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What the past five Stanley Cup winners did at NHL trade deadline

The clock is ticking down to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, and with teams working until the dying minutes to address needs and find the last pieces to help them make a deep playoff run, major deals may well be cooking.

But does it actually pay off to make monster moves this time of year?

To answer that question, we looked at the last five winners of the Stanley Cup, examining the deals they struck in the final days, weeks and minutes before the deadline to gauge their ultimate impact.

Sportsnet’s hockey news breakers, analysts and reporters will have coast-to-coast coverage of all the moves made ahead of this season’s NHL trade deadline. Full coverage on March 7 begins at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

2020: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history one year after leading the regular season only to be swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets — upset city.

Since the Lightning won the 2018-19 Presidents’ Trophy, the team obviously had key pieces in place already. As the Feb. 24 deadline neared in 2020, Tampa added some forward depth and grit to their lineup.

On February 16, they picked up forward Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils, sending prospect Nolan Foote and a 2020 first-rounder the other way.

Coleman went on to post five goals, eight assists and 31 penalty minutes in 25 playoff games. That ranked sixth overall in team scoring, solid secondary offence for a team led by Nikita Kucherov (34 points in 25 games), Brayden Point (33 points) and defender Victor Hedman (22 points).

On deadline day, Tampa Bay picked up forward Barclay Goodrow plus a third-round pick in 2020 from San Jose in exchange for a 2020 first-rounder and fellow forward, Anthony Greco, who they’d acquired days earlier after sending Danick Martel to the Florida Panthers.

Goodrow’s stats with Tampa Bay during that playoff run: one goal, five assists and 16 penalty minutes in 25 games. That ranked the Canadian 13th overall in points, but one of his assists was clutch, coming on Anthony Cirelli’s series-clinching overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final. Goodrow was also an impressive plus-5 in the post-season.

Conclusion: Neither move shook the NHL landscape, but the Lightning got some key supporting players and added offence to an already deep and deadly core. Probably more importantly, they got some grit, adding players who could help wear down other teams. And both were still with the team when they repeated the following season.

2021: Tampa Bay Lightning (again)

The defending Stanley Cup champions were obviously stacked already, but they made a few moves on and ahead of the April 12 deadline. Only one was truly impactful.

On April 10, Tampa acquired defender David Savard from Columbus, part of a three-team trade with Detroit. The Lightning gave up a first-round and fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft and a third-rounder in 2022, focusing on defensive depth to try to win (again) now.

Savard, then 30, was in his last of a five-year contract, and Tampa Bay decided a top-four, right-shot defender was their priority at the deadline. In Savard they acquired a dependable and tough 10-year vet who played hard minutes and blocked shots. Savard played all but three games in the post-season, had five assists, and averaged just over 14 minutes per game.

Conclusion: The defending champions had a lot of key pieces in place already, and Savard was brought in to fill a need and play mainly on the second back-end pairing. He brought hard work and dependability. Mostly, Tampa relied on its existing lineup to pull off the repeat, and it worked.

Hockey Insider Nick Kypreos shares the latest intel on players who could be on the move ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

2022: Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche won their third Stanley Cup in franchise history, denying Tampa the three-peat with a 4-2 series win. Led by stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado was stacked, and then president of hockey operations, Joe Sakic, made a few moves ahead of the March 21 deadline, with one in particular signalling his team was all-in.

On March 14, the Avalanche picked up defenceman Josh Manson from Anaheim, giving up prospect Drew Helleson and a second-rounder in 2023. Manson was an alternate captain in Anaheim and brought leadership and stability to the back end. He played the fifth-most minutes in the playoffs among Avalanche D and scored three goals, the biggest being an overtime winner in Colorado’s second-round opener against St. Louis.

The next day, they added forward Nico Sturm and sent Tyson Jost to Minnesota. Sturm’s contract was expiring and the faceoff specialist didn’t produce a ton during the playoffs — just two points in 13 games.

On deadline day, the Avs added forward Andrew Cogliano from the Sharks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2024. Cogliano fit on the team’s fourth line, and on the PK. He had six points in 16 games.

They also made their biggest move of all on deadline day, bringing Artturi Lehkonen over from Montreal in exchange for defender Justin Barron and a second-round pick in the 2024 draft. Lehkonen slotted in as a middle-six winger and ranked eighth on the team in playoff scoring, with eight goals and six assists in 20 games. He scored the overtime series-winner in the Western Conference Final against Edmonton, and added a go-ahead goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Conclusion: Adding Lehkonen to an already potent offensive corps brought depth, while Manson provided the same at the back end. Both players were key in meaningful moments during the run and are still with the team today. The big moves paid off.

2023: Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup in 2023 after securing Ivan Barbashev, who played on their No. 1 line, just before the deadline.

Vegas acquired Barbashev from St. Louis, sending Zach Dean the other way. Barbashev played on the left wing alongside Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, and ranked fifth on the Golden Knights in post-season scoring, with seven goals and 11 assists.

The Knights also added forward Teddy Blueger from Pittsburgh on March 1, for defenceman Peter DiLiberatore plus a 2024 third-round pick. Blueger had two points in six playoff games.

Finally, they acquired Jonathan Quick for Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Quick was needed to back up Adin Hill after both Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit went down with injuries. Quick didn’t play in the post-season, but went 5-2-2 in the regular season with Vegas, helping them clinch top position in the Pacific Division.

Conclusion: The Barbashev deal was a big one, and he proved to be a great complement to Eichel and Marchessault on that top line. The Golden Knights were lucky in that Barbashev found chemistry with the team’s top producers when it mattered most.

2024: Florida Panthers

After losing to Vegas in the final a year earlier, the Panthers were still looking for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. To that end, the team that was leading the NHL in early March was one of the most aggressive in the leadup to the March 8 deadline. That included picking up one of the best rental players available, in pending unrestricted free agent forward, Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Panthers got Tarasenko, who’d already won a Cup with the Blues, from Ottawa on March 6 for a pair of conditional picks. Captain Aleksander Barkov and fellow forward Matthew Tkachuk continued to pace the team offensively in the post-season, and Tarasenko added secondary scoring, with five goals and four assists, ranking 10th on the team in points.

On March 8, Florida picked up Kyle Okposo and sent defender Calle Sjalin to Buffalo, along with a conditional seventh-round pick in 2024. Okposo, then 35, played 17 playoff games, and had a pair of assists.

Conclusion: The Panthers addressed some needs — adding offence up front and depth to their top-nine forwards. A case for the aggressive approach, which can really work.

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Who says no? Evaluating your Wild trade proposals, from Boeser to Marchand to … McDavid

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— Hunter M.

Exec: I guess you’d have to like Hartman. Hartman has started to pencil himself in as just a knucklehead running around taking bad penalties so I’m not sure that one gets done. I don’t see that one being advantageous to (Nashville). I think it would have to be a first-rounder because I don’t think Hartman has much value. He used to, but I think he’s diminished his value with his antics. I like his compete, but he can’t compete, it doesn’t seem, without taking bad penalties. So I think he’s put himself in a position where he’s devalued himself. Old Ryan Hartman and the second-round pick would have gotten that done all day long, but I’m not sure now. If you had two second-round picks with Ryan Hartman or a first this year, it would get it done.

Smith: Hartman returns Tuesday from his eight-game suspension (the fifth suspension of his career), so we can see why patience is running thin among Wild fans. Guerin said they expect Hartman on his “best behavior” and made it clear there’s “no more leeway” for the veteran forward. That holds true with the officials, who will be watching him like a hawk. Most likely it holds true for the organization, too. It’ll be interesting to see how Hartman plays down the stretch, because they really need him with all the injuries. A key reminder here regarding any trade: Hartman has a full no-move clause this season. We like to joke that O’Reilly is considered among the best centers in Wild franchise history (for those eight minutes three-way deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs two years ago). The Predators will give O’Reilly a say in where he lands, and it’ll need to be a strong package.

— Jason H.

Exec: I think that’s a reasonable one, (but) I’m not sure Buffalo would do it for Rossi because if you look at the Buffalo farm team, they have some Marco Rossis coming. … You’re trading away a great big, aggressive forward for a smaller forward. They have two smaller forwards in (Konsta) Helenius and (Noah) Ostlund, a Swede, who are both 5-foot-11 skilled centers that can fill that role that Marco Rossi would fill. So the value is probably OK, but I’m not sure the fit is what Buffalo would want.

Smith: We know the Wild like Cozens, a young center who is in year two of a seven-year deal with a $7.1 million cap hit. Despite Cozens’ down year, there’s a lot of upside. And that cap hit is probably in the range of what Rossi will seek on a long-term deal this summer as a restricted free agent. It would be very difficult for the money to work on a deadline deal. And while Rossi might be in the trade market this summer, depending on how contract talks go, it’s hard to see him getting moved this week. He’s currently their No. 1 center with all the injuries.

— Kyle M.

Exec: That’s kind of funny. All good players. A first-round pick always has value.

Smith: I see what you did there, Kyle. Very clever. Faber was traded to Minnesota, along with a first-round pick, a couple of years ago for Fiala. Our bet is that if they had to do it over again, the Kings would have lost Guerin’s phone number when he called about Faber back then.

— Tom S.

Exec: That’s got some potential. I’m not sure that Buffalo needs another left-shot D (along with Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Owen Powers and Mattias Samuelsson). And then they have a couple more depth guys and they’ve got another young guy coming, so I don’t know that they’re looking to add another left shot demon. Brodin plays right side a lot. That has value. So that’s not totally far-fetched. I don’t think that one’s really out of the line. Cozens is … one of my favorite guys. As a junior, I thought he was can’t-miss. It was just, could he play first line, second line, or would he be third line? And I’m not sure yet whether he’s a first, second or third line — and if he’s a center or a winger — but he’s a top-nine forward all day long that’s big, works hard, has a great attitude and that can score some points. So he’s a really good player coming back. That trade could have some merit if they use Stramel to replace Cozens and they get Brodin and they view him as a left shot but a comfortable guy on the right side. That’s a decent trade for both teams.

Smith: Again, the Wild like Cozens. And there has to be some injury concern about Brodin. With touted prospect Zeev Buium coming soon on the left side, there’s more depth there than before. Stramel has improved his value with a bounce-back season at Michigan State. This idea isn’t as far-fetched as the others, but I don’t see it happening.

— Skylar S.

Exec: No chance. I don’t think so. I think Vancouver has to keep Boeser to try to make the playoffs. So I don’t think Vancouver is going to trade Boeser. I think Vancouver is probably under some heat to perform this year. So even though Boeser is going to be a UFA, Hunter Haight is not a lock to be a player. Like I said before, I think Hartman’s devalued himself. And those guys aren’t going to help Vancouver make the playoffs right now, which I think is important for Vancouver. They’re gonna take a lot of heat if they don’t make the playoffs.

Smith: I could see the Wild really pursuing Boeser this summer as a UFA, but it’s hard to imagine them giving up a ton of assets at the deadline when he’s expected to be available in a few months. The Wild aren’t just one player away from winning a Cup. And the Canucks would probably ask for more, too.

— Patrick G.

Exec: That’s not a bad return for McDavid, but Edmonton can’t trade McDavid. He’s the best player in the world, still in his prime. They did it once with (Wayne) Gretzky, and the franchise took 20 years to recover. I don’t think they’ll do it again. It’s not an unfair return. Kaprizov and Boldy are really good players. And for the Wild, nothing is too much to get the best player in the world.

Smith: Why stop there? McDavid is going to look really good next to Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen when they sign with the Wild this summer.

— Ringatorp E.

Exec: You know, on the surface, that’s not bad. And I’m not as big a Brady fan as Ottawa seems to be. I think he’s more disruptive than he is positive a lot of times. So there’s been some rumblings that he’s gonna want out of Ottawa. If he doesn’t want out of Ottawa, they built him up to be this semi-god in Ottawa where he’s gonna be their leader going forward. So I don’t know that they would actually trade him, but that return if they decided they wanna trade him isn’t bad. I think it’s too much for Minnesota for the Brady Tkachuk that’s going to come in. He’s a good player and he runs around, but a lot of his nonsense happens when the team’s behind, and then it’s just kind of a sideshow. He’s a really good player, but he’s not — I don’t think he’s his brother. And I don’t think he’s an elite guy on the first line. I think he’s a good top-six forward that can help you out if he can control his emotions. So Minnesota is giving up a lot to get that guy.”

Smith: Man, Wild fans must have really tuned into the 4 Nations Face-Off considering all the proposals for the Tkachuk brothers.

Exec: I don’t know how Carson Lambos is doing. He ended his junior career just OK. I thought as he came into junior, he was really good, and I think he plateaued. So I don’t know how he’s done in the AHL, if he still has value or not. If he had the value that he did when he was first drafted and when he came into junior, that’s a good trade for both sides, I think. And everybody wants Marchand even though he’s not the Marchand of old. I guess I don’t know if Lambos’ value is enough to say if that has any validity to it. That’s what happens with fans. They say, “Well, we’re trading you a first-round pick.” But if he hasn’t produced and progressed, then that pick is absolutely useless. You get excited getting a first-round pick because it opens lots of possibilities for you. Of first-round picks, only two-thirds of them ever play regularly in the NHL. Not stars, just play 200 games. You look at the first round — one-third of them usually don’t turn out to be good NHL players. So if you’ve got a first-round pick and he’s not progressing, that’s a useless asset.

Smith: I’m pretty sure most GMs would like to have Marchand on their team, but I doubt he gets traded from the Bruins.

— Brandon Z.

Exec: Zero chance. If Zegras goes, which I think (the Ducks) will get fed up with him, they’re going to get a good player. He’s not going to take on someone else’s problem for Zegras. Zegras could explode as a player. They’ll get a good player back when they trade.

Smith: The Wild don’t seem to be big fans of Zegras, so he probably wouldn’t be high on their list anyway.

— Steve G.

Exec: Florida is never going to trade Matthew Tkachuk. If they did, they’d need Kaprizov and another really good player. Like a good prospect. Kaprizov is a great player. I think they’re not going to trade a player with Tkachuk’s abrasive style for another guy who is a pure offensive guy because they had that with (Jonathan) Huberdeau. It’d have to be Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek or someone like that. I like Ek a lot. You get a first-line left winger to replace Tkachuk, but you need another good forward or a really elite prospect. Like an Ek to replace (Sam) Bennett. Now you’re talking a trade that might interest them. But I don’t think there’s any chance they trade Tkachuk. He’s got folk-hero status there.

Smith: I don’t believe the Wild are going to trade Kaprizov (at least, unless negotiations in the next year go really sideways). And for how much Florida gave up for Tkachuk, and him rewarding their faith with a Cup, he’s not going anywhere either.

Russo: I insisted on making a cameo. Bill Zito was a firm “no” on this … until Declan Chisholm was thrown in as a sweetener. Then he was like, “Now we have to trade Tkachuk! Do it before they change their mind!”

— Steve G.

Exec: There’s the Toronto Maple Leaf (fan) trade. We’re gonna give Hartman away because we don’t like them, but you should, and we’re gonna give you Lambos who hasn’t done anything, but he was a first-round pick, so you should like him. Like it’s a whole bunch of nothing. We’re gonna give you four pieces, none of which are ever going to turn out potentially, and you should be happy to get those for your best player or one of your best players. Danila Yurov is good. He’s a legitimate prospect. But it’s not enough for Brady Tkachuk.

Smith: Thanks, Steve G., for sending over a potential Wild lineup with the Tkachuk brothers on a top line with Rossi. That must have been fun to put together. Heck, that’s what this whole “who says no” exercise is all about. I’m just bummed that Russo missed out on (most of) this.

Wild GM Bill Guerin: ‘It’s up to the guys in that locker room’

Three years ago, the Minnesota Gophers went on a run that included a Big Ten Conference hockey title and their first trip to the NCAA Frozen Four under head coach Bob Motzko. But there were inevitable bumps along the way – most notably star goalie Jack LaFontaine’s abrupt decision in early January to sign a pro contract and leave the crease in the hands of untested and unknown Justen Close.

A day or two after LaFontaine cleared out his locker and headed out to what would eventually be 80 minutes in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, the remaining Gophers players found these words written by Motzko and one of his assistants on the home locker room’s whiteboard:

“We have all that we need. And we need all that we have.”

In that vein, with the NHL trade deadline still a few days away, there is a quiet sense of confidence in the Minnesota Wild locker room that if this is what they have for the stretch run that they fully expect will return them to the playoffs, then what they have is enough, as long as everyone plays a role in team success.

On Saturday, Wild general manager Bill Guerin worked a trade with Nashville to add top-six forward Gustav Nyquist. A day later, Guerin admitted that with the team’s salary cap situation and the much-publicized dead money that is on their books for another few months, they’re out of wiggle room.

He’ll answer any general manager who calls, Guerin said, but any future trades between now and Friday afternoon might need to be of the rare one-for-one variety.

Nyquist played on the top line Sunday in a slump-busting 1-0 win over Boston that had the team in high spirits following the final horn. The Wild were again without injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, without injured defenseman Jonas Brodin and suspended forward Ryan Hartman, eligible to return for their game at Seattle on Tuesday.

But the feeling inside the locker room was that even if Nyquist is the only addition at the deadline, the team has all it needs.

“We’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna acquire Hartman for the next game, and then we got (Brodin) hopefully coming back with Ekky and Kirill, so our deadline looks fine,” a smiling Filip Gustavsson said after turning in his fourth shutout of the season. “(They’re) kind of like acquisitions. They haven’t played for a bit, so when they’re back, it’s gonna be good.”

Hartman is returning from an eight-game suspension following an altercation with Ottawa forward Tim Stuzle in early February. Initially a 10-game suspension, the NHL said it considers Hartman a repeat offender. Guerin said there is no more room for suspension-inducing behavior by the veteran.

“I expect his best behavior,” the GM said. “I think Hartsy will be excited to be back. We will be very happy to have Ryan back to the lineup. He’ll bring a lot of juice for the group. We all look forward to having him back.”

While Hartman has a time-definite return, the timetable for the other three remains a mystery — even to Guerin, who got a bit defiant when asked when he thought Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek and Brodin might be back on the line chart, or even when they might begin skating. And he reiterated a version of the message that was seen in the Gophers locker room a few years ago. Guerin believes the Wild have all that they need, and they need all that they have.

“When we play the way we are capable, when we do the right things, when we’re focused and execute well, then we can not just play with anybody, we can beat anybody,” he said. “So, I think it’s up to the guys in that locker room. They have a responsibility to be on task every night, to play the way that they’re capable of playing, and buy time for the guys to get back.”

What the past five Stanley Cup winners did at NHL trade deadline

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Who says no? Evaluating your Wild trade proposals, from Boeser to Marchand to … McDavid

Wild GM Bill Guerin: ‘It’s up to the guys in that locker room’

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