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Archives for March 2025

Senators Acquire Fabian Zetterlund From Sharks

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4:50 p.m.: Ottawa made the deal official, confirming they’ve received San Jose’s 2025 fourth-rounder.

2:16 p.m.: The Senators are acquiring winger Fabian Zetterlund, right-wing prospect Tristen Robins, and a fourth-round pick from the Sharks in exchange for forwards Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and Ottawa’s 2025 second-round pick, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia was first to report the deal.

Zetterlund broke out in the Sharks lineup last season. He scored a career-high 24 goals and 44 points in what was his first time playing in all 82 games of a single season. The performance was backed by a modest 11.8 shooting percentage, suggesting that Zetterlund could reasonably follow it up this year. He’s done exactly that, with 17 goals and 36 points in 64 games putting him on pace for 22 goals and 46 points across a full season. That’s impressive growth considering the Sharks offense as a whole remains in the bottom-three of goals-per-game average (2.63). Across his four-year NHL career, Zetterlund has totaled 50 goals and 111 points in 227 games.

The Senators will look to bank on Zetterlund’s growing consistency with this move. Ottawa was in need of more wing depth headed into the deadline and manage to boost their depths without giving up the farm. Ostapchuk has served as one of the team’s top prospects in recent years, after Ottawa spent a second-round pick on him in the 2021 NHL Draft. Ostapchuk played his first professional season last year, netting a modest 17 goals and 28 points in 69 AHL games. That scoring wasn’t all too inspiring, but Ostapchuk demanded attention with five points in the first six AHL games of the season this year. That performance earned him a call-up in late October that he vindicated with an assist in his first NHL game of the season.

Ostapchuk has since split time between the top of the AHL lineup and the bottom of the NHL lineup. He’s scored four points in 43 NHL games, but has a far more commendable 11 points in 15 AHL games. Ostapchuk has averaged just 9:20 in ice time at the NHL level this season. That number could be due for a major boost as he heads to the Sharks, who traded away both Luke Kunin and Nico Sturm in advance of the deadline. Those departures leave two holes for bottom-six centerman that could land Ostapchuk north of 15 minutes a night. His six-foot-four, 210-pound frame should take well to the hard-nosed and physical role that Kunin leaves behind.

San Jose could fill their other center vacancy with Gregor, who has spent the full season on the NHL lineup. Gregor has six points, 17 penalty minutes, and a minus-two in 40 games with the Senators this year. It’s a slight downtick in scoring after he managed 12 points, split evenly, in 63 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year. This will be a reunion tour for the 26-year-old centerman, who was originally drafted in the fourth-round of the 2016 NHL Draft by San Jose. He made his debut with the Sharks three years later and quickly found a rut as a fourth-liner. Gregor totaled 26 goals and 51 points in 178 games with the Sharks across his first tenure with the club. That includes his career-high eight goals and 23 points scored in 63 games of the 2021-22 campaign. San Jose will hope Gregor can return to those numbers this year, as they look to back their young core with a stout veteran presence.

Headed back to Ottawa is speedy winger Robins, who hasn’t quite found his stride in the minor leagues just yet. He has seven goals and 18 points in 41 AHL games this season, the exact same stat line he posted in 42 AHL games last year. Robins was a bit more effective in 2022-23, when he potted 17 goals and 38 points in 64 AHL games and earned the first three NHL games of his career. The five-foot-10, 175-pound forward was once a popular name across the WHL, where he totaled 200 points in 212 games and five seasons with the Saskatoon Blades. He has scoring upside, but needs to find his footing at the AHL level and his physicality at the NHL level. Should Ottawa find a way to tap into that upside, Robins could be a lucrative addition to a deal focused around the swap of Zetterlund and Ostapchuk.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed to this article.

Bruins, Devils Swap Daniil Misyul, Marc McLaughlin

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The Bruins announced they’ve acquired minor-league defenseman Daniil Misyul from the Devils for AHL-bound forward Marc McLaughlin.

McLaughlin has been in and out of the Bruins lineup this season, working into a career-high 12 games along the way. He has just two points, both goals, in that span while adding a minus-one. He’s been a tad more productive in the minor leagues, where he’s totaled 14 points in 34 games. That mark matches his scoring from 68 AHL games last year. Both seasons stand as a down year from McLaughlin’s career-high 30 points set in 66 AHL games in 2022-23. He’s served as a de facto call-up for the Bruins all the while, ultimately totaling six points – interestingly, all goals – in 26 career appearances dating back to 2021-22. He was signed as an undrafted free agent that season, joining the Bruins organization after four years at Boston College. McLaughlin grew up just outside of Boston and, save for AHL stints in Providence, will make his first move out of Massachusetts since he played USHL hockey in Cedar Rapids thanks to this trade.

In return, the Bruins land six-foot-three defenseman Misyul, who has eight assists, 33 penalty minutes, and a minus-eight in 47 AHL games this season. Misyul also made his NHL debut earlier in the year, but managed no scoring and a minus-one. He has also seen a knock in his minor league production after netting 14 points in 44 games last year. Prior to that, Misyul spent five seasons with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv of Russia’s KHL. He wasn’t much of a scorer overseas either, tallying just 21 points across 183 games in the KHL. He will slot in as a depth defenseman for the Providence Bruins.

Both McLaughlin and Misyul are set for restricted free agency this summer.

Bruins Acquire Henri Jokiharju From Sabres

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The Bruins have acquired defenseman Henri Jokiharju from the Sabres in exchange for the Oilers’ 2026 fourth-round pick, both teams announced. Darren Dreger of TSN was first to report the trade, which wasn’t certain to go through ahead of the deadline.

Boston’s buzzer-beater acquisition of Jokiharju will help fill in after they traded stout defensive defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carlo’s absence leaves nearly 19 minutes of ice time every night up for grabs. The bulk of those minutes will likely go to Andrew Peeke, but it will be a battle between Ian Mitchell and Jokiharju for a role on the team’s second pair.

Jokiharju has filled a minimal role in Buffalo this season, with just six points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in 42 games. He has also scored three goals – exactly the same amount that he’s scored in each of the last five seasons. Jokiharju’s downward trend in scoring this year comes after a career performance last season, when he totaled a career-high 20 points and fought his way into a second-pair role through 74 games. He even rivaled top-pair utilization in 2021-22 and 2022-23, averaging over 21 minutes a night through 120 games between the pair of years.

Jokiharju, 25, is still finding his footing in the NHL after breaking into the league at age-19. He was a first-round selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Draft – and recorded 12 assists in 38 games with the team as a rookie in 2018-19. Chicago traded Jokiharju to the Sabres in exchange for Alex Nylander in the following summer, setting him up for an extended run as part of Buffalo’s desolate blue-line. Over six years in Buffalo, Jokiharju totaled 81 points in 351 games – just enough to earn a spot on Team Finland at 2025’s 4-Nations Face-Off, where he scored one goal in three games.

Jokiharju is signed at a $3.1MM cap hit through the end of the season. He will slot into Boston’s bottom-four and look to find a groove on the new-look Bruins, after six years with a struggling Sabres squad.

Predators Trade Mark Jankowski To Hurricanes

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The Hurricanes and Predators got a minor deal done before the deadline. Forward Mark Jankowski is headed to Carolina in exchange for the Hurricanes’ 2026 fifth-round pick, the team announced.

Jankowski has spent the entirety of the season on the NHL lineup after splitting the last two seasons between the NHL and AHL. He’s totaled nine points, 15 penalty minutes, and an even plus-minus through 41 games while serving in a bottom-six role for the Predators. The performance is a slight downtick from the 15 points, eight PIMs, and plus-11 that Jankowski managed in 32 games last year. He also scored 47 points in 40 AHL games last year, good for third on the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring.

Jankowski has filled the role of depth forward throughout his 11-year professional career. He was originally drafted 21st overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames. He went on to play a productive four years at Providence College before turning pro at the end of the 2015-16 season and playing his rookie AHL season in 2016-17. Jankowski was instantly effective, netting 62 points in his first 72 games in the AHL. That scoring wasn’t enough to make the full-time jump to the NHL, but Jankowski made sure to earn the call-up wiht eight points in six AHL games of 2017-18. With that, Calgary awarded him his first full season at the top flight. Jankowski seemed to be taking early advantage, netting 17 goals and 25 points in 72 games as an NHL rookie. He improved on the performance with 14 goals and 32 points in 79 games in his second year, but quickly fell off a cliff after that.

Jankowski spent one more season with Calgary after his 32-point campaign – and only managed seven points in 56 games. He spent the next three seasons between stops in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Nashville – all while averaging just nine points each season at the NHL level. He curbed the slow performances with 27 points in 32 AHL games in 2021-22 – but nonetheless fell firm into the rut of menial NHL scoring and near point-per-game minor scoring.

Jankowski will bring modest depth and a six-foot-four, 212-pound frame to the bottom of Carolina’s lineup. He should be in for routine minutes – likely bumping Tyson Jost back out of the lineup and filling the hole left by Jack Drury’s departure. But Jankowski will need to stay on his toes to hang onto a lineup role. Carolina is currently tied for fourth-place in an Atlantic Division that got some major upgrades at the deadline. They’ll need all hands of deck as they start to fight for playoff seeding, and aim for an extended postesason.

Jankowski is signed through the end of the 2025-26 season with a cheap $800K cap hit.

Stars Acquire, Extend Mikko Rantanen On Max-Term Deal

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4:00 p.m.: Official now, Rantanen is a Star. The deal is accurate as reported aside from the 2027 first-round pick being a 2028 selection instead. Both first-rounders are top 10 protected.

12:55 p.m.: The Stars placed defenseman Miro Heiskanen on long-term injured reserve today, per PuckPedia. The move opens up some additional cap flexibility with the Rantanen pickup and still leaves them with roughly $10MM in flexibility to add another asset before the deadline, assuming the move indicates Heiskanen is done for the regular season following knee surgery early last month. Additionally, Seravalli reports Rantanen receives a full no-movement clause in his contract.

11:31 a.m.: The Stars will get an extension done for winger Mikko Rantanen and acquire him in a blockbuster deal with the Hurricanes. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it’ll be an eight-year contract worth $96MM, worth a cap hit of $12MM. Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff reports Dallas is sending rookie forward Logan Stankoven and a pair of first-rounders to Carolina in return. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirms the picks are the Stars’ own 2026 and 2027 selections, leaving Dallas without a first-round pick until 2028. The Hurricanes are also receiving a pair of third-round picks in the deal, per Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Those picks are also Dallas’ 2026 and 2027 selections, per Seravalli.

Dallas thus holds firm at their initial offer to the superstar winger, who will now be traded twice in under two months. Darren Dreger of TSN reported earlier today the $96MM offer was “well short” of what Rantanen would accept to get a deal to the Stars across the finish line. However, he’ll take the under-market value deal to join the league’s deepest offense in Dallas.

Rantanen notably accepts a lesser extension than what Carolina offered him: an eight-year contract worth at least $100MM in total with a $12.5MM AAV. He’ll likely earn more in take-home pay in a lower-tax state in Texas, but it’s still clear Dallas was a preferable long-term destination for the Finnish star.

The 28-year-old finds his long-term home in the same division as his longtime home in Colorado, where he was coming off back-to-back 100-point seasons before failed extension discussions with the Avs precipitated his move to Carolina in January. Colorado’s best offer on an eight-year deal reportedly fell in the $11MM range, so he’s getting more before-tax dollars by meandering his way toward his former Central Division rival.

Rantanen’s reputation needs no introduction, especially since the scale of a player of his caliber moving mid-season was covered extensively when he was traded to the Canes. The 2015 10th overall pick and 2022 Stanley Cup champion with the Avs has produced well over a point per game over his 10-year career, including a raucous 371 points in 299 games since the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign. On a per-game basis, only Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrňák, and Mitch Marner have scored more over the past decade among right wings.

Despite keeping up his production in Colorado whenever he was briefly separated from franchise center Nathan MacKinnon, he simply didn’t click alongside Sebastian Aho during his short stint in Raleigh. Rantanen managed just 2-4–6 in 13 games for the Canes, shooting at 5% and averaging under 20 minutes per game for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. His possession impacts were expectedly sterling, posting a 64.1 CF% at even strength, but it just didn’t translate to the point totals he’s used to producing.

Rantanen should immediately slot in as Dallas’ first-line right winger alongside Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, filling the hole vacated by Joe Pavelski when he retired last offseason. They’ve rotated multiple players in that role throughout the season, including Stankoven, while also elevating Evgenii Dadonov and Wyatt Johnston from their usual third-line homes at times to ride shotgun. That instability will end with the Robertson-Hintz duo receiving their most talented complement yet out of an already fairly strong group over the course of their careers.

Carolina has now remained unable to upgrade their top-six throughout the year, taking a winding road from Martin Nečas to Rantanen to now, presumptively, the 22-year-old Stankoven getting an extended run in first or second-line minutes barring a subsequent trade. They will open up roughly $3.8MM in cap space in the trade, assuming no other roster players are involved.

Stankoven is a significant loss for the Stars in this deal off their active roster. After performing well in a late-season call-up last year, he’s posted 9-20–29 in 59 showings for Dallas in 2024-25 while averaging north of 15 minutes per game. Selected 47th overall in 2021, he’s already outperforming his draft billing. He’s a significant injection to a Hurricanes pool of U-23 players that already ranks among the strongest in the league. Dallas, though, determined him expendable to land a top-line talent with names like Johnston and Mavrik Bourque still in the system as current and likely future top-six threats.

It would make sense for the Canes to flip one of the first-rounders they’ve acquired for a big-fish forward in the next few hours. They already had their entire arsenal of firsts over the next few years, a significant excess for a team in a playoff contention window.

When Rantanen’s extension is registered, the Stars will be down to $13.8MM in cap space for next season with eight open roster spots. That’s not nearly enough cash to re-sign all of their pending free agents, a list that includes Johnston on the restricted front and top-nine forwards Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, and Dadonov as unrestricted assets. It’s likely only one of that group will be returning next season unless they trade away a salary currently on the books for 2025-26.

Nonetheless, Rantanen’s $12MM AAV currently makes him the fifth-highest-paid player in the league next season behind Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and his former teammate in MacKinnon. He will remain in a Stars uniform through the 2032-33 season and will be 36 years old when his contract expires.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Devils Acquire Dennis Cholowski From Islanders

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The Devils announced they’ve acquired defenseman Dennis Cholowski from the Islanders in exchange for forward Adam Beckman. Both players were on AHL assignments, but the team’s Amanda Stein reports Cholowski will be recalled to New Jersey’s active roster. Beckman will report to the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Cholowski won’t have to move very far to join the fifth organization of his career. The former 20th overall selection of the 2016 NHL Draft has spent the last three years with the Islanders’ organization, scoring three goals and 10 points in 35 games at the NHL level.

He’s understandably been better offensively during his time with AHL Bridgeport. Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, Cholowski has scored nine goals and 70 points in 141 AHL contests with Bridgeport but has continued to lack on the defensive side of the puck. In those 141 regular-season contests, Cholowski managed a ghastly -35 rating.

He’ll serve as depth on the left side of New Jersey’s blue line and will likely shift to the seventh defensive option once Jonas Siegenthaler returns from injury. Meanwhile, Bridgeport is adding one of the AHL’s most consistent scorers in Beckman.

The former third-round pick of the Minnesota Wild has scored 13 goals and 33 points in 43 games this year for the AHL’s Utica Comets, on pace for the best season of his career. He’ll be a major benefit to a Bridgeport team that ranks third-worst in total goals.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Maple Leafs Acquire Scott Laughton From Flyers

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3:06 p.m.: The Flyers announced they’ve officially sent Laughton to Toronto, confirming the trade as reported below. The picks heading from Philly to the Leafs are a 2025 fourth-rounder and a 2027 sixth-rounder.

11:47 a.m.: The Maple Leafs are nearing a deal to acquire center Scott Laughton from the Flyers, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. The deal involves a number of pieces as the Maple Leafs will also acquire fourth and sixth-round draft picks from Philadelphia (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger). In exchange for Laughton and the draft picks, the Flyers will acquire a first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin. The Flyers will also retain 50% of Laughton’s $3MM cap hit (as per TSN’s Chris Johnston) which will use up their final retention slot and carry into next season since Laughton has one more year on his deal that will now count just $1.5MM against Toronto’s salary cap. Laughton is owed just $2.5MM in actual salary for next season.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the first round pick going to the Flyers is a 2027 selection and it will be top-10 protected. The trade leaves Toronto with just one first round selection in the next three drafts.

Laughton was drafted 20th overall by Philadelphia back in 2012 and since then has amassed 106 goals and 159 assists in 661 career NHL games. The Oakville, ON native has long been a solid two-way center and has had his two best offensive seasons over the past two years, posting 43- and 39-point seasons.

This year, the 30-year-old has tallied 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games, to go along with a -17 plus/minus and 129 hits. He has been centering the Flyers’ second line this season and averaging 15:06 of ice time per game. With the trade to Toronto, there is a possibility he becomes their third line center, which should suit his game better as he remains a solid faceoff man and penalty killer.

The trade removes Laughton’s name from the trade rumor mill that has hounded him for much of the past few seasons. With the Flyers in a full retool, Laughton became a lucrative trade chip thanks to his solid play and reasonable contract. The move to Toronto should allow him to slot into a role that suits him better, while playing close to home, and away from the noise of the trade chatter.

PHR’s Josh Cybulski contributed to this article.

Devils Acquire Daniel Sprong From Kraken

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The Devils have acquired depth winger Daniel Sprong from the Kraken, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Seattle is receiving a seventh-round pick in return, according to Tim Booth of the Seattle Times.

A minimal return will be all Seattle lands for scoring winger Sprong, who they acquired for future considerations from the Vancouver Canucks in November. Sprong went unclaimed on waivers two months later, and the Kraken used that chance to assign him to the minor leagues. He’s been absolutely red-hot ever since, with 11 goals and 25 points in 19 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. That’s exorbitantly more than the five points Sprong scored in 19 NHL games to start the season, split between time in Vancouver and Seattle.

Despite minimal NHL scoring this year, Sprong has shown flashed of bringing his hot touch to the NHL. He scored 21 goals and 46 points with the Kraken in the 2022-23 season, then followed it with 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games with Detroit last year. The pair of seasons seemed to finally push Sprong onto the track of strong goal-scoring – and Vancouver took the upside bet by signing him to a one-year contract last summer.

Sprong didn’t find his spark in Vancouver, or in a return to Seattle – but he could find it as the New Jersey Devils search for more scoring options. The Devils rank 14th in the league with 2.98 goals-per-game on average, a step above both Vancouver (26th, 2.74) and Seattle (16th, 2.94). That could set Sprong up for a more welcome committee as he takes on the remaining season on a playoff contender. Sprong should step in as a depth-winger for the Devils lineup – and his ice time could be largely dependent on how well he’s able to rediscover his scoring.

Rangers Trade Erik Brännström To Sabres

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The Sabres and Rangers have exchanged depth skaters with NHL experience. Defenseman Erik Brännström is headed to Buffalo, while winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel goes to New York, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

Although it’s officially a swap of AHL talent, both players have considerable experience in the NHL. Neither player had a future with their respective clubs, and both teams needed depth at their respective positions.

Aubé-Kubel joins the sixth organization of his career after clearing waivers in late January. The bottom-six winger signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract in Buffalo last offseason– a deal that hasn’t worked out for either side. Aubé-Kubel will finish his Sabres’ tenure with one goal and one assist in 19 games, averaging 9:32 of ice time per game, the lowest of his career since the 2018-19 season.

Meanwhile, Brännström is moved for the third time this season. The former 15th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft and the headlining player for the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of Mark Stone in 2019, signed a one-year, $900K contract with the Colorado Avalanche after being non-tendered by the Ottawa Senators.

Before ever suiting up with the Avalanche, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks shortly before the start of the 2024-25 campaign. He was utilized in a flex role between the NHL and AHL for the first half of the season scoring three goals and five assists in 28 games for the Canucks, and two goals and 12 points in eight games for their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

Brännström was then included in the trade that sent J.T. Miller back to the New York Rangers in January. Without having ever suited up for the Rangers, he’ll finish his stay in the organization with one goal and four points in six games for their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Plenty of roster moves will happen over the next 24 hours, and these players could find themselves back in the NHL after it’s all said and done.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Jets Acquire Brandon Tanev From Kraken

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2:40 p.m.: Both parties have made the deal official, confirming the terms as reported.

11:50 a.m.: The Winnipeg Jets aren’t done adding grit to their lineup. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Jets are acquiring bottom-six forward Brandon Tanev from the Seattle Kraken for a 2027 second-round pick.

After a six-year hiatus with the Kraken and Pittsburgh Penguins, Tanev returns to the organization that signed him as an undrafted collegiate free agent in 2016. The speedy, hard-hitting winger has scored 24 goals and 51 points in 195 games with the Jets from 2016 to 2019, adding a whopping 601 hits to his resume.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Jets utilize Tanev during his second time with the team. Winnipeg already has a relatively deep bottom-six with Nino Niederreiter, Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, and Alex Iafallo on the wings. Tanev doesn’t have much experience down the middle, so the team will likely shift Barron back to center on the fourth line.

Tanev’s exploits in the NHL are well known. He’s an effective penalty killer who plays with a physical edge. Outside of an impressive 16-goal, 35-point performance in 2022-23, Tanev is likely to score between 20 and 29 points most years. He’s scored nine goals and 17 points in 60 games for the Kraken this season, averaging 13:56 of ice time per game.

At the time of writing, Winnipeg ranked 21st in the NHL in hits given with a total of 1147. Factoring in Luke Schenn’s acquisition, the Jets should have no issues upping their physicality through the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs.

The trade was fairly simple from Seattle’s perspective. As a pending unrestricted free agent, Tanev had value as a trade candidate for a team well outside the playoff picture. With another second-round pick in their arsenal, the Kraken have nine picks in the first two rounds through the 2027 NHL Draft.

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