COVID-19 cap crunch limits trade deadline moves for most teams

The pandemic turned the usual large number of NHL trade deadline deals into a trickle Monday. Moves that did take place under a flat $81.5 million salary cap, highlighted by Boston landing 2018 NHL MVP Taylor Hall in a trade with Buffalo, heavily benefited buyers. And then there were teams that got creative, acquiring draft picks in order to take on payroll.

Hall was the highest-profile player to move in an otherwise dry market and the Bruins landed the under-performing, six-time 20-goal-scorer at a cut-rate price along with third-line forward Curtis Lazar. Rather than getting a first-round pick in return, the Sabres acquired a second-round pick and sparingly used forward Anders Bjork, while also agreeing to retain half of what’s left on Hall’s one-year, $8 million contract. Among the handful of notable moves, Pittsburgh added depth by acquiring center Jeff Carter from the Kings for a pair of conditional draft picks. The Golden Knights acquired center Mattias Janmark from the Blackhawks. Carl Soderberg is back for a second stint in Colorado after a trade that sent Ryder Rolston and Josh Dickinson to Chicago.

More notable were the players not traded. Kings center Alex Iafallo and Flyers forward Scott Laughton, pending free agents, had their names come off the market after signing contract extensions. Goalie Linus Ullmark is staying in Buffalo after the Sabres had enough promising discussions on an extension to believe a deal can be reached before Ullmark is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.