As underwhelming as recent trade deadlines have been, it seemed like this year's version had a bit more action, with many playoff-bound teams loading up. For a recap of all the trades, as well as links to the fantasy takes on the more impactful trades, go to our Trade Deadline Tracker. Mike Clifford and Alex MacLean performed most of the heavy lifting, so shout out to those two in particular for all their work.

I won't recap every trade here, but instead just provide some of my own thoughts about some of the transactions that happened (and didn't happen).   

If there were ever a player in need of a fresh start, it's Evgeny Kuznetsov. Wait and see on his usage and production before adding him, but at least you won't have to wait long to find out because the Canes play at 12:30 pm ET. Kuznetsov could be anything from a second-line center to a press box regular for the Hurricanes, but he should receive prime deployment at some point. The question is whether Kuznetsov still has something left, as he has gone from a point-per-game pace two seasons ago to a 32-point full-season pace (minus games missed) this season. Add him to your watch list and see what happens, but this seems to be a worthwhile gamble for the Canes, who are only paying half of his $7.8 million cap hit.

One big ripple (a wave?) from the Tyler Toffoli trade to Winnipeg is the potential for Timo Meier's value to shoot through the roof. If you've remained patient with Meier for the entire season, you're finally being rewarded. Meier recorded a hat trick on Thursday, which gives him goals in four consecutive games. When he's on his game, Meier is a multicategory beast. He demonstrated that by also adding an assist, a plus-3, seven shots, one hit, and two blocks on Thursday. Meier has been on the second power play for much of the season for the Devils, but he likely moves up to the top power play with Toffoli gone. Yep, it's Timo Time again – just in time for your fantasy playoffs.  

Tomas Hertl to Vegas… wow. It seemed like Vegas was going to slide one more move in, but I don't think any of the insiders suspected it was Hertl until the Bobfather jumped into the ring in the final minutes and delivered the knockout blow.

The Golden Knights are that team in your fantasy league that exploits the loopholes that force offseason rule changes. Now we wait and see whether the NHL takes action so that LTIR isn't so easy to exploit. Vegas is hardly the only team to take advantage of this, but it's gotten to the point where we expect them to. As long as Mark Stone is on the roster (under contract for three more years after this one), it's a possibility. They have more than their share of prominent Band-Aid Boys for potential LTIR usage, which also include Hertl, Jack Eichel, Anthony Mantha, and Shea Theodore.

Speaking of Stone, he is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season with a lacerated spleen. "At least" means he may or may not be ready for the start of the playoffs. Focusing on the fantasy side of things, I made a point to avoid drafting Stone this season, even though it's not his recurring back issues that are the reason this time. Stone finishes the regular season with 53 points in 56 games, which is very productive for the time that he was in the lineup.

One stat that I'll pretty much guarantee improves for Hertl now that he is no longer on the Sharks is his plus-minus. Hertl is a minus-26, while no Knights player is lower than a minus-9. Hertl doesn't even have the worst plus-minus on the Sharks. Young William Eklund is a minus-34. What a way to spend your first full season in the NHL.

After being right in the middle of the Jake Guentzel trade rumors, the Canucks made zero trades on trade deadline day. In fact, they didn't even sign Phil Kessel, who they had practicing with their AHL team in Abbotsford. Perhaps this is the last we see of Kessel in the NHL, which is a shame. But to be honest, he wouldn't have been a major upgrade for the Canucks, although he would have provided some scoring depth and experience in the event of an injury or two.

As a result of no Kessel signing, expect Vasily Podkolzin to be recalled (again). Although he hasn't registered a point in three NHL games this season, Podkolzin was noticeable on Thursday with three shots and five hits against Vegas. Podkolzin might be a better fit than Kessel for the Canucks anyway.

Instead of trading for Jacob Markstrom, the Devils opted to acquire both Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen while shipping out Vitek Vanecek. Confusing on the surface, but I'd think that Nico Daws joins Akira Schmid in the AHL while the two new goalies battle for starts. Kahkonen is a UFA after the season, so this might be an audition for him to stay with the Devils. There's still room for New Jersey to make a pitch for Markstrom or any other goalie that might be on the market, such as Linus Ullmark. Daws and Schmid could be offseason trade chips should the Devils try to reload with experienced goaltending next season.

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There was also other non-trade-related player news on Friday.

Jordan Eberle was taken off the market just before the deadline, instead signing a two-year extension with a $4.75 million AAV to remain in Seattle. Consistently averaging a 10-13% shooting percentage and just over two shots per game dating back to his time with the Islanders, Eberle should continue to fit in as one of many middle-six-type forwards on the Kraken roster.

Kent Johnson's season is over, as he will need six months of recovery following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. By that estimate, Johnson should be ready in time for training camp, although this is something to monitor in case recovery takes longer than expected. The 21-year-old Johnson took a bit of a step back this season, finishing with 16 points in 42 games while being sent to the AHL for 10 games. He is still only 21 years of age, so he still has tremendous upside. He could be a player to buy low on, especially if Columbus eventually figures things out.

Logan Couture told reporters that he won't be able to return this season due to a groin injury, although he hopes to return next season. Couture was held to just six games this season, recording just one assist. Soon to be 35 years of age, Couture has three more seasons left at a cap hit of $8 million on a barren Sharks roster that just traded longtime teammate Hertl. That's a bleak situation to be in if his goal is to win a Stanley Cup before his career ends.

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There were also four games on Friday, all of which were played in Western Conference buildings and had late start times (9 pm or 10 pm ET).

Connor Ingram stopped all 28 shots he faced to lead the Coyotes to a 4-0 win over the Red Wings. After a surprisingly strong first half, Ingram had not recorded a quality start in his previous seven appearances. His last win came on January 22, with his poor stretch running concurrent to the Coyotes' 14-game losing streak, which saw them go winless for the entire month of February. Even with that recent skid, Ingram is now tied for the league lead in shutouts (6) with Tristan Jarry.

Nick Bjugstad led the Coyotes with a goal and an assist.

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Valeri Nichushkin scored a power-play overtime winner for the Avalanche, giving them a 2-1 win over the Wild. Nichushkin returned to the Avs' lineup after missing the past two months while being in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He's been a point-per-game player (42 PTS in 41 GP), so get him back into your lineup. He wasn't on the top power play, but it should only be a matter of time before he is back there.

NICHUSHKIN CALLS GAME 🚨 pic.twitter.com/W0D4KpO6Gy

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 9, 2024

Neither Casey Mittelstadt nor Sean Walker recorded a point in their Avalanche debuts. Walker played 18:45 while being paired with Jack Johnson, while Mittelstadt logged 13:56 while on a line with Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin. Mittelstadt was also used on the second power play.

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Fresh off acquiring Toffoli and Colin Miller earlier in the day, the Jets shut out the Kraken 3-0 in Seattle. Laurent Brossoit wasn't tested much, but he stopped all 17 shots he faced in earning his first shutout of the season. Neither of the Jets' new acquisitions was in the lineup. Toffoli may not join the Jets until next week, so keep him on your bench for a busy Saturday, which includes a late matchup with the Canucks.

The first goal of this game wasn't scored until nearly halfway through the third period, where Mark Scheifele extended his point streak to four games with a goal.

Jaden Schwartz left Friday's game with an upper-body injury.

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In the final game, the Stars has little trouble handling the Ducks, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period before finishing with a 6-2 win.

Roope Hintz led the Stars with a goal and two assists. He has goals in three of his past four games.

Miro Heiskanen chipped in two power-play assists while firing six shots on net. He now has seven points (all assists) in his last three games. Five of those assists were on the power play.

Jamie Benn is on fire right now with eight points in his past four games. Benn scored a goal and added an assist, both of which were on the power play. Recording all of your points on the power play is a recipe for a Draisaitl Hat Trick, which Benn achieved because he was a minus-1 for the game.

Ryan Strome scored a goal and an assist for the Ducks. He was a player I thought about streaming on Friday but didn't. Oh well. Strome also finished with a minus-1 to complete his own Draisaitl Hat Trick.

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One final, very important thought: Hope Dobber is doing well. He posted this early Friday.

Update: I am now in the hospital. Induction chemo begins in ~30 minutes.

Stem-cell transplant in 6 days!

I'll be following the deadline coverage and tweeting, but will leave the #fantasyhockey breakdowns today to @SlimCliffy , @Ian_Gooding and the rest of the team

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) March 8, 2024

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