Happy Monday y'all! I hope you didn't call out of work and spend your entire Friday hoping for entertainment all day while watching a trade deadline show because you probably would have fallen asleep! However, we got more trades after the official 3 pm EST/12 pm PT deadline passed as management teams must have looked at the clock and said "Fine, let's do it." I wonder if they play every team’s goal song, or maybe some Nickelback as their hold music at the league office or what Gary Bettman has on there? Give me your guesses on Twitter, @LAM1926.

But anyway, here are my three winners and losers of the 2026 trade deadline.

Winners

Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks added some much-needed depth with the surprising addition of John Carlson. The team gave up a conditional first and a third for the upcoming free agent. This move bolsters their defense and gives them another minute muncher on the backend to play and mentor Jackson LaCombe. In a very winnable division, Carlson's playoff resume is a tremendous add for this Ducks squad that is looking to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Anaheim also shipped Ryan Strome to the Calgary Flames for a washing machine, I mean a seventh rounder. His presence will be missed in the locker room and he would have been a nice depth piece for the playoffs, but getting his contract off the books for the 2026-27 season is huge as the Ducks have multiple RFAs and UFAs this summer.

Calgary Flames – In addition to moving Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche literally at the deadline, the Flames moved on from Mackenzie Weegar as they dealt him to the Utah Mammoth. Craig Conroy acquired a lot of youth and draft capital, stocking the cupboards for the next three drafts. They have six picks in the first two rounds of this years entry draft and four in 2027 and four more in 2028. There are a lot of directions they can go if some of their young guys start making strides, much like the San Jose Sharks this season.

Colorado Avalanche – Did the Avs trade away some more first round picks and mortgage the future, yes. But when you have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar in the prime of their careers to go along with the way their team is playing this season, you go and load up. Management brought back Kadri, who won the Cup with them previously, and more center depth in Nic Roy, who is also a Stanley Cup champion. Kadri's familiarity with the group will make this an easy transition and definitely makes Colorado the favorite to hoist silver in the middle of June. 

They have already been bitten by the injury bug, with Artturi Lehkonen and Gabriel Landeskog being placed on IR, but with these acquisitions, it is just about slotting guys in different spots.

Losers 

Los Angeles Kings – I will say, the Kevin Fiala injury at the Olympics probably threw a wrench into Ken Holland's plans, combined with the Andrei Kuzmenko and Joel Armia injuries, and the firing of Jim Hiller, there were just too many holes in the lineup that needed to be patched. They received very good value for Warren Foegele and Corey Perry, but I have them in the "Loser" section because I feel all of this could have been avoided if they had let Hiller go last offseason. Hindsight is 20-20, but seeing as they only sold pieces, management really should have been all in on that and moved out some other players. 

In a goalie starved market, I feel they could have moved one of Anton Forsberg or Darcy Kuemper for another good return and brought up 25 year old Eric Portillo for the rest of the season to see what they have in him.

Vancouver Canucks – Being at the bottom of the league, you would have expected to hear their name a lot in trades, but they only completed two minor league deals in exchange for two sixth round picks. Prior to Friday, they did move out Conor Garland before his new extension even kicks in and  we're able to trade Tyler Myers so I will give them marks for that, but to not move on from Evander Kane, Drew O'Connor, and Teddy Blueger seems like a real miss for where this team is at. 

Vegas Golden Knights – The Golden Knights seem to always pull something huge out of their hats right before the clock strikes noon, but not this season. They made a few moves to address some bottom six toughness, but that wasn't their biggest issue. Vegas is pretty thin on the blueline so if someone goes down with an injury, they'll be in a tough spot. I would have liked to see them acquire some players who could plug right into the lineup if need be.

I also would have gone after some goaltending depth as well (I'm sure they tried). Maybe they believe Adin Hill can backstop them to the promise land again, but he can't do that when he is on the shelf. He and Carter Hart don't have the cleanest bill of health, so even if they brought Jonathan Quick back, he could have suited up in a pinch if needed.

I hope y'all have a great week and if you need any help while we head toward fantasy trade deadlines and playoffs, hit me up on Twitter, @LAM1926