The 2022-23 NHL season is coming down the home stretch with the trade deadline set for Friday, March 3 at 3 p.m. ET. The league has already seen some big names moved prior to the deadline with Vladimir Tarasenko landing with the New York Rangers, Bo Horvat heading to the New York Islanders and Ryan O’Reilly being sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But that’s not all. Stars like Patrick Kane, Jakob Chychrun and Erik Karlsson could be on the move prior to Friday’s deadline.
For all of the latest moves around the NHL, follow along with our NHL trade deadline rumors and tracker below.
Maple Leafs, Capitals swap defensemen
The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick. The first-round pick going to Toronto is the one Washington got from the Boston Bruins in the Dmitry Orlov trade just last week.
This deal makes some sense for both sides. The Maple Leafs give up a developing player for Gustafsson, who is in the midst of an excellent year and can help the team generate offense from the blue line, as well as a first-round pick. We’ll see how long Toronto holds onto that first-rounder as they try to make more moves ahead of the deadline.
Washington turned Orlov and Gustafsson, two veteran defensemen on expiring contracts, into the 22-year-old Sandin. It’s an excellent deal for a team looking to rebuild on the fly because Sandin has taken a big step forward in his development this year. There’s a chance Sandin becomes a vital piece of the Capitals’ blue line for a long time to come.
Wild acquire forward Marcus Johansson from Capitals
The Minnesota Wild announced that they have acquired Marcus Johansson from the Capitals in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. In 60 games with Washington this season, Johansson has tallied 28 points (13 goals and 15 assists).
The Wild are in need of supplementary scoring as the playoffs approach, and Johansson should give them some of that, but they may still need to make a bigger splash to move the needle atop the Western Conference.
This marks a return to Minnesota for the journeyman Johansson. He played for the Wild in the 2020-21 season and recorded six goals and eight assists in 36 games played.
Blackhawks trade Patrick Kane to Rangers in exchange for draft picks
After weeks of speculation, Patrick Kane has now been traded to the New York Rangers. In exchange for Kane, the Blackhawks will receive a 2023 conditional second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick. If the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Finals, the conditional second-round pick becomes a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025.
Kane is in the midst of a disappointing season by his standards, but that could easily be attributed to the lack of talent around him in Chicago. In his last four games of the Blackhawks, Kane showed what he was capable of by scoring seven goals and tallying 10 points.
In just a few weeks, the Rangers have added all kinds of offensive firepower on the wings. New York traded for Vladimir Tarasenko on Feb. 9, and now Kane joins the mix as the Rangers push for a Stanley Cup in a competitive Eastern Conference.
Hurricanes acquire winger Jesse Puljujarvi from Oilers
After missing out on Timo Meier, the Carolina Hurricanes were still trying to upgrade their forward group. They acquired Puljujarvi in exchange for forward prospect Patrik Puistola on Tuesday.
Puljujarvi may not be the kind of player who will light the scoreboard on fire, but he has always posted strong five-on-five numbers, and he should fit right in with the Hurricanes as a bottom-six winger. Perhaps more importantly, Puljujarvi only comes with a $3 million cap hit, so Carolina still has plenty of room to make a big move ahead of the deadline.
This trade allows the Oilers to create some more salary cap space while rumors swirl that they are in the market for a top-four defenseman. If Edmonton is going to acquire someone like Jacob Chychrun or Mattias Ekholm, it needed to move money out, and it did just that with this deal.
Oilers in talks to acquire a top-four defenseman
When you have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the top of the lineup, goal-scoring will take care of itself. With the trade deadline looming, the Oilers are trying to upgrade their blue line. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Edmonton has expressed interest in Arizona’s Jacob Chychrun, Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm, and Columbus’ Vladislav Gavrikov.
The Oilers rank first in the NHL with 232 goals scored, but they rank 22nd with 204 goals allowed. If Edmonton wants to contend for a Stanley Cup, it has to do a better job keeping the puck out its own net, and acquiring a top-pairing defenseman would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
Rangers have things ‘in motion’ to acquire Patrick Kane as early as Tuesday evening
It seems like Kane to the Rangers is a foregone conclusion at this point, and the Rangers are just waiting to accrue enough salary cap space to make the trade happen. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers could potentially finalize the deal after 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Kane hasn’t played since Feb. 22, and he has been away from the Blackhawks as he waits for a deal to happen. In recent days, the Rangers have made a series of moves, including trading young forward Vitali Kravtsov to the Vancouver Canucks, to create just enough space for Kane’s arrival.
Rangers still clearing cap space with hopes of acquiring Patrick Kane
On Saturday, Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane left the team’s California road trip and returned to Chicago, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Kane won’t suit up for the Blackhawks leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.
Kaplan also reported that there is mutual interest between Kane and the New York Rangers. The Rangers spent the weekend attempting to clear the necessary cap space to get a potential deal for Kane done:
- New York traded 2018 first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov to the Vancouver Canucks in a salary dump to get the ball rolling.
- They also assigned defenseman Braden Schneider to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on Sunday, which could signify that Schneider would be part of a trade for Kane.
Maple Leafs acquire Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe from Blackhawks
The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made it out of the opening round of the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. Their front office is doing everything that they can to make sure that the team is set up for a deep postseason run this time around. On Monday, the Maple Leafs acquired forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks.
- In addition to Lafferty and McCabe, Toronto received a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick in the deal
- Chicago received forwards Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.
Lafferty has 21 points (10 goals & 11 assists) in 51 games this season and is signed through the 2023-24 campaign. Meanwhile, McCabe has tallied 20 points (two points & 18 assists) and is in just the second season of a four-year, $16 million contract.
Devils land Timo Meier in massive deal
Timo Meier was one of the biggest prizes available on the trade market leading up to Friday’s deadline. On Sunday, the New Jersey Devils acquired the talented winger in a huge trade with the San Jose Sharks.
- The Sharks shipped Meier, forward Timur Ibragimov, defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, goaltender Zachary Emond and a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Devils.
- The Devils sent a 2023 first-round pick, a conditional 2024 first-round pick, forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Andreas Johnsson and defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotyuk to the Sharks.
- As a part of the deal, the Sharks are retaining 50 percent of Meier’s $6 million cap hit.
Meier is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Devils don’t have any type of contract extension in place as of right now. The 26-year-old star currently has 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games this season for the Sharks. Meier had spent all seven years of his NHL career in San Jose prior to the trade.
Lightning add Tanner Jeannot
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, so being active at the trade deadline isn’t a big surprise. On Sunday, the Lightning acquired forward Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators in exchange for:
- Defenseman Cal Foote.
- A 2025 first round pick (top-10 protected).
- A 2024 second-round pick.
- A 2023 third-round pick.
- A 2023 fourth-round pick.
- A 2023 fifth-round pick.
Jeannot, 25, is in the final season of a two-year contract and can become a restricted free agent this summer. He has 62 career points (34 goals & 28 assists) in 152 career regular season games as a member of the Predators.
Jets acquire Nino Niederreiter from Predators
The Nashville Predators moved one of their veteran pieces in the form of winger Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. Niederreiter is signed through the 2023-24 season, so he isn’t a rental for the Jets. Niederreiter has tallied 28 points (18 goals & 10 assists) in 56 games this season.
The Jets are battling at the top of the Central Division and adding a player of Niederreiter’s caliber should really give a boost to Winnipeg’s forward group.
Bruins beef up blue line with addition of Dmitry Orlov
The Boston Bruins have been an absolute juggernaut this season. They made their defensive unit even stronger by acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals in a three-team deal. In exchange for Orlov and Hathaway, the Bruins sent the following to the Capitals:
- A 2023 first-round pick.
- A 2025 second-round pick.
- A 2024 third-round pick.
- Forward Craig Smith.
The Capitals will also retain 50 percent of Orlov’s $5.1 million cap hit. In addition, the Minnesota Wild will also retain 25 percent of Orlov’s contract and sent the rights of Andrei Svetlakov to the Bruins for a 2023 fifth-round pick.
Orlov, 31, is in the final year of a six-year, $30.6 million deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. He’s tallied 19 points (three goals & 16 assists) in 43 games for the Capitals this season. Orlov will join an already stacked Boston blue line that includes the likes of Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk.
