Photo: @Capitals
With the 2024-25 NHL Trade Deadline come and gone, teams reshaped the race and we have seen a shift in power in the Eastern Conference. NoVa Caps assesses each Eastern Conference teams’ moves over the course of the regular season:
Atlantic Division
Buffalo Sabres
Record: 25-32-6 (.444 points percentage), last in Eastern Conference, 14 points out of second wild-card spot
Trades:
- Acquired C Josh Norris, D Jacob Bernard-Docker from Ottawa Senators for C Dylan Cozens, D Dennis Gilbert, 2026 second-round pick
- Acquired D Erik Brannstrom from New York Rangers for RW Nicolas Aube-Kubel
- Acquired 2026 fourth-round pick from Boston Bruins for D Henri Jokiharju
Outlook: Buffalo made a hockey trade, bringing in Norris (20-14-34 in 55 games) for Cozens (12-21-33 in 63), in addition to adding some depth on defense.
Grade: B+
Trending: Up
Boston Bruins
Record: 29-28-8 (.508 points percentage), tied for 10th in Eastern Conference, four points out of second wild-card spot
Trades:
- Acquired Jokiharju from Buffalo for 2026 fourth-round pick
- Acquired C Casey Mittelstadt, LW William Zellers, 2025 second-round pick from Colorado Avalanche for C Charlie Coyle, 2026 fifth-round pick
- Acquired C Fraser Minten, conditional 2026 first-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick from Toronto Maple Leafs for D Brandon Carlo
- acquired conditional 2027 second-round pick from Florida Panthers for LW Brad Marchand
- acquired D Daniil Misyul from New Jersey Devils for LW Marc McLaughlin
- acquired C Marat Khusnutdinov, C Jakub Lauko, 2026 sixth-round pick from Minnesota Wild for RW Justin Brazeau
- acquired D Max Wanner, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick from Edmonton Oilers for Cs Trent Frederic, Max Jones
Outlook: Boston stripped it down, moving on from their captain Marchand and three more significant pieces in Frederic, Carlo, and Coyle. They got younger by adding Mittelstadt (11-24-35 in 64), Khusnutdinov (2-5-7 in 58), and Jokiharju (3-3-6, .5236 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4949 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .5119 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 43). The Bruins also recouped a first-round pick and a couple seconds (one of which could become another first).
Grade: A-
Trending: Down
Detroit Red Wings
Record: 30-28-6 (.516 points percentage), tied for 10th in Eastern Conference, four points out of second wild-card spot
Trades:
- acquired G Petr Mrazek, RW Craig Smith from Chicago Blackhawks for C Joe Veleno
- acquired conditional 2025 fourth-round pick from Tampa Bay Lightning for C Yanni Gourde
- traded G Ville Husso to Anaheim Ducks for future considerations
- acquired 2025 third-round pick from Utah Hockey Club for D Olli Maatta
Outlook: Detroit had a relatively quiet trade deadline as they traded their 2018 first-round pick in Veleno, who struggled to establish himself as a top-six forward in 288 games with the team, and added some forward depth in Smith. They replaced Husso with Mrazek, who will likely be the team’s third-string goaltender behind Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon.
Grade: C-
Trending: Same
Montreal Canadiens
Record: 30-27-6 (.508 points percentage), tied for 10th in Eastern Conference, four points out of second wild-card spot
Trades:
- acquired D Alexandre Carrier from Nashville Predators for D Justin Barron
Outlook: Montreal stood pat at the deadline.
Grade: C+
Trending: Same
Ottawa Senators
Record: 33-25-5 (.563 points percentage), first wild-card spot, seven points behind Tampa Bay Lightning for third in Atlantic (with both teams having played 63 games)
Trades:
- Acquired Cozens, Gilbert, 2026 second-round pick from Buffalo for Norris, Bernard-Docker
- acquired LW Fabian Zetterlund, C Tristen Robins, 2025 fourth-round pick from the San Jose for Cs Zack Ostapchuk and Noah Gregor, 2025 second-round pick
Outlook: Ottawa made a hockey trade with Buffalo in an even swap player-wise and recouped a second-round pick. They added another top-nine forward in Zetterlund (17-19-36 in 65).
Grade: A
Trending: Up
Tampa Bay Lightning
Record: 37-22-4 (.619 points percentage), third in Atlantic, three points behind Toronto Maple Leafs for second
Trades:
- Acquired Gourde, RW Oliver Bjorkstrand, D Kyle Aucoin, 2026 fifth-round pick from Seattle for C Michael Eyssimont, 2025 second-round pick, conditional 2026 first-round pick, conditional 2027 first-round pick, conditional 2025 fourth-round pick
- acquired C Anthony Angello from Nashville Predators for RW Jesse Ylonen
Outlook: Tampa paid a high price for two middle-six forwards in Gourde (6-12-18 in 38) and Bjorkstrand (17-21-38 in 63) but also satisfied two areas of need.
Grade: C
Trending: Up
Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: 39-22-3 (.633 points percentage), second in Atlantic, two points behind Florida Panthers for first
Trades:
- Acquired Carlo from Boston for Minten, conditional 2026 first-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
- acquired 2025 fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh Penguins for D Conor Timmins, C Connor Dewar
- acquired C Scott Laughton, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick from Philadelphia Flyers for RW Nikita Grebenkin, 2027 first-round pick
- acquired D Matt Benning, 2025 third-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick from San Jose for D Timothy Liljegren
Outlook: Toronto bolstered their defense by adding Carlo (1-8-9, +1, .454 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4445 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .4346 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 65) and center depth with the acquisition of Laughton (11-16-27, .5297 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage in 62), but paid a high price to do the latter.
Grade: C+
Trending: Up
Florida Panthers
Record: 40-21-3 (.648 points percentage), first in Atlantic
Trades:
- Acquired Marchand from Boston for conditional 2027 second-round pick
- acquired G Vitek Vanecek from San Jose for C Patrick Giles
- acquired D Seth Jones, 2026 fourth-round pick from Chicago for G Spencer Knight, 2026 first-round pick
- acquired G Kaapo Kahkonen from Winnipeg Jets for G Chris Driedger
- acquired C Nico Sturm, 2027 seventh-round pick from San Jose for 2026 fourth-round pick
Outlook: Florida filled their holes by getting Marchand (21-26-47 in 61) and Jones (7-20-27, -16, .4552 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .42 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .4321 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 45) but paid a very high price to acquire Jones. The Panthers made over their goaltending depth by replacing Knight and Driedger with Kahkonen and Vanecek.
Grade: B-
Trending: Up
Metropolitan Division
Pittsburgh Penguins
Record: 25-31-10 (.455 points percentage), 15th in Eastern Conference, 12 points out of second wild-card
Trades:
- Acquired 2027 third-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick from Washington Capitals for C Lars Eller
- Acquired C Philip Tomasino from Nashville Predators for 2027 fourth-round pick
- Acquired D Pierre-Olivier Joseph from St. Louis Blues for future considerations
- Acquired LW Danton Heinen, D Vincent Desharnais, RW Melvin Fernstrom, New York Rangers’ 2025 first-round pick from Vancouver Canucks for D Marcus Pettersson, LW Drew O’Connor
- Acquired 2028 fifth-round pick from San Jose Sharks for Desharnais
- Acquired D Luke Schenn, C Tommy Novak from Nashville for LW Michael Bunting, 2026 fourth-round pick
- Acquired 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fourth-round pick from Winnipeg Jets for Schenn
- Acquired RWs Chase Stillman and Max Graham, 2027 third-round pick from New Jersey Devils for Cs Cody Glass, Jon Gruden
- Acquired Timmins, Dewar from Toronto for 2025 fifth-round pick
Outlook: Pittsburgh entered a rebuild this season, offloading Pettersson, Heinen, Bunting, and Eller while recouping some picks and a couple of pieces that could step in right now in Novak, Tomasino, and Timmins with Sidney Crosby entering his twilight years. They were able to get first- and second-round picks out of trading Pettersson and flipping Schenn. However, none of the pieces they required will likely make an impact in the near future.
Grade: A-
Trending: Down
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 27-30-8 (.477 points percentage), 14th in Eastern Conference, eight points out of second wild-card
Trades:
- Acquired LWs Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, 2025 second-round pick, 2028 seventh-round pick from Calgary Flames for C Morgan Frost, LW Joel Farabee
- Acquired 2027 third-round pick from Los Angeles Kings for Kuzmenko, 2025 seventh-round pick
- Acquired Grebenkin, 2027 first-round pick from Toronto Maple Leafs for Laughton, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick
- acquire RW Givani Smith from Colorado Avalanche for D Erik Johnson
Outlook: Philadelphia moved on from former first-round picks Farabee and Frost and got Pelletier, the 26th overall pick in 2019 but has only four goals and 12 points in 32 games, and three draft picks in return. They were able to get a first-round pick for an underperforming Laughton, though.
Grade: B-
Trending: Down
New York Islanders
Record: 29-27-7 (.516 points percentage), 13th in Eastern Conference, five points out of second wild-card
Trades:
- acquired D Scott Perunovich from St. Louis Blues for 2026 fifth-round pick
- acquired C Calum Ritchie, D Oliver Kylington, conditional 2026 first-round pick, 2028 third-round pick from Colorado Avalanche for C Brock Nelson, RW William Dufour
- Traded Kylington to Anaheim Ducks for future considerations
- acquired LW Adam Beckman from New Jersey Devils for D Dennis Cholowski
Outlook: New York got two first-round picks out of Nelson, a pending unrestricted free agent, after the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension and some defensive depth in Perunovich without having to give up anything significant.
Grade: A
Trending: Down
New York Rangers
Record: 31-27-6 (.531 points percentage), ninth in Eastern Conference, two points out of second wild-card having played one more game
Trades:
- Acquired D Urho Vaakanainen, 2025 fouth-round pick from Anaheim Ducks for D Jacob Trouba
- Acquired D Will Borgen, 2025 third-round pick, 2025 sixth-round pick from Seattle Kraken for RW Kaapo Kakko
- Acquired C J.T. Miller, Ds Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington from Vancouver for C Filip Chytil, D Victor Mancini, 2025 first-round pick
- Acquired D Calvin de Haan, C Juuso Parssinen and conditional 2025 second- and fourth-round picks from Colorado Avalanche for LW Jimmy Vesey, Ds Ryan Lindgren and Hank Kempf
- Acquired C Brendan Brisson, 2025 third-round pick from Vegas Golden Knights for RW Reilly Smith
- Acquired D Carson Soucy from Vancouver Canucks for 2025 third-round pick
- Acquired RW Nicolas Aube-Kubel from Buffalo Sabres for Brannstrom
Outlook: It has been a season full of roster turnover for the Rangers, who were able to get out of Trouba’s $8 million cap hit through 2026 without having to incentivize Anaheim for taking the full contract.
Borgen (3-5-8, +5, .4663 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4615 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .4748 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 33 games with the Rangers) has fit in well and already signed a five-year contract extension that carries a $4.1 million cap hit with the team after Kakko struggled to cement himself as a top-six forward in New York.
Perhaps, New York should not have traded Chytil, 25, and a first-round pick since they have been on the wild-card bubble since Thanksgiving. Although, Miller is under contract for five more seasons and has fit in well with seven goals and 15 points in 14 games.
Soucy (4-7-11, -15, .473 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4423 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .4323 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 61), 30, adds some much needed defensive depth. They were also able to get a former first-round pick in Brisson for a player who did not quite fit in in Smith.
Grade: B+
Trending: Down
Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 31-24-8 (.556 points percentage), eighth in Eastern Conference, four points behind New Jersey Devils for third in Metropolitan Division with two games in hand
Trades:
- Acquired D Daemon Hunt, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 third- and fourth-round picks, 2027 second-round pick from Minnesota Wild for D David Jiricek, 2025 fifth-round pick
- Acquired C Luke Kunin from San Jose for 2025 fourth-round pick
Outlook: Columbus added some depth to their bottom-six forward group with the acquisition of Kunin (11-7-24 in 64 games) and waiver claim of right-wing Christian Fischer (1-6-7 in 45 with the Detroit Red Wings).
Grade: A
Trending: Same
New Jersey Devils
Record: 34-25-6 (.569 points percentage), sixth in Eastern Conference, six points behind Carolina Hurricanes for second in Metropolitan and have played one more game
Trades:
- acquired D Brian Dumoulin from Anaheim Ducks for LW Herman Traff, 2025 second-round pick
- acquired Cholowski from New York Islanders for Beckman
- acquired Glass, Gruden from Pittsburgh for Stillman, Graham, 2027 third-round pick
- acquired RW Daniel Sprong from Seattle for 2026 seventh-round pick
- acquired McLaughlin from Boston for Misyul
Outlook: With Dougie Hamilton out, New Jersey got some defensive depth in Dumoulin (2-4-16, +1, .4399 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4201 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .414 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 63) and Cholowski (3-7-10, +1, .4537 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5081 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, .4575 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 34).
They added up front too with Sprong (2-3-5 in 20) and Glass (5-11-16 in 52) with Jack Hughes done for the season.
New Jersey may have paid a little too much without getting any impact players back, though did not give up any first-round picks nor highly touted prospects.
Grade: B-
Trending: Same
Carolina Hurricanes
Record: 38-22-4 (.625 points percentage), fourth in Eastern Conference
Trades:
- acquired LW Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and LW Taylor Hall, RW Nils Juntorp from the Chicago Blackhawks for Cs Jack Drury and Martin Necas, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, 2025 third-round pick
- acquired C Logan Stankoven, conditional 2026 first-round pick, conditional 2028 first-round pick, 2026 and 2027 third-round picks from Dallas Stars for Rantanen
- acquired C Mark Jankowski from Nashville for 2026 fifth-round pick
Outlook: Carolina got burned after trading Necas (who has thrived in Colorado with 5-11-16 in 15 since the move) and Drury (four goals in 15) for essentially Hall (1-2-3 in 14 with Carolina) and Stankoven (who scored in his Hurricanes debut on Sunday) since Rantanen refused to sign an extension in Raleigh, something they should have checked on prior to making the move.
Carolina got two first-round picks from Dallas by trading Rantanen, who scored only two goals and six points in his 13-game tenure with the Hurricanes, but the deal makes a team with Stanley Cup aspirations worse off today.
Grade: D
Trending: Down
Washington Capitals
Record: 42-14-8 (.719 points percentage), first in Eastern Conference
Trades:
- acquired Eller from Pittsburgh for 2027 third-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick
- acquired LW Anthony Beauvillier from Pittsburgh for 2025 second-round pick
Outlook: Despite adding seven players in the offseason, Washington struggled to find the right combination with their third-line at the start of the year and added 2018 Stanley Cup hero Eller (6-6-12 in 45 with the Capitals this season) and Beauvillier (13-7-20 in 64). Washington did not mess with a roster that leads the Metropolitan Division by 12 points and Eastern Conference by nine, which makes sense.
Grade: B
Trending: Same
By Harrison Brown