres betting on Byram’s upside, too. The 22-year-old defenseman has had a tough season and has battled injuries, but the former No. 4 overall pick has shown he can be much better than this, most notably when he played a crucial top-four role during Colorado’s 2022 Cup run. It seemed like Buffalo was going to have trouble keeping Mittelstadt long-term.
As for the Flyers, I don’t love the idea of a current playoff team selling, but they’ve been clear that they remain focused more on the future, and getting a first for a player in Walker that they acquired as part of a salary dump over the summer is pretty tidy business. Speaking of salary dumps, that’s all Johansen is at this point.
Oilers gets Adam Henrique (75% retained), Sam Carrick from Ducks for first-round pick, fourth-round pick, conditional fifth-round pick
The Oilers wanted to upgrade their top six and did so by getting Henrique, a smart, still-productive veteran who can ride on the wing with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, or slot in as the second-line center if Edmonton loads up the top line with those two megastars together. Carrick gives the Oilers some physical fourth-line depth, too.
Henrique was one of the few centers available, so it was fair to wonder about the Bruins there. Given their limited assets, though, they probably weren't going to be in the market for a rental in his mid-30s.