Fannish 50 - A NHL Trade Deadline Primer
Mar. 4th, 2026 08:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cmk418This is one of the most exciting and also one of the most frustrating times of year for NHL fans. The trade deadline is 3pm EST on Friday and things are starting to ramp up. There are rumors everywhere and some moves are being made. Some years there's nothing until the final day and some years there are significant trades that happen in the days ahead and then crickets on the deadline day.
It's also better when your team is in the situation of being buyers- where the team is set and there might be one little piece that can put you over the edge. (Or, in the case of the Blues trade for Ryan Miller some years ago, give you immediate hope and then kill you in the playoffs. But I'd still make that trade.)
This year, my team is so bad that they're in the position to sell, sell, sell. All of the name players are being mentioned in rumors. We've got one nearly done deal that is just waiting for the player to accept it. (I don't really want this player to go, but again, it's building for the future, and the pieces we're getting back are pretty nice.) I'm hoping we get a couple of first round picks for 2026 in whatever we're doing.
This is a Fannish 50 post, so I'll explain to the uninitiated about the types of trades. The capital in the trades are picks, prospects, and players. In the leadup stages and throughout the season up until around February, there are a lot of prospect trades that happen, maybe somebody needs a change of scenery, that sort of thing. Occasionally during the October- January, you'll see a player get traded, but those are few and far between, most of the player movement happens before the deadline. (For definition, a player is someone who has regular ice time with an NHL team, a prospect is generally someone who is in the AHL or has been up for a few games here or there.) Pick for pick trades are the most boring sort of trades and they usually happen in the lead up to the draft. There are also salary dump trades where a team will send over a decent player or prospect and package with it a player that is on a terrible contract. A star player might bring in the 3Ps - a high draft pick, a prospect, and a player- all in the same deal.
The Blues have run into problems because a lot of their name players (including the one about to be traded) have Limited Trade or No Trade Clauses in their contracts. Limited trade allows the player to give a list of teams that he'd be ok going to. No trades are just what's implied, but a player can be asked to waive their NTC if something comes up that will interest the player (like being traded from a team that's thirtieth in the league to one that's in the top five).
There's also a danger for sellers when it becomes evident they want to get rid of a certain contract. When that happens, they are never going to get a good return because everyone knows they're desperate and no one will answer the call until the very last second when you might pull in a sixth rounder and have to retain salary for your terrible contract player.
Where the frustration comes in is in the NHL's office. Insiders break the trades and then it can be two hours or more later for it to come to fruition (if at all.) So fans are just refreshing their screens all day long until things become official. (I did have the opportunity to witness a trade in action during the draft a few years ago. A lot of people, a lot of signatures, and that was when everybody was in the same space, so more time and levels of complexity when folks are all over the place. Doesn't make it any less frustrating though.)
As a fan, it's fun to watch the movement and see where players wind up. You can see who is entering a rebuild- those teams stockpiling picks and prospects, and who is going for it. It'll be interesting to see who will be left at 8am on Friday and if they'll be dealt over the course of the day. One thing's for sure, the refresh button will be getting a workout.
It's also better when your team is in the situation of being buyers- where the team is set and there might be one little piece that can put you over the edge. (Or, in the case of the Blues trade for Ryan Miller some years ago, give you immediate hope and then kill you in the playoffs. But I'd still make that trade.)
This year, my team is so bad that they're in the position to sell, sell, sell. All of the name players are being mentioned in rumors. We've got one nearly done deal that is just waiting for the player to accept it. (I don't really want this player to go, but again, it's building for the future, and the pieces we're getting back are pretty nice.) I'm hoping we get a couple of first round picks for 2026 in whatever we're doing.
This is a Fannish 50 post, so I'll explain to the uninitiated about the types of trades. The capital in the trades are picks, prospects, and players. In the leadup stages and throughout the season up until around February, there are a lot of prospect trades that happen, maybe somebody needs a change of scenery, that sort of thing. Occasionally during the October- January, you'll see a player get traded, but those are few and far between, most of the player movement happens before the deadline. (For definition, a player is someone who has regular ice time with an NHL team, a prospect is generally someone who is in the AHL or has been up for a few games here or there.) Pick for pick trades are the most boring sort of trades and they usually happen in the lead up to the draft. There are also salary dump trades where a team will send over a decent player or prospect and package with it a player that is on a terrible contract. A star player might bring in the 3Ps - a high draft pick, a prospect, and a player- all in the same deal.
The Blues have run into problems because a lot of their name players (including the one about to be traded) have Limited Trade or No Trade Clauses in their contracts. Limited trade allows the player to give a list of teams that he'd be ok going to. No trades are just what's implied, but a player can be asked to waive their NTC if something comes up that will interest the player (like being traded from a team that's thirtieth in the league to one that's in the top five).
There's also a danger for sellers when it becomes evident they want to get rid of a certain contract. When that happens, they are never going to get a good return because everyone knows they're desperate and no one will answer the call until the very last second when you might pull in a sixth rounder and have to retain salary for your terrible contract player.
Where the frustration comes in is in the NHL's office. Insiders break the trades and then it can be two hours or more later for it to come to fruition (if at all.) So fans are just refreshing their screens all day long until things become official. (I did have the opportunity to witness a trade in action during the draft a few years ago. A lot of people, a lot of signatures, and that was when everybody was in the same space, so more time and levels of complexity when folks are all over the place. Doesn't make it any less frustrating though.)
As a fan, it's fun to watch the movement and see where players wind up. You can see who is entering a rebuild- those teams stockpiling picks and prospects, and who is going for it. It'll be interesting to see who will be left at 8am on Friday and if they'll be dealt over the course of the day. One thing's for sure, the refresh button will be getting a workout.
