Welcome back in, everyone! Deadline day has come and gone, and after taking in the day itself—and the days leading up to it—I must agree with the general sentiment: this was a slow one. It gave me flashbacks to the Kevin Shattenkirk deadline, where it felt like nothing happened outside of a few fringe moves. Three things, in my mind, contributed to the lack of action: high asking prices, the complications of double retention, and the sheer number of players with no‑trade clauses. Even so, I still enjoyed "working" while refreshing Twitter every so often, and I hope you did too. Today, let's dive into some of the moves that did happen and could have real fantasy implications.

If your dynasty or salary‑cap league is anything like mine (questionably chaotic) and mirrors the NHL trade deadline, you were probably also scrambling at the buzzer trying to swing a deal involving a late pick and Jeffrey Viel. With that in mind and so much to cover, we'll stick to the bigger names that were dealt —so no Colton Parayko chatter for now, though that acquisition falling through does have some ripple effects we'll get to later.

And finally, congratulations to the Minnesota Wild for "winning" the trade deadline… not for the Nick Foligno deal, but for acquiring Quinn Hughes four months ago. Good job by you!

The Ducks acquire John Carlson from the Capitals for a conditional 2026 1st round pick and a 2027 3rd round pick.

There were no real rumors or indications that the Capitals were considering moving on from Carlson—so, like many of you, I woke up and was stunned to see he'd been traded to the Anaheim Ducks. It's a fantastic addition for Anaheim: Carlson brings 10goals from the blue line and immediately strengthens their defense heading into the playoffs. Credit to Pat Verbeek for reading the market perfectly.

If you roster Carlson, you're probably just as surprised as I am, but this move could actually work in your favor as we head into the final week(s) of the fantasy season. He should slot into the Ducks' top four right away, and I'd be shocked if he didn't land on their top power‑play unit. He's shooting 8.7% this year—higher than his recent seasons—and with a prominent role in Anaheim, there's a real chance he finishes strong.

The Blue Jackets acquire Conor Garland from the Canucks for a 2028 2nd round pick and a 2026 3rd round pick.

Conor Garland is on the move to Columbus, and most of the pushback I've seen centers on two things: his size (5’10”) and the length of his extension, which kicks in next season and runs through 2032—taking him into his age‑36 season. These concerns are understandable. Still, I've always believed that short players need to prove they can play, while tall players need to prove they can't, and Garland has already hit the 50‑point mark twice in his career. The term may become a problem down the line, but on the other hand, show me the list of players lining up to waive their clauses to get to Columbus.

If you're rostering Garland, the incoming $6 million cap hit isn't ideal, but considering he's just under $5 million now, the jump isn't catastrophic. His points per 60 should improve with the Blue Jackets, and I'm curious whether a team that loves to shuffle its lines eventually gives him a look on the top power‑play unit. Columbus typically doesn't split their man‑advantage time, so that would be a meaningful bump. For now, he's been skating at even strength with Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson, and it's a small sample, but that line has generated solid shot numbers—an encouraging early sign for anyone invested in Garland down the stretch.

The Avalanche acquire Nazem Kadri (20% retained) and a 2027 4th round pick from the Flames for Victor Olofsson, Maxmilian Curran, a conditional 2028 1st round pick and a conditional 2027 2nd round pick.

I thought the Avalanche were done once the Nicolas Roy trade was faxed into the league. First off, it's 2026—why are we still faxing things? Second, I'm basically Captain Renault here: shocked that this deal happened. Especially with Calgary retaining 20% of Nazem Kadri's AAV and Colorado not having to give up any significant roster pieces.

If you're rostering Kadri, you just hit the fantasy jackpot. I'll zag a bit on the power‑play projections, because Colorado hasn't exactly been lethal on the man advantage this season, but his even‑strength production, which was already solid, should only climb. He's going to see time with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Nečas at five‑on‑five, and if that sticks, you're looking at both a production bump and a minutes bump. Case in point: Kadri logged 22:06 against the Oilers on Tuesdaynight. That's a number he's only topped three times all season in Calgary—and one of those games went to a shootout. Colorado's top line doesn't exactly ease off the gas minutes-wise, so if he stays in that role, the runway for a strong finish to the fantasy season is open.

The Mammoth acquire MacKenzie Weegar from the Flames for Olli Maatta, Jonathan Castagna, a 2026 2nd round pick, a 2026 2nd round pick (NYR) and a 2026 2nd round pick (OTT).

MacKenzie Weegar has had a relatively quiet season in Calgary, which is surprising given he's usually a nightly DFS staple thanks to his combination of hits, blocks, and the ability to chip in offensively, so seeing him moved didn't exactly shock me.

What does remain to be seen is how big a role he'll carve out with the Mammoth. They already have a strong shutdown pairing in John Marino and Nate Schmidt, and with Mikhail Sergachev bouncing in and out of the lineup, the overall shape of this blue line when fully healthy is still a bit of a mystery. On an improved roster, though, I can easily see Weegar's even‑strength production—especially primary and secondary assists—getting a lift. That alone makes him a solid fantasy start in most formats.

The New York Islanders acquire Brayden Schenn from the Blues for Jonathan Drouin, Marcus Gidlöf, a 2026 1st round pick (COL) and a 2026 3rd round pick (NJD).

Good on the Islanders for managing to move off the Jonathan Drouin contract, and good on new Islander Brayden Schenn for not having to travel far to join the team. Seriously—the Blues and Islanders were staying at the same hotel in San Jose when the deal went down. You can't script that.

From a fantasy standpoint, I actually roster Schenn in my salary/dynasty league (and, weirdly enough, Drouin too). While Schenn has been killing me in the plus/minus department, I don't mind holding him for what he brings at center. If your league is anything like mine, the waiver wire is a wasteland, and I'll happily take a small hit in plus/minus to gain steady production in faceoff wins and hits. Schenn throws his weight around—Fantrax credits him with 141 hits—and that has real value in deeper formats. He picked up his first point as an Islander against his former team the other night and added five shots on goal. If that's a sign of how he'll be used, there's a decent chance he becomes a sneaky‑useful depth piece down the stretch.

*Salary Cap data from PuckPedia.com  

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