The talk finally turned to action on the National Hockey League’s trade market on Friday, and both involved teams north of the Canada-U.S. border.
The day started with the Edmonton Oilers acquiring goaltender Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Stuart Skinner, defenceman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 draft.
If that wasn’t enough, the Minnesota Wild took a big swing by acquiring top blueliner Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night in a deal for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in 2026.
So, will this shake the trade market loose? The NHL’s holiday roster freeze will go into effect at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 19 and will remain in place until 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28. It doesn’t usually act as a deadline for deals to be done, but this is an Olympic year and teams are playing compressed schedules.
It’s difficult to say that the two deals made on Friday will have any effect on the overall market. Making a trade is tough for general managers because of new rules that stop a third team from being involved for salary retention and the playoff salary cap that will go into effect.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman had to do something, though. Edmonton was ranked second-last in team save percentage this season at .873 through 31 games, and Skinner just wasn’t getting the job done.
Jarry was 9-3-1 with a 2.66 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 14 games with the Penguins. He has bounced back after clearing waivers last season, and the Oilers acquired the 30-year-old because they needed something different.
He was expected to make his debut with the Oilers on Saturday against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Tristan Jarry, who was 9-3-1 with a 2.66 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 14 games with the Penguins, was expected to debut with the Oilers in Toronto on Saturday evening.
“There was pressure to do something in Edmonton,” a league executive told the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday.
Captain Connor McDavid re-upped for three years in October after the club lost in the past two Stanley Cup finals, and the Oilers don’t want to let this window of opportunity slip away.
The Wild are in a different spot. They have been one of the NHL’s best teams since Nov. 1 and were 7-2-1 heading into Saturday’s visit by the Ottawa Senators to the Grand Casino Arena.
Acquiring Hughes, who has only 18 months left on a deal paying him $7.85 million U.S. per season, without an extension in place, was a tough call. But Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin is in win-now mode.
The Wild are also in a division with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, so it will be tough for them to compete.
“It’s nice to be in the game,” Guerin said Saturday. “We weren’t able to do this the last four years. You throw your hat in the ring, and you put your best foot forward. I believe in our players, I believe in our team and what we’re doing here.
“The guys are happy. We have an extremely competitive division. You’re going through the meat grinder here. We respect our opponents, but we want to do our own thing, too. We want to compete for the Stanley Cup.”
Hughes is expected to make his debut with the Wild against the Boston Bruins at home on Sunday.
“He’s a special player and opportunities like this don’t come along very often,” Guerin said.
Many felt Hughes was headed to the New Jersey Devils, where he would have played with his brothers, Jack and Luke, but Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald offered the Canucks a deal that wasn’t good enough.
Guerin said the Canucks tried to negotiate the names, but in the end accepted the Wild’s first offer.
“Bill is going for it, but it’s risky not having a player signed,” the executive added.
It remains to be seen if these two deals will propel other teams that have been talking to get trades across the finish line.
The St. Louis Blues have stated they are open for business, and the Canucks want to make more moves with the players who can become unrestricted free agents after this season. We’ve been led to believe the Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, and Nashville Predators are also prepared to make moves.
The NHL trade deadline is set for March 6 at 3 p.m., but this is a unique year because the league will pause for the Winter Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina, Italy, from Feb. 6 to Feb. 24.
Many have wondered if that break will act as a second deadline.
Will this open up teams to making trades?
“I would think it might,” another league executive said. “Roster freeze, Olympic break. The deadline will be crickets. Big moves will be done early.”
Guerin noted he was making meatballs with his wife for Christmas Eve when he received the trade call from Vancouver GM Jim Rutherford confirming that the deal was done.
This could make some other GMs cook up some deals.
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