Cup contenders making moves
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 Panthers got deeper on the wing on Wednesday by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from the Senators, Connor McDavid’s Oilers added a pair of centers in Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Ducks, the Rangers traded with the Kraken for a player they coveted in Alexander Wennberg and the Avalanche loaded up by getting defenseman Sean Walker from Flyers and center Casey Mittelstadt from the Sabres in separate deals.
The Avalanche traded a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick and center Ryan Johansen to the Flyers 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 fourth-round pick in this year’s draft to the Senators for Tarasenko, and the fourth-rounder would upgrade to a 2026 thirdrounder if the Panthers win the Cup this season. The Senators also are getting a third-round pick from the Panthers in 2025, while the Senators are retaining half of Tarasenko’s salary.
The Rangers sent a 2024 second- and a 2025 fourthround pick to the Kraken for Wennberg, considered one of the top pending free agent centers available. Seattle is retaining half of Wennberg’s salary.
Henrique was another top center rental, and the Oilers deal for him was far more complicated, sending its first-rounder this year and a conditional fifthround pick in 2025 to the Ducks and a 2026 fourthrounder to the Lightning for retaining a quarter of his salary. The ’25 pick becomes a fourth if the Oilers win the Cup, which stands better odds now after getting Henrique and Carrick.
After word of the trades emerged, the Panthers became the Cup favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, followed by the Oilers and Avalanche. The Rangers are seventh.
All their moves came less than 24 hours after the defending champion Golden Knights got the ball rolling by trading with the Capitals for 20-goal scorer Anthony Mantha. More moves are expected before the Friday afternoon deadline.
After taking on Johansen’s contract, which has $4 million annually left on it through next season, the Flyers immediately put him on waivers. GM Danny Briere, whose team is in third place in the Metropolitan Division and an unexpected playoff contender, said “everything’s on the table” for the team at the trade deadline as he looks to build for the future.
One of those things is a new contract for Walker’s former defense partner, Nick Seeler, a favorite of coach John Tortorella who went on injured reserve Wednesday after taking a puck off his left foot during a game earlier in the week. The Flyers and Seeler agreed to terms on a four-year deal that begins next season and is worth $10.8 million.