Winners & Losers of the 2025 Trade Deadline

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Losers: Buffalo and NYI
I like those two franchises and hope for the best for them, but they are going right into the wall. It's rebuild time for those two, and this deadline was a seller market. They should have accepted reality and got a f***ing pirate chest worth of assets, to speedrun the part where you have to suck ass for years to accumulate them.

Loser: Montréal and Vancouver
It was a great time to acquire a 2nd line center, if not for this year, for next year. They didn't do shit. Moreso, we have expiring contracts coming up, and we didn't get assets from them. It's waste, and I hate that. Vancouver is still in limbo. What the hell is happening over there?

Loser: Oilers: Average defense and suspect goaltending. Always the same problems, and it's seems it will stay the same.

Losers: Every teams in the Central who didn't do shit
You are now stucked with Dallas and Colorado, who are armed to the teeth. Good luck with that.

Loser (but it could have been so much more worse): Carolina
Somehow, their GM kind of save them from his own f*** up, but at the end of the day, they should have sticked with Necas

Winners: Florida, Colorado and Dallas
They did not f*** around, they armed themselves and are now ready for war. They are STACKED.

Winner: Ottawa
Norris is good, but the problem is, he's made of the finest silk. They had their way with Buffalo, which suck because I despise the Senaturds

Winner: Boston
Boston is the Anti-Buffalo/NYI. They understood they needed to sell, and they did just that.

Agree with all these.

 

[flyfysher]

Canes are going to get more production from Stankoven than they were getting from Rantanen who was set on bolting after the season.
Add in 2 x1sts and 2x3rd and CAR will have plenty of ammo to make other adds the next couple yrs.

Not denying salvaging a return but Canes went from being all in this season to acquiring futures.

 

[LTIR]

Not denying salvaging a return but Canes went from being all in this season to acquiring futures.

They are still a good team with very little glaring holes. I wouldn't declare them losers. Probably lucky to not end up with a 13M x 8yrs Rantanen

 

[flyfysher]

They are still a good team with very little glaring holes. I wouldn't declare them losers. Probably lucky to not end up with a 13M x 8yrs Rantanen

Canes are good but they need a breakthrough player. So going after Rants was understandable. Unfortunately it didn’t work out in terms of the team’s overarching goal to go in. I was hoping for Rants to sign with the Canes and keep him away from the Stars or VGK. It is what it is. I think Rants is a much better fit in Dallas though. And given their line up they don’t need Rants to carry a line in order to justify that kind of $. I think Canes would do better with someone that is a better fit than Rants.

 

[boltsfan86]

Going to grade every team's deadline. Let me know how I did

Anaheim: C, Got great value for Dumoulin but also traded for Trouba. Meh.
Boston: B-, would have been an A before the Marchand trade but come on guys really? The Coyle trade was kind of a masterclass. Got great value for Carlo. Not really sure what the deal with Jokiharju was but I don't hate it.
Buffalo: D-, I do not like the Ottawa trade at all for them, but I get it probably needed to happen. I don't think anything they did at the deadline addresses any of their issues or puts them any closer to the stairs out of the basement. It's wild to me that they signed more extensions than they made trades.
Calgary: B-, I think Calgary should have sold more and they're not really a playoff threat but Wolf has been so good that he has kept them in the mix. Could have really gotten a lot for Kadri or Weegar or something. I get keeping Andersson though.
Carolina: F-------, what in the world was that. I actually feel bad, Canes never went all in on a forward from like 2017-2023 and then acquired and subsequently lost the three most talented ones they've had in a decade in very short order. That was a total mess. Opening day roster was 100% better. Idk where you even go from here.
Chicago: A+, great job getting rid of Jones and Hall and getting tons of picks and Knight. Steps in the right direction.
Colorado: B-, I really think trading Rantanen was a mistake, I am dubious about Necas in the postseason, I don't really love the prices they paid but the team is deeper for sure. I honestly think they could have taken their roster from opening night (including the guys that were hurt) and made nothing but the Blackwood trade and the Nelson trade and been better off.
Columbus: B, didn't do much but I actually think that might be the right move given where they're at.
Dallas: A++++, Fleeced Carolina, did well with SJ. Nice work Nill.
Detroit: C-, I expected more from Detroit, their one trade for Mrazek and Craig Smith did nothing for them and was kind of a head scratcher.
Edmonton: D, Edmonton needed a goalie and a defensive defenseman and they ended up with a depth forward who fights and a thirteenth forward who is labelled a defenseman that is best known for griddying. (Ik Walman is good, but the fit does not seem great).
Florida: A+++++, Not elaborating. I hate you.
LA: C-, I like the Kuzmenko pickup but they needed to bring in more to change up their offense for the playoffs. Feels like management isn't really believing in the team.
Minnesota: D, Gustav Nyquist really does not change much about this team, they could/should have done more.
Montreal: C, should have cashed in on Armia/Savard, not sure now is the time to go for a playoff spot.
New Jersey: D-, I get that you were just dealt an awful hand with Hughes getting hurt, but what was that? Glass? Cholowski? Really? I kept hearing about how aggressive they'd be but nada. Did someone tell Keefe it's too late to tank for a pick?
Islanders: A, absolutely cleaned up on a rental in Brock Nelson who has 43 total points. Getting a 1st round pick, Cal Ritchie, and a third for him is incredible. Only reason they don't get an A+ is because they didn't cash in on Palmieri, too.
Rangers: C+, total roller coaster. Did awesome to get rid of Trouba. Then did pretty poorly to ship off Kakko and not even get a second rounder back given this seller's market. The JT Miller trade just feels like an emotional move. Also not a fan of the Brannstrom move. I think this team needs to come up with a plan. They try to build a team in 3 years and then tear it down and repeat. Doesn't really make sense.
Ottawa: A+, nice job with the Zetterlund deal (maybe best value deal of deadline for a buyer) and I also loved the Cozens trade for them. Well done Staios.
Philadelphia: B+, got their first for Laughton, solid value for Kuzmenko
Pittsburgh: A-, nice to flip Schenn and get a second for Beauvillier, a third for Glass was nice too.
San Jose: A, great value for Walman (who they asked to come with a second as a sweetener when they first acquired him). Not a huge fan of the Zetterlund or Blackwood trades but Grier has managed his assets very well.
Seattle: B+, thought they could have squeezed a bit more out of the Tanev trade but they did great in the Gourde/Bjorkstrand trade. Would be a higher grade if they took better advantage of the market and moved guys like Oleksiak or McCann. They could have loaded the cupboards even more. Still a very good deadline.
St. Louis: C, totally forgot about this team. Would have wanted to see them get a haul for Schenn.
Tampa: A (hate to be partisan) but their forward group is much better than it was 48 hours ago and they were able to hang on to Geekie, Howard, Gaulthier, and all their other notable prospects. Like going after a known commodity in Gourde who may not be a true rental since Brisebois will look to re-sign him.
Toronto: B, Carlo was a great get and Scott Laughton fills a need but they still do not have a right handed center (correct me if I am wrong). If Tulsky had any brains he would have traded Rantanen to them for Cowan, Minten, and two firsts and gotten a better grade.
Utah: C+, I expected a bigger splash.
Vancouver: C- that has the chance to be F---. You prob traded the wrong guy between JT and EP. Not trading Boeser could be a cataclysmic mistake if he walks and you miss the playoffs. Chytil was a decent add though, and you now have a zillion Petterssons, but is that a good thing?
Vegas: A+ for not using LTIR for once. See, it IS possible!
Washington: D-, I'm really not a fan of being so passive for the sake of chemistry or the one move they did make. The Bolts did that in 2019 and got shown the door by C******s in four games after a historic regular season, and these Caps are nowhere near as good or experienced as that TB team was. How do you not throw Boston a first for Marchand?
Winnipeg: B+, I like the players Winnipeg got, but I'm not sure there was anyone they could have picked up that would make them feel like a surer thing in the playoffs. We will see what they look like when they get there. Awesome team, though.

If you read this whole thing, go get a job or a hobby or something, we are degenerates for hockey players changing teams

 

[Summer Rose]

Going to grade every team's deadline. Let me know how I did

Anaheim: C, Got great value for Dumoulin but also traded for Trouba. Meh.
Boston: B-, would have been an A before the Marchand trade but come on guys really? The Coyle trade was kind of a masterclass. Got great value for Carlo. Not really sure what the deal with Jokiharju was but I don't hate it.
Buffalo: D-, I do not like the Ottawa trade at all for them, but I get it probably needed to happen. I don't think anything they did at the deadline addresses any of their issues or puts them any closer to the stairs out of the basement. It's wild to me that they signed more extensions than they made trades.
Calgary: B-, I think Calgary should have sold more and they're not really a playoff threat but Wolf has been so good that he has kept them in the mix. Could have really gotten a lot for Kadri or Weegar or something. I get keeping Andersson though.
Carolina: F-------, what in the world was that. I actually feel bad, Canes never went all in on a forward from like 2017-2023 and then acquired and subsequently lost the three most talented ones they've had in a decade in very short order. That was a total mess. Opening day roster was 100% better. Idk where you even go from here.
Chicago: A+, great job getting rid of Jones and Hall and getting tons of picks and Knight. Steps in the right direction.
Colorado: B-, I really think trading Rantanen was a mistake, I am dubious about Necas in the postseason, I don't really love the prices they paid but the team is deeper for sure. I honestly think they could have taken their roster from opening night (including the guys that were hurt) and made nothing but the Blackwood trade and the Nelson trade and been better off.
Columbus: B, didn't do much but I actually think that might be the right move given where they're at.
Dallas: A++++, Fleeced Carolina, did well with SJ. Nice work Nill.
Detroit: C-, I expected more from Detroit, their one trade for Mrazek and Craig Smith did nothing for them and was kind of a head scratcher.
Edmonton: D, Edmonton needed a goalie and a defensive defenseman and they ended up with a depth forward who fights and a thirteenth forward who is labelled a defenseman that is best known for griddying. (Ik Walman is good, but the fit does not seem great).
Florida: A+++++, Not elaborating. I hate you.
LA: C-, I like the Kuzmenko pickup but they needed to bring in more to change up their offense for the playoffs. Feels like management isn't really believing in the team.
Minnesota: D, Gustav Nyquist really does not change much about this team, they could/should have done more.
Montreal: C, should have cashed in on Armia/Savard, not sure now is the time to go for a playoff spot.
New Jersey: D-, I get that you were just dealt an awful hand with Hughes getting hurt, but what was that? Glass? Cholowski? Really? I kept hearing about how aggressive they'd be but nada. Did someone tell Keefe it's too late to tank for a pick?
Islanders: A, absolutely cleaned up on a rental in Brock Nelson who has 43 total points. Getting a 1st round pick, Cal Ritchie, and a third for him is incredible. Only reason they don't get an A+ is because they didn't cash in on Palmieri, too.
Rangers: C+, total roller coaster. Did awesome to get rid of Trouba. Then did pretty poorly to ship off Kakko and not even get a second rounder back given this seller's market. The JT Miller trade just feels like an emotional move. Also not a fan of the Brannstrom move. I think this team needs to come up with a plan. They try to build a team in 3 years and then tear it down and repeat. Doesn't really make sense.
Ottawa: A+, nice job with the Zetterlund deal (maybe best value deal of deadline for a buyer) and I also loved the Cozens trade for them. Well done Staios.
Philadelphia: B+, got their first for Laughton, solid value for Kuzmenko
Pittsburgh: A-, nice to flip Schenn and get a second for Beauvillier, a third for Glass was nice too.
San Jose: A, great value for Walman (who they asked to come with a second as a sweetener when they first acquired him). Not a huge fan of the Zetterlund or Blackwood trades but Grier has managed his assets very well.
Seattle: B+, thought they could have squeezed a bit more out of the Tanev trade but they did great in the Gourde/Bjorkstrand trade. Would be a higher grade if they took better advantage of the market and moved guys like Oleksiak or McCann. They could have loaded the cupboards even more. Still a very good deadline.
St. Louis: C, totally forgot about this team. Would have wanted to see them get a haul for Schenn.
Tampa: A (hate to be partisan) but their forward group is much better than it was 48 hours ago and they were able to hang on to Geekie, Howard, Gaulthier, and all their other notable prospects. Like going after a known commodity in Gourde who may not be a true rental since Brisebois will look to re-sign him.
Toronto: B, Carlo was a great get and Scott Laughton fills a need but they still do not have a right handed center (correct me if I am wrong). If Tulsky had any brains he would have traded Rantanen to them for Cowan, Minten, and two firsts and gotten a better grade.
Utah: C+, I expected a bigger splash.
Vancouver: C- that has the chance to be F---. You prob traded the wrong guy between JT and EP. Not trading Boeser could be a cataclysmic mistake if he walks and you miss the playoffs. Chytil was a decent add though, and you now have a zillion Petterssons, but is that a good thing?
Vegas: A+ for not using LTIR for once. See, it IS possible!
Washington: D-, I'm really not a fan of being so passive for the sake of chemistry or the one move they did make. The Bolts did that in 2019 and got shown the door by C******s in four games after a historic regular season, and these Caps are nowhere near as good or experienced as that TB team was. How do you not throw Boston a first for Marchand?
Winnipeg: B+, I like the players Winnipeg got, but I'm not sure there was anyone they could have picked up that would make them feel like a surer thing in the playoffs. We will see what they look like when they get there. Awesome team, though.

If you read this whole thing, go get a job or a hobby or something, we are degenerates for hockey players changing teams

I'd give Utah either an I or simply a "pass" on a pass/fail scale instead, personally. We're in the position of being a bubble team trying to be on a gradual upswing, so making any major moves, whether as a buyer or a seller, wouldn't have made much sense. Especially not as a buyer, considering the market rate for players this year. Shipping out assets for a playoff push wasn't going to make sense for a team in our position. If we make the playoffs, great, if not, oh well. We're about exactly where we need to be at the moment. This was not the year to buy for us.

Putting it that way, a C+ is probably a perfectly fair rating if I had to put it on an A-F scale, since a C means average. Dumping Weber's contract so we have cap space this summer upgrades a C to a C+, I guess.

 

[boltsfan86]

I'd give Utah either an I or simply a "pass" on a pass/fail scale instead, personally. We're in the position of being a bubble team trying to be on a gradual upswing, so making any major moves, whether as a buyer or a seller, wouldn't have made much sense. Especially not as a buyer, considering the market rate for players this year. Shipping out assets for a playoff push wasn't going to make sense for a team in our position. If we make the playoffs, great, if not, oh well. We're about exactly where we need to be at the moment. This was not the year to buy for us.

Putting it that way, a C+ is probably a perfectly fair rating if I had to put it on an A-F scale, since a C means average. Dumping Weber's contract so we have cap space this summer upgrades a C to a C+, I guess.

That was my logic pretty much. But I didn't do an N/A for St. Louis, so I figured Utah was a C+. Can you tell there were no quantifiable metrics used in my grading?

 

[Summer Rose]

That was my logic pretty much. But I didn't do an N/A for St. Louis, so I figured Utah was a C+. Can you tell there were no quantifiable metrics used in my grading?

I've done the same in the past. On the Coyotes board every year we had a "mid-season player grades" thread and I'd give my grades based on little to nothing that's actually quantifiable. I also often find myself going to reply to a post, typing out why I feel the way that I do going in, and after putting all my thoughts into words I actually change my mind mid-post because I realize I'm either about to say something stupid or I'm trying to disagree with someone but it turns out that I actually agree with them when I think about it a bit more. Like I just did just now.

 

[ViD]

Columbus basically declined to participate

 

[BB79]

Not really sure what the deal with Jokiharju was but I don't hate it.

Needed a warm body with NHL experience to fill Carlo's roster spot

 

[kevsh]

Going to grade every team's deadline. Let me know how I did

Skimming over it, looks pretty solid.

Only minor point: I think the issue with the Leafs offer for Rantanen was that he really wanted to go to Dallas (according to a completely exhausted Friedman after the deadline) so quite possibly that was the only team he'd agree to extend with.

And I also agree with his analysis that Carolina felt that Stankoven was a better fit than the two Leafs prospects. So for Carolina, at least they got someone they wanted back and Rantanen ended up where he wanted to go.

 

[Tryamw]

Not denying salvaging a return but Canes went from being all in this season to acquiring futures.

If the Canes were all in it'd have been slightly smarter than the Ducks doing so. Several picked us to drop playoff contention due to the roster changes. I expected a drop but not that far still where expected

 

[hamzarocks]

Sweeney absolutely knocked it out of the park, with the caveat that Marchand's return was muted due to the NTC and allowing him to choose his destination out of respect. But Frederic, Coyle, and especially Carlo were absolute massive wins.

Why didnt you guys deal Geekie?

Was he off the table as hes part of the Bruins plans?

I wish leafs had added him to the Carlo deal. Would have added Danford for him but capwise would be tough to work out

 

[Captain97]

Nothing against MTL and wouldn’t mind seeing them sneak in, but before the last 6 games, they had 1 win in 9 games, so who knows what will happen

I'm not saying they make it, I was just saying I doubt they miss by over 10 points when they are currently one point out.

 

[KCC]

Edm not getting a starter was suicide. I guess if skinner truly crumbles maybe the off season there can finally be a change but it is very disappointing.

 

[McGarnagle]

Why didnt you guys deal Geekie?

Was he off the table as hes part of the Bruins plans?

I wish leafs had added him to the Carlo deal. Would have added Danford for him but capwise would be tough to work out

He's only 27, has shown versatility in the lineup, and has RFA status. Worth keeping around as part of the team or as a trade chip in a future deadline if the rebuild is slower than expected.

 

[Rec T]

Not really mentioned yet but Anaheim with a low key win. They got Dumolin earlier in the season for a 4th. Got most of a season's worth of solid play from him, showing the kids vet presence, & then got a (probably fairly late) 2nd & a 19 year old who looks like an old school power forward from Jersey. And by trading him they opened up the roster so that their young & promising D don't have to keep trading healthy scratches all the time.

Then later in the day they managed to unload that poor, oft traded Future Considerations for a #7 D who can sit up in the press box munching on nachos, waiting for an injury. This frees up the above mentioned Ds to get NHL ice time & lets those in the AHL to keep playing/gaining experience rather than munching on nachos in Anaheim.

And potentially best of all, they didn't trade Gibson for a questionable return, leaving them with one of the better duos in the NHL to keep the net safe next year when hopefully the rest of the team turns the corner.

(now if PV could have managed to trade Cronin somewhere...)

 

[KCC]

CAR in no way lost. the haul for rantanen is more then what they would get for necas.

No, but they still lack that big top game changing player and that’s what they finally potentially had in rantanen. Team has great balance but no one to get them over the hump still.

 

[hamzarocks]

He's only 27, has shown versatility in the lineup, and has RFA status. Worth keeping around as part of the team or as a trade chip in a future deadline if the rebuild is slower than expected.

Yeah I thought so.

I still wish Treliving had made an offer for him or a guy like Schwartz, Donato, Rakell to get another LW for us. If bruins reject it so be it, but if he had offered something for him, sure it would have been leaked.

Geekie due to his and RFA style was quite attractive. Id have given a 2nd + Danford for him but dont think Leafs and Bruins wanted to make 2 trades with eachother after already doing the Carlo deal

 

[boredmale]

 

[flyfysher]

No, but they still lack that big top game changing player and that’s what they finally potentially had in rantanen. Team has great balance but no one to get them over the hump still.

I don’t blame them for taking a swing at an elite finisher in Rantanen. I mean, they tried. Imagine you’re an Oiler fan wanting a PO championship caliber goalie (no, not an Oilers fan).

 

[Summer Rose]

I don’t blame them for taking a swing at an elite finisher in Rantanen. I mean, they tried. Imagine you’re an Oiler fan wanting a PO championship caliber goalie (no, not an Oilers fan).

Hell, the Oilers just need average goaltending. Though as I'm told by Oilers fans, goaltending isn't the only problem in Edmonton right now.

 

[catters078]

I feel like Carolina had time to move a 1st round pick after adding 2...to go get Boeser or another impact forward (thinking about it they had the ammo to go after Braden Schenn)

I like their Stankoven add, I'm a stars fan he will be a great middle 6 winger...just think they had assets to go get an impact forward after that trade.

 

[Tryamw]

I feel like Carolina had time to move a 1st round pick after adding 2...to go get Boeser or another impact forward (thinking about it they had the ammo to go after Braden Schenn)

I like their Stankoven add, I'm a stars fan he will be a great middle 6 winger...just think they had assets to go get an impact forward after that trade.

Assets Yes time? Not so much.. that Dallas deal took FOREVER to complete.. And adding a rental gives what to Carolina this year? No the correct move is to make moves for next year..

 

[brentashton]

Vancouver doing nothing is literally a joke. Pick a f***ing direction.