The NHL trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET Monday. Follow USA TODAY Sports’ live updates during the day for the latest trades, news, rumors and analysis.
There are plenty of obstacles this season with a flat salary cap and the need for traded players to quarantine because of COVID-19 protocol. But there already have been key moves in recent days as general managers get creative. And more moves are expected in the final hours.
Be sure to catch yourself up on everything that has gone on this trade season with our trade tracker.
The most recent news and analysis will be listed at the top.
3 p.m. It’s deadline time
But trade announcements always trickle in afterward.
2:45 p.m. Report: Bennett to Florida
Sam Bennet had good playoff numbers the past two seasons. Plus, he’s a restricted free agent, and the Panthers should be able to hold onto him beyond this year.
2:20 p.m. Laughton re-signs
Another potential unrestricted free agent is off the trade market, with the Flyers’ Scott Laughton agreeing to a five-year, $15 million extension.
2:12 p.m. Avalanche-Blackhawks deal
The Avalanche add forward Carl Soderberg, who played for them from 2015-19 and had his best seasons with the team. The Blackhawks get forward prospects Ryder Rolston and Josh Dickinson.
2 p.m. One hour to go
Of course, trades continue to be announced after 3 p.m. ET
1:52 p.m. Iafallo re-signs
Take Alex Iafallo off the trade market. He and the Kings agreed to a four-year, $16 million extension.
1:43 p.m. Golden Knights-Blackhawks deal
The cap-strapped Golden Knights picked up a third-line center in Mattias Janmark by involving a third team, according to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun. The Sharks retain some of Janmark’s salary and get a 2022 fifth-round pick for their services. The official deal: Janmark and the Blackhawks’ 2022 fifth-round pick to Vegas and Chicago gets second- and third-round picks. Third-party help was also used in the Nick Foligno and David Savard trades.
1:10 p.m. Oilers-Devils trade
The Oilers make it official. They acquire defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from the Devils for a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick. He’ll kill penalties and slot it on their second pairing. The pick becomes a third-rounder if the Oilers win a playoff round.
12:35 p.m. DeAngelo, Rangers
A buyout has seemed inevitable since the team put him on waivers in January following an altercation with teammate Alexandar Georgiev. This was just one of several questionable incidents DeAngelo has been involved in recently, which has included declaring his preference for Parler after Twitter deactivated President Donald Trump’s account. A buyout would cost the Rangers more than $1.2 million in cap hit over the next two years.
12:20 p.m. Blackhawks-Canucks trade
The Blackhawks acquired Adam Gaudette from the Canucks for Matthew Highmore. Depth forward for depth forward, though Gaudette, 24, has better offensive numbers. He was just cleared from the COVID-19 protocol list.
12:05 p.m. Less than three hours to go
Mostly quiet. In a couple waiver moves, the Stars claim defenseman Sami Vatanen and the Senators claim defenseman Victor Mete. NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes is reporting that the Oilers are trading for Devils defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.
11:47 a.m. Taylor Hall talks
Taylor Hall says he plans to drive from Buffalo to Boston on Monday and will be available to face his old team, the Sabres, on Tuesday. He said he had talks with the Bruins in the offseason but it didn’t work out. “I’d love to be a Bruin for a few years. It’s been a bad year for me personally, and I need to play well. I need to contribute, and most of all, I want to be part of a team that wins games and I really believe we can do that here.â€
10:27 a.m. Could Laughton be on the move?
Scott Laughton has 17 points this season and is in the last year of a deal that carries a $2.3 million cap hit. There is still some intrigue with him as a former first-round pick (in 2012) who is 26 years old, though he hasn’t lived up to expectations. The Flyers have a negative-26 goal differential at fifth place in the East Division and are at a crossroads of where to transition the franchise.
9:00 a.m. Who else is out there?
Mike Hoffman, Blues: Hoffman has not been his dominant scoring self (11 goals) since joining the Blues. Add in the fact that he is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and the Blues are barely clinging to the last playoff spot in the West, and Hoffman could be on the move today. It would not be surprising to see him be the most impactful addition.
Ryan Dzingel, Senators: The Senators are in a full rebuild, and Dzingel, a potential UFA, would be a versatile piece to a contender.
Luke Glendening, Red Wings: The Red Wings center is the type that contenders tend to love this time of year: a defensive-minded role player who wins faceoffs.
Marc Staal, Red Wings: A veteran defenseman with more than 100 games played in the postseason, Staal could be a low-cost bottom-pairing addition, or even be an in-and-out type.
Elvis Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo, Blue Jackets: At seventh place in the Central Division, Columbus is going nowhere this season. While these two goalies have had their struggles, they are both 26 and each has another year remaining on their deals with Merzlikins at $4 million and Korpisalo at $2.8 million. The Blue Jackets are unlikely to go into next season with both goalies, but when will they trade one?
8:10 a.m. Some late-night (or early morning) dealing
A couple of significant moves went down while you were sleeping …
– The Bruins acquire forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Sabres for forward Anders Bjork and a second-round pick. The Bruins’ two weaknesses this season were secondary scoring and defense. They addressed defense with the trade for Ottawa’s Mike Reilly. They hope Hall, a former No. 1 overall pick and Hart Trophy winner, can show more than the two goals he has scored this season. The Sabres, who also retained 50% of Hall’s salary, failed to get a first-round pick for their biggest prize. Bjork was a fifth-rounder.
And …
Jim Rutherford doesn’t have to be the Penguins’ general manager for them to be active. In Carter, the Penguins get a veteran center who is signed through next season. In 40 games this season, Carter has eight goals (on 117 shots) and 19 points. He is probably past his prime as a top-six center but will have to fill in the second line while Evgeni Malkin is injured. Los Angeles is retaining 50% of Carter’s salary (he has a cap hit of $5.3 million).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL trade deadline 2021 live: Breaking down all the big moves, rumors
