Deadline Dealin

Sens bring home Pageau and move a middle-6 winger to give some late-season run to one of the many ELC wingers they have in Belleville (Crookshank/Sokolov/Jarventie spring to mind.) Kastelic is squeezed out of an everyday C role with Pageau's arrival.

Wahlstrom needs a change of scenery and could slide in to replace Tarasenko/Kubalik when those guys assumedly move. Retention makes this more or less a dollar-in/dollar-out deal for both sides.

Vegas works their cap black magic once again and pushes all their chips in on a repeat run. Nelson is a durable workhorse who keeps you from having to rush Eichel & Stone back, and they find a good trade partner with the Isles who can take a quantity-over-quality package. Carrier is here to make the cap even.

Isles cash in their best chip and get an interesting package back - Dorofyev is still only 23 and has shown some NHL success, and Brabanec is only 20 and performing well in his first professional season.

Cheap depth - Reilly can rotate in and out with Andreas Englund as LD3 depending on the opponent and whether you want sandpaper or playmaking.

Reilly has been a stabilizing force but won't be here next year. Smart GMs turn nothing into something; this isn't a huge move but it definitely qualifies.

Just passin' through

Just guessing on the destination, but the Avs would do well with Rico at $1.45M. Devils got a 4th for retaining $2.25M so a 5th feels right for this value.

Lou gets to do one of his favorite things: trade for a former draft pick, even if Henrique is only an Islander for the 90 or so seconds it takes to explain the details on the trade call.

This is probably what he's worth

FULFILL THE PROPHECY

Classic "guy with a ring" deadline deal for a team with Cup aspirations. He can fill in at RD3 if you don't fully trust Vincent Desharnais.

Contingent on him fully rehabbing his high ankle sprain. Turning a 2024 7th into a 2025 6th at the deadline feels like a win to me.