How Did Those 2024 NHL Trade Deadline Moves Work Out?

It’s the same story every season. As the trade deadline passes, the last few deals are still waiting for the NHL's final stamp of approval as fans and pundits are weighing in with their list of winners and losers at breakneck speed.

Now that we're down to five teams and the schedule is set for the 2024 Conference Finals, this is a good time to revisit the roster shakeups that happened — and those that didn't. 

Some of the moves have helped move teams down the road to a championship, while others look regrettable. And not every trade expires when the Stanley Cup is awarded — some could still pay dividends for years to come.

Here's a look:

The Conference Finalists

The Eastern Conference final is set to get underway on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. At the deadline, the division-leading New York Rangers and Florida Panthers both took similar approaches to their deal-making.

Chris Drury and Bill Zito both completed a pair of relatively low-key forward acquisitions. And while they didn’t pay a lot for Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic (NYR), or Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo (FLA), all four are solid veterans who have played to their strengths while providing valuable depth up front.

Over in the West, the deep Dallas Stars shopped at the Calgary Flames’ defenseman superstore before the deadline, picking up impending UFA Chris Tanev. 

To no one’s surprise, Tanev leads the playoffs with 56 blocked shots in 13 games, and has rather inevitably suffered yet another mouth injury.

Chipping in nearly 24 minutes a game, the 34-year-old has given the Stars a rock-solid Top 4, even after fellow righty Jani Hakanpaa has been out with an injury since a week after the deadline.

The Contenders

Monday night at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers will square off in Game 7 to determine who will face the Stars in the Western Conference final.

The Canucks took their trade swings early, also making a pair of deals with Calgary. On November, 30, they picked up defenseman Nikita Zadorov, whose swagger, snarl and scoring has made him a massive addition to the Vancouver blue line — and I’m not just talking about his 6-foot-6 frame.

Then, during All-Star week, the Canucks paid a high price to take Elias Lindholm off the market. 

Lindholm needed some time to get acclimated but has been effective in the playoffs. His patient, savvy play along the boards that led to J.T. Miller’s Game 5 game-winner was a perfect example of what Patrik Allvin had hoped to get from the 29-year-old.

Over in Edmonton, in their declared ‘Cup or Bust’ year, Oilers GM Ken Holland spent the first-round pick that was burning a hole in his pocket to bring in Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from Anaheim. 

Henrique suffered an ankle injury in Round 1 that has limited him to just one game against the Canucks. Carrick was scratched for seven straight before drawing back in for the Oilers' do-or-die Game 6 win on Saturday. 

The Also-Rans

Let’s start in Carolina, where the Carolina Hurricanes broke with tradition and spent big on Jake Guentzel, as well as bringing in Evgeny Kuznetsov. 

They were both solid, but the bottom line was an earlier exit than last year, and more questions than answers about whether Rod Brind’Amour’s group has the mettle to get over the hump as currently constructed. Dealing with some cap constraints and homegrown players like Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis who will also need to be paid, would Don Waddell consider re-upping with Guentzel after what he saw this spring?

The Colorado Avalanche must also be feeling some disappointment. Two years ago, their deadline acquisitions of Josh Manson, Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano were crucial components of their run to the Cup. 

This year, Casey Mittelstadt’s a keeper and will be around for a while. But Colorado's big dogs didn’t get much support from newly acquired impending UFAs Sean Walker, Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime. Zach Parise's last-gasp chase for a Cup also ended in disappointment.

Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, the Jets’ biggest problem at playoff time was their leaky back end. And while two goals in five games from deadline-acquisition Tyler Toffoli wasn’t bad, Kevin Cheveldayoff can’t feel great about spending a first-round pick to get one assist out of Sean Monahan amid a first-round beatdown.

And if the rumor is true that Linus Ullmark spurned the Los Angeles Kings by refusing to waive his trade protection, both the Kings and the Bruins may be lamenting their inability to get that deal over the finish line. Los Angeles finished with 4.40 goals against per game, the second-worst in the playoffs at this point. Ullmark also made just one postseason start. He'll likely need to be moved this summer so the Bruins can make room for promising prospect Brandon Bussi, who is no longer waiver-exempt.

Building For The Future

Kelly McCrimmon is a trade-deadline stalwart, so it was no surprise to see him making big moves as his Vegas Golden Knights tried to defend their Stanley Cup title.

But even after a first-round exit, McCrimmon can't be too disappointed in his deadline dealings. 

This year, UFA Anthony Mantha will almost certainly be moving on after getting into just three playoff games. 

But to be starting next season with deadline acquisition Noah Hanifin already locked in on an eight-year extension at a decent $7.35 million cap hit is a nice upgrade to a defense that's starting to look a little long in the tooth. Six years of Tomas Hertl, who has just turned 30, is also a good long-term addition up front. 

While most GMs are thinking short-team in springtime, McCrimmon has a habit of keeping guys around, as he did last year with Ivan Barbashev. Deadline '24 could well be remembered as a watershed moment in the next phase.