NHL trade deadline rumors, tracker: Senators win Chychrun sweepstakes, Boston gets Tyler Bertuzzi

The 2022-23 NHL season is coming down the home stretch with the trade deadline set for Friday, March 3 at 3 p.m. ET. The league has already seen some big names moved prior to the deadline with Vladimir Tarasenko landing with the New York Rangers, Bo Horvat heading to the New York Islanders and Ryan O’Reilly being sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But that’s not all. Stars like Patrick Kane, Jakob Chychrun and Erik Karlsson could be on the move prior to Friday’s deadline.

For all of the latest moves around the NHL, follow along with our NHL trade deadline rumors and tracker below.

March 2: Bruins improve forward group with acquisition of Tyler Bertuzzi from Red Wings

The rich get richer. On Thursday, the Boston Bruins acquired winger Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings in a trade that makes the team’s forward group even stronger for a Stanley Cup run. As a part of the deal, the Red Wings will retain 50 percent of Bertuzzi’s salary.

In exchange for Bertuzzi’s services, the Red Wings received:

Bertuzzi is due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and was in the market for a contract extension from the Red Wings. However, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, talks between both sides broke down in December. 

Bertuzzi has tallied just four goals and 10 assists in 29 games this season as he’s dealt with two broken hands throughout the 2022-23 campaign. When healthy, the 28-year old is a very talented goal scorer that is coming off a 62-point season in 2021-22. Bertuzzi gives the Bruins another weapon on their second or third line.

March 1: Senators win Jakob Chychrun sweepstakes with modest bid

The Arizona Coyotes have had Jakob Chychrun sitting on the trade block for well over a year now, and they have finally dealt him to the Ottawa Senators in a major deal just two days before the deadline.

In exchange for Chychrun, the Coyotes received:

Chychrun is a legitimate top-pairing defenseman with a very reasonable $4.6 million cap hit, and the Senators just got him for an incredibly modest price. At one point there were talks of the Coyotes wanting multiple first round picks and top-notch prospects in exchange for Chychrun, but the market for defensemen has dried up over the last week.

While this return may be somewhat disappointing for the Coyotes, they now have a glut of draft picks in the next few years. If Arizona plays its cards right, it would ice a very competitive team in a few seasons.

March 1: Red Wings deal defenseman Filip Hronek to Canucks

The Detroit Red Wings have sent 25-year-old defenseman Filip Hronek and a 2023 fourth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 conditional first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick.

Hronek is a strong offensive defenseman, and he is having the best season of his career. Hronek is already tied for his career high in goals, and he is on track to set a new career high in assists too. Hronek should give Vancouver more offensive help from the blue line, but it does limit the team from a salary cap perspective moving forward.

The Red Wings were able to get some quality assets back for Hronek, and it’ll be interesting to see what they do with them. Detroit could use the picks to draft more highly-touted prospects, or it could flip them for a player who can help the team in the immediate future.

March 1: Hurricanes land defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from Coyotes

The Carolina Hurricanes have added some more offensive firepower to their blue line. On Wednesday, the Hurricanes acquired defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick.

The 29-year-old is a rental as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

Gostisbehere has spent the past two seasons with the Coyotes after the team acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2021 offseason. The left-handed shooting defenseman has recorded 10 goals and 21 assists in 52 games as a member of the Coyotes this season.

Gostisbehere adds some necessary offense among Carolina’s top four defensemen group. Over the course of his nine-year NHL career, he’s tallied 84 career goals, including four double-digit goal campaigns. The Hurricanes were already one of the league’s higher-scoring teams with 3.36 goals per game, and now they’ve added more of an offensive touch on the back end alongside Brent Burns.

March 1: Avalanche acquire center Lars Eller from Capitals

Colorado has been in need of center depth, and Eller will fill that role as the team tries to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. In return, for Eller the Capitals will receive a 2025 second-round pick, the teams announced on Wednesday.

Eller has spent that last seven seasons with the Capitals, and he came up clutch in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. In the decisive Game 5, Eller scored the game-winning goal for Washington with just 7:37 remaining in the third period.

Eller will bring a strong defensive pedigree and playoff experience to an Avalanche team hurting for center depth right now. Colorado lost Nazem Kadri to the Calgary Flames in free agency last summer, and since then the center position has been a bit of a weakness outside of Nathan MacKinnon. Eller will give the Avs a quality depth option there.

March 1: Kings trade Jonathan Quick to Blue Jackets for Vladislav Gavrikov, Joonas Korpisalo

It’s the end of an era in Los Angeles. The Kings have traded goalie Jonathan Quick, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goalie Joonas Korpisalo.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that Quick was “unhappy” when he was informed of the trade. 

Clearly, the Kings were attempting to pair a younger goaltender with Pheonix Copley. Korpisalo, 28, has a 11-11-3 record to go along with a 3.17 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage in 28 games this season as he’s split time with Elvis Merzlikins in Columbus.

In Gavrikov, the Kings beef up their blue line and provides a very necessary left-handed shot on a team full of right-handed shooting defensemen. Both Gavrikov and Korpisalo will be unrestricted free agents this summer.

Feb. 28: Predators trade Mattias Ekholm to Oilers for package of picks, players

The Predators dealt veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Oilers in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick, prospect Reid Schaefer and defenseman Tyson Barrie.

Edmonton was in need of a big defenseman who could play the puck well, and that is exactly what Ekholm brings to the table. The Oilers have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net this season, but Ekholm will help stop the bleeding. With Ekholm now in the mix, Edmonton looks more like a serious Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference.

The Predators continue their fire sale by trading Ekholm, and getting the 2023 first-round pick and Schaefer were the real prizes. When he takes over as Nashville’s general manager on July 1, Barry Trotz will have a lot of draft capital with which to work.

Feb. 28: Maple Leafs add defenseman Luke Schenn from the Canucks

In his quest to acquire every NHL defenseman, Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has added Luke Schenn from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.

Schenn is a big-bodied defenseman who provides a physical presence, but he has had a rough 2022-23 season in Vancouver. Maybe playing on a better team in Toronto will help him turn things around, but the Maple Leafs may also have something else cooking here.

After acquiring Schenn, Toronto now has nine defensemen on its NHL roster. With such a major logjam at the position, it’s hard to imagine the team not making another move to bolster its forward group.

Feb. 28: Islanders acquire Pierre Engvall from Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs have been incredibly active, and one the moves sent forward Pierre Engvall to the New York Islanders in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick.

Engvall, now in his fourth NHL season, gives the Isles a strong defensive forward. Considering the Islanders’ struggles at that end of the ice this year, Engvall should help them address a need, and he can make some plays at the offensive end as well. In 58 games this season, Engvall has 12 goals and 21 points.

By trading Engvall, Toronto frees up another $2.25 million in salary cap space with the trade deadline just three days away.

Feb. 28: Maple Leafs, Capitals swap defensemen

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick. The first-round pick going to Toronto is the one Washington got from the Boston Bruins in the Dmitry Orlov trade just last week.

This deal makes some sense for both sides. The Maple Leafs give up a developing player for Gustafsson, who is in the midst of an excellent year and can help the team generate offense from the blue line, as well as a first-round pick. We’ll see how long Toronto holds onto that first-rounder as they try to make more moves ahead of the deadline.

Washington turned Orlov and Gustafsson, two veteran defensemen on expiring contracts, into the 22-year-old Sandin. It’s an excellent deal for a team looking to rebuild on the fly because Sandin has taken a big step forward in his development this year. There’s a chance Sandin becomes a vital piece of the Capitals’ blue line for a long time to come.

Feb. 28: Wild acquire forward Marcus Johansson from Capitals

The Minnesota Wild announced that they have acquired Marcus Johansson from the Capitals in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. In 60 games with Washington this season, Johansson has tallied 28 points (13 goals and 15 assists).

The Wild are in need of supplementary scoring as the playoffs approach, and Johansson should give them some of that, but they may still need to make a bigger splash to move the needle atop the Western Conference.

This marks a return to Minnesota for the journeyman Johansson. He played for the Wild in the 2020-21 season and recorded six goals and eight assists in 36 games played.

Feb. 28: Blackhawks trade Patrick Kane to Rangers in exchange for draft picks

After weeks of speculation, Patrick Kane has now been traded to the New York Rangers. In exchange for Kane, the Blackhawks will receive a 2023 conditional second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick. If the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Finals, the conditional second-round pick becomes a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025.

Kane is in the midst of a disappointing season by his standards, but that could easily be attributed to the lack of talent around him in Chicago. In his last four games of the Blackhawks, Kane showed what he was capable of by scoring seven goals and tallying 10 points.

In just a few weeks, the Rangers have added all kinds of offensive firepower on the wings. New York traded for Vladimir Tarasenko on Feb. 9, and now Kane joins the mix as the Rangers push for a Stanley Cup in a competitive Eastern Conference.

Feb. 28: Hurricanes acquire winger Jesse Puljujarvi from Oilers

After missing out on Timo Meier, the Carolina Hurricanes were still trying to upgrade their forward group. They acquired Puljujarvi in exchange for forward prospect Patrik Puistola on Tuesday.

Puljujarvi may not be the kind of player who will light the scoreboard on fire, but he has always posted strong five-on-five numbers, and he should fit right in with the Hurricanes as a bottom-six winger. Perhaps more importantly, Puljujarvi only comes with a $3 million cap hit, so Carolina still has plenty of room to make a big move ahead of the deadline.

This trade allows the Oilers to create some more salary cap space while rumors swirl that they are in the market for a top-four defenseman. If Edmonton is going to acquire someone like Jacob Chychrun or Mattias Ekholm, it needed to move money out, and it did just that with this deal.

Feb. 28: Oilers in talks to acquire a top-four defenseman

When you have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the top of the lineup, goal-scoring will take care of itself. With the trade deadline looming, the Oilers are trying to upgrade their blue line. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Edmonton has expressed interest in Arizona’s Jacob Chychrun, Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm, and Columbus’ Vladislav Gavrikov.

The Oilers rank first in the NHL with 232 goals scored, but they rank 22nd with 204 goals allowed. If Edmonton wants to contend for a Stanley Cup, it has to do a better job keeping the puck out its own net, and acquiring a top-pairing defenseman would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

Feb. 28: Rangers have things ‘in motion’ to acquire Patrick Kane as early as Tuesday evening

It seems like Kane to the Rangers is a foregone conclusion at this point, and the Rangers are just waiting to accrue enough salary cap space to make the trade happen. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers could potentially finalize the deal after 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Kane hasn’t played since Feb. 22, and he has been away from the Blackhawks as he waits for a deal to happen. In recent days, the Rangers have made a series of moves, including trading young forward Vitali Kravtsov to the Vancouver Canucks, to create just enough space for Kane’s arrival.

Feb. 28: Rangers still clearing cap space with hopes of acquiring Patrick Kane

On Saturday, Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane left the team’s California road trip and returned to Chicago, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Kane won’t suit up for the Blackhawks leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.

Kaplan also reported that there is mutual interest between Kane and the New York Rangers. The Rangers spent the weekend attempting to clear the necessary cap space to get a potential deal for Kane done:

Feb. 27: Maple Leafs acquire Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe from Blackhawks

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made it out of the opening round of the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. Their front office is doing everything that they can to make sure that the team is set up for a deep postseason run this time around. On Monday, the Maple Leafs acquired forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Lafferty has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 51 games this season and is signed through the 2023-24 campaign. Meanwhile, McCabe has tallied 20 points (two points, 18 assists) and is in just the second season of a four-year, $16 million contract. 

Feb. 26: Devils land Timo Meier in massive deal

Timo Meier was one of the biggest prizes available on the trade market leading up to Friday’s deadline. On Sunday, the New Jersey Devils acquired the talented winger in a huge trade with the San Jose Sharks.

Meier is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Devils don’t have any type of contract extension in place as of right now. The 26-year-old star currently has 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games this season for the Sharks. Meier had spent all seven years of his NHL career in San Jose prior to the trade.

Feb. 26: Lightning add Tanner Jeannot

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, so being active at the trade deadline isn’t a big surprise. On Sunday, the Lightning acquired forward Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators in exchange for:

Jeannot, 25, is in the final season of a two-year contract and can become a restricted free agent this summer. He has 62 career points (34 goals & 28 assists) in 152 career regular season games as a member of the Predators. 

Feb. 25: Jets acquire Nino Niederreiter from Predators

The Nashville Predators moved one of their veteran pieces in the form of winger Nino Niederreiter to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. Niederreiter is signed through the 2023-24 season, so he isn’t a rental for the Jets. Niederreiter has tallied 28 points (18 goals, 10 assists) in 56 games this season.

The Jets are battling at the top of the Central Division and adding a player of Niederreiter’s caliber should really give a boost to Winnipeg’s forward group. 

Feb. 23: Bruins beef up blue line with addition of Dmitry Orlov

The Boston Bruins have been an absolute juggernaut this season. They made their defensive unit even stronger by acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals in a three-team deal. In exchange for Orlov and Hathaway, the Bruins sent the following to the Capitals:

The Capitals will also retain 50 percent of Orlov’s $5.1 million cap hit. In addition, the Minnesota Wild will also retain 25 percent of Orlov’s contract and sent the rights of Andrei Svetlakov to the Bruins for a 2023 fifth-round pick.

Orlov, 31, is in the final year of a six-year, $30.6 million deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. He’s tallied 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 43 games for the Capitals this season. Orlov will join an already stacked Boston blue line that includes the likes of Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk.