Get out your boots, mittens, heavy jacket, scarves and whatever else you use to protect yourself during a storm, because The BIG ONE is coming Friday afternoon at 3pm(ET).
For those confused by the above statement, this Friday, March 7, 2025, at 3pm(ET) is The NHL’s annual Trade Deadline and this year’s is shaping up to be a doozy.
The annual Trade Frenzy season has already delivered a handful of intriguing deals and even a couple of legitimately surprising blockbusters. Oh and did we mention, there’s still a few days to go?!
Will the Carolina Hurricanes about-face and deal away Mikko Rantanen a little over a month after acquiring him from Colorado? There’s more than a little smoke surrounding that possibility. Will the Vancouver Canucks say “screw it” and trade Elias Pettersson to wash their hands of all the negativity that has plagued them this season? Does Lou Lamoriello, at the age of 82, actually concede the Islanders’ season is over and sell off pieces at what could be his final deadline as an NHL GM? Can Chris Drury continue to thread the needle between selling and buying while attempting to steer the Rangers to the postseason?
Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils have their fingers crossed that Jack Hughes’ arm isn’t hurt nearly as badly as it looked the other night. New Jersey is already in the market for at least one scoring center and a scoring winger. Adding another player to that list would be hard to do and there’s next to no chance said player would be able to replicate Hughes’ production.
Meanwhile, outside of the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets, who are running away with the Number One seeds in their respective conferences and have made The Presidents’ Trophy race a two-team battle, the field of competitors is wide open.
Toronto and Florida are tied atop the Atlantic Division with Tampa Bay just five points back and coming off an 8-1-1 stretch.
Carolina and New Jersey have fallen back to the pack with some mid-season struggles and need to right their ships if they want to avoid the mess that is the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. And speaking of the Wild Card, who had Columbus sitting in the Number One Wild Card spot this late into the season, on their pre-season bingo card?
Detroit is currently holding on to the second Wild Card spot, but the Rangers, Senators, Canadiens, Bruins, Flyers and Islanders are all firmly in the thick of things. The Red Wings and Islanders are only separated by five points and there are five teams between them, so talk about a loaded field.
Over in the West, Dallas is sitting at Number Two in the Central, with a little bit of breathing room, but the Wild and Avalanche are only separated by two points; the difference between being in third or being the Number One Wild Card.
Vegas and Edmonton are separated by four points and Los Angeles is just four points back of the Oilers. Meanwhile, Calgary, Vancouver, St. Louis and Utah are separated by just two points as they battle for the second Wild Card.
All that’s to say, WHO THE HECK ARE THE SELLERS?!
25 of The League’s 32 teams are firmly entrenched in the playoff race! These GMs are going to need to get creative to improve their teams without letting their opponents get better. If the early flurry of trades was any indication, this might just be the year where GMs aren’t afraid to think BIG. With so many teams alive in the race, it’s going to take some remarkable “Hockey Deals” to truly make a difference.
In other words, buckle up and enjoy your popcorn, because you’re going to be glued to the screen until a little after 3pm(ET) on Friday. Remember, just because the clock strikes “THREE” that doesn’t mean you can turn away. There’s generally a handful of trades in The League’s “que” that make it in under the wire but don’t get announced until after the deadline time has passed.
The countdown to The NHL’s version of “March Madness” is underway!
