Islanders make coaching splash
The NHL trade deadline is set for March 8.
There have been several trades and plenty of other transactions this season, including contract extensions.
There also have been five coaching changes, with the New York Islanders firing Lane Lambert and hiring Patrick Roy in the latest move.
The salary cap remains tight this season but it is expected to rise to $87.7 million next season.
Follow along this season for news and analysis on deals, major transactions and other announcements that have happened in the months leading up the trade deadline at nhl.usatoday.com.
When is the 2024 NHL trade deadline?
The NHL trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on March 8.
What transactions took place before the March 8 trade deadline?
Jan. 20: Islanders name Roy coach after firing Lane Lambert
The news was stunning, although Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello is famous for keeping moves under wraps and also for making coaching changes. The Islanders had fallen out of a playoff position with a four-game losing streak in Lane Lambert’s second season with the team.
Patrick Roy last coached in the NHL in 2015-16 and resigned from the Colorado Avalanche that August. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2013-14 in his first season in Colorado and won junior hockey’s Memorial Cup as coach/GM of the Quebec Remparts in 2022-23. He stepped down after that.
Roy, 58, won four Stanley Cup titles as a Hall of Fame goalie and is third in NHL wins after Marc-Andre Fleury recently passed him. Roy is known for his fiery competitiveness. He was fined $10,000 after his NHL coaching debut for shoving the glass partition between the two benches during a game against the Anaheim Ducks, though he was more composed after that.
Also: Florida Panthers forward William Lockwood was suspended for three games for goaltender interference against Marc-Andre Fleury during a
Jan. 19 game. Fleury ended up leaving the game. Lockwood will forfeit $12,109.38 in pay.
Jan. 19: Senators sign Pinto to one-year deal
Shane Pinto, who was suspended for 41 games early this season for violating the NHL’s sports wagering rules, signed a one-year deal worth $775,000. The Senators restricted free agent had been unsigned at the time of the suspension and returned to action Jan. 21. The league never said what he did to earn the suspension but said its “investigation found no evidence that Pinto made any wagers on NHL games.” Pinto, 23, had a careerbest 20 goals, 15 assists and 35 points last season.
Also: The Carolina Hurricanes, missing goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, claimed goalie Spencer Martin off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets . ... The Washington Capitals signed Aliaksei Protas to a five-year, $16.875 million contract extension that keeps the 6-foot-6 forward under contract with Washington through the 202829 season. Protas, 23, has 18 points in 42
games this season . ... The Vancouver Canucks gave a three-year contract extension to president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford.
Jan. 18: Wild’s Spurgeon to have season-ending surgery
The Minnesota Wild have shut down captain Jared Spurgeon for the season. The defenseman is scheduled to have hip surgery on Feb. 6 and then have back surgery four weeks later.
Spurgeon had missed the first month of the season, plus seven games in December, with injuries and hasn’t played since Jan. 2. He’s expected to be fully recovered by the beginning of next season.
Jan. 16: Blackhawks’ Jason Dickinson gets twoyear extension
The deal is worth $8.5 million over two years. He joins Nick Foligno (two years, $9 million) as Blackhawk players signing recent extensions. Dickinson is second on the team with 14 goals and third with 21 points.