2024 NHL Trade Tracker 2.0: Guentzel Goes To Carolina

With the NHL trade deadline four days away, teams are busy trying to find ways to either stock up for a long playoff run or how to better themselves for the future. Some deals have gone down already, others will commence over the course of the week. The flurry expected next Friday on trade deadline day will be like Christmas morning for hockey fans around the world. It’s time for the NHL tracker.

This will be a one-stop shop for all trades until the wheeling and dealing ceases on March 8. The trade tracker will start this week including some speculation that has been going around the league. As trades begin, speculation will drop and instead this space will focus solely on league deals. It will also be updated as quickly as possible.

The latest updates are now with the NHL trade tracker very active in a day where trades continue to drop. The updated ones are the big impact trades and today will see deals made that also shift the sands a bit.

March 7 – The Carolina Hurricanes trade Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Crus Lucius, Conditional 2024 1st Round Pick and a Conditional 2024 5th Round Pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jay Guentzel and Ty Smith

Snapshot: A major domino that falls and begins the potential sell off for the Penguins. Pittsburgh loads up on players and picks while the Hurricanes get an impact player in Guentzel who could potentially put them over the top in what is an excessively competitive Eastern Conference. Guentzel has been shelved and is expected to return soon, but while this was expected, it’s certainly a big trade that could force the hand of a few others teams to load up on some more depth for the long run. The Penguins will also eat a quarter of his cap hit

March 6 – The Vegas Golden Knights acquire Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames

Snapshot: The Vegas Golden Knights continue to be the envy of teams hoping they’ll have an active front office. First Mantha–now Hanifin, who will bolster a blue line and give the Golden Knights a chance to make another real push at defending their Stanley Cup title. More details will follow.

Can confirm that Noah Hanifin is heading to #VGK.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 6, 2024

March 6 – The Seattle Kraken trade Alex Wennberg to the New York Rangers for a 2024 2nd Round and 2025 4th Round Pick

Snapshot: The Kraken are still a handful points from being in the wild card discussion so dealing Wennberg to the Rangers makes sense. Wennberg has 25 points (6-19) and can provide some depth up front for a team seeking a long playoff run in a very competitive conference. It’s some draft capital for a team on the bubble for an expiring contract, too.

March 6 – The Colorado Avalanche trade Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt

Snapshot: A good old fashioned hockey trade. Byram heads to Buffalo, where he’ll have a chance to seal off what could be a real nightmare of a blue line for teams. Mittelstadt joins a high octane Colorado offense that will need to compete with a Golden Knight team in the playoffs that continue to load up. This is very good trade for both sides.

March 6 – The Colorado Avalanche trade a conditional 2025 1st Round pick and Ryan Johansen to the Philadelphia Flyers for Sean Walker and a 2026 5th Round Pick

Snapshot: Johansen was almost immediately put on waivers following the trade, but for taking him, received Colorado’s first-round pick that is top ten protected. Meanwhile, the Avs grab Walker who provides depth on the blue line and has 28 points (6-22) this season.

March 6 – The Ottawa Senators Trade Vladimir Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers for a 2024 4th Round Pick (contingent) and a 2025 3rd Round Pick

Snapshot: To say that analysts and fans are befuddled by this would be an understatement. The Sens also retain half of Tarasenko’s salary, which is even more confounding. The best Ottawa gets in this deal is a contingent pick that becomes a 2026 third-round selection if they win the Cup. The first of a flurry of deals coming fast and furious right now.

March 5 – The Washington Capitals Trade Anthony Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights for 2024 2nd Round Pick and 2026 4th Round Pick

Snapshot: Mantha is in the final year of his deal and has a chance to cash in as he’s enjoyed one of his best seasons statistically since a 25-goal season in 2018-19 with the Detroit Red Wings. Mantha has 34 points (20-14) in 56 games, and an opportunity to go deep into the playoffs for the first time in his career. He’s been a streaky player in his career but has a nose for the net. The Caps also retain half of his cap hit while getting a second and fourth round pick in 2024 and 2026 respectively.

🔄 TRADE ALERT 🚨

The Golden Knights have acquired forward Anthony Mantha from Washington in exchange for a 2024 2nd round pick and a 2026 4th round pick. #VegasBorn

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 5, 2024

Trade Tracker Thoughts: Penguins Might Be In Sell Mode

Instead of hunting for pieces to make another Cup run, it sure appears as if the Pittsburgh Penguins may be selling off some players off to start what could be a rough rebuild.

Cody Ceci.
Rips the wrista from the RW circle.
Malkin with the excuse me defense.
It's 5-0.

Kids…it's over. You may not see a few of these guys in Penguins sweaters again

— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) March 4, 2024

A season where Sidney Crosby has still been dominant, it hasn’t mattered that they acquired Erik Karlsson or that Crosby has a ridiculously great season. Instead, the Penguins are heading the same route as contenders of yesteryear–aging, and unable to figure out how to keep it all going.

So now, the watch is on for what general manager Kyle Dubas will do. Could the it be a major sell off? Might any of the iconic players be considered? Stranger things have certainly happened but it certainly looks like an end of an era may be approaching in the Steel City.

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