The NHL trade deadline is a stressful and exciting time for hockey fans everywhere.  The deadline was on Monday, February 25 at 3 p.m. E.T. and die-hard fans everywhere kept a tab open all day, refreshing it every ten minutes or so.  Some action happened in days leading up to Monday, like Mats Zuccarello getting traded to the Stars (and then getting injured right away), but in this article, we will focus on the big day.  The morning was a bit slow but as the deadline loomed nearer, the big trades were made. Here is a list of the transactions made on the day of the deadline in the order they were made.

   Teams out west were dealing early as the Ducks sent forward Brian Gibbons to the Senators (who were very active leading up to the deadline) and received defenseman Patrick Sieloff.  

   Also out west, the Sharks acquired Gustav Nyquist from the Red Wings for a 2019 second round pick and a 2020 conditional third-round pick.  Nyquist will be a solid player for the Sharks as they continue on their path to the playoffs. Nyquist has recorded 49 points on the year so far.  The Sharks also traded forward Linus Karlsson to the Canucks for forward Jonathan Dahlen.

   The Blue Jackets were also very active as the deadline grew closer and they received Keith Kinkaid from the Devils for a 2022 fifth round pick.  Kinkaid has shown the ability to be a very solid backup as he helped the Devils in their playoff run last season but has struggled a bit in the spotlight.  This should not be a problem as he will back up Sergei Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets currently sit in 3rd in the Metropolitan and need to hold on for a playoff push.  

   One of the hottest stories of the day was where Rangers forward Kevin Hayes would end up and he was traded to the Jets for Brendan Lemieux, a 2019 first round pick, and a 2022 conditional fourth-round pick.  Hayes will add depth to this Jets team who is currently battling Nashville for first place in the Central Division.

   The Canadiens dealt Jordan Weal to the Coyotes in exchange for Michael Chaput.  The two squads swapped forwards here and these are both teams on the edge of the playoffs looking for a trade to push them into the playoffs.

   The Hurricanes acquired Tomas Jurco from the Panthers in exchange for future considerations and the Panthers received Cliff Pu from the Hurricanes for future considerations.

   The second hottest team in the league, the Flames, added defenseman Oscar Fantenberg from the Kings for a 2020 conditional fourth-round pick.

   The very busy Blue Jackets, who did not trade Artemi Panarin like many expected, added Adam McQuaid from the Rangers for defenseman Julius Bergman, a 2019 fourth round pick, and a 2019 seventh round pick.  

   Another hot take of the day was Marcus Johansson.  He was traded from the Devils to the Bruins in exchange for a 2019 second round pick and a 2020 fourth round pick.  This will greatly help the Devils as they are looking to build for the future and do have many draft picks. Johansson can help the Bruins if he manages to stay healthy.  The veteran player was underwhelming during his time in New Jersey and struggled with injuries. If he can stay healthy it will certainly help the Bruins make a deep run.

   The Wild traded forward Matt Hendricks to the Jets in exchange for a 2020 seventh round pick.

   The Panthers sent forward Derick Brassard and a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick to the Avalanche in return for a 2020 third round pick.  This trade helps both teams as the Avalanche now have extra depth as they look to hold on to that second Wild Card position. The Panthers sit 9 points behind the second Wild Card and seem to just be looking to the future with this move.

   The Panthers also traded defenseman Chris Wideman to the Penguins for forward Jean Sebastien-Dea.

   The Canucks acquired forward Tanner Pearson from the Penguins for defenseman Erik Gudbranson.  

   The Predators swapped forwards with the Wild, sending Kevin Fiala and receiving Mikael Granlund.

The  Blue Jackets sent Alexander Broadhurst to the Jets in exchange for future considerations.

Here it is, one of the trades people had been waiting all day for finally happened with less than an hour until the deadline.  The Golden Knights, who will look to make another deep run in the playoffs, acquired forwards Mark Stone and Tobias Lindberg from the Senators for defenseman Erik Brannstrom, forward Oscar Lindberg, and a 2020 second round pick.  The Senators sit in dead last in the Eastern Conference and knew that they needed to make some changes. Fans will surely be upset about losing Stone three days after losing Duchene but they are building for the future. The Golden Knights got a great player in this deal and he will surely make an immediate impact.  Stone has 28 goals on the year and 62 points. Vegas should be very excited about this trade.

The Jets, who quietly had a busy day, acquired forward Par Lindholm in exchange for Nic Petan of the Maple Leafs.

The Ducks traded Michael Del Zotto, the once first-round pick who has done practically nothing this year, to the Blues for a 2019 sixth round pick.

The Jets received defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from the Sabres for a 2019 sixth round pick.

Finally the last, and maybe the biggest trade of the day (next to Stone), the Predators acquired forward Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers for forward Ryan Hartman and a conditional 2020 fourth round pick.  Simmonds was loved in Philadelphia and fans saw this coming but it hurts nonetheless. Simmonds was in the last year of his contract with the Flyers and did see some decline in his numbers but will still surely be missed by fans.  The Predators acquire a leader and a difference maker on the ice here as they look to make a deep run. He will be a free agent at the end of the year and this looks like a move that the Predators made just for the playoffs but it will still be interesting to see how this plays out.

   The deadline was busy and exciting as always and certain trades did stick out more than others.  “The Stone trade was for sure the biggest move of the day. Vegas gave up their best prospect in Brannstrom for a player who is ready now.  The Golden Knights are ready to win now and they want it after what happened last year. This trade really caught my eye but Nashville acquiring Granlund and Simmonds is also a pretty big one.  They are a real contender for the Cup as well,” said junior Justin Horn.

   The new players will have to learn to fit in with their respective teams and many will join a playoff push.  The winners and losers of the deadline will show as the playoffs draw near. The last month of the season will certainly be fun to watch and nothing beats playoff time.