The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline came and went on March 8. And as always, it proved to be a rather chaotic day. Teams wheeled and dealt in hopes of furthering their chances of success now and in the future. Big names such as Jake Guentzel changed teams as did depth players down each team's lineup.
There are multiple ways to “win” the NHL Trade Deadline. For example, a rebuilding team can win the deadline by stocking up on premium future assets. However, this season it feels as if the rebuilding teams fell short of the winner's podium. They stocked up on future assets, no question. But the market didn't fall their way, and some of the prices paid reflect this.
The most common way is for contending teams to bulk up for deep playoff runs. That we did see this year, and those teams are the ones who emerged as winners. But which teams specifically won this year? Let's take a look at the winners of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline amid multiple blockbuster deals.
Hurricanes finally land a big fish
The Carolina Hurricanes went all in to land a star player. Their attempts to pry Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks came up short. However, that didn't stop them, and they eventually landed Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Guentzel is currently injured, but all signs point to him recovering well. Prior to the injury, the Nebraska native was a point-per-game player. And he is coming off back-to-back 70+ point seasons. The Hurricanes gave up a lot at the NHL Trade Deadline, but that's mostly in terms of quantity. In fact, Carolina may not even have to give Pittsburgh their first-round pick in this trade.
The Hurricanes made another interesting deal, picking up Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals. Carolina could have had him for free, but sent a 2025 third-round pick to get him at 50% of his nearly $8 million cap hit. These two deals helped Carolina win the NHL Trade Deadline and could help them win a Stanley Cup.
Avalanche swung for the fences
The Colorado Avalanche made a fair few trades at the NHL Trade Deadline. However, the most significant of those deals came on the same day. Colorado acquired Sean Walker from the Philadelphia Flyers, before sending Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt.
Walker is an upgrade over Byram on the blueline for the Avalanche. Furthermore, Mittelstadt gave them the second-line center they needed. Especially since Ryan Johansen didn't work out for Colorado. Johansen went to the Flyers in the Walker deal, getting them out of the $4 million cap hit that came with the veteran center.
The Avalanche added forward depth as well, picking up Yakov Trenin and Brandon Duhaime in separate deals. Overall, Colorado revamped their roster to help compete in a tight Central Division. And their NHL Trade Deadline activity could have a huge impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Golden Knights go all out again
Love them or hate them, the Vegas Golden Knights are always aggressive. That was no different at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Vegas picked up three players, with two of the deals coming before March 8. Forward Anthony Mantha and defenseman Noah Hanifin will have an immediate impact on the Golden Knights.
Mantha is having a resurgent season, scoring 20 goals for the Washington Capitals at the time of his trade. Hanifin was the top defenseman on the trade market this season. He is a pending unrestricted free agent but represents a major upgrade to the team's blueline.
The biggest move from the Golden Knights came with minutes to spare on March 8. Vegas acquired veteran forward Tomas Hertl from the San Jose Sharks in a last-minute blockbuster. Hertl is injured, much like Jake Guentzel, but he is expected to return at some point this season.
Vegas gave up a lot to acquire these players. However, most of the prices are rather fair prices to pay. Furthermore, they did all of this without surrendering their 2024 first-round draft pick. The Golden Knights certainly won the NHL Trade Deadline while boosting their chances of defending their Stanley Cup championship.
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