Who Won And Lost At This Years NHL Trade Deadline

The trade deadline is always an exciting time of year for fans and teams around the league. Buyers are looking to add players to bolster their rosters for the playoffs. Sellers are seeking to acquire exciting prospects and draft picks that could transform the franchise in the future.

The trade deadline and the days leading up to it saw a total of 41 trades, with over $135 million in salary moved around the league. Some teams made great moves, bringing in players to complement their rosters while keeping the value given up reasonable. Other teams made questionable moves in which the value acquired did not meet expectations. So, who looks like they won, and who looks like they lost this time around?

The Winners

St. Louis Blues

As a seller, the Blues were able to capitalize on the value of Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk, while not even getting rid of every player they could have. They shipped out players only once their asking price was met. This led to the acquisition of two additional first-round picks and two additional third-round picks in the 2026 draft, as well as the addition of prospects Dmitri Buchelnikov and Marcus Gidlöf.

In these trades, the Blues also brought in replacement players who can fill out their roster for the remainder of the season. They brought in defenceman Justin Holl and forward Jonathan Drouin. Bringing in these players means they do not have to fill out their lineup with players who may not be ready for NHL action yet, allowing those players to continue developing in the AHL.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche may now have one of the most terrifying centre corps in the NHL. They already had Nathan MacKinnon. At the last deadline, they brought in Brock Nelson. Now, at this trade deadline, they added former Avalanche and Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri, along with Nicolas Roy, who previously won a Stanley Cup with Vegas. Additionally, the Avalanche gave up only a fifth-round pick to acquire physical defender Nick Blankenburg from Nashville.

Now, going all in does have a cost. The Avalanche have just two draft picks total in the third round or higher through the next three drafts. Colorado does not own a first-round pick until 2029, and their prospect pool is best described as barren. But none of this matters if they can win the Stanley Cup.

Calgary Flames

The Flames are another seller who capitalized on the lack of selling teams at this year’s trade deadline. They traded veterans Nazem Kadri and Mackenzie Weegar. They brought in a first-round pick in the 2028 draft, three second-round picks in the 2026 draft, and another second-round pick in the 2027 draft. The deals also brought in prospects Brennan Othmann, Jonathan Castagna, and Max Curran.

Then, if that wasn’t enough, the Flames also brought in depth players Ryan Strome, Olli Maatta, and Victor Olofsson. They will help fill out the lineup for the rest of the season and provide the leadership a youthful Calgary roster needs to build the right culture in their dressing room.

The Losers

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes are not losers in the sense that the trades they made were bad. They are listed in this category because the moves they made are very minor for a team expected to contend for the Stanley Cup this spring.

The one trade they did make brought in Nicolas Deslauriers. Deslauriers should fit perfectly onto the third or fourth line and will punish the players on the opposing team with his physicality. It was expected that the Hurricanes would go all in again this year. Meanwhile, this ended up being the only trade they made.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators made confusing moves at the deadline this time around. Despite sitting well outside the playoff picture, they bought. They acquired speedy forward Warren Foegele from Los Angeles. They also sold, trading veteran David Perron to Detroit. It’s unusual for teams to both buy and sell at the same deadline.

These trades left the Senators with few upper-round picks in the upcoming draft, with third-round picks being the highest. The Senators will look to prove the doubters wrong and make an unexpected run into the playoffs.

Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas made no trades on the actual trade deadline day this year. They did make a couple of smaller trades in the days leading up to the deadline. They brought in Nic Dowd and Cole Smith. These are serviceable depth players who help round out the Golden Knights’ bottom six.

The problem comes in the amount of draft capital used to acquire these two players. Vegas traded out a second-round pick and two third-round picks in the upcoming few drafts, as well as prospects Jesper Vikman and Christoffer Sedoff. While these are not A-list prospects, Vegas has very few prospects at this point, so every one of them matters.

Next: Friedman Breaks Down Key Trades After Wild NHL Deadline