![\"Artemi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2263607991-scaled-e1772858289459.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n The Los Angeles Kings acquired Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in February and signed him to a two-year extension. (Ronald Martinez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Kings: C+<\/p>\n
The Kings have been in a win-now direction for several years without winning a single playoff series. Acquiring an elite-level point producer such as Artemi Panarin and signing him to a pricey two-year extension furthers that, but the cost wasn\u2019t exorbitant. GM Ken Holland did well to get a second-round pick for Warren Foegele, who had become a healthy scratch. He continued to boost his draft capital by getting a second-rounder for Corey Perry, although that\u2019s not until 2028. But Holland then turned around and paid a third-rounder (which could become a second-rounder) for Scott Laughton, a strong locker-room presence and penalty killer, but a player who won\u2019t move the needle. Are they any better or worse? Probably neither. It\u2019s a bit of mixed signaling from a team very much in transition. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Minnesota Wild: A+<\/p>\n
The Wild\u2019s heavy lifting was done with their mid-December blockbuster for Quinn Hughes, who has absolutely been a game-changer for the franchise. At the deadline, they basically overhauled their bottom six. Michael McCarron brings some size, snarl and strong faceoff ability to the fourth line and the penalty kill. Bobby Brink brings some speed and skill to the middle six, plus he fits Minnesota\u2019s defensive identity and forecheck. Robby Fabbri is a four-time 15-goal scorer who is open to any role and can help with his experience in the room. Nick Foligno, the former Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks captain, is another potential fourth liner\/depth piece who may not play much, but Chicago is doing the veteran a solid to give him a chance to chase the Cup with his brother, Marcus. Nick Foligno has played center all year, so that gives the coaching staff options. The addition of Jeff Petry (for a seventh-round pick) offers an experienced, right-shot defenseman who is OK being a seventh or eighth defenseman. Overall, the Wild didn\u2019t make any flashy moves at the deadline \u2014 the Hughes addition brought plenty of that \u2014 meaning Guerin and company still have useful assets they can parlay into a bigger move this offseason. This is still a really good team and a Cup contender. Guerin showed some patience here, and time will tell whether the Wild reward his faith. \u2014 Joe Smith and Michael Russo <\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens: C<\/p>\n
The Canadiens\u2019 lack of trade activity was not for a lack of trying, as they were in on several conversations, including a \u201csignificant deal for us\u201d to try to add some playoff competitiveness to their lineup. That didn\u2019t happen. Spending some of their extensive trade capital to invest in this young team would have made some sense, especially with the Eastern Conference looking as wide-open as it does. But while they might regret that come April, they are unlikely to regret it down the road when they are ready to truly contend. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n
Nashville Predators: D<\/p>\n
Outgoing GM Barry Trotz got some draft capital for expiring contracts, but he blew the opportunity to bring back a gigantic haul for Ryan O\u2019Reilly. Without specifics available, look around at some of the other returns around the league and at what O\u2019Reilly could have meant to several contenders in the spring. He doesn\u2019t have a no-movement clause. There\u2019s no such thing as a verbal no-movement clause. He may be the ultimate culture setter, but that\u2019s not as valuable as high picks and the kind of prospect 35-year-old O\u2019Reilly could have fetched. So if you aren\u2019t going to deal him, why not just let the whole group stay together and chase a playoff spot? It\u2019s the mushy middle of the trade deadline for a mushy-middle franchise. \u2014 Joe Rexrode<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils: D+<\/p>\n
The Devils had high expectations this season and have come up short. Moving Ondrej Pal\u00e1t cleared up cap space and was likely the right move with how the season was going, but New Jersey had to give up picks to make the deal happen. The Nick Bjugstad addition is marginal. The Devils didn\u2019t have a lot to sell this deadline, but the team\u2019s record and lack of moves made it hard to give them a higher grade. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n
New York Islanders: B-<\/p>\n
Brayden Schenn buys the Islanders more top-six versatility. His playmaking, experience and edge should fit well on a team that has exceeded expectations in the playoff hunt. It\u2019s just his age and contract. If the Islanders were going to move out a first-rounder, it should have been on a younger-difference maker to help push this retool along. So while Schenn looks like a fit for now on the ice, and this deal helped the Isles move out Jonathan Drouin\u2019s contract, the overall direction was somewhat perplexing in the big picture. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
New York Rangers: D<\/p>\n
The Rangers let the deadline come and go without moving their biggest trade chip: veteran center Vincent Trocheck. It\u2019s a big risk to punt this into the summer, when Trocheck will turn 33, but he does have three years remaining on a contract that carries a $5.625 million cap hit. The Rangers replenished some mid- and late-round picks and snagged a few prospects, but they haven\u2019t done nearly enough to infuse the organization with the young talent it so desperately needs. \u2014 Vincent Z. Mercogliano<\/p>\n
Ottawa Senators: C+<\/p>\n
The Senators are taking a chance on Warren Foegele rebounding and benefiting from a change of scenery through their trade, paying a high price of a second-round pick while also exchanging conditional third-rounders. Foegele could fit as a middle-of-the-lineup winger in a checking-line role who can provide offense and some pace and kill penalties. The Sens also sold off David Perron for a conditional pick as a way to deal with their growing number of bottom-six forwards as a result. Perhaps the Sens could\u2019ve added another defensive piece, but they seem to like their group, feeling they should be a lot higher in the standings than where they are now. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Flyers: C-<\/p>\n
The Flyers addressed a logjam at wing by shipping Bobby Brink to the Wild for a defenseman with a high pedigree in David Jiricek, who remains an intriguing prospect but whose development seems to have stalled. But the bigger news may have been that they held on to defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who was thought to be generating interest from at least half a dozen teams. Perhaps the Flyers will opt to deal Ristolainen at some point in the future, as he has one season left on his contract at a $5.1 million cap hit, but keeping him now feels like a missed opportunity to add more assets. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Penguins: B-<\/p>\n
There were no blockbusters, but GM\/president Kyle Dubas did a reasonable job of avoiding anything foolish and losing important assets. The Penguins\u2019 future looks brighter than it has in many, many years. Their asset cupboard is full, they have cap space and they are way ahead of schedule. This summer will be something. If the Penguins make the playoffs along the way this spring, even better. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n
San Jose Sharks: B<\/p>\n
This was a quiet deadline for GM Mike Grier, but it didn\u2019t need to be loud as his Sharks progress nicely out of a rebuild. This wasn\u2019t the time to skip steps and make a hard push when they\u2019re still more than a key player or two away from being a serious divisional threat. Most of Grier\u2019s work came in re-signing Kiefer Sherwood and Alex Nedeljkovic. Timothy Liljegren, traded to Washington, was solid at times and mistake-prone at others, but he\u2019ll have a shot at minutes every night with John Carlson having been traded to Anaheim. Perhaps Grier could have extracted more or better assets from his set of pending UFA defensemen, but this was mostly about not disrupting the locker room and showing Macklin Celebrini that San Jose is ready to turn the corner and make the organization an attractive NHL option for players again. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Seattle Kraken: B+<\/p>\n
The Kraken added pace and snarl on the wing by acquiring Bobby McMann from the Maple Leafs on deadline day for a cut-rate price of a second- and a fourth-round pick. Amusingly, it\u2019s an exact match for what the Kraken netted in selling Mason Marchment to the Blue Jackets in December. Effectively, Seattle hedged its bets by selling Marchment, then ran hot to position itself to make a value purchase at deadline day. Throw in an eminently reasonable two-year extension for Jordan Eberle, and the Kraken had a solid, if muted, performance for a fringe playoff team. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n
St. Louis Blues: B-<\/p>\n
If grades were given out before the last hour of deadline day, the Blues might\u2019ve received an F. They struck out trying to trade Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko to the Sabres, and they were still holding onto aging veterans with term Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk. But in the final 60 minutes, general manager Doug Armstrong\u2019s report card got a lot better. In separate deals, Armstrong moved Schenn to the Islanders and Faulk to the Wings for a collection of high draft picks and players. Each player fetched a first- and third-round pick, which means the Blues will have three first-rounders (including their own) in 2026. Some might scoff at the B- because the Blues only moved two players from their roster, and that\u2019s understandable. But they attempted to move Parayko in a package that would\u2019ve yielded a significant package. He just turned it down, which is his right with a no-trade clause. Also, with regard to Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and other tradable assets, if the returns weren\u2019t enough, it was perhaps a good decision to wait until the offseason to resume those talks. \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning: B<\/p>\n
The Lightning were already one of the top teams in the league, despite playing much of the season short-handed. With the team getting closer to full strength, the back end healthy and the return of Brayden Point, management technically didn\u2019t need to make a statement on deadline day. Still, finding a way to move Oliver Bjorkstrand\u2019s contract for a better power-play fit could have made sense. Corey Perry is a fine addition \u2014 he is still productive, solid on both ends, and knows the system well \u2014 but the cost was just a little steep. Even with the Lightning\u2019s draft-pick philosophy mind, they probably could have spent less. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
Toronto Maple Leafs: C+<\/p>\n
The Leafs did OK \u2014 just OK \u2014 in the end. GM Brad Treliving did as well as he possibly could in flipping Nicolas Roy for a first-round pick from the Avalanche. Treliving also ended up moving two of the three players the team sat before the deadline in Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton. Moving off McMann, in the midst of a career season as he heads into unrestricted free agency, for a second and a fourth is fine. Not bad. Not great. Somewhere in the middle. A first-round pick always felt like a stretch for McMann, even with the results he was producing this season. It feels more disappointing for the Leafs to end up with only a conditional third-round pick for Laughton a year, almost to the day, after giving up a 2027 first-rounder along with prospect Nikita Grebenkin to acquire him in the first place. The context is important, of course: The Leafs were getting Laughton for an additional season at half price ($1.5 million cap hit). The Kings are buying him as a rental. Regardless, this deal highlights what an overpay that initial trade was \u2014 ultimately a big mistake with ramifications still to be determined. \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n
![\"MacKenzie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27547143-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n MacKenzie Weegar waived his no-trade clause to head to Utah. (Sergei Belski \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Utah Mammoth: B+<\/p>\n
The Mammoth found a way to add a legitimate difference-maker in MacKenzie Weegar while still keeping their most prized trade chips (first-round picks and top prospects) intact. That deserves credit, especially since Weegar will be a long-term contributor rather than just a rental. There is some risk attached to the deal as Weegar is 32 and in the middle of a down year, but I like that GM Bill Armstrong found a way to reward his team with a strong addition while still keeping his powder dry to make bigger moves in the summer. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n
Vancouver Canucks: C+<\/p>\n
The Canucks made a welcome series of forward-looking moves to shed salary cap liabilities and change the mix of their lineup. The work overall is defensible. It wasn\u2019t, however, a home-run trade deadline for an embattled Canucks management group. The club made some smart moves that fit into the bigger-picture priorities of a rebuild team, but wasn\u2019t able to make all of the moves the team had to make. While other teams at the bottom of the standings found clever ways to return better and more voluminous assets, Vancouver\u2019s trade deadline performance was decidedly more middle-of-the-road. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n
Vegas Golden Knights: C-<\/p>\n
It was a relatively quiet deadline for a team that has made big splashes in previous years. That\u2019s probably at least partially due to the fact that the Golden Knights are running low on future assets to deal. They added two depth forwards in Cole Smith and Nic Dowd, both of whom should help Vegas improve its forecheck, which it desperately needs. The two have combined for only 10 goals and 16 assists this season, so it remains to be seen how big an impact they can actually make, but they give Bruce Cassidy a more dependable defensive fourth line. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals: C-<\/p>\n
In a vacuum, sending John Carlson to the Ducks for first- and third-round picks makes tons of sense. Carlson is still effective, but he\u2019s 36 and on an expiring deal. The Capitals need to continue to act with their eyes on the post-Alex Ovechkin era, and stockpiling picks will make that easier, whether they make those selections themselves or use them to acquire players via trade. Second- and third-round picks from Vegas for Nic Dowd are sensible returns, too, and Timothy Liljegren and David K\u00e4mpf were decent adds as backfill for Carlson and Dowd. That said, the circumstances surrounding the departure of franchise icon Carlson, coupled with Washington\u2019s previously stated wishes to add a top-six winger, make the day a bit of a downer. \u2014 Sean Gentille<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets: A<\/p>\n
Winnipeg didn\u2019t anticipate being a deadline-day seller when the season began, but made the correct decision to trade popular pending UFA defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo. The Jets did well to get 22-year old forward prospect Isak Ros\u00e9n, 28-year-old depth defenseman Jacob Bryson, a second-round pick in 2027, and a fourth-round pick in 2026 in return. Rosen has middle-six upside and will get opportunity in Winnipeg, while the draft capital recoups the Jets\u2019 price to acquire Schenn last season. The Jets also returned a seventh-round pick from the Sabres for pending UFA Tanner Pearson \u2014 a sensible if not stunning return for the depth forward. \u2014 Murat Ates <\/p>\n
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![\"Nazem](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-1405667741-scaled-e1772858510744.jpg\")
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