Moving Day: NHL Trade Deadline

Monday's NHL Trade Deadline is a national holiday of sorts in Canada with all-day TV broadcasts and workers furtively checking their favorite hockey apps and websites for the latest trades and speculation. Trade Deadline fever is most definitely catching in 24 American cities and regions with franchises.
Fans with teams in playoff contention are hoping for the one player (or two?) to spark a title run or at least deep dive into the postseason. Let's prepare ourselves for the fun and inefficient February workdays in our future with this primer.

Just the Facts: This season's NHL Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. Eastern/Noon Pacific Monday, Feb. 24. All details must be communicated to the league office before the afternoon begins here in Seattle. Fans might not hear about official trades for an hour or two after 12 noon because all documentation must be reviewed and approved by the league. There might be a backlog as some team general managers, like many of us, are prone to last-minute decisions, whether deciding on a defenseman or ordering the Cobb salad or a turkey burger.
Wait a sec: It is possible for teams to trade players after the Deadline. Huh? Yes, possible but no player traded after noon Monday will be eligible for postseason play. That rules out most moves unless it is swapping minor leaguers.

Active roster size:Prior to the Trade Deadline, NHL teams must limit its active rosters to 23 players (20 dress for games, 18 skaters and two goalies). After the Deadline, rosters can expand to any size, provided the group still fits under the NHL salary cap. This expansion helps teams struggling with nagging injuries, allowing reinforcements without putting a player on a more restrictive injured reserve list (which shelves a player for at least seven days). That injured player might simply need a game or two off to heal for the stretch run. Some coaches are happy to have the extra bodies in practices, resting regulars but still to run drills. This is particularly true during the players when select minor-league players finished with their American Hockey League seasons are called up as reserves. Speaking of AHL players, there are rosters rules regarding the Deadline but the most relevant impact is contending teams might lose top players that are part of NHL trades.
OK, let's talk more fun stuff: Sports fans like to refer to buyers and sellers during trade times. In the NHL, that means "buyer" GMs are working on playoff qualification and, most often, finding the magical player or three who can lead to a Stanley Cup win. NHL Seattle GM Ron Francis was involved in such an exchange when he was traded along with Hartford Whalers teammates Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings to the Pittsburgh Penguins in early March 1991. Hartford received John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski and Jeff Parker in return. Most media members did not consider Pittsburgh a top Cup contender before the trade. Francis and the Penguins were 6-0-1 in their first seven games following the trade. They closed the regular season with a 9-3-2 overall run to win a first-ever division title. Francis scored two goals and notched nine assists in those 14 games, while Samuelsson (1G, 4A, 37 penalty minutes) and Jennings (1G, 3 A, 26 penalty minutes) provided the muscle and nastiness in front of its own net that Pittsburgh was lacking. The Penguins won the Cup that June and repeated the title feat in 1992. Two decades later, many NHL experts still consider it the most lopsided trade ever made at Deadline.

Who's selling?One of the most engaging parts of the Trade Deadline run-up is determining which team GMs are rethinking their squads. It's not hard to figure out that certain teams (New Jersey, Detroit, Anaheim, LA) are rebuilding and reloading for next year, trading veterans for prospects and/or draft choices. Teams to watch this Deadline that might be signaling playoff surrender include Chicago (will it trade a goalie or D-man Eric Gustafsson or maybe forward Brandon Saad?), Ottawa and the New York Rangers (probably moving forward Chris Kreider if contract extension talks falter). In addition, Montreal and Buffalo face multiple-team climbs to make the postseason; will they make trades to go all-in or plan for 2020-21? Minnesota has already traded forward Jason Zucker and top defenseman Matt Dumba might be next. But a recent hot streak is prompting renewed hope in that market--does Dumba stay put?
Did you see that UFA?One group of players to anticipate moving Monday are unrestricted free agents (UFAs) with contracts that end June 30, allowing them to test the free agent market in July.
"Seller" teams fear losing a UFA player for no compensation if he doesn't resign with the team until July 1 or later.
Trade Tracker:Some wise general managers, such as Pittsburgh's Jim Rutherford are known for making trades well ahead of Trade Deadline Day. Here's a link to NHL.com's trade tracker for the latest news. Plus, check back here at nhl.com/Seattle Monday morning for real-time updates of trade news.