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NHL Trade Deadline Fans Respond To Big, Small Moves Made, Not Made

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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The first several hours of NHL Trade Deadline days are often meandering mornings spent listening to state-of-the-game commentary. The trade tempo often picks up, but Friday, the first deal didn’t develop until 11:18 a.m. ET, when the Pittsburgh Penguins delivered forward Anthony Beauvillier to the Washington Capitals for a second-round draft pick.  

Most puckheads have proven patience. 

For those who annually invest a full morning and most of an afternoon of moment-to-moment commentary on potential deals and analysis of those eventually executed. 

Social media criticism will develop from the fan bases over the moves made – and not made. FanDuel Sportsbook released a morning over/under the line of deadline deals at 23.5. 

Since 2018, an average of 23 trades were consummated on deadline day. Friday’s drama revolved around the mystery of Mikko Rantanen moving on for a second time this winter. The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars had a deal in place, but with the most accomplished forward available this late in the trade deadline in nearly a decade balking at an extension, the Stars appeared to back off when Rantanen balked at a $12 million per season deal.

However, after 12:30 p.m., news broke that the Stars had pulled off the deal, acquiring Rantanen and signing him to an eight-year, $96 million deal.

Just after lunch, as usual, transaction discussion started heating up.

The Boston Bruins’ sell-off of veterans Brad Marchand (Florida Panthers) and Brandon Carlo (Toronto Maple Leafs) at the deadline closed the curtain.

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Fans in Detroit and Toronto awoke Friday to the news that Brock Nelson, the top available center, was headed to Colorado. The Red Wings needed a spark after dropping four straight and the Maple Leafs needed a right-stick defenseman and a second- or third-line center to bolster playoff scoring. The Red Wings made a minor move, while the Maple Leafs filled both voids …  

Friday’s Major Deadline Deals 

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Dylan Cozens took the ice for the Buffalo Sabres’ morning skate. He was called back into the locker room and informed of the deal. The moves provide the Ottawa Senators with more playoff grit. The trade also shakes up a Sabers’ core that failed to forge the franchise into contenders … 

Expecting to be traded, Scott Laughton and his crew poked a little fun at the moment during a road trip last week. Laughton was moved to his hometown Maple Leafs and likely slides into the No. 3 center role behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares …

 The Jets may not have secured a No. 2 center, but it did add two rugged players, Luke Schenn and Brandon Tenov. Schenn, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, becomes the locker room’s elder statesman … 

Andrei Kuzmenko had a short stay with the Flyers, but is now moving to the West Coast … 

The busy Avalanche pulled off another deal, landing 33-year-old Charlie Coyle for Corey Mittelstadt, prospect William Zellers and a second-round draft pick … 

The Red Wings give up on underperforming Joe Veleno, a 2018 first-round draft choice who inked a two-year, $4.5 million extension last July. The fourth-line center never found his offensive footing, posting a minus-56 rating since 2021-22 … 

Moments after the deadline, word leaked of the Bruins surrendering. The defending Stanley Cup-champion Panthers, however, are loaded in a repeat bid. With Sam Bennett potentially centering Matthew Tkachuk and Marchand in the playoffs, the Eastern Conference’s balance of power remained down South … 

What about the deals left on the table? …

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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