That’s it and that’s for the 2024 NHL trade deadline. It was a wild few days with the Vegas Golden Knights bookending the action between Wednesday and Friday, swinging a midweek deal for Noah Hanifin before a buzzer-beating blockbuster for Tomas Hertl to end the week.
Get caught up on all of Friday’s moves — and close calls — in the live blog/tracker below.
3:14 p.m.: Looks like that’s going to be it for the Bruins, according to The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter.
3:07 p.m.: What a major move for the Golden Knights, who won’t be able to use Tomas Hertl right away, but they’ll likely have back for the playoffs — and way beyond.
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3:05 p.m.: The Canucks reportedly have called it a day, which means Elias Lindholm is staying put and not coming to a team like … the Bruins.
2:58 p.m.: Wow, a bombshell at the buzzer from TSN. Tomas Hertl is going to the desert to join the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights.
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2:55 p.m.: An earlier report indicated Vegas was working on something pretty big surrounding a player with term. Could that player be longtime Sharks forward Tomas Hertl.
2:50 p.m.: So much for that Max Pacioretty trade rumor.
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2:45 p.m.: Here’s the reported return for Arizona on the Matt Dumba-to-Tampa Bay trade.
2:37 p.m.: The Lightning aren’t done, either. We’re seeing more and more reports that Matt Dumba is going to the Bolts.
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2:33 p.m.: The Bruins made the Andrew Peeke deal official.
2:10 p.m.: The Bruins added size up front earlier in the day by acquiring Pat Maroon — a deal that is now official — and now Don Sweeney has added size on the back end. The Bruins have reportedly acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jakub Zboril.
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Peeke is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound, right-shot defenseman, who has been in and out of the lineup this season for the Blue Jackets. He’s a defensive-minded blue liner, who averaged more than 21 minutes last season while blocking a ton of shots (197 in 80 games).
1:45 p.m.: The Devils have apparently found their goalie, reportedly plucking Jake Allen from the Canadiens.
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1:13 p.m.: The Rangers might be cooking up something that could be a relatively low-risk, high-reward move. Longtime New York scribe Larry Brooks is reporting the Blueshirts are in on Max Pacioretty.
Pacioretty obviously isn’t the player he was in his prime — two torn Achilles are hard to come back from — but in the right situation, he still has some scoring touch and could be good depth for a contender like the Rangers.
12:47 p.m.: There’s another veteran forward on the move, with Arizona shipping Jason Zucker to Nashville.
12:14 p.m.: The Bruins still haven’t announced the reported Pat Maroon trade, but B’s coach Jim Montgomery offered a highly complimentary scouting report following practice Friday in Boston.
12:01 p.m.: The Panthers are getting a little tougher and adding some solid veteran leadership by landing Sabres captain Kyle Okposo.
11:38 a.m.: The Bruins are getting tougher, bigger and more physical by bringing in a decorated power forward. The B’s are getting Patrick Maroon from the Minnesota Wild, according to reports.
11:25 a.m.: Tyler Toffoli was the biggest name left on the market. It appears he no longer is on the market, with the Devils sending him to Winnipeg, according to multiple reports.
11:10 a.m.: Good news for Jordan Eberle is bad news for those wanting trades. Seattle is extending the forward, per multiple reports, taking him off the market.
10:50 a.m.: Trade! The Carolina Hurricanes are picking up right where they left off. Evgeny Kuznetsov is making the short trip down the East Coast where he’ll join a Canes team loading up. Kuznetsov was a point-per-game player a couple of seasons ago, but he hasn’t been very productive this season when on the ice. It’s solid depth, though, for the Hurricanes.
9:50 a.m.: The first move of the day? It’s not what you’d think, but it does involve the Bruins, who have reportedly extended defenseman Parker Wotherspoon for one year and $800,000, per multiple reports.
8 a.m.: Thursday, the day before the NHL trade deadline, started pretty slow — especially compared to a wild Wednesday. However, the day ended with a bang, and it might set the tone for a very busy deadline day.
The biggest domino, at least thus far, fell Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins traded winger Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Penguins are now eight points out of the final playoff spot in the East with three additional teams they’d have to pass, so it appears the rebuild is on for really the first time in the Sidney Crosby era. Carolina, meanwhile, has legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations and once again has to be looked at as a favorite in the East, despite currently owning the fourth-best record, as it adds Guentzel, a potential game-changing offensive talent.
So, now what? One team to keep an eye on Friday is New Jersey. The Devils are in the running for a playoff spot, sitting six points behind the two wild-card teams: Detroit and Tampa Bay. They need a goalie and have been connected in multiple reports with teams who might be shopping netminders. Meanwhile, the Devils also have Tyler Toffoli, who could potentially be the best remaining skater on the block. Could they use Toffoli to get a goalie and try to still make a run despite trading a talented player like that? Do they just straight sell? Hard to say.
Locally, we’ll be following each and every thing the Bruins are working on ahead of the deadline. Boston sits just one point behind Florida in the division and conference, which is kind of remarkable given the recent struggles. Don Sweeney is a bit hamstrung by cap restraints and a lack of draft picks, so they may make a hockey trade, but that would take some real guts. They are one of the most intriguing teams.
Regardless of what happens in Boston or across the league, we’ll be all over it throughout the day leading up to the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Featured image via Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports Images
