Ryan S. ClarkCloseRyan S. ClarkESPN NHL reporterRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on X, Kristen ShiltonCloseKristen ShiltonESPN NHL reporterKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.Follow on X, Greg WyshynskiCloseGreg WyshynskiSenior NHL writerGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsMar 6, 2026, 03:55 PM ET
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play1:47Why Quinn Hughes’ trade to Wild puts rest of NHL on noticeGreg Wyshynski breaks down why he loves the trade of Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
Artemi Panarin capitalizes on the power playArtemi Panarin scores on the power play for New York Rangers
Why Quinn Hughes’ trade to Wild puts rest of NHL on noticeGreg Wyshynski breaks down why he loves the trade of Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
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John Carlson lights the lamp for Capitals (0:42)John Carlson lights the lamp for Capitals (0:42)
The day before the deadline, the Colorado Avalanche built up their forward group by adding Nicolas Roy, sending two conditional draft picks back to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange. Later, the Dallas Stars traded for Michael Bunting, sending a third-round draft pick to the Nashville Predators. Then, a late night barrage, as John Carlson, Conor Garland, Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn were all traded.
Up until Friday’s deadline, ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski will be grading each side on all of the big swaps, with the latest deals highest up on this page.
The New York Islanders acquired St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn before Friday’s NHL trade deadline, adding a gritty veteran playmaker for their playoff push.
The Islanders sent veteran forward Jonathan Drouin, a 2026 first-round pick, a third-round pick and 6-foot-7 Swedish goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof to the Blues. The first-round pick was one acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in last season’s Brock Nelson trade.
New York had to upgrade its offense in order to even hint at being a postseason threat. And the Islanders did actually shoot their shot.
Sitting 22nd overall in scoring with 2.89 goals per game, the Islanders have been hurt by a lack of scoring depth in the past. New York is stingy on defense — allowing the fifth-fewest goals against — and that’s what makes Schenn an ideal fit for the system.
Schenn is a productive two-way center with bonafide playmaking ability and strong defensive skills. He has 12 goals and 28 points in 61 games this season and can slot in almost anywhere new coach Patrick Roy wants to use him (including on either wing). Schenn is physical, smart with the puck and strong in the faceoff dot (at 54.2% this season). He’ll also be an option for the Islanders on special teams.
The intangibles are there for Schenn as well — he’s been captain of the Blues since 2023 and will bring championship pedigree from the Blues’ Stanley Cup run in 2019.
It’s tidy work by New York here to get Schenn, 34, while he’s still a good player and has two years remaining on a reasonable contract (at $6.5 million). New York had the draft capital available thanks to an extra first-round pick this year courtesy of trading Brock Nelson to Colorado last season Given how the Islanders have performed this year, it only made sense to try giving them a boost with a trade for Schenn.
However, it also speaks to how tilted the ice was for sellers this year around the NHL. Blues GM Doug Armstrong demanded a significant return for a player in the back half of his career who, while talented, isn’t the most dynamic skater or verifiable game changer. And the Islanders included Jonathan Drouin in the package, who, despite scoring only three goals in 55 games, still clocks in at over 17 minutes a game.
It’s all a bit risky considering the Islanders aren’t a runaway choice to make noise in the playoffs, but if Schenn can be the complementary piece they’re hoping for, then New York’s opportunity to succeed in the spring goes up.
There was an expectation that St. Louis would be moving a center. Robert Thomas? Jordan Kyrou? Not so much. But Schenn — that was the deal Armstrong was willing to do. And how could he not, with a return that exceptional?
Schenn had a 15-team trade list attached to his contract, and New York wasn’t on it. Armstrong had to get his blessing before going through with the transaction, and it was an excellent one for the Blues to get done. That Schenn — at his age and with the role he projects to play for the Islanders — could fetch what he did for a retooling St. Louis team would have been baffling a few years ago. Now, with contract clauses and the salary cap increasing, trade boards are adjusting too.
Ultimately, St. Louis adds necessary draft capital ahead of what might be a busy offseason and a goalie prospect for the cupboards. The Blues spiraled out of contention this season and are in dire need of a revamp as it is. This deal reflects where St. Louis is at, and shucking Schenn gives them more cap space to wield as well. Drouin is also not a rental — he is signed through next season with a $4 million cap hit — and can still be a productive piece of St. Louis’ bottom six.
The Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman John Carlson from the Washington Capitals for a conditional first-round pick in either the 2026 or 2027 NHL draft and a 2027 third-round selection.
Carlson, 36, is having one of his best offensive seasons over the past five years with 46 points in 55 games — 37 of them coming at even strength. He has skated to a plus-11 rating and the Capitals are giving up 2.32 goals per 60 minutes when he’s on the ice, one of the better marks on the team among defensemen.
While the Capitals’ power play has been oddly underwhelming this season (16.4%, 28th in the NHL), Carlson has long been one of the NHL’s better quarterbacks with the man advantage. His 81 power-play points over the past five seasons rank him 15th among all defensemen.
The Ducks’ power play has also been middling at 18.2%, which is 23rd in the NHL. Jackson LaCombe leads Anaheim defensemen with 13 power-play points as their PP1 quarterback. No other defenseman on the team has more than three power-play points. So whether it’s supplanting LaCombe or bolstering the second power-play unit, Carlson will help.
Does Verbeek need to do something before Friday’s trade deadline to make room for Carlson, or just hang on to everyone with the assumption that Carlson is one and done?
The cost of acquisition was high but worth it for a player of Carlson’s talents, experience and potential impact on the power play. It can be debated whether the Ducks are at a point in their maturation as a contender to trade two good draft picks for a player on a short-term contract.
On one hand, I’d argue they aren’t. On the other hand, the Pacific Division is so wide open that Anaheim has as good a shot as any of making the Western Conference finals.
When I spoke with Carlson at Capitals training camp, it was clear he wasn’t pleased with the uncertainty surrounding his future. Perhaps he sensed that after a remarkable 17-season run with the same franchise, during which he was a Norris Trophy finalist and a Stanley Cup champion, their objectives were no longer aligned. If next season is the first one of the post-Alex Ovechkin Era — and increasingly, it’s starting to seem that way — Carlson wasn’t going to be in those plans.
Still, it’s hard to believe that after 1,143 games, the second most played by a Capital behind Ovechkin (1,554 games), Carlson has been traded.
Credit Washington’s front office for its self-awareness and lack of sentimentality. The math isn’t currently “mathing” for the Capitals in the East, as they’re four points out of Boston’s final playoff spot, but the Bruins have two games in hand. If opportunities were there to turn aging veterans into future resources, they had to be explored — not because Washington is giving up on its season, but because it’s just good asset management.
We witnessed that on display when they traded 35-year-old center Nic Dowd, a vital part of their locker room since 2018, to the Vegas Golden Knights for two draft picks. And now we see it with John Carlson.
The conditions on the first-round pick are as follows: Should Anaheim qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Anaheim will transfer its 2026 first-round pick to Washington. If Anaheim fails to qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Anaheim has the option to retain its 2026 first-round pick and transfer its 2027 first-round pick to Washington instead.
This front office has banked a lot of goodwill with us thanks to a series of smart moves (acquiring Jakob Chychrun, getting good value by acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois) and big swings that just missed — where would the Caps be right now had they landed free agent forward Nikolaj Ehlers?
There was little risk in moving Carlson if he wasn’t in their long-term plans, and the return is really solid for an assumed short-term player with no salary retention. The only risk was whether this move snuffs out any hope the Capitals had in making the playoffs, if only because the fans now understand their current circumstances in the standings and the looming end to a glorious era in Washington hockey. — Wyshynski
The Buffalo Sabres landed defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Jacob Bryson, forward Isak Rosen, a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick. The Jets retained 50% of Schenn’s contract.
Knowing that St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko turned down a trade to join the Sabres meant their front office had to move quickly to find an alternative before the 3 p.m. ET cutoff on Friday.