In the past, there were two things fans could look forward to other than the Stanley Cup playoffs. Those were trade deadline day and the start of free agency. Who was your team going to sign? Was your team involved in a major trade? Did your team get worse? Every fan felt a sense of improvement and thought their team was on its way or their team did nothing and was destined for disappointment. While there is still interest today, do the outcomes make this something that will be a thing of the past?
Trade deadline day
Since the implemantion of trade deadline day, there have been many impactful trades that he sent teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs. This day is made specifically for teams to upgrade their roster or get rid of players with big contracts and get something in return. A team can make or break their season based on this day. However, if we look at the past five deadline days there seems to be a downfall.
Not only have there been fewer deals but the players involved seem to be of the B and C level players. More draft picks and prospects instead of impact players are being moved, with teams being focused on either being buyers or sellers. On March 21, 2022, there were 47 trades during the week of the trade deadline. Of those moves, 30 were made on trade deadline day and involved the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Nick Paul, and Brandon Hagel. March 3, 2023, saw 56 trades during the trade deadline week and 19 on the actual day. Jonathan Quick, Patrick Kane, and Jacob Chychrun were the big names moved.
On March 8, 2024, 40 trades happend during trade deadline week with 23 on deadline day. Jake Guentzel, Noah Hanifin, and Tomas Hertl were the biggest names being moved. On March 7, 2025, Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand, and Seth Jones were the major names on the move and part of the 41 trades made that week with 26 on deadline day. This season saw a dip of 39 trades made during deadline week and only 21 made the day of the deadline. Artemi Panarin was the big star moved from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings.
Free Agency period
This period is different because most players decide where they want to go. In 2023, defenseman Dmitri Orlov signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, Tyler Bertuzzi signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Alex Killorn signed with the Anaheim Ducks. They were all a part of a sound group of players that moved and all 166 players signed on the first day.
In 2024, the NHL saw a busy free agenct period that may impact players signing somewhere else but also players re-signing. Steven Stamkos signed with the Nashville Predators, Brandon Montour signed with the Seattle Kraken, Chris Tanev signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Matt Roy signed with the Washington Capitals, Vladimir Tarasenko signed with the Detroit Red Wings, and Nikita Zadorov signed with the Boston Bruins. Jacob Slavin re-signed with Carolina, Max Domi re-signed with Toronto, and Sam Reinhart re-signed with Florida.
Last season, many stars were in the news for different seasons. Mitch Marner signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, Vladislav Gavrikov signed with the Rangers, and Nikolai Ehlers going to the Hurricanes. Players re-signed were Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett with Florida. Brock Boeser returned to the Vancouver Canucks, Bowen Byram stayed with the Buffalo Sabres, Patrick Kane sticks with Detroit, and Connor Mcdaid remained with the Edmonton Oilers.
The reason why these two days have lost some fluff is that players either re-sign with their current teams or are taken off the market by their current team. These types of moves really take the excitement out of it and it makes these days lose interest. Fans want to see movement into players staying. The purpose of these days is to have shakeups around the league to get parity and have all teams get closer to winning a Stanley Cup. However, some teams keep their assets and build from within while others are searching for diamonds in the rough. For many, it is a success to add and build your roster. For others, it is a what could have been scenario.