NHL Teams jockey for the future on Trade Deadline Day

Another NHL trade deadline day has come and gone with the 2021 edition being relatively quiet when compared to other years. The day saw just 17 official deals made which involved 26 players and numerous draft picks. The number of trades made was the fewest since 2013 and the number of roster players moved was the fewest since 2000. However, there were several trades made in the week or two leading up to deadline day.

The reasons for fewer trades this year could be players having to quarantine themselves after moving to a new city due to the Coronavirus pandemic as well as the NHL’s flat salary cap. In addition, teams also need to keep surplus players on their rosters to expose for the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft to stock the lineup of the new Seattle Kraken club.

When the official trade deadline arrived at 3 p.m. ET, just two points separated the NHL’s top six teams in the standings while the top nine clubs were only four points apart.

Arguably, the best player to be dealt was Taylor Hall, who went from the Buffalo Sabres along with fellow forward Curtis Lazar for forward Anders Bjotk and a second-round draft pick. Hall racked up 39 goals and 54 assists for 93 points in 76 while playing with the New Jersey Devils in 2017-18 and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. However, he struggled mightily this season with the Sabres with just two goals in 37 games along with 17 assists.

Some teams preferred to remain quiet while others decided to make several moves to bolster their squads for a long playoff run.

Below is is a list of all NHL trades during the month of April, including several three-way deals

Anaheim Ducks acquire defenceman Haydn Fleury from Carolina Hurricanes for defenceman Jani Hakanpaa and a sixth-round pick in 2022 NHL Draft.

Boston Bruins acquire forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from Buffalo Sabres for forward Anders Bjork and a second-round pick in 2021 NHL Draft.

Boston Bruins acquire defenceman Mike Reilly from Ottawa Senators for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Colorado Avalanche acquire forward Carl Soderberg from Chicago Blackhawks for forward Josh Dickinson and the rights to forward Ryder Rolston.

Colorado Avalanche acquire goaltender Devan Dubnyk from the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Greg Pateryn and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Colorado Avalanche acquire forward Patrik Nemeth from the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round selection in 2022 NHL Draft.

Florida Panthers acquire defenceman Brandon Montour from the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Chicago Blackhawks acquire forward Adam Gaudette from Vancouver Canucks for forward Matthew Highmore.

Chicago Blackhawks acquire forwards Brett Connolly and Henrik Borgstrom, defenseman Riley Stillman and a 2021 seventh-round draft pick from the Florida Panthers for defenceman Lucas Carlsson and forward Lucas Wallmark.

Chicago Blackhawks acquire forward Vinnie Hinostroza from the Florida Panthers for forward Brad Morrison.

Edmonton Oilers acquire defenceman Dmitry Kulikov from New Jersey Devils for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022 NHL Draft.

Florida Panthers acquire forward Sam Bennett and a 2022 sixth-round draft pick from Calgary Flames for forward Emil Heineman and a 2022 second-round draft pick.

Montreal Canadiens acquire defenceman Erik Gustafsson from Philadelphia Flyers for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick.

Montreal Canadiens acquire defenceman Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and forward Hayden Verbeek.

Nashville Predators acquire defenceman Erik Gudbranson from Ottawa Senators for defenceman Brandon Fortunato and a 2023 seventh-round draft pick.

New Jersey Devils acquire defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler from the Washington Capitals for a conditional third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

New York Islanders acquire defenceman Braydon Coburn from the Ottawa Senators for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

New York Islanders acquire forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils for forwards A.J. Greer and Mason Jobst, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Jeff Carter from the Los Angeles Kings for conditional draft picks in 2022 and 2023.

San Jose Sharks acquire forward Alexander Barabanov from Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Antti Suomela.

Tampa Bay Lightning acquire defenceman Fredrik Claesson from San Jose Sharks for the rights to goaltender Magnus Chrona.

Tampa Bay Lightning acquire defenceman David Savard from the Columbus Blue Jackets, as part of a three-team trade with the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for the Lightning’s first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire defenceman Ben Hutton from Anaheim Ducks for a 2022 fifth-round draft pick.

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire goalie David Rittich from the Calgary Flames for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire forward Nick Foligno from the Columbus Blue Jackets and forward Stefan Noesen from the San Jose Sharks for a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 Draft going to Columbus and a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft going to San Jose.

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire forward Riley Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2022 conditional seventh round pick in the NHL Draft.

Vancouver Canucks acquire defenceman Madison Bowey and a fifth-round pick in 2021 NHL Draft from Chicago Blackhawks for a fourth-round pick in 2021 Draft.

Vegas Golden Knights acquire forward Mattias Janmark, defenceman Nick DeSimone and a fifth-round pick in 2022 NHL Draft from Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick in the 2021 Draft and a third-round pick in the 2022 Draft. San Jose receives a fifth-round pick in the 2022 Draft.

Washington Capitals acquire forward Michael Raffl from Philadelphia Flyers for a 2021 fifth-round draft pick.

Washington Capitals acquire forward Anthony Mantha from Detroit Red Wings for forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick

Winnipeg Jets acquire defenceman Jordie Benn from Vancouver Canucks for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick.