Poll: Which Deadline Day Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
The 2026 Trade Deadline was stalled before it had a chance to launch thanks to a rare December blockbuster that sent Quinn Hughes across the Western Conference. Hughes has since scored 39 points in 31 games with the Minnesota Wild, putting together an impact with his new team that no player in the league could hope to match. Through a quiet Deadline, a few moving pieces could bring enough of a boost to bolster their new team’s chances of making the playoffs or contending for the Stanley Cup.
The top candidate to make a big splash is center Nazem Kadri, who rejoins the Colorado Avalanche after averaging 27 goals and 64 points per 82 games played with the Calgary Flames, across four seasons. Kadri was a constant source of offense on a Flames deep who saw their supplies diminish as the years went on. Then again, he reached his career-high in scoring with an 87-point season in 2021-22, his final year in Colorado. Kadri earned his first Stanley Cup ring that year and now rejoins the Avalanche in the middle of their best season since. He will hold an important, middle-six role either in relief of Brock Nelson‘s second-line role or in bringing a power-punch to Colorado’s depth. Leaving behind a #1 role in Calgary could kneecap Kadri’s offense but joining a team like Colorado could be enough to bring it back up.
Another easy choice is Anaheim’s acquisition of career-Washington Capital defenseman John Carlson. The deal was finalized just after 1 AM ET on March 6th, when much of the hockey world, and Carlson himself, were asleep. In the quiet of the night, Anaheim pulled off a monumental move to bring in one of the league’s top offensive-defensemen. Even in his age-36 season, Carlson has racked up 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals. He has proven to still be an effective scorer even into his sunset seasons, though got bumped out of Washington’s top-defender role by the emergence of Jakob Chychrun. Instead, he will head to the West coast to challenge Jacob Trouba for the role of top-right defense on the Pacific Division’s top team. He is currently nursing a day-to-day, lower-body injury but Carlson could really click with Anaheim’s fast-moving, hard-working offense when he steps into the lineup.
A pair of St. Louis Blues will look to do enough to join this list as they head to the Eastern Conference. Defenseman Justin Faulk was acquired by the Detroit Red Wings for an expensive package. The Red Wings will need to pipe him into a key role to justify their pricey buy. Luckily, they’re in need of a high-motor, third-string defender who can bring oomph behind the top pair of Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. Faulk stood as St. Louis’ top defenseman, and main play-driver from the blue-line, even as his overall performances began to slip. In competition with Ben Chiarot and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it should be easy for Faulk to emerge as the caterer of offense away from Detroit’s top pair.
Meanwhile, Brayden Schenn will hope for improved minutes as he joins a playoff-contending New York Islanders club. Schenn’s role in St. Louis dwindled to a support presence in his final years, usually spent platooning the center role with one of the Blues’ young prospects. He hit an offensive wall this season as a result – just 28 points in 62 games – but is only one year removed from scoring 18 goals and 50 points, with a positive plus-minus. Schenn has slowed substantially in his mid-30s, but he remains a dangerous shooter and effective playmaker. If the Islanders can help him find some pseudo-tempo, he could be a candidate for a streak of shooting luck.
Who do you think will leave the biggest mark for his new club? Use the 2025-26 In-Season Trade Tracker to see the list of Trade Deadline day moves and vote below!
Which NHL Trade Deadline Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
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COL - Nazem Kadri, C 39% (338)
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ANA - John Carlson, D 25% (216)
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DET - Justin Faulk, D 17% (142)
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NYI - Brayden Schenn, C 12% (104)
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Other (Comment Below!) 7% (58)
Total votes: 858
Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports.
Stars Recall Arttu Hyry
The Stars announced they’ve recalled forward Arttu Hyry from AHL Texas. He was sent down last week to make room for Michael Bunting on the active roster after his acquisition from the Predators. With the roster limit no longer in effect, he can come back up as Dallas still has $1.96MM of cap space left in their LTIR pool.
Unless there’s another forward who’s questionable for tonight’s game against the Blackhawks, Hyry’s recall doesn’t fall under emergency conditions and will take up the first of five allotted post-deadline recalls in Dallas. The Stars do have 13 forwards on the active roster, but only 12 are available after news that top center Roope Hintz is week-to-week with the lower-body injury he sustained Friday night against the Avalanche. Now, Dallas has an extra one on hand to rotate in at will.
Hyry, 24, had spent the entire season in the AHL until being recalled at the end of February, also due to a period of unavailability from Hintz (that time due to illness). The undrafted free agent is in his second year in the organization, which signed him to an entry-level contract out of Kärpät in Finland’s top division, Liiga, in 2024.
The 6’3″, 211-lb forward can play both center and right wing and has appeared in nine games for Dallas over the past two seasons, recording an assist and a +1 rating in 10:17 of average ice time. He’s been exceptional on draws as a stopgap fourth-line piece, winning 65.5% of his faceoffs – including going 25-for-39 in a larger sample this year.
He’s also been nearly an All-Star-level threat in the AHL. Some injuries and his stints on the NHL roster have limited him to 27 appearances this season, but he’s scored nine goals and 19 points with a -1 rating in 27 games when in the lineup. That’s on the heels of a 24-goal, 49-point showing as a rookie in 67 games last year. A pending restricted free agent, he’s been a highly valuable depth piece so far and is almost guaranteed to receive a qualifying offer.
Post-Deadline Transaction Restrictions
While the trade deadline has come and gone, there will still be quite a few transactions made between now and the end of the season. However, many of those have new restrictions imposed on them, as follows.
Waivers
Teams can still waive players after the trade deadline. However, if they’re claimed, the player is automatically ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. We will likely still see some waiver activity closer to the end of the year if a player on recall and AHL playoff-eligible needs to clear waivers to return to the minors.
Trades
While the term ‘trade deadline’ would imply a hard cap on trades now, that’s not the case. However, similar to players claimed on waivers post-deadline, those players are ineligible to play down the stretch. Over the next week, we will likely see a player or two traded for future considerations to add someone for their AHL team; their trade deadline is exactly one week after the NHL deadline on March 13. Rights to unsigned players will also likely be moved in the coming weeks.
Signings
A player not on an NHL reserve list who signs can play down the stretch during the regular season, but is ineligible to play in the playoffs. We typically see this with college free-agent signings who get into a game or two for the stretch run, but technically, a player on an AHL contract can sign an NHL deal and play with that team until the playoffs.
AHL Eligibility
For a player to be assigned to the minors, that player must have been on an AHL roster at the trade deadline. Otherwise, even if the player is waiver-exempt, he is ineligible to play in the minors. An exception can be made for a player needing a conditioning loan due to a long-term injury. This rule is why there were so many ‘paper transactions’, moves to put a player in the minors before the deadline to keep them eligible to play there down the stretch.
Recalls
This is the one that comes into play the most after the deadline. Teams are limited to five non-emergency recalls between now and the end of the season. That’s a rule change from last summer’s CBA extension; the previous limit was four. Players recalled from deadline-day paper transactions count against the five, so several teams will have fewer than five to work with immediately.
An emergency situation is created when a team has fewer than 12 healthy forwards, six healthy defensemen, or two healthy goaltenders available. In those cases, a player can be recalled under emergency conditions if the team has cap space available. However, when that team gets the injured player(s) back, the recalled player must return to the minors. Otherwise, his recall is converted from an emergency one to a regular one and would count against the limit of four.
Pretty much every team will still be involved in transactions of some sort over the next few weeks, but they’ll need to be mindful of these restrictions when making them.
Red Wings Recall John Leonard
The Red Wings announced today that they’ve recalled winger John Leonard from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. That stipulation means Detroit retains all five of its post-trade deadline standard recalls. With fellow wingman Michael Brandsegg-Nygard already up on an emergency recall in connection with Dylan Larkin‘s injury, this means the Wings are anticipating that another forward could be unavailable for the start of their four-game road trip tonight in New Jersey.
Leonard, 27, began his professional career as an undrafted free agent signed by the Sharks out of UMass in 2020 and was essentially a full-time NHL piece in the following COVID-shortened season, playing 44 out of 56 games. That was the last time he’s seen anywhere near that kind of deployment. He made just 14 appearances in 2021-22 and was then traded to the Predators, kicking off a span of four teams in four seasons (Nashville, Arizona, AHL Charlotte, Detroit) that culminated in him signing a one-way, league minimum pact with the Wings last summer.
The 5’11” lefty’s standout performance on a minor-league contract in the Panthers organization last year, tying for second in the league in goals (36) and 10th in points (61), meant he bypassed a two-way deal entirely and was expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp in Detroit. While that didn’t hold true, he’s having the best season of his minor-league career and has logged his most NHL time in four years thanks to some call-ups along the way.
Today marks Leonard’s third recall of the season after coming up for over two weeks in December and a five-day stint on the roster in January. In nine spot starts across the pair of call-ups, he’s been quite efficient with four points (two goals, two assists) and 26 shot attempts while averaging 12:01 per game, finishing at a 22.2% clip along the way. That’s come amid Leonard starring for Grand Rapids in the minor-league club’s historic season, set to march to an AHL title with a 43-9-4 record. With a 27-14–41 scoring line in 34 games there, his 1.21 points per game currently sit second in the league (min. 15 games played).
Evening Notes: Larkin, Fabbro, Faksa
The Detroit Red Wings got quite the scare yesterday evening when captain Dylan Larkin exited the game prematurely from what appeared to be a non-contact injury. Fortunately, Detroit has avoided the worst-case scenario, as they announced Larkin was only expected to miss the next few days.
In Larkin’s absence, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press shared that the Red Wings are expected to recall a forward before tomorrow’s contest against the New Jersey Devils. Detroit already recalled forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard earlier today while the team waits for recent acquisition David Perron to return from sports hernia surgery.
Given that the team could now use additional depth down the middle, it would make sense for Detroit to recall Sheldon Dries or Nate Danielson in Larkin’s absence. The latter has already registered 28 games with the Red Wings this season, scoring two goals and seven points with a 37.7% faceoff percentage.
Other notes from this evening:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets don’t expect to be without defenseman Dante Fabbro for much longer. According to team reporter Jeff Svoboda, the Blue Jackets are expecting Fabbro to return in the next game or two, although he didn’t play tonight. There’s not much information on what’s ailing Fabbro, but he’s missed Columbus’s last two games. He has scored four goals and nine points in 54 games this season, averaging 15:59 of ice time per game.
- Exiting the Olympics, it was believed that the Dallas Stars would have Radek Faksa back relatively soon. Regrettably, that has not been true, and there won’t be any changes in the near future. According to radio analyst Bruce LeVine, Faksa suffered a significant setback during his rehabilitation process, and the Stars aren’t expecting him back until the postseason. He will likely finish the 2025-26 regular season with two goals and 17 points in 56 contests.
Pacific Notes: Granlund, Carlson, Golden Knights, Sharks
There is a growing expectation that the Anaheim Ducks will return forward Mikael Granlund to the lineup tomorrow. According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, Granlund was a full participant at practice this morning and centered the team’s second line.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the Ducks will have a complete lineup. In a separate report from Lee, he indicated that recent acquisition John Carlson remains working his way back from a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to debut tomorrow.
At any rate, it’ll be a decent boost for Anaheim to get Granlund back into the lineup. He has been oft-injured this year, appearing in only 38 games, scoring 12 goals and 27 points. Still, the Ducks will need all the depth they can as they continue their playoff push.
Additional notes from the Pacific Division:
- Per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon provided a few updates on several key injuries to the Vegas Golden Knights. Regarding the forward corps, McCrimmon said the team only expects captain Mark Stone to miss the next few days. Additionally, the Golden Knights haven’t placed forward William Karlsson on season-ending long-term injured reserve, but will have to make it to the semifinals if they want to see him again this season. Lastly, McCrimmon added that netminder Carter Hart is still a few weeks away from returning.
- The San Jose Sharks retained their numerous pending unrestricted free agents through the deadline as their own rentals, rewarding the team’s performance so far. Speaking with Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News, General Manager Mike Grier said, “So it kind of felt like it was the best thing to do, in all fairness to them, to kind of keep the group together and see how the rest of the season goes.” Regardless, that didn’t stop teams from making calls, specifically regarding Mario Ferraro and John Klingberg.
Utah Mammoth Reassign Dmitriy Simashev
The Utah Mammoth no longer needs an extra defenseman on the roster. According to a team announcement, the Mammoth have reassigned Dmitriy Simashev after recalling him earlier today, and activated newcomer MacKenzie Weegar from the non-roster list.
Simashev was reassigned yesterday to ensure his playoff eligibility in the AHL. He was subsequently recalled this morning in case Weegar couldn’t resolve his visa issues before tonight’s contest. As it turns out, Weegar is good to go and will make his Mammoth debut tonight.
It appears that Simashev will get an extended stay with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, unless Utah runs into injury trouble. The Mammoth have plenty of cap space for Simashev on the NHL roster, but there’s little need for him since they already have seven healthy defensemen.
He’ll return to a Roadrunners club where he has had a phenomenal season. In 30 games, Simashev has scored eight goals and 28 points with a +2 rating. His performance this season has likely alleviated concerns about his offensive game, as the former sixth overall pick registered only one goal and six points in 56 games for the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl last season.
Most importantly, Simashev will help Tucson with its mission to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs. The team is currently in eighth place in the AHL’s Pacific Division, but only three points separate them from fifth place.
Meanwhile, the Mammoth will see their big deadline acquisition in the lineup for the first time. Weegar is in his 10th professional season this year, split between the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames. He’s scored three goals and 21 points in 60 games with a -35 rating, averaging 23:07 of ice time. Additionally, he’s registered 143 blocked shots and 130 hits.
Los Angeles Kings Recall Jared Wright
According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled depth forward Jared Wright from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The Kings reassigned Kenny Connors and Wright yesterday to ensure that both remained eligible for the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs.
Until then, it appears that Wright will remain on the NHL roster for the next little while. Wright, 23, was drafted 169th overall by Los Angeles in the 2022 NHL Draft and is in his first full season actively playing for the organization.
Before his time in professional hockey, Wright spent three years at the University of Denver. He was a decent secondary scorer throughout his tenure with the Pioneers, scoring 32 goals and 54 points in 122 games with a +35 rating. He helped the program win the National Championship in 2024.
As expected, he has spent much of the year with AHL Ontario, with promising results. He’s currently sixth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 30 points in 54 games with a +27 rating. Compared to the rest of the league, he ranks 12th in scoring among all rookies.
Los Angeles doesn’t have much to lose by seeing what Wright can do in the NHL for the rest of the season. The team had a mixed deadline, shipping Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning, acquiring Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and signing Mathieu Joseph. Of course, the Kings made their big move before the Olympics, acquiring Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers.
Emil Martinsen Lilleberg Out Two Weeks
The Tampa Bay Lightning are again losing some of their defensive depth to injury. The Lightning announced that Emil Martinsen Lilleberg would miss the next two weeks after suffering a facial fracture at practice.
Tampa Bay didn’t specify how Lilleberg suffered the injury, but it’s likely he took an errant puck to the face at practice. It seems that this was an unfortunate accident during practice.
Although the Lightning have suffered multiple injuries on the blue line this season, the defensive corps is in much better shape than it has been for much of the campaign. Including Lilleberg, the Bolts have everyone else available except for Maxwell Crozier.
Today’s update is the second injury Lilleberg has suffered this season. Earlier this year, he missed approximately two months due to an undisclosed injury. In total, he’s skated in 35 games, scoring two goals and six points while averaging 16:56 of ice time.
Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, this season can’t be seen as anything other than a step back for Lilleberg. Last season, his first full year in the NHL, he finished with one goal and 19 points in 76 games with 114 hits. He won’t get near those totals this year, but he’s signed through next season at an incredibly affordable $800K salary, so he’ll have another opportunity to get his career back on track.
Sharks Recall Nolan Allan
Earlier this season, the Sharks added some extra depth on the back end when they added Nolan Allan from Chicago as part of the trade that saw them take on Laurent Brossoit’s contract. Now, they’ll get a chance to see what Allan can do as the team announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner has been recalled from AHL San Jose.
The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by the Blackhawks back in 2021, being taken with the 32nd and final pick of the opening round. However, he hasn’t had a ton of success professionally just yet. Allan got into 43 games with Chicago last season and did okay in a limited role, picking up eight points, 48 blocks, and 61 hits in a little over 15 minutes per night.
However, he was assigned to the AHL in training camp and has been there ever since, aside from a brief stint playing for Canada at the Spengler Cup back in December. With Chicago having strong defensive depth, they were okay with including him in the deal that offloaded Brossoit’s contract.
Before the swap, Allan had two goals and four assists in 29 games with Rockford. However, he has been more productive since then, notching two goals and eight helpers in 20 appearances with the Barracuda to earn this promotion. Now, he’ll look to boost his value with his entry-level contract set to expire this summer.
Allan will take the place of Timothy Liljegren on San Jose’s roster after the Sharks moved him to Washington yesterday at the trade deadline. With now seven healthy defenders on their active roster, it’s unclear when he’ll get a chance to make his Sharks debut while his recall will count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of five.