2024 NHL Trade Deadline Recap with Special Guest Will Cooper

The NHL Trade Deadline wrapped up today with a flurry of trades putting some teams squarely in contention to make a big time Stanley Cup run. For this recap, we brought in resident NHL expert Will Cooper to share his thoughts on who won the deadline, who lost, and how the rest of the season is shaping up as we’re less than 20 games away from the end of the regular season. Teams like the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, who were already solidly positioned as favorites to win the cup have solidified themselves with some key moves that should have them primed for a run deep into the playoffs, and the Vegas Golden Knights, along with the Panthers, have proved that they are bonafide destination teams that players around the league are eager to join. Other teams who are solidly in playoff positions but perhaps missing a few key pieces, like the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, just didn’t do enough to make them a top tier contender, as management seems content with what they have on the roster currently. Meanwhile, the rebuilding San Jose Sharks seem to have dug themselves deeper into a hole by continuing their trend of horrible salary cap management. The St. Louis Blues, the hometown team for myself and Will, did absolutely nothing to change their outlook for either this season or the near future, and it appears future hopes will now rest on making some serious offseason moves as they trend towards hockey purgatory for this season. 

Read on below to learn more about what went down at the deadline, how the rest of this season is shaping out, and what to expect from teams on the rise and others on the decline in the years to come. 

Western Conference Winners

Vegas Golden Knights

It has become almost like a blue blood basketball program, in which every year a new big fish is netted and brought to the ship. This year, being Noah Hanifin, an upcoming UFA and a LD who will slot next to Pietrangelo. The other, at the buzzer, being Tomas Hertl who has managed to play somehow positive top 6 hockey in the lens of most analytics models with minor league linemates. Their lineup looks like a video game franchise roster on medium difficulty. 

Kelly McCrimon and his team are masters at salary cap manipulation (not even a joke about the LTIR loophole Mark Stone blesses them with again). What I mean is that they understand how to properly time clean their balance sheet. At the deadline, sellers (who have given up on the year) are much more willing to retain salary than they would be in the summer, where the cap is more flexible and Vegas has time to prepare to meet the cap for the coming year, loopholes aside. It’s interesting in that it seems they don’t even need an amateur scouting department, or at least the prospects they do come away with end up used as trade bait, Brendan Brisson aside. This is only doable as a premier hockey destination amongst players, meaning come the summer, they can replenish whatever is necessary- hence the blueblood one and done programs. 

Notable moves:

VGK receives – Noah Hanifin, rights to Mikhail Vorobyov CAL receives – Daniil Miromanov, conditional 2025 1st (VGK), conditional 2025 3rd (VGK), retain 50% PHI receives – 2024 5th (VGK), retain 25%

VGK receives – Tomas Hertl (C), 2025 3rd, 2027 3rd SJS receives – 2025 1st, David Edstrom, retain 17% of Hertl’s salary

VGK receives – Anthony Mantha WSH receives – 2024 2nd, 2026 4th, retain 50%

Colorado Avalanche

Whenever a team is front loaded with elite talent, it will eat away at the cap enough to leave little secondary scoring. This is what led to the first round bounce the year prior. This year, this issue has been addressed. They got rid of the Johannsen contract which was liability on and apparently off the ice, and added an economically friendly (2.5M) Casey Middlestadt as a 2C. It may not be Kadri but it’s certainly an upgrade. Sean Walker bolsters the blue line, though Manson may complement Samuel Girard on the second pairing better than Walker. It was necessary, however, as Byram was sent to Buffalo. Would be a pricey extension for the minutes he would be playing, and is an interesting addition to a somewhat clogged young left handed D corps in Buffalo. They added a couple more depth pieces in Trenin and Duhaime to round out the bottom 6 and are primed to make another deep run in what seems like a never ending window with Mackinnon, Makar, and Rantanen on the payroll. 

Notable moves:

BUF receives – Bowen Byram (D) COL receives – Casey Middlestadt (C)

COL receives – Sean Walker (D), 2026 5th PHI receives – Ryan Johansen (C), 2025 5th

ANA receives – Ben Meyers COL receives – 2024 5th round pick

NJ receives – Kurtis MacDermid (D) COL receives – 2024 7th, rights to Zakhar Bardakov

COL receives – Brandon Duhaime MIN receives – 2026 3rd

COL receives – Yakov Trenin, Graham Sward NSH receives – Jeremy Hanzel, 2025 3rd

Eastern Conference Winners

Carolina Hurricanes

In my opinion, Carolina has been the most well run organization from a hockey ops perspective in the last 5 years, and biasedly, I will attribute some of that to the deep investments they have into their analytics team. They have the strongest anchoring D in the NHL, but have had some goaltending issues in the past and have never had a real gamebreaker on the offensive side in the playoffs. However, an elite scouting department has left them with a whole lot of late first and midround gems. So much so, that they lose 3 prospects that aren’t even in their top 5, landing the premier available player in Jake Guentzel. Guentzel should fit nicely along Aho, perhaps not as nicely as Crosby so we will see if there is a production dip. But his playoff acumen speaks for itself, he is incredible at finding soft space and has a lethal shot to pair with it. The Hurricanes are in a unique position as a lot of strong young players are on expiring deals (Jarvis, Drury, Necas) as well as some longer tenured players (Teravainen, Skjei, Pesce). It will be an interesting offseason but they can afford to lose a D with Nikishin and Morrow on their way. The question is, do they have a 2C that can match the center depth in New York or Florida, before we even mention the west. Drury seems to be a competitive bottom 6 guy, Kotkaniemi hasn’t played well for the last few months, and Staal is slotted in the bottom 6 as well. They took a flier on Evgeni Kuznetzov. Many will brush past this, or label it as fun, but if he comes back to life at all, I would say they are the cup favorites. 

Notable moves:

CAR receives – Jake Guentzel (LW), Ty Smith (D) PIT receives – Michael Bunting (LW), Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, conditional 2024 1st, conditional 2024 5th, retain 25% on Guentzel

CAR receives –  Evgeny Kuznetsov (C) WSH receives – 2025 3rd, retain 50%

TOR receives – Cade Webber CAR receives – 2026 6th

Florida Panthers

Many would say the Panthers were the best team in the East before the deadline. Many would say the same now, along with Carolina. The team, evidenced by a few years of regular season success and a long run through a gauntlet last year, is built for the playoffs. They play structured and they play hard under Maurice, and now match the depth of anyone in the league. Tarasenko fits nicely as a complimentary piece on the top 6, and Okposo will play a lead role on the 4th line (think Alex Steen 2019). They may be an LD short, but they have an elite goaltender and a breakout year in Gustav Forsling to make up for a middle of the pack Mikkola. This team, like the previously mentioned, is primed for a run now, and for years to come. 

Notable moves:

FLA receives – Vladimir Tarasenko (RW) OTT receives – conditional 2024 4th, 2025 3rd, retain 50%

FLA receives – Kyle Okposo (RW) BUF receives – Calle Sjalin, conditional 2024 7th (turns into 5th if panthers win cup)

Western Conference Losers

Edmonton Oilers

It is so rare to see two top 5 talents on the same team, one being generational. They already battled through the adversity it takes to mesh the group, aided by a coaching change, and for the most part have been rolling for months. They finally got the top pairing down in Ekholm and Bouchard (could be a Norris candidate) and Skinner has been serviceable in net. For the most part, every forward in that top 9 compliments McDavid and Draisaitl in some way very well. Hyman lives in the blue paint and has a scorers touch, Kane and Foegele bring size and power, Nugent Hopkins brings a developed elite two way versatility, and Mcleod brings pace and north south efficiency. But they missed so badly on the Connor Brown signing, and to make up for it their big buy was Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick? I love the Corey Perry signing to bring some sandpaper and leadership lower in the lineup, but Henrique has aged out of the top 6 and doesn’t have the defensive mindset for the bottom. No doubt Oilers fans were looking for more in Buchnevich or Vatrano. All of their competition went all in- the Canucks have been aggressive for the better part of 6 months, the Kings did their damage over the summer (not that its worked), Vegas and Colorado loaded up, and Winnipeg and Dallas added nice upper lineup pieces in Toffoli and Tanev, both who fill needed roles brilliantly (the former being a scoring winger and the latter being a shutdown defenseman to give Heiskanen a full time green light). Edmonton’s window on these team friendly contracts is dwindling fast, they didn’t do enough and had the assets to bring home something big. 

Notable moves:

EDM receives – Adam Henrique (C), Sam Carrick (C), 2024 7th, rights to Ty Taylor ANA receives – 2024 1st, conditional 2025 5th, retain 50% of Henrique and Carrick TBL receives – conditional 2025 4th (from EDM), retains 25% of Henrique

EDM receives – Troy Stecher (D), 2024 7th ARI receives – 2027 4th 

San Jose Sharks

The Hertl signing and trade is some of the worst cap allocation I have ever seen. During an intense, full fledged rebuild, they locked up an aging top line guy to an 8 year, 8+ million dollar contract. Some months later, sitting at the bottom of the standings, they deal the same player for a bottom 6 prospect and some first round picks, while retaining 4 million for 6 years. The two firsts for losing 4 million dollars of cap space is I guess net neutral, nevermind giving up their best player in the process. They will be retaining salary on Karlsson, Burns, and Hertl for the next 6 years. Will Smith will be finishing up his ELC by then, William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau will be beyond it. They have 15 million dollars invested in Couture and Vlasic for the next 3 years, Couture an 8 million beyond that, and a middle of the pack prospect system. Horrible contracts, so-so prospects, no prime players on the roster. All I can hope is that it is a cautionary tale to Doug Armstrong.

Notable Moves:

TBL receives – Duclair, 2025 7th SJS receives – Jack Thompson, 2024 3rd

VGK receives – Tomas Hertl (C), 2025 3rd, 2027 3rd SJS receives – 2025 1st, David Edstrom, retain 17% of Hertl’s salary

Eastern Conference Losers

New York Rangers

When you look at New York’s lineup, it’s pretty incredible. The only reason I call them a loser is that teams bolstered up and they largely didn’t. Wennberg has had an analytically poor year though he will be asked for less in New York and the return was nothing obnoxious, the Kraken also retained salary. He’ll slot where Goodrow did (speaking of horrible contracts). It is remarkable that with some of the misses Drury has had the last 5 years on top picks that they are sitting in this position. It’s a bit harsh to call them a loser but I don’t see a way they can compete with Florida or Carolina.

Notable moves:

NYR receives – Alex Wennberg (C) SEA receives – 2024 second, conditional 2025 4th (DAL), retain 50%

NYR receives – Chad Ruhwedel (D) PIT receives – 2027 4th

Toronto Maple Leafs

Similar to New York, they just didn’t do enough. Added some physicality in Edmundson/Lyubushkin and a 4C. The concern here, as it has been for quite some time, is how front loaded they are. It’s far worse than Colorado. I personally believe the Tavares signing has been a massive waste, and I think holding onto Nylander and Marner leaves little creativity for their front office. You have to remember Matthews only signed for four years. Intuition says he wants to get back to the desert (assuming the Coyotes stay) and play wing off his old NTDP teammate in Keller once they are looking on the inside of the playoffs. Toronto has been playing good hockey as of late, most thanks to timely goals from Matthews who could hit 70 by the end of the year. Similar to Edmonton, they are wasting the window. Holding onto Cowan, Minten, and Niemala is a bit cautious for my liking. A big RD would change their team and though the rumors float, it’s always left at rumors as it has been and as it will be until Treliving isn’t handcuffed by limited cap space. 

Notable moves:

TOR receives – Joel Edmundson (D) WSH receives – 2024 3rd, 2025 5th, retain 50% of Edmundson’s salary

TOR receives – Connor Dewar (C) MIN receives – Dmitry Ovchinnikov, 2026 4th

Pittsburgh Penguins

Dubas’ tenure has been a nightmare. Went out and got Erik Karlsson→ didn’t make any sense. Underachieved and sold their most premium expiring asset in Guentzel for an aging Michael Bunting, some at best middle six prospects, and a conditional second. I’d say two firsts are better than that entire package. Dark years ahead for them and the other dominant 2010 teams. 

Notable moves:

CAR receives – Jake Guentzel (LW), Ty Smith (D) PIT receives – Michael Bunting (LW), Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, conditional 2024 1st, conditional 2024 5th, retain 25% on Guentzel

NYR receives – Chad Ruhwedel (D)PIT receives – 2027 4th

Participation Trophy

St. Louis Blues

The Blues trade deadline was a direct reflection of how their season is going – stuck in neutral. Despite plenty of rumors leading up to today regarding Pavel Buchnevich, the Blues were unable to find a suitor before the deadline, and the window has closed without the Blues making any significant moves. Buchnevich, 28, is the Blues leading goalscorer and has been on a tear as of late, and his strong two-way game led to plenty of speculation that teams like Carolina, Detroit and Edmonton would be interested in making a deal for him, especially given that he has a year left on his contract after this season. With St. Louis struggling to keep up pace in the Western Conference wild card race, Blues fans were clamoring for GM Doug Armstrong to make something happen. As a Blues fan, I’m still putting my faith in the GM who brought us a Cup in 2019, so in my opinion the lack of a Buchnevich deal probably means that nobody was willing to give up enough in exchange for the Winger, and if that’s the case I’m glad that Armstrong didn’t get desperate and make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. With that being said, it’s definitely disappointing that the Blues weren’t able to make any noise, especially with the handful of tough contracts that are stuck on their payroll and the fact that the Blues haven’t been able to get anything going this year, largely due to what Will pointed out is the third-worst goal expected goals differential in the league. The Blues have a solid pipeline of prospects and young talent, but it seems that this year they’re going to be stuck in hockey purgatory: not good enough for the playoffs but not bad enough for a lottery pick.

Notable (not actually) moves:

CBJ receives – Malcolm Subban STL receives – future considerations

If you haven’t had enough of this analysis, and want to read more about the implications this deadline has on the future, look no further than Will’s 2024 NHL outlook featuring incredible insights into what every NHL General Manager should be doing to maximize team success for the long term.