Editor’s note: This is a part of an occasional USA TODAY Sports series on the best moments, teams, players and figures in sports over the last 25 years.
The NHL trade market was pretty quiet until it heated up on Dec. 11 with the Quinn Hughes trade and the Tristan Jarry-Stuart Skinner goalie swap.
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Now, the NHL trade window will go dark again with the arrival of the holiday roster freeze.
No trades, waivers or loans can take place between 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. 19 and 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28. The trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on March 6.
With no trades taking place for a while, let’s take a look back at the best trades since 2000:
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Carolina Hurricanes and former Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) tosses a puck to a fan in his return to Canada Life Centre.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A young fan watches the action during the third period of the game between the Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy celebrates with goalie Joey Daccord (35) after a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Colorado Avalanche fans cheer in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A Colorado Avalanche fans holds up a sign for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A young fan sees her reflection in the arena glass during a game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A San Jose Sharks fan dresses in costume for Halloween during a game against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Tusky, the new Utah Mammoth mascot, is introduced to the fans before the game against the Calgary Flames at Delta Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A San Jose Sharks fan reacts after her team scores during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A Boston Bruins fan cheers for the team during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty performs before a game against the Florida Panthers
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) greets fans on the blue carpet before opening night against the New York Islanders.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Fans reach for a puck flipped over the glass by Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) during warmup before a game against the St. Louis Blues.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound before a game against the Winnipeg Jets.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston signs autographs for the fans as he walks the green carpet before the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Tampa Bay Lightning mascot Thunderbug celebrates after beating the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skates past fans holding signs during warmups before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fleury suited up for the Penguins one last time during the preseason game.
Best NHL trades since 20008. Shea Weber, P.K. Subban traded for each other
Date: June 29, 2016
Details: The Predators acquire Subban from the Canadiens in exchange for Weber.
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Analysis: This was a shocker based on the magnitude of the players involved. Subban was a former Norris Trophy winner. Weber was always in the mix, was Predators captain and the team had recently matched a big offer sheet to him.
This trade helped both teams. Nashville reached the Stanley Cup Final in Subban’s first season and won the Presidents’ Trophy the following season. Weber helped the Canadiens reach the 2021 Final and has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
7. Golden Knights acquire Jack Eichel from Sabres
Date: Nov. 4, 2021
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Details: The Golden Knights acquire Eichel for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and draft picks.
Analysis: Eichel and the Sabres disagreed over his desire to have a certain type of neck surgery. Eventually, he was moved to the Golden Knights and had the surgery. The Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the lone time in franchise history but the following season, the team and Eichel won the Stanley Cup for the first time. Eichel was in the mix for playoff MVP in 2023 and set a franchise points record in 2024-25. Tuch has been a solid contributor for the Sabres, who need to re-sign the pending free agent.
6. Ducks acquire Chris Pronger from Oilers
Date: July 3, 2006
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Details: The Ducks acquire Pronger from the Oilers for two first-round picks, a second-rounder, Joffrey Lupul and Ladislav SmÃd.
Analysis: The Edmonton Oilers (2005), Ducks (2006) and Philadelphia Flyers (2009) traded for the future Hall of Famer and he helped lead them to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season there. The Ducks snared Pronger right after his run to the 2006 Final and they won it all in 2007.
5. Avalanche acquire Ray Bourque from Bruins
Date: March 6, 2000
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Details: The Avalanche acquire Bourque and Dave Andreychuk from the Bruins for a first-round pick, Martin Grenier, Samuel Pahlsson and Brian Rolston.
Analysis: This trade was made in a bid to get five-time Norris Trophy winner Bourque his first Stanley Cup. It didn’t work out in 2000, but the Avalanche won it all in 2001 after general manager Pierre Lacroix made another aggressive move at the trade deadline to land Rob Blake. Bourque retired not long after lifting the Cup.
4. Panthers acquire Brad Marchand from Bruins
Date: March 7, 2025
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Details: The Panthers acquire Marchand for a conditional second-round pick in 2027 that will become a first-rounder in 2027 or 2028.
Analysis: Florida probably would not have repeated without Marchand. He was injured at the time of the trade, but scored key goals in the playoffs, including a pair of two-goal games in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers re-signed him and he has been their best player as the team deals with major injuries.
3. Penguins acquire Phil Kessel from the Maple Leafs
Date: July 1, 2015
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Details: The Penguins acquire Kessel, a second-round pick, Tyler Biggs and Tim Erixon from the Maple Leafs for a first-round pick, third-round pick, Scott Harrington, Kasperi Kapanen and Nick Spaling.
Analysis: Three-time All-Star Phil Kessel had been to the playoffs only once with the Maple Leafs, but he was the missing piece as the Penguins won back-to-back titles. He averaged nearly a point a game and had a playoff-best five power-play goals in 2016 and 2017. Kessel topped 300 points in his four seasons in Pittsburgh and went on to become the league’s record ironman.
2. Sharks acquire Joe Thornton from Bruins
Date: Nov. 30, 2005
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Details: The Sharks acquire Thornton from the Bruins for forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart.
Analysis: This deal was another shocker because Thornton was the Bruins captain and had topped 100 points two seasons earlier. But the trade worked out great for the Sharks. He won the Hart Trophy that season and led the league with 125 points. He also led the league in assists in his first three years with the Sharks and helped them to nine consecutive playoff berths, plus the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Sturm is now the Bruins coach.
1. Panthers acquire Matthew Tkachuk from Flames
Date: July 22, 2022
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Details: The Panthers acquire Tkachuk from the Flames for forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional 2025 first-round draft pick.
Matthew Tkachuk’s arrival in a trade helped the Florida Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
Analysis: The Flames moved Tkachuk because they didn’t want a repeat of Johnny Gaudreau’s free agent departure. The Flames appeared to get a good haul, especially since Huberdeau was a 100-point scorer like Tkachuk. But Tkachuk has been the best player in the deal. His physical presence changed the Panthers into a contender and they made the Final three times, winning the last two seasons. He was among the 2025 playoff scoring leaders while playing through a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia. He’s working his way back from offseason surgery.
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Huberdeau and Weegar signed extensions, but Huberdeau dropped from 115 points to 55 his first season in Calgary and hasn’t topped 62 points. Weegar had two good seasons but his numbers are down in 2025-26. Schwindt is back with the Panthers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best NHL trades since 2000: Panthers have two franchise-changing deals