The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly made another deal on trade deadline day, sending David Kämpf to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Kämpf played in 38 games with the Canucks this season and scored two goals and four assists.
Vancouver acquired Kämpf via free-agent signing on November 15 after the forward's contract was terminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the Canucks, Kämpf had yet to make his NHL debut for the 2025-26 season as he had been assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
While with the Canucks, Kämpf also represented Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics alongside Filip Hronek. He scored a goal and an assist in five games played with Team Czechia and averaged a faceoff winning percentage of 52.75%.
Kämpf was not the only Canucks Olympian to be traded today, as Vancouver also sent Lukas Reichel to the Boston Bruins for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Reichel represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Vancouver will face the Chicago Blackhawks later today at 5:30 pm PT.
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward David Kampf (64) during a stop in play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
It sounds like the Sharks did a lot of window shopping, but they certainly didn’t do any buying at the NHL trade deadline.
On Wednesday, the Sharks did re-sign pending UFA Kiefer Sherwood to a five-year contract. Sherwood, acquired on Jan. 19 for essentially a pair of second-round draft picks, ended up being their biggest purchase this season.
And that’s not a bad thing, really.
In general manager Mike Grier’s post-deadline availability, he sent a clear signal that the Sharks were turning the page from their rebuild, but with an accurate sense of where the franchise really is in their competitive cycle.
He’s also keeping his gunpowder dry, saving his best trade assets for a big swing this offseason.
Here are some of the highlights from his chat with the media.
Cautious Buyers?
The Sharks were looking to buy at the trade deadline. That’s a big deal, because that’s the first time they could say that since 2019, the last time that they made the playoffs.
Clearly, acquiring 30-year-old Sherwood for a couple second-rounders is an example of a more aggressive mentality than we’ve grown accustomed to. Usually, Team Teal is out of the playoff picture by Thanksgiving, if not earlier.
That said, San Jose knows that it’s not one player away from a Stanley Cup.
“We were in on a few things throughout the week, but I wasn’t really in the rental market,” Grier said. “We were more into poking around and involved in things with players who had some term.”
Grier revealed that at least the Edmonton Oilers’ 2026 first-round draft pick, acquired last year for Jake Walman, was in play.
“In an ideal world, it’s looking at guys in their 20’s who can keep growing with the group,” Grier said. “We were trying to have an open mind to everything, just not really interested in the rental market.”
Notable players went for first-rounders, but they were all 30-something rental types like John Carlsson and Jason Dickinson, or 30-somethings with term like Justin Faulk, Brayden Schenn, Nazem Kadri and 29-year-old Nicolas Roy.
The reported deal for Colton Parayko, 32, who declined a move to the Buffalo Sabres, also included a first-rounder.
All these players, especially the defensemen, could’ve helped the Sharks, for sure, but San Jose isn’t in a position to throw first-rounders away like candy.
Grier also confirmed his interest in 34-year-old star winger Artemi Panarin, which San Jose Hockey Now reported in January.
“We didn’t really get into it too far, but this was a place I think he would have been willing to come to,” Grier said of Panarin, who has an NMC. “Ultimately for us, I think we thought the assets might be better spent elsewhere.”
The Los Angeles Kings sent top prospect Liam Greentree and a conditional third-rounder to the New York Rangers for Panarin.
Grier also shot down a rumored William Eklund-for-Simon Nemec offer, which would’ve been a swap of a young winger for a young defenseman.
The San Jose Sharks dangled William Eklund to try and get Simon Nemec, but the New Jersey Devils said no in the end.
“I think that was more Twitter stuff,” Grier said. “It’s something where you call and see if someone’s available and then see what the asking price is. That was really about the extent of it. There wasn’t any real getting into it too much.”
The point is, Grier recognizes the Sharks, led by superstar Macklin Celebrini, are in another phase of their quest to become contenders again.
Unlike past years, it wasn’t sell, sell, sell. But San Jose also isn’t yet in buy, buy, buy mode either.
Speaking of Celebrini, the 19-year-old superstar is eligible for an eight-year extension on July 1. This potential record-setting contract is being watched closely league-wide.
Grier revealed that negotiations haven’t started yet, joking, “I don’t want to think about the number.”
Anyway, I’d expect the Sharks to be more aggressive with improving the team this offseason.
In Sherwood, they’re already planning ahead by locking up the gritty scoring winger.
“We didn’t trade for him with the idea of him being a rental; we thought we’d be able to get something done,” Grier said.
There was some online consternation about the price tag and giving a 30-year-old winger such a lengthy extension.
An NHL executive, not with the Sharks, says a five-year, $28.75 million contract was about his prediction for Sherwood on the open market. He predicted Sherwood would get a five-year, $25 million contract, so San Jose was in that range.
Also, there aren’t many players around the league who combine both Sherwood’s skill, grit and leadership. In fact, Sherwood, Will Cuylle and Emil Heineman are the only players in the NHL right now with 15 goals, 100 shots, and 200 hits.
These attributes are craved league-wide.
Grier also tackled the question about Sherwood’s age and length of contract, in contrast with his bruising style of play.
“Not too concerned about it. I know the sports science staff in the gym, I think they’re really confident in the type of shape he keeps himself in, his body and everything,” Grier said. “On top of it, he’s a little bit of a late-bloomer; it’s not like he started playing in the league at 19, he’s been playing this way for ten years leading up to it.”
Obviously, the future isn’t written, but Grier isn’t writing off Sherwood’s durability like some fans have.
“While he plays hard and everything, injuries are a part of the game that can always happen,” Grier said. “We feel confident that he’ll be fine throughout the contract.”
Grier Wanted To Reward This Year’s Sharks
No one, not even Grier or head coach Ryan Warsofsky, would’ve predicted that the Sharks would be on the cusp of a playoff spot at the trade deadline. As of March 5, the Sharks are three points behind the Seattle Kraken for the West’s last wild card spot, but they’ve got two games in hand.
Grier admitted that the team’s pre-deadline three-game winning streak helped make his buy-or-sell decision easier.
“We had a tough road trip going into the break, and then you come out of the break, you lose to Calgary, it could have easily gone sideways if the next three games, they buckled … It definitely had a part in the decision we made over the last couple of days to not strip it away too much and give them an opportunity,” Grier said. “They’ve earned it. Not only these last three games, but really throughout the season—it’s a group that deserves to have a chance to see what they can do.”
This explains keeping pending UFA defenseman Mario Ferraro, who might have netted a second-round pick in a trade.
This also explains not dealing pending UFAs John Klingberg, Vincent Desharnais, Ryan Reaves, Pavol Regenda or Nedeljkovic, all of whom probably would’ve commanded less than Ferraro in a trade.
All this is to say, besides Ferraro, Grier wasn’t exactly walking away from a gold mine of draft picks or anything.
Meanwhile, trading Liljegren does open the door, potentially, for a Sharks prospect to get a look on the blueline, chiefly Luca Cagnoni or Nolan Allen.
Veteran Nick Leddy also is with the Cuda.
The Sharks currently have six healthy defensemen in Dmitry Orlov, Ferraro, Mukhamadullin, Klingberg, Desharnais and Sam Dickinson, and they’ll need a seventh on their upcoming road trip.
Between 5-foot-8 Cagnoni and 6-foot-2 Allan, both left-handers, it’s a contrast of styles.
The more offensive Cagnoni leads Barracuda defensemen with 33 points, on seven goals and 26 assists, in 51 games. That is a little off-pace from last year’s 16 goals and 52 points in 64 contests.
“I think Cags’ season’s been pretty good. I think he set the expectations probably too high [with] how he did last year,” Grier admitted. “He’s taken steps in defending, his rush reads and things like that.”
Allan, acquired this season from the Chicago Blackhawks, is a stay-at-home type.
“Nolan, I think, has been real solid for us,” Grier said. “His skating and his physicality is something that we don’t have a lot of in our group down there…His first pass ability and puck-moving is probably even a little bit better than we maybe initially gave him credit for.
“I’m sure they’ll, at some point, probably be some opportunity for those guys, up here, to get some games in and see how they do.”
The 3:00 p.m. cutoff has come and gone for the NHL trade deadline, and while the Philadelphia Flyers made some headline-grabbing moves, they did not move what appeared to be their most obvious trade chip.
Flyers moves today:
Bobby Brink to MIN for D David Jiricek Nic Deslauriers to CAR for 2027 conditional 7th round pick Alexis Gendron & Massimo Rizzo to BOS for D Jackson Edward & F Brett Harrison (AHL deal) Claimed C Luke Glendening from NJD
The Flyers started the day off by trading winger Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for David Jiricek, a 22-year-old right-shot defenseman who will report to the AHL upon his arrival in Philadelphia.
Then it was forward Nic Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2027 conditional 7th-round draft pick. Deslauriers saw limited playing time this season, mainly being utilized as a fourth-line piece when the lineup needed some physical edge.
They also picked up a center in Luke Glendening, claiming him off waivers from the New Jersey Devils.
On the AHL side of things, forwards Alexis Gendron and Massimo Rizzo are shipping up to Boston, with the Flyers receiving defenseman Jackson Edward and forward Brett Harrison in return.
Perhaps the biggest headline, though, is who Philadelphia didn't move today—namely defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who was widely regarded as the Flyers player with the most significant interest from teams around the league.
Ristolainen is no stranger to trade rumors, but in the lead-up to today's deadline, it appeared that he could legitimately be on the move, with teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins rumored to be strong potential landing spots. However, the Flyers' asking price for the 31-year-old Finn was reportedly not met, so he will remain on the roster.
I'm told the #Flyers are not moving Rasmus Ristolainen. They did not get their price.@DailyFaceoff
Forwards Owen Tippett and Carl Grundstrom, along with defenseman Noah Juulsen, also floated around as trade chips, but ultimately were not moved either.
In return, Los Angeles sent a 2026 conditional third-round pick to Toronto as the deal was finalized in the late queue at the NHL trade deadline.
That draft pick becomes a second-rounder if the Kings make the Stanley Cup playoffs, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported. As of the trade deadline, Los Angeles is three points behind the Seattle Kraken, who own the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
At last year's trade deadline, the Maple Leafs acquired Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for a first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. This time around, Holland brings in the same player for a far lower price.
Laughton, 31, has been a key penalty killer for the Maple Leafs this season and is an excellent leader and competitor. He's spent most of this campaign as a bottom-six center, taking reps on the third and fourth line.
In 43 games this season, Laughton has eight goals, 12 points and a minus-three rating. He missed some time early in the year with an upper-body injury and was also a healthy scratch for Toronto's last two games. It was listed as roster management, as Leafs GM Brad Treliving was expecting to move him.
In terms of killing penalties, Laughton averages 2:17 of ice time while his team is shorthanded. What ties in nicely with that ability is how good he is in the faceoff dot, posting a 56.7 percent on the year.
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The St. Louis Blues first traded away their captain to the New York Islanders, then made another deal, sending veteran defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings for first- and third-round picks, veteran minor league defenseman Justin Holl and prospect forward Dmitri Buchelnikov.
The move came right at the end of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday.
In moving Faulk, 33, who was in his sixth season with the Blues, along with Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders, the Blues have stocked up two first-round picks, two third-round picks a goalie prospect and a minor league skater. Faulk still has one more year at a cap hit of $6.5 million.
Faulk, who was having a solid season, especially offensively with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 61 games, it gives the Red Wings a veteran presence and gives the Blues more picks to perhaps use to deal in the summer or stockpile prospects.
Faulk leaves St. Louis having played 482 games with 232 points (56 goals, 176 assists).
Buchelnikov, 22, is an unsigned draft pick of the Red Wings (second round, 2022). This season, he has played in 39 games for the KHL’s CSKA Moskva and has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists). Overall, the Nizhny Tagil, Russia native has 108 points (42 goals, 66 assists) in 169 KHL regular-season games.
Holl, 34, has played in 41 games for Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League this season and had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). He has appeared in eight NHL seasons, including stints with Toronto and Detroit and has 95 points (13 goals, 82 assists) in 396 career NHL regular-season games.
We'll have more on these when general manager Doug Armstrong speaks to the media soon ...
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The Winnipeg Jets have traded veteran winger Tanner Pearson to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick, according to Winnipeg Free Press writer Ken Wiebe.
Pearson, 32, has provided depth scoring and experience for Winnipeg this season. This season, the Kitchener native has recorded eight goals and ten assists for 18 points in 52 games, contributing primarily in a bottom-six role. The Jets added Pearson this past offseason on a one-year, $1 million deal.
Over the course of his NHL career, Pearson has played for several teams including the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, and most recently the Jets. Across 774 career NHL games, he has recorded 157 goals and 168 assists for 325 points, establishing himself as a reliable secondary scoring option for a majority of his career.
Pearson was selected 30th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, where he would go on to win a Stanley Cup in 2014.
For Winnipeg, the move gets something in return for a pending free agent as they look to add some future draft capital and start planning towards next season and the future.
Further details, including the identity of the acquiring club and the exact draft pick involved, are expected once the trade is officially finalized.
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Less than six months after acquiring him, the Vancouver Canucks have dealt forward Lukas Reichel to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Reichel, who spent most of his time in the organization with the Abbotsford Canucks, played a total of 14 games for Vancouver.
Vancouver first acquired Reichel on October 24, 2025 from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. This move was made to help the Canucks deal with depth issues at centre due to injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger. Reichel’s fit with the team didn’t quite gel the way many hoped it would, as it took him eight games to register his first point with Vancouver. He was ultimately sent down to Abbotsford and has played there since.
In 23 games with Abbotsford, Reichel scored six goals and seven assists, going on a six-game point streak through the end of January to the end of February. He also represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, putting up two goals and one assist in five games. During his Olympic tournament, Reichel ended up playing on lines with both Tim Stützle and Leon Draisaitl.
Vancouver will face Reichel’s former team, the Blackhawks, later today at 5:30 pm PT.
Nov 5, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Lukas Reichel (73) during a stop in play against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Bobby McMann, once rumored to be a potential addition for the Colorado Avalanche, is instead heading west to the Seattle Kraken. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded the 29-year-old forward to Seattle in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Nick Kypreos.
This marks Toronto’s second roster move this week amid a disappointing season. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs sent centre Nic Roy to Colorado.
Before the deal was finalized, speculation had swirled that McMann could be headed to the Avalanche. Insider Frank Seravalli shared the report on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
Bobby McMann highlights with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Sounds like #GoAvsGo and #LeafsForever engaged again on Bobby McMann. We’ll see where it goes.”
McMann, a Wainwright, Alta., native, has spent his entire NHL career with Toronto. Undrafted out of junior hockey, he signed as a free agent in April 2022 and is now in the second and final year of a two-year, $2.7 million extension. This season, he has produced 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists) in 60 games, demonstrating the speed, physicality, and scoring ability that would have made him an ideal top-nine power forward for Colorado. Over his three NHL seasons, he has tallied 15, 20, and 19 goals, proving his consistency as a goal scorer.
With the trade to Seattle, McMann becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving the Kraken a potential short-term boost down the stretch while providing him a fresh opportunity in a new market.
And for the Avalanche, it could be seen as possibly a disappointing deadline. They reportedly had a deal to acquire Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames, but ownership nixed the deal at the last second, and they were also unable to snag McMann. However, Nic Roy and Brett Kulak were definitely solid acquisitions.
The trade deadline has come and gone for the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks. Ahead of it, they traded away Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach, and Nick Foligno.
The last UFA that was in the mix to be traded was Ilya Mikheyev, but he was not moved. They tried to get an extension done earlier in the year, but to no avail. That made the trade rumors surrounding him a little bit louder.
Now that the deadline has passed, the Blackhawks are done, and Mikheyev was not moved. He will remain with the team for at least the rest of this season.
The Blackhawks had a similar situation with Ryan Donato last season, but they decided to keep him and eventually signed him to a long-term deal in the summer.
Maybe Mikheyev is on the same path. He is worth signing to a smaller extension due to the fact that he's an incredible penalty killer, a great defensive forward, and a contributor on offense. For a guy who's that good in a defensive role, his 15-20 goals per season make him even more valuable.
Matt Grzelcyk was another UFA to keep an eye on, but there wasn't much of a market for him. He will finish out the year with Chicago as their oldest defenseman and go from there.
A handful of non-core young players were in rumors from time to time as well, but none of them were moved on deadline day.
The Blackhawks will now host the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center on Friday night in a quick turnaround. Kyle Davidson will speak to the media before the game, so there will be more updates on his thought process coming up.
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One of the biggest needs for the Detroit Red Wings was a right-shot defenseman, and they have filled that need in the immediate aftermath of the official passing of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Red Wings have acquired veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues; in return, they've sent the Blues defenseman Justin Holl, 2022 second-round (52nd overall) draft pick Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 1st round pick, and San Jose’s 2026 3rd round pick.
UPDATE: The #RedWings have acquired Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Justin Holl, Dmitiri Buchelnikov, Detroit’s 2026 1st round pick and San Jose’s 2026 3rd round pick. pic.twitter.com/vTi304dCvi
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 6, 2026
Faulk has played in 61 games this season and has tallied 11 goals with 21 assists, and has also averaged 22:29 of total ice time per game.
Holl, who was in the final season of the three-year deal he signed to join the Red Wings from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023, has yet to appear in an NHL game in 2025-26, having spent the entire campaign playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL.
A native of South St. Paul, Minnesota, Faulk was selected in the second round (37th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes after having previously played with the Michigan-based USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
He played a single season for the University of Minnesota Duluth before beginning his professional career with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, eventually making his NHL debut with the Hurricanes by playing in 66 games in the 2011-12 season.
He would remain a fixture on Carolina's blue line through 2019 when he was traded to the Blues along with a 2020 fifth-round pick for Joel Edmundson, Dominik Bokk, and a 2021 seventh-round pick.
While with the Blues, Faulk signed a 7-year, $45.5 million contract that carries a salary cap hit of $6.5 million; he is signed through the end of next season.
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The 2026 NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Philadelphia Flyers will be keeping their biggest trade chip in Rasmus Ristolainen for yet another season.
On Friday, with just under 15 minutes to the trade deadline, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported that the Flyers will not be trading Ristolainen, 32, as their asking price in a trade was not met.
In previous NHL trade deadline action, other right-shot defensemen like Tyler Myers, Connor Murphy, Timothy Liljegren, John Carlson, David Jiricek, Luke Schenn, Jeff Petry, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nick Blankenburg were all moved for assets, though Ristolainen, who was perceived to be more valuable than most on this list, stayed put.
And, at the time of this writing, the Detroit Red Wings are moving on St. Louis Blues righty Justin Faulk.
Ristolainen comes with a significant injury history, having suffered a season-ending triceps injury in each of the last two seasons.
Additionally, the hulking Finn has two years remaining on his contract, including this one, at a $5.1 million cap hit, so there is less flexibility for inquiring teams in regards to the future in addition to needing the Flyers to, presumably, retain the maximum 50% of his salary for two seasons.
With Ristolainen remaining in Philadelphia with the Flyers, the team will need to make exceptions if they want Jiricek and Oliver Bonk to see NHL action this year.
Assuming Travis Sanheim remains on the left with Ristolainen, the latter and Jamie Drysdale will occupy two of the three spots on the right side of the defense.
Player development has long been an issue in Philadelphia, and the Flyers are doing themselves no favors by holding onto their veterans for longer than they have to.
Time will tell if Ristolainen is eventually traded, but this NHL trade deadline featured some truly bananas prices for average depth defensemen. The Flyers may have missed out on a big opportunity to help secure their future.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a deal less than an hour before the trade deadline on Friday.
They acquired Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Penguins have acquired forward Elmer Soderblom from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick (originally belonging to San Jose).
Soderblom, 24, is signed for the rest of the 2025-26 season and the entire 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $1.125 million.
He's listed at 6-foot-8 and 252 pounds and has played in 39 games for the Red Wings this season, compiling two goals and three points.
He has played in 86 NHL games, recording 11 goals and 22 points.
Soderblom has also played in 119 games for the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, compiling 23 goals and 54 points. He'll have a chance to play in some games down the stretch and during the 2026-27 season before becoming a restricted free agent.
The Islanders are adding center Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
The Isles will send left wing Jonathan Drouin, two draft picks (a first-rounder and a third), and 20-year-old goaltender Marcus Gidlof, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, to the Blues to complete the deal. (The first-round pick is a 2026 conditional selection received in the Brock Nelson deal.)
Schenn is in year six of an eight-year deal with a $6.5 million average annual value. He had a 15-team no-trade list and decided to waive that clause to come to New York.
On the season, the 34-year-old has tallied 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) over 61 games while averaging 16:41 time on the ice. He has also won 54.2 percent of his faceoffs this season, a career-high mark. (Schenn won 49.5 percent of faceoffs in the previous four seasons.)
The long-time NHL veteran has served as the Blues' captain since the 2023 season and was a member of their 2019 Stanley Cup-winning team, when he tallied 12 points (five goals, seven assists) over 25 postseason games.
Before joining St. Louis for the 2017 campaign, he played for six seasons with Philadelphia after first dipping his toe into the league with the Los Angeles Kings for nine games over two seasons.
Drouin, signed this past offseason to a two-year deal with a $4 million aav, tallied 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) over 55 games while averaging 17:09 time on the ice.
He has 82 games of postseason experience, with 13 goals and 30 assists (minus-19) while averaging 17:46 time on the ice.
After a 5-3 defeat to the Kings on Thursday, the Isles (35-23-5) sit at 75 points, good for third in the Metropolitan Division, but are just three points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have two games in hand.
JEAN-GABRIEL PAGEAU SIGNS EXTENSION
In addition to trading for Schenn on Friday, the Isles signed Pageau to a three-year extension that begins with the 2026-27 season.
The deal is worth $4.85 million annually.
Pageau has 14 goals and 15 assists in 33 games this season.
The 33-year-old center is in his seventh season with New York.
He has amassed 86 goals and 127 assists in 424 career games with the Islanders.
The Islanders acquired Brayden Schenn from the Blues.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Mathieu Darche wanted to take a swing at the trade deadline to reward an Islanders team that has contended beyond what anyone expected this season. The general manager did not want to give up any of his top prospects, such as Victor Eklund or Kashawn Aitcheson.
The result was that, after a few days of rumors surrounding Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas, Darche opted to pull the trigger on a different Blues player: Brayden Schenn. The Islanders acquired St. Louis’ captain in exchange for a package of assets, including Colorado’s 2026 first-round pick, the Devils’ 2026 third-round pick, Jonathan Drouin and goaltending prospect Marcus Gidlof.
“We always said we want to be hard to play against. We have some snarl, and Brayden fits that,” Darche said. “You should see the texts we got from former players, players that have been with him. He plays hard. If something happens, he’s not afraid to defend a teammate. He’s scored 20 goals multiple times in his career.
“… He’s a competitor. That’s what you want. At this time of year when you play hockey after the deadline and in the playoffs, it’s fighting for every inch on the ice, being able to take a hit and dish out hits. We want to be physical and Brayden does that. I think he fits exactly what we need right now.”
The Islanders acquired Brayden Schenn from the Blues. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Schenn, with two years left on his contract at $6.5 million annually, waived his no-trade clause to come to the Islanders.
He’s had a down year so far with the Blues, with 12 goals and 16 assists through 61 games, having been at or above 50 points per season for most of his career, though some of that can likely be attributed to St. Louis having a rough season.
There was a pleasant coincidence at play, too, since both the Islanders and Blues were staying in the same San Jose hotel with St. Louis playing there Friday night, allowing Schenn to meet with Darche and Patrick Roy in-person before waiving his no-trade clause. The Isles also finish this trip in St. Louis on Tuesday, which will allow a proper goodbye for the 34-year-old Schenn, who spent the last nine seasons in the city.
“He’ll be able to pack his bags and have more than a couple pairs of underwear,” Darche quipped.
Though he can play both wing and center, Darche said the plan for now is for Schenn to be a center. That, presumably, would require Cal Ritchie to shift over to the wing, which might be comfortable for the Islanders given the 21-year-old’s struggles at the faceoff dots.
“We know he has the abilities,” Darche said of Ritchie, who has been given top-six responsibilities as a rookie. “He still has to work on the physical strength, the battling, the speed of execution to get the pucks. He’s a great prospect. Instead of learning in the AHL, he’s learning in the NHL. He’s done a great job.”
Drouin, the sole NHLer who went the other way in the deal, was moved in large part to help keep the Islanders’ cap situation flexible after taking on Schenn’s contract. That said, Darche also acknowledged that the winger who had gone 38 games without scoring had “lost his confidence along the way.”
As for the first-round pick, it was Darche’s preference to give up draft picks as opposed to high-end prospects who could turn pro as soon as next season.
It helps, too, that the Islanders had two first-round picks for next season and retained their own — though that is now the only pick they have in the first three rounds of the draft.
Berkly Catton #27 of the Seattle Kraken and Brayden Schenn #10 of the St. Louis Blues battle for the puck during the third period of a game at Climate Pledge Arena on March 04, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. NHLI via Getty Images
“The beauty of it is, we didn’t touch any of our top prospects that will turn pro next year. That was the goal of this,” Darche said. “… Our guys that have been drafted a year ago or two years ago, I’d rather give a draft pick than them ’cause they’re a year or two ahead in their development ’cause they’re already drafted. We’ve achieved that without touching most of our top prospects.”
It was their only trade of deadline day, though Darche did ink a three-year extension with Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Darche already had gotten some business done before the Olympic break when he brought in Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat.
On Friday, ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks took a little bit of a break from being sellers to make a minor league trade.
They acquired defenseman Derrick Pouliot from the New York Rangers in exchange for Aidan Thompson. Both players have spent the year with their respective AHL squads.
Poulliot is 32 years old and will add some depth to a Rockford IceHogs team that desperately needs it. He had 28 points in 52 games this year with the Hartford Wolfpack.
The elder defenseman has also spent a fair amount of time in the NHL, split between seven teams. He was with one of them, the 2016 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, to earn a ring.
As for Thompson, a former third-round pick (90th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, had an incredible collegiate career at Denver before coming to the AHL. In 40 games with Rockford this year, he had six goals and nine assists for 15 points.
In minor league terms, this is the IceHogs adding veteran depth on the back end while the Wolfpack adds a young forward that may develop into a contributor.
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