The NHL trade deadline is Friday, and there are quite a few notable players reportedly available.
Carolina made the biggest move of the trading period in January when it acquired Mikko Rantanen from Colorado for Martin Necas, Jack Drury and picks. But the Hurricanes are reportedly closing in on a trade to send Rantanen to Dallas, according to Sportsnet, after unsuccessful extension negoations.
Boston’s Brad Marchand is another pending free agent who is a part of trade talks, according to The Athletic. The longtime Bruins forward/agitator, now 36, is still productive in Year 16 (21 goals, 26 assists) and is still looking for a second Stanley Cup after winning one in his first full season with the Bruins.
Nashville has been among the busiest teams leading up to deadline day, sending Gus Nyquist to Minnesota and trading Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn to Pittsburgh in the last week.
Follow along with the latest NHL trade deadline news, trades and reports:
NHL trade deadline tracker: Live updates, latest trades on deadline day
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Hurricanes and Dallas Stars are in discussions about a deal to send Mikko Rantanen to Texas pending negotiations of a Rantanen extension with Dallas. Full details about the potential trade are unreported.
Rantanen was traded in January to Carolina from Colorado in exchange for forwards Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. A pending UFA, extension talks between Rantanen and Carolina have reportedly made little progress. It does not help that Rantanen’s on-ice production with Carolina has been underwhelming (2 goals, 4 assists in 12 games).
Multiple reports indicated that Carolina was considering to move Rantanen again before the deadline. The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Hurricanes were taking calls on Rantanen.
For Carolina, a team that has been very good for several seasons but has not broken through for a run to the Stanley Cup Final, the question is: Do the Hurricanes hold onto Rantanen for the playoff run and risk losing him in the summer, or do they cut their losses with no guarantee of an extension?
One other question: Why did Carolina spend so much to acquire a player without an idea that he would sign long-term?
Pending free agent Brock Nelson, a longtime Islanders forward, is now a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
The Islanders announced late Thursday that they traded Nelson and forward prospect William Dufour to the Avs for center prospect (and former first-round pick) Calum Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.
The first-round pick will be in 2026 if the Avs make the playoffs next season, or in 2027 if they do not. The 2028 third-round pick goes to the Islanders if Colorado wins the Stanley Cup this season and Nelson plays more than half the playoff games.
Ritchie is the main piece in the trade, a 20-year-old center who is considered one of the top prospects in the league. (Ritchie was ranked No. 21 in The Athletic’s latest NHL prospect rankings.)
Nelson’s islanders career ends at 901 games, with a 295-279-574 career stat line over 12 seasons. He had nine 20-goal seasons, including 20 goals in 61 games.
The Athletic reported Thursday that the Bruins “are open” to trading their longtime star who is in the final season of an eight-year deal.
Marchand, a likely Hall of Famer, is 24 points short of 1,000 for his career. As odd it may be for Bruins fans, it is possible he reaches that milestone in another team’s jersey.
The NHL trade deadline is at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, March 7.
The Predators have already made a couple trades this week, with Gus Nyquist sent to Minnesota and Luke Schenn and Tommy Novak traded to Pittsburgh.
Among the other Predators players that could be traded on Friday include:
O’Reilly, 34, would be the biggest rumored trade target to move, and despite a drop in overall numbers is on pace to exceed his even-strength goals total from last season and hit 50 points overall. He is signed through 2026-27 at $4.5 million and has a wealth of playoff experience. Sportsnet reported in January that teams had inquired about O’Reilly’s availability.
Sissons, 31, is signed through next season at $2.85 million and has played in 71 career playoff games. Since the turn of the calendar to 2025, SIssons has 4 goals and 11 assists in 23 games. For teams looking for term in a bottom-six center, Sissons has to be high on the target list.
McCarron, 30, is also signed through next season at $900,000.
Thursday, March 6
- The Avalanche acquired center Brock Nelson and forward prospect William Dufour to the Avs for center prospect Calum Ritchie, defenseman Oliver Kylington, a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.
- The Ducks acquired defenseman Oliver Kylington from the Islanders for future considerations.
- The Oilers acquired defenseman Jake Walman from the Sharks for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and center Carl Berglund.
- The Golden Knights acquired forward Reilly Smith from the Rangers in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and forward Brendan Brisson. The Rangers retained salary in the deal.
- The Rangers acquired defenseman Carson Soucy from the Canucks for a 2025 third-round pick.
- The Wild acquired forward Justin Brazeau from the Bruins for forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round pick
- The Panthers acquired goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen from the Jets for goaltender Chris Driedger.
- The Panthers acquired center Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick from San Jose for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
- The Devils acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Ducks for a 2025 second-round pick and forward prospect Herman Traff.
Wednesday, March 5
- The Penguins acquired center Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn from the Predators in exchange for winger Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
- The Lightning acquired forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Kraken in a three-team deal, as well as a defenseman prospect and a 2026 fifth-round pick. Seattle acquired conditional first round picks in 2026 and 2027 (both top-10 protected) plus a 2025 second-round pick (originally from Toronto), an conditional third-round pick and forward Michael Eyssimont. Detroit retained salary in the three-team trade, acquiring a 2025 fourth-round pick.
- The Sharks acquired defenseman Vincent Desharnais from the Penguins in exchange for a 2028 fifth-round pick.
- The Panthers acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the Sharks for forward Patrick Giles.
Tuesday, March 4
- The Oilers acquired forwards Trent Frederic and Max Jones in a three-team trade. The Devils acquired unsigned prospect Shane Lachance, while the Bruins acquired a 2025 second-round pick (originally from St. Louis), a 2026 fourth-round pick and a prospect.
Saturday, March 1
- The Wild acquired forward Gustav Nyquist from the Predators for a 2026 second-round pick.
- The Panthers acquired defenseman Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Blackhawks for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick.
- The Avalanche acquired defenseman Ryan Lindgren, forward Jimmy Vesey, and defenseman prospect Hank Kempf from the Rangers for forward Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Calvin de Haan, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
