Whether it's the prospects swap between the Canadiens and Ducks or the Golden Knights trading their recent first-rounder, Tony Ferrari has the lowdown on prospects switching organizations at the NHL trade deadline.
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone with plenty of action. The bottom feeders sold, while the contenders scooped up talent.
There were a couple of prospect swaps, and a few others were used as currency to buy big-ticket players.
Let’s look at each prospect traded at the deadline and the days leading up to it, how they’ve been developing and how they fit in their new organization.
Montreal Canadiens acquired Jacob Perreault from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Jan Mysak
The Habs and Ducks swapped a couple of young players a day before the deadline in hopes that a fresh start would lead to better results. Both forwards have had some ups and downs since being drafted in 2020. Perreault was selected 27th overall, and then Mysak went shortly after at 48th overall.
Mysak has struggled to produce offensively at the AHL level, even considering he’s more than doubled his production this year over last. His calling card has always been his ability to disrupt on the forecheck and play a hard-working, north-south game. He can play both center and winger, although he looks much better on the wing to this point. Mysak doesn’t really have the offensive skill to play high up in the lineup, but he has a shot at becoming a bottom-six NHLer who can bring some finishing touch.
There is a bit more upside with Perreault. He has always had a wicked shot, but he took a sizeable step back last year in the AHL. Although he’s recovered a bit, he hasn’t quite figured out how to best use his skill set against pros.
Perreault played in the AHL right after being drafted because of COVID-19, which has slowed his development a bit, as another year or two in the OHL would have done him wonders. Perreault has upside as a goal-scorer, and the Habs need a few shoot-first prospects in the system.
Colorado Avalanche acquired forward Yakov Trenin and the rights to unsigned draft choice defenseman Graham Sward from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jeremy Hanzel and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft
While physical winger Yakov Trenin was the centerpiece of this deal, a couple of prospects were swapped between the Avalanche and Predators.
Sward is a 20-year-old defenseman who still needs to be signed to an entry-level deal. He is a puck-mover who projects as AHL depth. He’s been an excellent junior defenseman, but his tools must improve if he hopes to play NHL games.
Jeremy Hanzel has improved his game every year since earning a spot in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds. He was passed over twice in the NHL draft but was taken with a sixth-round pick in 2023, his final year of eligibility. In that time, he’s become a solid defender in his zone who still possesses some of the shimmy and shakes occasionally in transition. He signed his entry-level deal with Colorado Thursday before being traded. He’s a bit of a long shot, but he has an excellent story or perseverance and commitment to his craft.
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire unsigned draft choice defenseman Cade Webber from the Carolina Hurricanes for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft
The Leafs sent a draft pick to the Hurricanes in exchange for a massive, bruising blueliner playing for Boston University. The 6-foot-6 blueliner plays on the penalty kill and battles hard on every shift. His offensive skill is limited, to say the least, but from a defensive standpoint, he is a stout, physical presence.
Webber is a very different player from what we are used to seeing on the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s not a surefire NHLer by any means, but he’s at least an interesting brutish blueliner who could be worth a late-round pick.
Tampa Bay Lightning acquired winger Anthony Duclair and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft from San Jose in exchange for defenseman Jack Thompson and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft
Duclair is a gun for hire for Tampa, which is fighting for their playoff lives for the first time in a long time. The cost was a mid-round pick and Jack Thompson, who has been taking big strides over the last year and a half. His defensive game has greatly improved since his OHL days with the Sudbury Wolves, and his puck-moving game has remained.
He has been excellent at the AHL level with the Syracuse Crunch this year, putting up 32 points in 45 games. Thompson is a good skater who has a great shot. He is also very good in transition, using his passing and skating to his advantage. He may not be a high-end producer, but he could potentially develop into a two-way defenseman who can do a bit of everything at the NHL level, maybe a No. 4 or 5.
Calgary Flames acquired Riley Damiani from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Mathias Emilio Pettersen
Another prospect swap, this time between the Stars and Flames. The Flames get Damiani, who won the AHL rookie of the year award in 2020-21 but hasn’t seen his production take a jump since that initial season. On a per-game basis, his scoring rate has actually decreased to this point. At 23 years old, he may ultimately be an AHLer and periodic call-up to fill in down the lineup, but a change of scenery could help get his game back on track.
As for Pettersen, the Stars are getting an interesting player who has a chance to be a bottom-six player with some offensive skill. He has been a steady AHLer for a few years now, scoring 44 points in 61 games last year and following it up with 30 in 54 this season. He may ultimately end up as a tweener who isn’t quite skilled enough for the NHL.
Carolina Hurricanes acquired star winger Jake Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for winger Michael Bunting, forward prospects Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen, the rights to forward Cruz Lucius, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft.
The Guentzel trade was a big one for obvious reasons. On top of one of the NHL’s most productive wingers over the last few years being traded, the package going back to Pittsburgh on the eve of the trade deadline was massive.
Ty Smith went to Carolina. While he is about to turn 24, if anyone can revive the offensive blueliner’s career at this stage, the Hurricanes seem like a great team to do it. Since Carolina does not have an AHL affiliate, Smith will remain with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of the season.
Pittsburgh focused on acquiring prospects, and getting three in this deal on top of the first-rounder was a big win for GM Kyle Dubas and company.
Lucius is the biggest wild card of the three. His skating is an issue, but he’s done an excellent job in college with the University of Wisconsin, leading one of the nation's top teams in scoring this year. When the pace gets ramped up in pro hockey, there may be an issue, but the skill and creativity he plays with are intriguing.
Ponomarev is the only one of the trio who has played at the NHL level this far, getting a cup of coffee in the NHL this year recording a goal and an assist in his two games. He is a hard worker who projects to play in the middle six at the NHL level. How high he plays in the lineup will be determined by how well his passing and puck skill translate to the NHL. His two-way game continues to grow, and although he is a bit undersized, he can be relentless in puck battles.
Ville Koivunen has been one of my personal favorite prospects since his draft year in 2021. His intelligence is impressive, understanding how to dictate pace and exploit space and timing. He is currently tied atop Karpat’s scoring leaderboard and sits fifth in the Liiga as a whole at just 20 years old. Koivunen plays with a high level of skill and should be a solid middle-six NHLer down the road. He has the best chance of making an NHL impact of any player in the trade,
At the end of the day, this trade is a big boost to one of the league's worst prospect pipelines. They still lack a truly high-end prospect, but this is a great start.
Vegas Golden Knights acquired star center Tomas Hertl along with a third-round pick in 2025 and third-round pick in 2027 from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick in 2025 and center David Edstrom (2023 first-round pick)
At the buzzer, the Golden Knights drop the hammer on the league once again as they acquire a legitimate top-line center in Tomas Hertl. That gives them a one-two punch of Eichel and Hertl down the middle, which makes them incredibly scary moving forward. The Knights put every team in the Western Conference on notice with this one.
The first-round pick will be massive for San Jose in its rebuild, but David Edstrom will be one of the pillars down the middle for the Sharks moving forward. He projects as a third-line defensive center who can skate well and play on the penalty kill and possibly as the net front on the power play. Edstrom is a big center who is spatially aware at all times, which leads to excellent positioning at both ends of the ice. He doesn’t have the upside that you’d hope, but he is the kind of depth player that helps win games in big moments.