Devils add Canucks forward
Though the biggest NHL trades were made before Friday, there were still clubs who made deals just ahead of the 3 p.m. deadline.
One of those teams was the Devils, who added more forward depth by getting Curtis Lazar from Vancouver for a 2024 fourth-round pick.
“You can see the excitement,” Lazar said, recalling the atmosphere in Newark during a Canucks game last month. “We’re definitely no slouch in this mix, so it’s motivating.”
The final day of moves began with Detroit continuing to sell off players, dealing winger Jakub Vrana to St. Louis for a 2025 seventh-round pick and minor league player Dylan McLaughlin, while retaining half of Vrana’s salary through next season.
In Vrana, the Blues got a third low-risk player in as
many weeks after reacquiring depth forward Sammy Blais in the trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers and plucking underachieving winger Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from Pittsburgh.
The Penguins, meanwhile, brought back Nick Bonino in a three-team deal involving San Jose and Montreal. In trading Bonino to Pittsburgh, the Sharks acquired two draft picks and the rights to Penguins prospect Arvid Henrikson. The Canadiens acquired Sharks defenseman Tony Sund for retaining 50 percent of Bonino’s salary.
The Kings continued their playoff preparations by acquiring tough winger Zack MacEwen from Philadelphia for Brendan Lemieux and a 2024 fifth-round pick.
Vladislav Namestnikov was on the move again. A day after being dealt by Tampa Bay to San Jose, the 10th-year player was shipped by the Sharks to Winnipeg for a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
The two-week stretch leading into Friday was the busiest for trading in the NHL over the past decade: 43 trades involving 85 players and 55 draft picks, including 12 first-rounders, all since Feb. 17.