Well, the Tampa Bay Lightning made their first move of the trade deadline. They placed Curtis Douglas on waivers with the intent to assign him to the Syracuse Crunch. It’s a move that some have been expecting for quite awhile, and perhaps the team felt that, with as many transactions flying around, it’s as good as time as any to try and slip the big man through. The move also opens up a roster spot and allows Douglas to participate in the AHL playoffs should he clear today at 2:00 PM.
After getting claimed by the Lightning at the beginning of the season from Utah, Douglas was appearing in games on a fairly regular basis. That playing time has pretty much disappeared despite the Lightning having some injury issues among their forwards. On the season, the 6’9″ forward has appeared in 29 games, but just two of those have come since the end of December.
When he was in the line-up, he wasn’t on the ice that much as he averaged just 5:58 per night. He still managed to rack up 92 penalty minutes to go along with his two assists. The emergence of Scott Sabourin has made Douglas’ role a bit redundant with the Lightning. Should he clear waivers, he will give the Crunch some nice veteran leadership as he has over 267 games played with Belleville, Toronto, and Tucson. Six of those games did come with Crunch earlier in the season when he joined them on a conditioning stint.
Other Hockey News
Vincent Lecavalier suing Lakeland ice-skating arena [Fox 13]
It seems the former Lightning captain had reached a settlement (for what remains unknown) for $400,000 from Paul Granville, the owner of the Lakeland Ice Arena back in 2025. Apparently, he hasn’t been paid, so Lecavalier is suing Granville, the Lakeland Ice Arena, and the new owners, Flowers Baking Company for what he’s owed.
Carolina Hurricanes selling minority stake sets club valuation at $2.66 Billion [Sportico]
Owner Tom Dundon is selling off 12.5% of the franchise (maybe he needs some cash to help with his pursuit of the Portland Trailblazers) and the $2.66 billion valuation marks the highest amount for any NHL club. For reference, he bought the entire franchise for $420 million back in 2018. Not a bad bit of business.
Colton Parayko nixes trade to Buffalo Sabres [Die By the Blade]
NHL players have few recourses to control where they end up playing in a league that favors the organization over the individual. One hammer they do hold is a no-trade clause. St. Louis Blues defenseman exercised his clause to prevent a trade to the Buffalo Sabres. Good for him for controlling his destiny.
Recapping the trades of the Day
It was a busy day, so let’s see what trades actually went through:
Vegas gets Nic Dowd from Washington for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick [Japers’ Rink]
Colorado gets Nicolas Roy from Toronto for a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick [Mile High Hockey]
Minnesota Wild acquire Jeff Petry from Florida for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. The pick can be upgraded to a fifth-round selection if Minnesota makes it to the Western Conference Final and Petry plays in 50% or more of their playoff games. [Minnesota Wild]
Vancouver gets old friend Jack “F%$#N” Thompson from San Jose for Jett Woo. [Canucks Army]
Dallas Stars trade for Michael Bunting from Nashville. The Predators get a 2026 third-round pick [ESPN]
Warren Foegele is heading from Los Angeles to Ottawa for a 2026 second-round pick. The teams are also swapping 2026 third-round picks. [Rink Royalty]
Detroit trades for David Perron. Ottawa is getting a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick in return. Honestly, we thought David Perron was still on the Red Wings [Winging it in Motown]
Anaheim sends a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick to Washington for John Carlson. [Washington Capitals]
Conor Garland is a Columbus Blue Jacket. Guess they are buyers. Vancouver is getting a 2028 second and 2026 third round pick in return. [Canucks Army]
Other deals that have been reported, but not finalized or confirmed:
Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to Buffalo
Sam Carrick to Buffalo
