The NHL Trade Deadline was quieter than in years past, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some impactful trades. It was a seller’s market. There’s no doubt about that, but a handful of teams made a few deals that are more likely to be upgrades than not. Let’s look at some of the best trades of the 2026 trade deadline.
Mackenzie Weegar to the Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth seemed to have their hands in a few trades, but they ultimately settled on acquiring Mackenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames. Weegar has not had the best season, but there’s reason to believe he’ll bounce back with the Mammoth.
A closer peek under the hood, and Weegar is still excelling at most of what he’s known for. He’s one of the most underrated transition defensemen in the NHL and is highly efficient at exiting the defensive zone cleanly, whether it’s through his passing or skating ability. He’s also an excellent rush defender and wins plenty of one-on-one battles on defensive zone retrievals.
Weegar should fit into the Mammoth’s top four, and most likely their top pair, without much issue. GM Bill Armstrong also did not give up much to acquire him. Three second-round picks might seem like a lot, but that may be overstating their value. Jonathan Castagna is a nice prospect, but he wasn’t one of the Mammoth’s top prospects. And losing Olli Määttä is a wash since they acquired Weegar. Plus, Weegar is not a rental, so he should fit into a group that will be a player in the Western Conference in the coming seasons.
Michael Bunting to the Stars
This was probably one of the more underrated pickups of the deadline, but Michael Bunting should fit into the Dallas Stars’ middle six quite well. He had 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games at the time of the trade, putting him on pace to finish with 17 goals and 42 points.
Bunting is one of the more annoying players to play against in the NHL, but he also has some scoring pop. He’s averaging 1.66 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season, a rate you’d expect from a middle-six forward like him.
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The Stars gave up just a 2026 third-round pick to acquire Bunting, and he’s a pending UFA, which is important. Jason Robertson is a pending RFA due for a significant pay raise, so the Stars couldn’t afford to add someone with significant term and dollars to their cap books. It’s not always easy to find a meaningful upgrade that way, but GM Jim Nill managed to pull it off.
John Carlson to the Ducks
The Washington Capitals trading John Carlson was the biggest surprise of the trade deadline by far, but the Anaheim Ducks are getting a good one. Carlson is one of the best two-way defenders in the NHL, and he filled the team’s most significant need ahead of the trade deadline.
Carlson excels offensively and is one of the top passing defensemen in the NHL. He won’t skate the puck out of the defensive zone all that often, but he makes an excellent first pass. He’s also a sound defender and is not just strictly an offensive defenseman.
Carlson’s addition helps push Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas down the lineup and into roles that should better suit their skillsets at this point in their careers. The Ducks only gave up first and third-round picks to acquire him, too. They currently sit atop the Pacific Division, and his addition could help them capture the division crown.
Samuel Girard to the Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins were on the selling side of this trade, as Brett Kulak was sent to the Colorado Avalanche, but they managed to acquire a younger defenseman with upside. Samuel Girard has had his ups and downs in the NHL, but this is a worthwhile bet for the Penguins.
Girard may be undersized, but he’s a solid puck-mover with good offensive instincts. Even though he struggles with defensive zone puck retrievals, he’s not a liability defensively. He’s not the type of defenseman you throw over the boards against opponents’ top lines, but he can be effective when used as a No. 4 or 5 in sheltered minutes.
Girard is under contract through the end of next season at a cap hit of $5 million, so the Penguins will have him under team control for a bit. Kyle Dubas has made a few savvy additions since last offseason to help the Penguins get back in the playoff race, and Girard looks like another one of those.
Connor Murphy to the Oilers
I think the Oilers are going to make the playoffs, but it’s not a certain thing. Their defensive game needs improvement, but GM Stan Bowman has made a couple of moves to shore up their defense. One of those was acquiring Connor Murphy, one of the better shutdown defenders in the NHL, from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Murphy was one of the Blackhawks’ best shot suppressors this season, and he makes a good first pass out of the defensive zone. He doesn’t have much offensive ability, but the Oilers acquired him for his defensive prowess. He played difficult minutes for the Blackhawks and handled them well, and I expect he’ll do the same for the Oilers.
A second-round pick may have been a tad pricey for a defensive defenseman like Murphy, but that was the market this trade deadline. It’s also a move that the Oilers had to make, and he’s a good fit. Hopefully, he can help their goalies find their game, too.
Nazem Kadri to the Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche won one Stanley Cup with Nazem Kadri, so why not try it again? GM Chris MacFarland was active ahead of the trade deadline, but Kadri was the most notable move the Avalanche pulled off.
While Kadri is not quite the player he was when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, he’s still an effective top-six center. He still plays with an edge but has gotten much more disciplined as he’s aged, and the scoring pop is still there. He was pacing for 55 points at the time of the trade, and that was on a Flames team that’s struggled to score this season.
The Avalanche did give up quite a few pieces to acquire Kadri, but it was more quantity than quality. Max Curran looks like a decent prospect, but he’s not a blue-chipper. Victor Olofsson is a fine middle-six winger, but Kadri’s production will make up for him and then some. The only question I have is where Kadri will fit in the Avalanche’s lineup since Brock Nelson and Nathan MacKinnon occupy the top two center spots. It’ll be interesting to see how Jared Bednar makes it work, but they should be a better team with Kadri in their lineup.
It was a relatively quiet trade deadline around the NHL, but most contenders still found ways to upgrade their rosters. We’ll see how that impacts playoff races as we enter the stretch run of the 2025-26 season.
Advanced stats/microstats from Hockey Stats
