As NHL teams were busy wheeling and dealing in the days before the trade deadline, Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong jokingly wondered if there would be anything left to talk about come Friday the final day.
“We try to ruin business deadlines, that’s the biggest thing in Toronto,” Armstrong said with a laugh, referring to the NHL’s broadcast partners, who devote much of their airtime to monitoring the movement. Are. “We just love watching people who don’t speak for about three hours on the trading deadline.”
Armstrong spoke after trading rescuer Jacob Chichrane to the Ottawa Senators two days before the deadline to continue the Coyotes’ youth rebuilding movement.
With dozens of high-profile names already switching teams, including goaltender Jonathan Quick twice, the NHL’s familiar frenzy of last-minute moves was likely to be more difficult.
The last day’s moves began with Detroit continuing to sell players, dealing winger Jacob Vrna to St. Louis for a 2025 seventh-round pick and minor league player Dylan McLaughlin, while Vrna’s contract through next season Retained half of the salary.
In Vrana, the Blues got a third low-risk player several weeks later after reacquiring Sammy Blais from depth in a trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers and off waivers winger Kasperi Kapenen from Pittsburgh. removed.
Meanwhile, the Penguins brought back Nick Bonino in a trade with San Jose. The New Jersey Devils added more depth after their deal for winger Timo Maier by acquiring Curtis Lazer from Vancouver for a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Among the top trade candidates still considered available were three Anaheim Ducks players: defensemen John Klingberg and Dmitri Kulikov and forward Maxime Comtois.
Friday was the busiest of two weeks for trades in the NHL in the past decade: 43 trades involved 85 players and 55 draft picks, including all 12 first-rounders from February 12.
This is more than double the trading volume in the same period since the 2012-13 lockdown. Going back to the All-Star break this year, there have been 44 trades involving 89 players and 57 draft picks, with Tarasenko being kicked by the Rangers in a multiplatform deal with St. Louis.
The Rangers also added their biggest fish earlier this week by acquiring three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane from Chicago. It responded to the addition of Bo Horvat to the rival Islanders, Meier’s acquisition of the Devils, and much movement around the loaded Eastern Conference.
Equally notable were the teams in contention, which were mostly pats. They included the Seattle Kraken, who started the day third in the Pacific Division standings, and the Calgary Flames, who are ninth in the Western Conference race and five points out of contention. In the former, the Buffalo Sabers have been mostly pouty despite being just four points out of contention to end an NHL-record 11-season playoff drought.
Last year’s trade deadline included 32 trades, including a one-day record set in 2020 that included 51 players and a record-matching 26 draft picks.
Armstrong said it was difficult to figure out why GM has been so proactive ahead of this year’s deadline.
“It’s a big ask because especially this year, the calls started very early. It feels like we’ve already been at this for three tough weeks,” said Armstrong, who has made five calls in the past two weeks. Collected seven draft picks including a conditional first-rounder from Ottawa in making the trades. “So I believe there’s a change in when GMs are negotiating. They’re not waiting for the last day.”