The NHL offices were busy on Thursday approving deals as the clock continued to tick towards today’s 3:00 PM EST deadline. Were there any huge, super-blockbuster deals? No, not really, but some teams strengthened their line-ups, and others, well, they made trades. Let’s go with a quick wrap-up of yesterday’s action:
New Jersey Devils acquire Brian Dumoulin [All About the Jersey]
With Dougie Hamilton nursing an injury, the Devils picked up one of the top defensemen on the trade block. They sent a second-round pick and prospect Herman Traff to the Ducks for the 33-year-old blueliner. Anaheim retains 50% of Dumoulin’s cap hit.
Panthers acquire Nico Sturm from Sharks [Fear the Fin]
The Panthers continue to round out their roster as they sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to San Jose for Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick (the JBB special). Florida picks up some center depth and San Jose picks up a fourth-round pick for a pending unrestricted free agent.
Panthers swap goaltenders with Winnipeg [Illegal Curve]
After solidifying their back-up with Vitek Vanecek, the Panthers dealt Chris Driedger to Winnipeg for Kaapo Kahkonen. In a serendipitous turn of events, Kahkonen was traded for Vanecek a year ago.
Vegas acquires Reilly Smith from Rangers [Knights on Ice]
The Golden Knights acquired one of their originals as Reilly Smith made his way back to Vegas in exchange for Brandon Brisson (a 2020 first-round pick) and a 2025 third-round pick. The Rangers are retaining 50% of Smith’s contract.
Rangers acquire Carson Soucy [Blueshirt Banter]
New York continues to collect former Canucks as they sent a 2025 third-round pick to Vancouver for the big defenseman. They had already plucked J.T. Miller from the Pacific Northwest.
Minnesota Wild acquire Justin Brazeau [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
Another reunion deal as Jakub Lauko returns to Boston along with 22-year-old Marat Khustnidinov. Boston also gets a 2026 sixth-round pick in the deal. Brazeau was a pending UFA that will give Minnesota some size and grit on the bottom-six.
Waiver claims –
- Columbus claims Christian Fischer from Detroit
- Nashville claims Jakub Vrana from Washington
- Nashville claims Jordan Oesterle from Boston
Utah extends Karel Vejmelka [Salt Lake Tribune]
The Utah Hockey Club extended their goaltender for five more seasons at a reported $4.75 million per year. The deal takes the 28-year-old netminder off of the free agent market this summer where he likely would have garnered some interest as he has posted a 2.45 GAA and .910 SV% so far this season.
