No shortage of NHL deals

Stanley Cup contenders aren’t waiting until the NHL trade deadline day to shore up depth for what they hope is a long playoff run.

The league-leading Florida Panthers got deeper on the wing on Wednesday by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa, Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers added a pair of centers in Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from Anaheim, the New York Rangers traded with Seattle for a player they coveted in Alexander Wennberg and the Colorado Avalanche loaded up by getting defenseman Sean Walker from Philadelphia and center Casey Mittelstadt from Buffalo in separate deals.

Colorado traded a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick and center Ryan Johansen to Philadelphia for Walker and a fifth-rounder in 2026 and got Mittelstadt in a one-for-one trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Sabres.

The Panthers dealt a fourthround pick in this year’s draft to Ottawa for Tarasenko, and the fourth-rounder would upgrade to a 2026 third-rounder if Florida wins the Cup this season. Ottawa also is getting a third-round pick from Florida in 2025, while the Senators are retaining half of Tarasenko’s salary.

“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scoring winger who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we embark on the remainder of our season,” Panthers General Manager Bill Zito said. “We are excited for him to join our team, and to compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”

The Rangers sent a 2024 secondand a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Kraken for Wennberg, considered one of the top pending free agent centers available. Seattle is retaining half of Wennberg’s salary.