The Florida Panthers stood out from the pack, headlining trade deadline day. The day featured many moves and many significant names on the move. Not only did Florida acquire some big names, but they also filled holes that needed to be filled ahead of the 2025 NHL playoffs. Are they the team to beat? Or will they be a loaded team out earlier than expected?
Florida stands tall on trade deadline day
The Panthers acquired goaltenders Vitek Vanecek and Kaapo Kakonen, along with forwards Nico Sturm and Brad Marchand. Aside from those moves, Florida also received Seth Jones in a separate deal with the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in the week. Florida also signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year deal with an annual average value (AAV) of $775,000.
With Marchand being out for some time, his impact on his new team will have to wait. Jones, Vanecek, and Sturm have already suited up for the Panthers. The multiple moves give the Panthers a well-rounded team that could make a serious run at back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. While no championship is guaranteed, thier roster is built for the playoffs and every line has a star. The additions give them better depth than the previous week and the roster is not only stronger but built better from top to bottom.
The Panthers are in first place in the Atlantic Division but the division as a whole got better. Every team, except the Montreal Canadiens, made their team better with at least one move. This was a hard division to win to begin with, and this past week it only got harder. With that said, here are the moves from the past week in teh Atlantic Division. Draft picks not included.
The Toronto Maple Leafs received forward Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers and Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins.
The Boston Bruins welcomed unsigned draft pick Petr Hauser, Max Wanner, Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov, Casey Mittlestadt, Fraser Minton, and William Zellers in what is a clear rebuild.
The Detroit Red Wings added depth by acquiring goaltender Petr Mrazek and center Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Buffalo Sabres acquired forward Josh Norris, and defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Erik Brannstrom. They also re-signed Jordan Greenway to a two-year/$8 million deal and forward Jason Zucker to a two-year/ $9 million extension.
The Tampa Bay Lightning added to their potent lineup, receiving Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken and Kyle Aucoin from the Red WIngs.
The Ottawa Senators also made quite a splash to improve their playoff odds. They acquired forwards Dylan Cozens, Fabian Zetterlund, and Tristen Robins in separate deals. They also added defenseman Dennis Gilbert from the Buffalo Sabres along with Cozens.
The division itself got better but one wonders how good Florida will be once Matthew Tkachuk and Marchand are fully healthy and give Florida a full complement of players. Every team in the division improved their roster in one way or another except for Montreal.
Toronto got a center and defensive help. Detroit got a right-handed center. Ottawa got younger and better. Tampa Bay got deeper. Buffalo got three important pieces for the future. The only one in question is Boston, but they got younger an now have plenty of assets.
These last few weeks will be a dogfight. Toronto and Florida are due to make this last month worth watching as they improved the most at the trade deadline and are first and second in the division. Who finishes on top? Which division team is left our of the playoff chase after the trade deadline?