Hurricanes acquire Kuznetsov
Once the Carolina Hurricanes began stocking up in the hours before the NHL trade deadline, it didn’t take long for the league’s many other contenders to join in on Friday.
The Hurricanes kicked off the final day of trading by acquiring center Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals. Washington acquired a 2025 third-round pick and is retaining half of his salary through next season — a cap hit of $7.8 million with $8 million due in 2024-25.
It was Carolina’s second considerable move in 12 hours, after the Hurricanes landed scoring winger Jake Guentzel from Pittsburgh in a blockbuster deal.
What followed was a string of moves made mostly by Eastern Conference rivals in a bid to keep up.
Two days after acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa, the leagueleading Florida Panthers added depth and leadership in landing Buffalo’s Kyle Okposo. Buffalo acquired minor-league defenseman Calle Sjalin in a deal that provides the 35year-old Sabres captain a chance to compete in the playoffs in what could be his final NHL season.
The Boston Bruins became the last of the top contenders in the East to add, getting three-time Cup champion Patrick Maroon from Minnesota for young forward Luke Toporowski and a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick.
The Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers added blue-line depth by acquiring Chad Ruhwedel from a Penguins team that is suddenly entering a rebuilding mode.
And Philadelphia shored up its defense by acquiring veteran Erik Johnson for a fourth-round draft pick in a deal with Buffalo.
In the West, the surging Jets acquired forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with New Jersey to become Winnipeg’s latest addition after landing center Sean Monahan from Montreal during the All-Star break. The Devils acquired a 2024 third- and a 2025 secondround pick while also retaining half of the pending free agent’s salary for the remainder of the season.
And the Nashville Predators, who hold one of the West’s two wild-card spots, attempted to shore up their playoff position by getting forward Jason Zucker from Arizona for a sixth-rounder this year.
The focus remains on the Hurricanes, who continued adding to an already talented roster, and a team that fell short after managing a combined six goals in being swept by Florida in the Eastern Conference finals.
“Evgeny is a high-level playmaker who will add to our offensive firepower,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said. “He brings even more playoff experience to our lineup, and we’re excited to give him a fresh start in Carolina.”
Kuznetsov, 31, cleared waivers last weekend upon being able to practice after receiving care from the player assistance program. He was then demoted to the minors, with Capitals GM Brian MacLellan saying he would attempt to trade the player who led Washington in scoring during its run to win the 2018 Stanley Cup.
Guentzel is eager to join the Hurricanes and get back on the ice, with the trade coming as he is on the verge of returning to play after missing nearly a month with an upper body injury.
“You know what the team’s done in the past and how close they’ve been,” Guentzel said Friday. “This is a special team. They’ve got a lot of highend players, and they’re really well-coached.”
There remain numerous players who are in position to be dealt before the deadline, with much of the focus on goalies. Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom, Montreal’s Jake Allen and Boston’s Linus Ullmark are among the candidates being shopped.
The Capitals might not be done with Nic Dowd, Charlie Lindgren and Max Pacioretty considered to be on the market.
Seattle, which traded center Alexander Wennberg to the New York Rangers earlier in the week, did not have to do the same with winger Jordan Eberle. The Kraken agreed to terms with Eberle on a two-year contract worth $9.5 million.