Report: Non-playoff teams will be allowed to trade

When the NHL season resumes with a 24-team postseason, the seven teams left out of the playoffs apparently won’t be entirely left out of the action. According to a report Thursday by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the seven teams that will not be part of the postseason will be allowed to trade, but only with other non-playoff clubs. Those seven teams are the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils.

This is actually keeping with traditional NHL rules, as teams are allowed to make trades after the trade deadline. However, NHL regulations prohibit players acquired after the deadline from playing in the postseason with their new team, hence why post-deadline trades are so rare.

The seven non-playoff teams will be placed in the draft lottery, which also will include the eight teams that are eliminated during the best-offive qualifying round for the playoffs.