3 winners and 2 losers at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline
The trade deadline has come and gone. Some teams did well and others did not.
The National Hockey League is a wild place. There have been some compelling storylines this season and it is once again proving to be the best league in the world.
No matter what, however, the week of the trade deadline is always amongst the most wild. Each team had until 3 PM ET on Friday afternoon to get their final trades in.
As expected, a lot of moves were made. There were lots of trades leading up to the final day and the madness went on until the last second. There were even a few trades that were reported a little bit after the deadline but the teams managed to get them done in time.
This is always a tough time for the players. Some of them are told that they have to pack up their families and move across the country. Some are sitting there thinking there is no chance they are traded and then they are. It is not an easy time but everyone gets paid handsomely to have this job.
The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline was as wild as you'd expect it to be
A few names that were expected said goodbye to their teams and there were a few shockers that nobody expected. That is the world of the NHL Trade Deadline.
Some teams are perceived to have had a good deadline and others are seen as not so good. Did your favorite team do a good job? Did they fumble the bag ahead of the playoffs?
These are the two biggest winners from the deadline week and the two biggest losers:
These three teams were the winners at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline
Vegas Golden Knights
Of course, the Vegas Golden Knights have to be listed on a winners list when it comes to the trade deadline. They put themselves in this good position almost every year as they do whatever means necessary to try and win.
This year, they added a stud forward and a stud defenseman. First, the forward is Tomas Hertl who they got in a blockbuster with the San Jose Sharks. They sent a first-round pick and a high-end prospect back to the Sharks for Hertl.
The other trade they made was to get Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames. He is a very good defenseman who will join Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore to form one of the best defenses in the league.
The defending Stanley Cup champions are on their way to trying for a repeat with these additions.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division once again but it seemed like they were missing a top-flight scorer.
They went out and got one of the big-time trade targets in Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have never added a high-end rental before but Guentzel is their guy. He has shown over the years that he can score goals in bunches in both the regular season and playoffs.
They also took a chance on Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov. He has been a high-end playmaker in his NHL career but needs a change of scenery. If he goes there and thrives, they will look so smart.
Both Kuznetsov and Guentzel have won the Stanley Cup in their NHL careers as well. They also went through each other to reach the top of the mountain which is NHL poetry at it's finest. Adding skill and experience like that is amazing for them.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche didn't light the world on fire on the actual deadline day but they dominated trade deadline week. They started by adding Sean Walker from the Philadelphia Flyers who is going to go there and play some solid defense.
They also got rid of Ryan Johansen's bad contract in the process. That freed up some money for them so they could make another big move.
They did just that when they traded Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt. They have another good center now to go with Nathan MacKinnon and Ross Colton. Adding depth down the middle is something they've needed to do since losing Nazem Kadri.
Colorado already had a Stanley Cup contending team in 2023-24 and they just made it much better. This was a great deadline for them.
These two teams were losers ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins had the best available player at the deadline and they didn't get a good return for him.
Jake Guentzel went to the Carolina Hurricanes for Matthew Bunting, picks, and prospects. That sounds nice until you think about the picks and prospects.
None of those picks are anything special for the best available player. The Penguins only get a first-round pick if the Hurricanes make it to the Stanley Cup Final.
Out of all the stud prospects that Carolina has, they couldn't get enough of the high-end ones back in this deal. Kyle Dubas could have done better.
Los Angeles Kings
Every other team in the Western Conference playoff picture made themselves better in the week leading up to the deadline except for the Los Angeles Kings.
They tried to make a few trades but everything fell through. They missed on Linus Ullmark. They missed on Tyler Toffoli. Now, they might miss out on an opportunity to win a playoff series or two.
Everyone thought that they'd make some big moves but it didn't get done for them. Now, they have to try and win in the postseason with the group that they have.
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