With the holiday roster freeze kicking in on Friday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic broke down which players could be moved ahead of the fast-approaching deadline in his latest trade board.
From the outside, it might not seem like any NHL club is in a hurry to get a deal done before the holiday freeze. However, some tweaks in the latest collective bargaining agreement have made Friday’s deadline more meaningful than ever. It marks the final point at which a player can be part of a retained-salary transaction and then still be flipped before the trade deadline with even more salary retained.
In recent years, double-retention deals have become the status quo for teams needing to squeeze a player in under the salary cap ceiling. However, a new CBA rule this year outlaws a double-retention trade, stating that a salary-retained player is required to spend at least 75 days on his team’s roster before getting traded in a subsequent retained-salary transaction.
That brings us back to why Friday is so important. A player traded before Friday’s roster freeze would hit 75 days with his new team on Mar. 4, 2026, which is two days before the NHL trade deadline. The holiday freeze runs through Sunday, Dec. 28, and 75 days from that point would be Mar. 13, one week after the trade deadline.
There likely won’t be anything quite of the same magnitude as the earth-shattering Quinn Hughes trade, but there could be some action around the league before Friday night.
While the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t expected to be among the teams potentially rushing to get a deal done, Johnston did have defenseman Connor Murphy and goaltender Laurent Brossoit among the 32 players listed in his trade board.
It’s not surprising to see either player there, though, as Murphy is in the final year of his current contract, and Brossoit has been involved in trade rumors for the past month.
Murphy On The Move?
Murphy, the longest-tenured member of the Blackhawks, has played in all 33 games for the team this season. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound defenseman has yet to score a goal and chipped in for three assists while averaging a career-low 15:13 time on ice. His 46 blocked shots rank second on the team, and he’s third among all defensemen with 29 hits.
The 32-year-old blue-liner is playing in his ninth season with Chicago — and his sixth as an alternate captain — but it very well could be his last. With a slew of young defensemen such as Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, and Artyom Levshunov starting to take over, not to mention former first-round picks Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel waiting in the wings in the AHL, there might not be enough room to re-sign the veteran Murphy come July 1st.
A new era of defensemen is being ushered into Chicago, and the time to move on from Murphy might arrive in early March, or perhaps even sooner. As an experienced right-shot defender with a minimal $4.4 million cap hit, Murphy should be a fairly intriguing option for teams looking to bolster the back half of their blue line before the postseason. He’s also a fantastic leader who will be a great addition to any locker room.
Here’s what Johnston had to say about Murphy, who was listed 18th on the trade board.
“Big, strong, and experienced, Murphy has posted strong defensive results under less-than-favorable conditions with the Blackhawks in recent years. The right shot comes with an expiring contract that should be fairly easy to move. This is a time of transition in Chicago, so roster flexibility is paramount.”
Where Will Laurent Land?
Brossoit was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks on Monday after his AHL conditioning stint with Rockford concluded. The veteran netminder wasn’t claimed by any of the other 31 NHL teams, and he rejoined the IceHogs on Tuesday. That’s where Brossoit will remain until GM Kyle Davidson can find him a new home in the trade market.
However, during CHSN’s pregame show on Tuesday, before the Blackhawks took on the Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL insider Frank Seravalli made a guest appearance and said that Davidson didn’t receive much interest in Brossoit whatsoever in the trade market.
Given his injury history, with three lower-body surgeries in the past 16 months, it’s understandable that other clubs may be hesitant to acquire Brossoit and bank on him as a backup goaltender. But now that he’s cleared waivers, Davidson’s job actually might have gotten a little easier.
Because he’s back in the AHL, Brossoit won’t have to remain on another team’s NHL roster for a minimum of 30 days, like he would if he had been claimed off waivers. Perhaps another team is now more willing to acquire Brossoit because he can be stashed in the minor leagues before a potential call-up.
Like Murphy, Brossoit is in the final year of his current deal, which carries a $3.3 million cap hit. The 32-year-old goaltender certainly comes with some risk, but when healthy, he’s been a sturdy backup throughout his career.
It’s been reported that the Blackhawks are willing to trade Brossoit for future considerations if another team takes on his full cap hit. If Chicago has to retain salary, an asset of some kind will likely be needed in return.
Here’s what Johnston had to say on Brossoit, who was listed 21st on the trade board.
“The fact that he cleared waivers on Dec. 16 should not be viewed as a sign that he won’t generate trade interest. Brossoit has had stretches of elite play in the NHL and is still making his way back from double hip surgery. Clearing waivers allowed him to be sent back to AHL Rockford, where rival teams will be closely monitoring his progress. They also recently saw him score a goal for the IceHogs! The Blackhawks may have to retain some salary on Brossoit in order to make a deal work.”
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