The trade deadline has now come and gone. You can view trades both big and small on the Trade Deadline Tracker, including links to Fantasy Takes and Forum posts. Cliffy, Alex, and Puneet took care of the Fantasy Takes for you (in particular Cliffy, who worked like a madman today). I also threw in a Conor Garland late-night take in there as well.
Just because I only have so much time and space on this column with other topics to discuss, I’ll focus strictly on only one traded player today: Nazem Kadri. Not only was he quite possibly the biggest name dealt on Friday, but I’m also bringing him up because I received a trade offer last weekend that included the other team’s Kadri. I asked the other team manager if I could wait until the Friday trade deadline to decide, since Kadri might be traded. He then asked me if I would rather take Brad Marchand, which I agreed to do.
I told my league counterpart, who I’ve had many a hockey discussion with through the years, that Kadri’s value could depend on where he lands. At the time, I projected Minnesota to be an ideal landing spot for Kadri, as the Wild had a clear need for a second-line center (and still do). The team that I thought wouldn’t be a good landing spot for him? Colorado. My concern is that Kadri could be buried as the third-line center behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson. We’ve seen this scenario occur in the past, where a top scorer on a bad team moves to a contending team, where he is not needed as much.
You may remember Kadri’s best season with the Avalanche in 2021-22, when he piled up 87 points in just 71 games en route to a Stanley Cup. Kadri averaged 19 minutes while also setting a career high in power-play points (29). It’s possible that Kadri is moved back onto the second line (maybe with Nelson), and he could also be back on the Avs’ top power-play – a unit that is in the bottom 5 in terms of efficiency (16.2%). All of that would be ideal for Kadri channeling his previous Colorado experience.
Kadri is also 35 years old, so he could also be on the downside of his career with declining production both this season and last. (I will acknowledge that I picked a 37-year-old player over him, but this trade may only be for the rest of the season based on the league’s rules.) As much as the Kadri trade provides Colorado with outstanding depth at an important position, I’m a bit concerned about the individual value of Kadri, as well as Nelson for that matter.
Anyway, Cliffy is more optimistic about Kadri than I am in his Fantasy Take: Kadri Returns to Colorado; Calgary Loads Up on Picks and a Prospect
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Perhaps lost on trade deadline day was the fact that a few notable players signed extensions to remain with their current teams.
We’ll start with Jordan Eberle, who signed a two-year extension with a cap hit of $5.5 million. Credit is due to the 35-year-old Eberle, who actually earned a raise on his current $4.75 million cap hit. Of course, the rising cap has something to do with that. However, the Seattle captain is outperforming his scoring pace of last season by reaching 42 points in 59 games this season. Eberle has scored 30 goals just once in his career, which was way back in 2011-12 with Edmonton. With 22 goals this season, he has an outside chance of reaching that 30-goal mark a second time.
The Islanders extended Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year contract with a $4.85 million cap hit. The 33-year-old Pageau is on the final year of a contract with a $5 million cap hit. Pageau is producing at a 40-45-point pace just as he was last season and not unlike each season since he came to the Islanders in 2019-20. The faceoff dot is where Pageau is most effective, as he has a career-best 60.1% faceoff win percentage. Among the 21 forwards with more faceoff wins than Pageau (493), none have a better faceoff win percentage.
Alex Nedeljkovic signed a two-year extension with a $3 million cap hit to stay in San Jose. In his first season with the Sharks, Nedeljkovic has posted better ratios (2.83 GAA, .899 SV%) than starter Yaroslav Askarov (3.55 GAA, .887 SV%). Fresh off signing the new deal, Nedeljkovic allowed three goals on just 14 shots in the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime loss to St. Louis.
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I almost forgot about this one: Evgeni Malkin was suspended five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin on Thursday. It looks like the Penguins will have to make do without both Malkin and Sidney Crosby for that time.
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On to the games. Because he is on the final year of his contract and because the Panthers will probably miss the playoffs this season, Sergei Bobrovsky‘s name surfaced in trade rumors leading up to the deadline. Not only was he not dealt on Friday, but he also backstopped the Panthers to a 3-1 win over Detroit later that day. Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced in earning his second consecutive quality start. Bob is now 37 years old, and his minus-15.32 GSAx (goals saved above expected) is among the worst in the league. It might not be a total surprise if the Panthers decide to move on from him during the offseason.
Matthew Tkachuk scored all three Panthers’ goals. That gives him nine points in his last six games, pushing him over the point-per-game mark (17 PTS in 16 GP) for the season. If you were able to stash him on IR for the first half of the season, you are being rewarded for your patience.
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In the Avalanche’s 5-4 shootout win over Dallas, Martin Necas led the way with a goal and three assists with five shots on goal. Linemate Nathan MacKinnon scored a goal while adding three assists, while Cale Makar scored a goal with an assist. These three logged heavy minutes in this game: Necas 26:55, MacKinnon 27:21, and Makar 27:46. Brock Nelson, Gabriel Landeskog, and Devon Toews were also all well over 20 minutes. Perhaps the Kadri acquisition will ease the workload of the forwards in this group.
Meanwhile, Miro Heiskanen saw his opponents’ icetime totals and said “hold my beer.” Heiskanen logged a game-leading 31:46 while scoring a goal and an assist. Like their Colorado counterparts, Wyatt Johnstone and Jason Robertson each had two points with over 20 minutes in icetime. Perhaps more notable was that Justin Hryckowian did the same with a goal, an assist, and 20:22 of icetime. An undrafted NCAA free agent signing, Hryckowian has generally been a bottom-6 forward for the Stars in his rookie season, but he has been receiving reps with Johnston and Mikko Rantanen during the second half of the season.
A reason that Hryckowian received so much icetime in this game could be because Roope Hintz left the game with an injury. Hintz appeared to injure his leg in the second period while getting tangled up with MacKinnon in the corner, having to be helped off the ice afterward. The Stars next play on Sunday against Chicago, so be sure to check the Frozen Tools Player Newsfeed and the Injury Ward article for updates. With no Mikko Rantanen or Tyler Seguin and possibly no Hintz as well, Hryckowian might be in line for more big minutes.
This looked like quite a game between two Central Division heavyweights.
WHAT A WIN FOR THE AVS!
• Colorado tied it with 13 SECONDS left in regulation
• Went 2 for 2 in the shootout on TWO NASTY GOALS from Nichushkin and Necas
• ENDED the Stars win streak at 10 games
INSANE ending to this game 🤯 pic.twitter.com/a03p7YVSzK
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 7, 2026
Too bad I missed it, as I had my eyes glued to the Canucks/Blackhawks barnburner. Speaking of which…
Not long after trading both Tyler Myers and Conor Garland, the Canucks snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Blackhawks. Brock Boeser scored two goals in the win, giving him goals in back-to-back games. After going 21 games without a goal from late November into mid-January, Boeser has started to find the net with more frequency with six goals in his last 11 games. Despite the long slump, Boeser is tied for the Canucks’ goal lead with Drew O’Connor (15). It might be possible that the Canucks don’t even have a 20-goal scorer this season.
Jake DeBrusk scored a goal and added an assist, giving him four points in his last three games. DeBrusk broke a nine-game goal drought with his tally on Friday. He is nipping at the heels of Boeser and O’Connor in the Vancouver turtle derby goal-scoring race with 14 goals.
Former Canuck Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar each scored a goal and an assist for Chicago.
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In the Hurricanes’ 6-3 win over Edmonton, Jackson Blake scored a pair of goals. Blake has seven points over his last six games. The unit of Blake, Taylor Hall, and Logan Stankoven has been productive for the Canes recently. Hall has been rejuvenated recently with seven points over his last five games.
Nikolaj Ehlers continues to be hot. With a goal and an assist on Friday, Ehlers has six points over his last three games. Five of those points have been in the form of goals, with Ehlers registering a hat trick on Wednesday in Vancouver. Ehlers has also helped his cause with at least three shots in each of his last six games.
K’Andre Miller registered three assists in this game. Miller has six points over his last seven games.
Zach Hyman scored two of the Oilers’ three goals in this game. Despite not making his season debut until mid-November, Hyman has been one of the league’s most productive goal scorers. With 27 goals in just 44 games, Hyman is scoring goals at only a slightly slower pace than he was two seasons ago, when he scored 54 goals in 80 games. Like Tkachuk mentioned earlier, Hyman is a player paying real dividends now after being out of the lineup for an extended period.
I’m avoiding starting Tristan Jarry right now. You should do the same. Jarry has four consecutive really bad starts after allowing five goals in three of those four games and four goals in the other game. In 10 games with the Oilers, Jarry has a dismal .862 SV% and his goals-against average is dangerously close to 4.00. As a team, Edmonton has allowed at least four goals in 10 of its last 12 games. Hey, at least they have really good scoring.
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Chris Kreider is bouncing back in Anaheim. Kreider scored a goal and added three assists in the Ducks’ 6-5 shootout win over Montreal on Friday. The 34-year-old Kreider had a disastrous final season in New York, registering just 30 points in 68 games before being traded to Anaheim in the offseason. Kreider has been making noise recently with 14 points over his last 12 games. I’ve added him in a couple of my leagues within the past month or so to try to take advantage of Anaheim’s off-night-heavy schedule. He has been off and on Anaheim’s top power play all season, but he has been on it recently.
Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, and Jacob Trouba each recorded two points in this game. All have been hot recently (Carlsson 10 PTS in last 7 GP, Gauthier 6 G and 7 PTS in last 4 GP, LaCombe 9 PTS in last 8 GP, Trouba 8 PTS in last 8 GP). John Carlson should only add to the scoring in Anaheim.
For the Canadiens, Cole Caufield scored a pair of goals while adding an assist, while Lane Hutson scored a goal along with two assists. Caufield has five goals and an assist over his last four games, while Hutson has 10 points over his last eight games.
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On Friday, Robert Thomas made a statement on the ice that he is doing just fine in St. Louis. The subject of extensive trade rumors recently, Thomas scored two goals including the overtime winner over San Jose. Thomas hasn’t let the rumors bother him, as he has at least one goal and two points in all three of his games this week. Despite an overall down season, Thomas could be in store for a better final quarter if he can stay healthy.
Once all was said and done on trade deadline day, the Blues managed to keep Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Colton Parayko. However, Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk were both moved.
Dylan Holloway assisted on all three Blues’ goals on Friday, giving him eight points in the five games since his return. Like Thomas, Holloway has battled both injuries and reduced offense, but things seem to be looking up for him.
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In his Minnesota debut, Michael McCarron scored a goal and added an assist in the Wild’s 4-2 win over Vegas. McCarron received only 10:41 of icetime while on a line with recent waiver-wire pickup Robby Fabbri and Nico Sturm.
Also making his Wild debut, Bobby Brink was held without a point in 13 minutes of icetime. However, the fact that he was on a line with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek seems like a good thing.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his 30th goal of the season while assisting on the Golden Knights’ other goal. Dorofeyev has reached 30 goals in back-to-back seasons. He has been particularly effective on the power play, where he has scored 16 of his goals. He also leads Vegas with 25 power-play points.
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