Mikko Rantanen went back West — but with the Dallas Stars this time following a brief stint in Carolina. And Bruins captain Brad Marchand is leaving Boston after 16 seasons to join the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
Several major names with high-priced contracts, as well as four first-round draft picks, moved around the NHL before the trade deadline struck on Friday.
Central Division teams were the most active, with Dallas, Colorado and Winnipeg all completing significant trades.
The Ottawa Senators made a splash with two major trades, acquiring Dylan Cozens from Buffalo and Fabian Zetterlund from San Jose, to spur their late-season push to snap a seven-year playoff drought.
Meantime, Marchand’s departure in Boston, coupled with Charlie Coyle’s trade to Colorado, signaled the Bruins' transition toward youth while mired in a 1-6-2 skid that has them in jeopardy off missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Stars paid a big price in both contract and assets to land Rantanen, the deadline’s biggest prize, dealing promising rookie forward Logan Stankoven and two first-round and two third-round picks as part of a blockbuster deal. Dallas also agreed to an eight-year, $96 million contract with the high-scoring Finn after both the Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche failed in their attempts to sign him to a long-term deal.
“The chance to acquire and extend one of the best forwards in the NHL is an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “He demonstrates exceptional skill and vision on the ice and his size, consistency and versatility make him one of the most complete players in the League.
Rantanen was in the final year of a six-year contract and on the move for the second time in two months after Colorado traded him to Carolina, where he played just 13 games.
“Obviously a really good team in Carolina. ... But I think just the fit in Dallas,” Rantanen said on TSN in Canada. “I’ve played against Dallas a lot. I know they have a good team. I know the city well enough and everything there,. So at the end of the day, it was easy.”
The Stars add a proven playoff performer who played a key role in Colorado winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. He has 101 points in 81 postseason games — an average seventh in league history behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Messier.
The Central-leading Jets acquired forward Brandon Tanev by sending a 2027 second-round pick to Seattle. Winnipeg bolstered its blue line by adding Luke Schenn in a trade with Pittsburgh.
Colorado didn't stand pat, landing Coyle after acquiring veteran center Brock Nelson in a trade with the New York Islanders late Thursday.
The Panthers had room in adding the 36-year-old Marchand to an already stacked lineup after freeing up salary cap space with Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reseve.
"His record speaks for itself. We're thrilled to have him on board," Panthers GM Bill Zito said of Marchand, who won the Cup with Boston in 2011.
The Bruins, meantime, began looking toward youth and the future.
Boston acquired a conditional 2027 second-round draft pick that turns into a first-rounder based on Marchand’s playing time. In dealing the 33-year-old Coyle to Colorado, the Bruins landed 26-year-old center Casey Mittelstadt, a prospect and a 2025 second-round pick. They also acquired Buffalo defenseman Henry Jokiharju for a fourth-round selection.
“We didn’t burn it down. We have a lot of guys. Now we have to do a better job of building around it and charting a course that says we’re back,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “We’re trying to put things in a position where we’re right back in a competitive situation next year.”
Some teams found the asking prices far too expensive at a time when six teams in the Eastern Conference and three in the West are within five points of a playoff spot with six weeks left in the season.
“There were more teams who were buyers then there were sellers, that’s for sure,” Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said. “When you’re in demand like that, especially the bigger teams — you see what Colorado and Dallas did — they all wanted to make the additions that they thought would give them a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.”
Waddell made one trade, acquiring Luke Kunin from San Jose, with Columbus entering Friday sitting in a wild-card spot in the East.
“The market’s always tough to read,” Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin said. “But with so many teams still involved, you could see some of the players that got moved, the prices were high.”
In Carolina, general manager Eric Tulsky was pleased with the return the Hurricanes received for Rantanen, while noting he ran out of time in a bid to flip some of the assets acquired for a player. He did manage one addition, acquiring forward Mark Jankowski for sending a fifth-round pick to Nashville.
In other moves:
— The Stars also locked up three-time 20-goal scorer Wyatt Johnston, who is only 21, to a five-year $42 million contract extension. Dallas also placed defenseman Miro Heiskanen — listed as month to month after knee surgery — on long-term injured reserve.
— The Flyers dealt veteran forward Scott Laughton to Toronto and agreed to retain 50% of his salary for rookie forward Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick. Philadelphia also traded Andrei Kuzmenko with a seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for a third-rounder, five weeks after acquiring him from Calgary in a multiplayer deal.
— The Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals acquired winger Anthony Beauvillier from rival Pittsburgh for a 2025 second-round pick.
— Edmonton improved its defense by landing Jake Walman in a deal in which San Jose acquired a conditional first-round pick and center Carl Berglund.
___
AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen and Alanis Thames and freelance writer Denis Gorman contributed.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
