NHL Trade Deadline Report Card  – Central Division

The National Hockey League trade market was rather brisk and eventful leading up to the trade deadline on March 3, in spite of a lower-than-normal number of deals on deadline day. A number of contenders performed contortions to stay under the $82.5 million salary, including the involvement of third teams to retain salary, while other teams on the bubble such as Nashville and Washington chose to sell off players at the eleventh hour for draft picks and future assets.

With the deadline now past, we can look at the 32 clubs and evaluate whether they addressed their issues to make or advance deeper in the playoffs, or got enough for the players they were shopping as sellers.

Here is a look at the teams in the Central Division:

Arizona Coyotes

Out – Nick Ritchie, Troy Stecher, Nick Bjugstad, Jon Gillies, Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere, Dysin Mayo

In – Shea Weber(LTIR), Jakub Voracek(LTIR), Brett Ritchie, Connor Mackey, 2023 first-rounder, 2023 third-rounder, 2023 sixth-rounder, 2024 second-rounder, 2025 third-rounder, 2026 second-rounder

The Coyotes have made it an art form to run a franchise the wrong way. Tanking to improve their odds of getting phenom Connor Bedard at the 2023 NHL Draft is smart, but the financially strapped club acquired over $16 million in dead cap money in the form of Weber and Voracek (who have suffered career-ending injuries) for the purpose of getting to the salary cap floor next season.

The biggest failure was the trade that sent Chychrun to Ottawa. After nearly two years of shopping the All-Star defenseman, GM Bill Armstrong took well below his stated asking price, mostly because he did not want to take any salary back in other offers.

Grade – F

Chicago Blackhawks

Out –  Patrick Kane, Max Domi, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, Jack Johnson

In – Nikita Zaitsev, Andreas Englund, Joey Anderson, Anders Bjork, Anton Khudobin, Austin Wagner, two 2023 second-rounders, 2025 first-rounder, 2025 third-rounder, 2025 fourth-rounder, 2026 second-rounder, 2026 fourth-rounder

Hawks GM Kyle Davidson did not succeed in getting a big payday by shopping Jonathon Toews (who was shut down due to long COVID issues) and Kane (who only wanted to go to the Rangers), but he was able to compile a slew of draft picks by taking the last year of Zaitsev’s deal off Ottawa’s hands and in sending McCabe and Lafferty to Toronto, and Domi to Dallas.

Grade – B

Colorado Avalanche

Out – Andreas Englund, Shane Bowers, 2025 second-rounder

In – Lars Eller, Jack Johnson, Keith Kinkaid

The reigning Stanley Cup champions were low-key at the deadline. The Avs are hoping to get healthy before the playoffs and chose to make tinkering moves like re-acquiring Johnson from Chicago for blueline depth, and Kinkaid from Boston for organizational depth between the pipes. The most impactful move was Eller to help bolster the club up the middle, something they have struggled with all season after the departure of Nazem Kadri in free agency.

Grade – B-

Dallas Stars

Out – Anton Khudobin, Denis Gurianov, 2025 second-rounder

In – Max Domi, Evgeni Dadonov

Stars GM Jim Nill was reportedly interested in Kane before he announced his preference of the Rangers as a destination, but addressed his secondary scoring issues by swapping the struggling Gurianov for veteran Dadonov and adding Domi from Chicago.

Grade – B+

Minnesota Wild

Out –  Andrej Sustr, Nikita Nesterenko, Jordan Greenway, 2023 fourth-rounder, 2023 fifth-rounder, 2025 fourth-rounder

In – Marcus Johansson, John Klingberg, Oskar Sundqvist, Gustav Nyquist, 2023 second-rounder, 2023 fifth-rounder, 2025 fourth-rounder

Wild GM Bill Guerin deftly maneuvered as both a buyer and seller, swapping big winger Greenway to Buffalo for a couple of picks and to clear his salary, while adding Swedes Johansson, Nyquist, and Sundqvist for forward depth, but his biggest coup was waiting until the last minute to get Klingberg from Anaheim for prospect Nesterenko and a low pick.

Grade – A

Nashville Predators

Out – Mikael Granlund, Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot, Nino Niederreiter, 2025 seventh-rounder, 2024 sixth-rounder

In – Rasmus Asplund, Cal Foote, Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, 2023 second-rounder, 2023 third-rounder, 2023 fourth-rounder, 2023 fifth-rounder, two 2024 second-rounders, 2025 first-rounder

GM David Poile chose to go out with a bang after announcing his retirement, decisively becoming a seller in the last week before the deadline, restocking the shelves with seven future picks, moving out Niederreiter to Winnipeg, Granlund to Pittsburgh, Jeannot to Tampa, and Ekholm to Edmonton for Barrie, 2022 first rounder Schaefer, and two draft picks.

Grade – A

St. Louis Blues

Out – Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Ivan Barbashev, Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, 2025 seventh-rounder

In – Jakub Vrana, Zach Dean, Adam Gaudette, Mikhail Abramov, Samuel Blais, Hunter Skinner,  two 2023 first-rounders, 2023 third-rounder, 2024 second-rounder, 2024 fourth-rounder

The Blues were one of the busiest sellers at the deadline and GM Doug Armstrong did a good job in getting future assets, snagging first-rounders in deals with New York and Toronto for Tarasenko/Mikkola and O’Reilly/Acciari, highly regarded prospect Dean from Vegas in the Barbashev, and giving talented winger Vrana a second chance after being jettisoned by Detroit.

Grade – A-

Winnipeg Jets

Out – 2024 second-rounder, 2025 fourth-rounder

In – Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter

GM Kevin Cheveldayoff looked to bolster the Jets mediocre offense but did not expend any significant assets to do so.  Winnipeg added a top-six winger Niederreiter from Nashville, and versatile forward Namestnikov from San Jose after the journeyman was dealt to the Sharks from Tampa.

Grade – B