2025 NHL trade deadline report cards: Grading every team’s moves (or lack thereof) (2025)

The start of the NHL’s 2025 trade deadline featured everything from major moves that saw the rich get richer toreunions to big names in new uniforms before, predictably, a flurry of moves Friday.

Which teams accomplished their goals, and which left their fan bases fuming? The Athletic asked its NHL staff to assign a grade to every club on their moves (or lack thereof) ahead of the deadline— in context of how successfully they improved their situation — whether they’re rebuilding, trying to make the playoffs or pushing to win the Stanley Cup.

We had to define “ahead of” somehow, so we decided on everything including and after theMikko Rantanen trade to the Hurricanes on Jan. 24. Any moves made before that are excluded.

Anaheim Ducks: B

This didn’t set up to be a prolific deadline for general manager Pat Verbeek. After all, the Ducks have been through the pain of a teardown and it’s time for them to start taking the initial steps toward playoff contention. Which they have done. Getting a second-round pick and an intriguing forward prospect for Brian Dumoulin was fine work, though one wonders if there was a chance of getting even more, given how much of a seller’s market it was. The chances of the Ducks moving either John Gibson or Trevor Zegras were very slim at best. It’s not as though either (or both) couldn’t still play a key role in their future. But the Ducks — as their young impact players are finally starting to show some growth under coach Greg Cronin — should be laying the groundwork for upgrading. And with a ton of cap space to play with this summer, that’s where the real action could take place. — Eric Stephens

Boston Bruins: B+

Team president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney shattered the 2024-25 roster by trading their captain (Brad Marchand) and two of their alternates (Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo). By doing so, the Bruins closed the book on their 2011 Stanley Cup days (Marchand was the last championship winner remaining) to initiate a rapid makeover emphasizing speed and youth. Casey Mittelstadt is younger, faster and more skilled than Coyle. He does not have Coyle’s physicality, matchup presence, penalty-killing skill or faceoff touch. Fraser Minten, one of Toronto’s top prospects, could become a regular matchup forward in the NHL and assume some of Coyle’s responsibilities. All of this was necessary because of the Bruins’ plunge in the standings and their absence of NHL-ready youngsters. What darkens the youth infusion, however, is the return on Marchand. The Bruins set a high price for the left wing. In retrospect, it was too high because of Marchand’s age, current injury status and partial no-trade protection. A conditional second-round pick is a disappointment. Now the Bruins will have to hit on their inbound draft capital. — Fluto Shinzawa

Buffalo Sabres: B

There’s now a clearer vision of what the Sabres could look like in 2025-26, and it’s a different vision than the one general manager Kevyn Adams had two seasons ago when he signed Dylan Cozens to a seven-year contract worth more than $7 million per year. Adams said earlier this season he was willing to listen to trade offers for core players, and he followed through with one of his boldest moves during his tenure. Adams wanted to make his roster better with player-for-player trades that could shake up the mix of a roster that has underachieved for two straight seasons. Whether he accomplished that remains to be seen. The Sabres added Josh Norris, who can be a prolific scorer when he’s healthy. This deadline is just the beginning, but it’s also the clearest sign yet that Adams is altering his plan and trying to change the identity of this team on the fly. — Matthew Fairburn

Calgary Flames: C-

The Flames were sellers at the trade deadline this time last year, parting with players for younger pieces and draft picks. This year, the Flames are overachievers thanks to Dustin Wolf and timely contributions up and down the lineup. Calgary decided to hold firm completely and not part ways with any of their pending unrestricted free agents including Dan Vladar or Joel Hanley. General manager Craig Conroy essentially put his hands up and decided to let his team determine its own fate as it pushes for the playoffs. The Flames were active long before the deadline, adding Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost in late January, so they can at least say they tried to help the team make a push in some way. The real disappointment is in Calgary not weaponizing its cap space as trades flew on Friday. Over $18 million in cap space gave the Flames ample opportunity to take on salary with the hope of obtaining picks and prospects. Even if they had gotten in on a less heralded deal that would’ve netted them a draft pick, the Flames would’ve emerged as a small winner. But it’s hard to give them much more than a passing grade for their (lack of) effort. — Julian McKenzie

Carolina Hurricanes: D

The overall swap of assets at this year’s trade deadline doesn’t look terribly awful for Carolina — trade away Martin Necas, Jack Drury and some Day 2 draft picks for Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-round picks. It’s the middle of the sandwich that looks a bit rotten. The acquisition, courting and departure of Mikko Rantanen will be seen as a stain on the Hurricanes, another example of the team landing a star player but not getting him to commit long term to the franchise. The Hurricanes lack the oomph they had before the Rantanen trade — Stankoven is a fine player but he’s not Necas, and Hall has a higher ceiling than Drury but also stripped Carolina of a key faceoff man and penalty killer. The Hurricanes will have to dust themselves off, fix their power play and navigate the playoffs as underdogs instead of as favorites. — Cory Lavalette

Chicago Blackhawks: B

The Blackhawks accomplished what they sought to do this trade deadline — and a bit more. Fans obviously will want to know how these deadline moves make the Blackhawks better for the future. This offseason should be telling. The Blackhawks have the cap space and future assets to be aggressive in free agency and the trade market. There is an expectation for them to improve the NHL roster this summer. How the Blackhawks look come next season might be a fairer way to gauge these trade deadline moves. — Scott Powers

Colorado Avalanche: A-

The Avalanche flipped their roster in a way we rarely see from contending teams, moving on from star winger Mikko Rantanen and re-working their center depth behind Nathan MacKinnon. The return on the Rantanen trade is already looking good, with Martin Necas fitting right in. The late additions of Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle should make Colorado the strongest it’s been up the middle since losing Nazem Kadri. The additions on the blue line were more minor, but Ryan Lindgren and Erik Johnson solidify the Avs’ depth. Given all of that, along with the upgrade of Mackenzie Blackwood in net early in the season, general manager Chris MacFarland made a lot of changes for the better. — Jesse Granger

Columbus Blue Jackets: B

If you weren’t expecting much, you won’t be let down. General manager Don Waddell made a decision a few weeks ago that he wasn’t going to subtract from this Blue Jackets roster, believing that his group of overachievers deserved a chance to challenge for a playoff spot. He did, however, want to give them a boost, believing his forward corps could use help. Luke Kunin gives them another sturdy player, and so could Christian Fischer, who was claimed off waivers from Detroit on Thursday. They help fortify the bottom six in the short term. When Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger return, there will be difficult lineup decisions to be made. But that’s OK. Competition is a good thing. Depth is invaluable, too. — Aaron Portzline

Dallas Stars: A+

The Stars have been close to the Stanley Cup three times in the past five seasons. If they fall short again this season, it won’t be for a lack of trying. Jim Nill is all in, dealing away his next three first-round picks for two point-a-game players in Mikko Rantanen and Mikael Granlund. Signing Rantanen — a true superstar in this league — for eight years at sub-market value only makes this all look better. Yes, there will be questions going forward. Is this the end of Jamie Benn’s illustrious tenure in Dallas? Can the Stars manage to pay the pending raises for Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley in the next two years? It won’t be easy to make the math work. But doubt Nill at your own peril. This is the team to beat in the NHL. — Mark Lazerus

Detroit Red Wings: C

Craig Smith is a veteran who brings some scoring and needed hard elements to the Red Wings’ bottom six, likely on the fourth line. At 35, he’s not likely a long-term piece, but for 2025 he’s a nice addition and someone who should help Detroit, which hasn’t gotten enough offense down the lineup this season. Petr Mrázek is the more confusing piece of this deal. The Red Wings’ goaltending has struggled of late, to be sure, but Mrázek is having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, with an .890 save percentage and minus-9.52 goals saved above expected through 33 games. His environment is key context, as he’s been playing behind the lottery-bound Blackhawks, but Mrázek’s trajectory hasn’t been inspiring: his save percentage has been below .900 in three of the last four seasons. Maybe he turns that around in Detroit, where he previously played from 2013-2018, but with another year at $4.25 million on his contract, it’s a risky bet on him turning things around. Detroit gets credit for bringing in Smith, who is the kind of deadline addition playoff teams typically seek, but the Mrázek portion is a giant question mark. A goaltending boost would certainly help the Red Wings, but counting on that from Mrázek is an iffy bet. — Max Bultman

Edmonton Oilers: C+

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman filled some key areas of need by acquiring Jake Walman to bolster the back end, plus Trent Frederic and Max Jones for some speed and muscle up front. The Oilers are better now than they were at the start of the week. Those moves didn’t come cheap, though. Bowman said he tried to make a big swing but ultimately didn’t. Though he said the Oilers are “all in to try to win right now,” he opted not to overhaul the mix. There was no goaltending or top-six winger acquired. There wasn’t a fourth-line center, either, although there are internal options and that position isn’t that important given the makeup of this roster. The Oilers have improved, but that improvement isn’t as notable as it could have been. It might not be enough, either. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

Florida Panthers: A+

If Friday’s moves never happened, the Panthers would’ve already been close to A-level. Seth Jones isn’t a perfect player, but he might be a perfect fit on the right side of their defense — he’s no longer overpaid, he’ll no longer be overextended and they’ll no longer have to cross their fingers on the right side when Aaron Ekblad isn’t on the ice. Adding Brad Marchand for, realistically, the lowest price imaginable drives the grade up even further. It doesn’t matter that he’s 36 years old; he’s still a difference-maker. With him in the fold, they’ve regained their status as the Eastern Conference’s team to beat. — Sean Gentille

Los Angeles Kings: C

The Kings taking a chance on Andrei Kuzmenko is fine on its own, since no significant assets were lost, but the winger isn’t moving the needle when it comes to closing the gap on the top teams in the Western Conference. General manager Rob Blake confirmed that he was in “on a lot of conversations, specifically around the offensive side of the game.” Kuzmenko has shown to get hot on occasion in his career — he did have the 39-goal year with Vancouver and scored a bunch right away when he got to Calgary — but he doesn’t add a whole lot if he’s not scoring. He could help an ailing power play. And the Kings didn’t mortgage any important future pieces. But this is an underwhelming trade deadline for the second straight year. — Eric Stephens

Minnesota Wild: B

The moves certainly weren’t splashy, especially compared to some of their Central Division rivals, but general manager Bill Guerin didn’t have much cap space or roster flexibility to work with. In that context, the Wild did make solid moves to improve the depth of their injury-depleted forward group. They reacquired Gustav Nyquist (giving up a 2026 second-rounder), and the 35-year-old provides versatility (he can play both special teams and add scoring punch) and immediately jumped onto the top line. The trade for Justin Brazeau was pretty much dollar in, dollar out and gave them a player who provides size, net-front presence and an upgrade in the bottom six. Had Guerin known Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek or Jonas Brodin were going to be out the rest of the regular season, he could have tapped into a chunk of cap space to make a bigger swing. As is, these moves won’t make the Wild Cup contenders, but they’ll help them stay afloat while their injured stars are out and give them a better chance to advance past the first round. — Michael Russo and Joe Smith

Montreal Canadiens: B-

The Canadiens held on to their three impending unrestricted free agents — defenseman David Savard and forwards Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak — despite all three of them generating varied levels of interest on the trade market. And they signed Jake Evans to a four-year contract extension Tuesday. The Canadiens could have easily cashed in on one of their rentals, but it would have weakened a group that has fought to climb back into a playoff race and might have done some cultural damage to what the Canadiens are trying to build long term. Captain Nick Suzuki told general manager Kent Hughes that it would be his preference to keep the group intact before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Hughes responded that he should go win some games. The Canadiens won their first five games out of the break and got a point in an overtime loss in Edmonton on Thursday. They have held up their end of the bargain, so the general manager held up his end as well. — Arpon Basu

Nashville Predators: D

Things got off to a good start in a disastrous season for Preds general manager Barry Trotz when he got a second-round pick from Minnesota for Gustav Nyquist. But then he sent Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn to Pittsburgh for Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Uh, OK. That one got a “D” from Sean Gentille and a “D-plus” from Shayna Goldman, and that was before Penguins’ Kyle Dubas flipped Schenn to Winnipeg for a second and a fourth. That embarrassment was followed up by Trotz getting nothing else done. Oy. On the positive side … this is still a better grade than Trotz’s overall season grade of “F,” I guess? — Joe Rexrode

New Jersey Devils: C

The Devils were dealt a tough hand. Jack Hughes went down with a season-ending injury, leaving Tom Fitzgerald in a pickle. He wanted to add, but with Hughes out, it likely was not a good year to go all in. Cody Glass gives the Devils a little more center depth, which they needed, but is not a top-six player. Brian Dumoulin helps the defense, especially with New Jersey dealing with a few injuries on the blue line. I like taking a shot on Daniel Sprong, who has scored throughout his career. Nothing was going to make up for the loss of Hughes, but this doesn’t come particularly close. The Devils’ hopes for a deep playoff run will likely have to shift to 2025-2026, even if they’d still like to make the playoffs and have a competitive team this year. New Jersey didn’t give up any prime draft capital this deadline, but Herman Traff is a legitimate prospect and a second- and third-round pick isn’t nothing. It feels a little much for what the Devils got given their playoff chances with Hughes out. — Peter Baugh

New York Islanders: B

Lou Lamoriello hates selling at the deadline. He tried to sign his two big pending UFAs and will succeed on Kyle Palmieri, who didn’t move on Friday. But Brock Nelson decided he didn’t want to extend on Thursday and Lamoriello made a big move, getting a couple of good future pieces back from the all-in Avalanche. That move is exactly what the stale Islanders needed — another first-round pick, most likely next year, and a good center prospect in Calum Ritchie. But, given the ridiculous prices being thrown around on Friday, a bigger sell-off seemed to be warranted from this team. The Islanders are out of the playoffs, but even if they make it, they’re still an underdog. Had they moved Palmieri for a second-rounder plus, had they considered trades for Jean-Gabriel Pageau and perhaps even captain Anders Lee, the asset stockpile would have been huge and ripe for some aggressive trades in the offseason. — Arthur Staple

New York Rangers: B+

The J.T. Miller addition is obviously the biggest of the Rangers’ deadline season (from Jan. 24 on), which doesn’t include the Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko trades in December. New York paid a hefty price to get him, but it’s hard to find legitimate top-line centers. Miller gives that to New York and brings snarl to which the team has responded. Mika Zibanejad’s production has also seen an uptick with him as a linemate. After acquiring Miller, the Rangers successfully moved on from pending unrestricted free agents — Ryan Lindgren, Reilly Smith and Jimmy Vesey — which allowed them to recoup draft capital they lost by pursuing rentals at previous deadlines. General manager Chris Drury immediately used one of those picks, a 2025 third originally belonging to San Jose, to shore up the defense a bit more by adding Carson Soucy. Soucy is under contract through 2025-26. New York also gave Urho Vaakanainen, who came over in the Trouba trade, a reasonable $1.55 million cap hit through 2026-27. All told, Drury did not do anything rash this season by trading for rentals. He capitalized on a seller’s market, recouping picks and players who could help the team beyond this season, all without depleting the roster to the point that it can’t make an honest playoff push. This is a minor gripe, but the Rangers did not use their third cap retention slot to broker a deal that would have netted them a fourth- or fifth-round pick. There might not have been a move available to help with, but it would have been a nice cherry on top of a solid deadline. — Peter Baugh

Ottawa Senators: A

The Senators weren’t expected to be too active on Friday. But that changed when the possibility to land Dylan Cozens came into view. General manager Steve Staios likes his size and ability to work in hard areas and to produce at five-on-five despite his statistics over the last two seasons trending downward. Adding Dennis Gilbert for depth and a 2026 second-round pick wasn’t too bad either. But it meant having to give up Josh Norris, a popular player in the Senators’ room, and Jacob Bernard-Docker, who was on the outside looking in for playing time. Norris’ departure in particular will be fascinating to navigate considering the personal relationships with players such as Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson among others. And then, the Senators added Fabian Zetterlund who they could plug into their top six as he’s on the verge of another 20-goal season while also producing at five-on-five. Ottawa entered the day quietly and made a pair of solid moves to end it. It should be considered a deadline-day winner. — Julian McKenzie

Philadelphia Flyers: B+

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere’s patience paid off, as the Maple Leafs seemingly overpaid for Scott Laughton after other center options were already off the board. They also turned Andrei Kuzmenko, who might have left in the summer as a free agent, into another asset. Still, the removal of Laughton from the dressing room does carry some risk. No player was more popular with his teammates than Laughton, who played a key role in establishing a culture that the front office believes will help their younger players and prospects along. Further, the top-six center that Briere is still seeking remains elusive. — Kevin Kurz

Pittsburgh Penguins: B

Since trading Jake Guentzel last season, Kyle Dubas seemed to prioritize building for the future more than the present. He has never used the word “rebuild,” and his call to hang onto Rickard Rakell may confirm the Penguins won’t do a tear-down while captain Sidney Crosby is playing. The Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. They are about to miss out on their third consecutive postseason. They came away from this deadline period with some intriguing pieces, and with some NHL Draft Lottery luck, perhaps they’ll land the impact prospects for which their system is desperate. Rakell’s value may never be higher than it was going into Friday. If it’s not, Dubas missed an opportunity. Time will tell. — Rob Rossi

San Jose Sharks: A-

Sharks general manager Mike Grier still must do the heavy lifting when it comes to building a competitive team, one that will get in the playoffs. Let’s be clear, that’s more difficult than tearing things down. But Grier is conducting a masterclass in asset management. At this deadline, he was among those taking full advantage of a seller’s market. This season, Mackenzie Blackwood, Mikael Granlund, Cody Ceci, Nico Sturm, Luke Kunin and Jake Walman have been shipped out. But San Jose wasn’t winning with them and now it has added more higher-round selections to boost an already thriving prospect pool — rated No. 1 by The Athletic — or to trade for more immediate help. Grier has two first-round picks for 2025 (including the potential No. 1 overall) and could have two for 2026 or 2027. The Zetterlund trade is a head-scratcher (a 25-year-old pending RFA with 17 goals) and worth docking Grier, but he could have eight selections in the first and second rounds over the next two drafts. That’s how you rebuild. — Eric Stephens

Seattle Kraken: B-

The Kraken made a difficult choice, trading several good players in their late 20s and early 30s, as they began their pivot toward building a young team around a pair of cornerstone centres in Shane Wright and Matty Beniers. Though the decision is a necessary one, and the club was strongly compensated for the veterans it dealt in terms of draft capital, one would like the moves a lot more if the team hadn’t clearly been focused on being in the Western Conference wild-card race this season (and fallen well short, in a race that’s been something of a turtle derby). Nonetheless, netting two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a good young worker bee middle-six winger in Michael Eyssimont for Brandon Tanev, Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand is a very solid haul. Getting a real asset for Daniel Sprong, acquired for free in November, is the cherry on top. — Thomas Drance

St. Louis Blues: C+

Just a few weeks ago, it appeared the Blues would be on the outside looking in at the playoffs. But a run of 6-1-1 in their past eight games put them just one point out of the second wild-card spot in the West going into Friday’s deadline. There was some optimism building, but then Thursday the news came that No. 1 defenseman Colton Parayko would undergo a knee scope and likely miss the rest of the regular season. At that point, what was general manager Doug Armstrong to do? He could trade assets to try to improve the roster slightly, but would that be worth it? Would it upgrade the Blues enough to win a round in the playoffs? The more likely scenario was selling, but their biggest asset, captain Brayden Schenn, has a full no-trade clause, and teams might’ve been turned off by the cost for the 33-year-old who has three more years left on his contract at a $6.5 million cap hit. As far as trading others, who? Ryan Suter? Radek Faksa? Armstrong may have been able to move them, but the return would’ve been light. They are worth more to the Blues than another team, and Armstrong probably felt he owed it to the current players to keep the roster intact and let them try to make the playoffs. So I’m giving the Blues an average grade because while Armstrong didn’t do anything at the deadline, what was in his control would’ve been inconsequential. — Jeremy Rutherford

Tampa Bay Lightning: A-

The Lightning had one clear task heading into the trade deadline: add two-way forward depth. In Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, management did exactly that. The market price was steep for forward depth this year, and the Lightning moved out two firsts, a second and Michael Eyssimont for a rental in Gourde and two playoff runs with Bjorkstrand. It’s risky, but it is better to bet on this group — led by an elite core that is thriving — than the uncertainty of a draft pick amounting into something that won’t help this window of contention. Tampa Bay’s window has an eventual expiration date, and the future after that may be bleak. But if this helps the Lightning extend their dynasty, it will all be worth it. — Shayna Goldman

Toronto Maple Leafs: B-

The Leafs shipped out first-round picks and prospects for Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton. Carlo is the real big hit here for the Leafs. That partner for Morgan Rielly the team has been searching for since the Chris Tanev partnership evaporated? That’ll be Carlo. He’s a 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-shooting defender who plays just the kind of simple game that Rielly seems to need by his side. The Leafs suddenly have a top four that makes sense — Tanev next to Jake McCabe, Rielly next to Carlo. A team that’s struggled to defend just added a really strong defender who should provide a meaningful boost on the penalty kill. Add the fact that Carlo is signed for two more seasons after this one at $3.48 million and the Leafs have nailed things on the back end for the foreseeable future. Laughton is a more questionable fit. Laughton hasn’t really even been a center most of this season. And so a roster hole at third-line center that’s been filled unsatisfactorily since last summer has been only partially taped up. Laughton doesn’t feel like the centerpiece of a line that can stymie elite players in a playoff series, nor is he a sure thing to provide offense. One silver lining is that Philadelphia agreed to retain half of Laughton’s contract, meaning the Leafs get the 30-year-old for next season too at $1.5 million on the cap. — Jonas Siegel

Utah Hockey Club: C+

The Utahns certainly didn’t do anything Mammoth at the deadline, but they also weren’t entirely quiet. General manager Bill Armstrong quietly swapped out Shea Weber’s long-term injured reserve contract to Chicago, along with two meh prospects, in exchange for a fifth-round pick on Friday, a move that looks pretty weird at first glance. Trading a player like Weber with a career-ending injury isn’t Outlawed, but typically it’s something that happens when a team doesn’t want to be in LTIR, which very well could be the case for the Hockey Clubbers in 2025-26. It’s a potential signal they’ll spend very aggressively in the offseason to get right to the cap. Otherwise, Utah was surprisingly silent. It entered deadline week with eight pending UFAs and only a 20 percent chance of making the playoffs, but chose to extend Karel Vejmelka, Alex Kerfoot and Ian Cole and hang onto its other rentals in order to keep the excitement alive in Salt Lake City. Certainly different vibes than the Arizona days, whether Utah sneaks in as a wild card or not. — James Mirtle

Vancouver Canucks: D-

As the trade deadline neared, the Canucks intended to be both a seller (of older expiring free agents) and a buyer (of younger players with term remaining on their deals) and categorically failed on both fronts. Even worse, in his post-deadline commentary explaining what exactly transpired, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin blamed the club’s lack of activity solely on the lack of market interest in his players. Either the Canucks missed the market, or their real motivation — make the playoffs at all costs — is something that Vancouver’s hockey operations was reluctant to declare publicly. If the inaction was troubling, the explanation for it completely beggared belief. As much goodwill as this Allvin and Jim Rutherford-led management team has built up in the market over the past few years, this deadline performance represented a confidence-shaking showing for the Canucks. — Thomas Drance

Vegas Golden Knights: B

Bringing Reilly Smith back makes a lot of sense for the Golden Knights. Not only is he a former alternate captain on the Stanley Cup-winning team who is well-liked in the dressing room, but he also fits Vegas’ biggest need entering this deadline: depth scoring on the wing. It’s tough to grade Vegas much higher than a B considering the way other Western Conference contenders upgraded at the deadline. Unlike most years, the Golden Knights were more under the radar, but it still feels like they helped their team, especially considering the limited cap space and future assets they came into the deadline with. — Jesse Granger

Washington Capitals: C

Nobody was expecting much action from the Caps; this is a really good, really complete team, and the market didn’t support their areas for potential improvement. Sure, they could’ve used a third-line center. How many of those changed hands on Friday, though? That’s a supply issue. Elsewhere, Anthony Beauvillier as a scoring element along the wing will pay off at some point. They’ve still got the inside track in the Metro Division, and that counts for plenty. Still, several teams in their class — Florida, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Colorado — dramatically improved. That darkens their doorstep a bit. — Sean Gentille

Winnipeg Jets: D

Winnipeg’s trade deadline will ultimately be remembered for what it didn’t get done. The Jets made small steps forward by adding well-liked depth players Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, but the Jets paid prices that reflect a seller’s market — and they didn’t get a high-end upgrade, like Brock Nelson, despite their efforts. Schenn and Tanev are highly competitive depth players who kill penalties, block shots, and — in Schenn’s case — throw a ton of bodychecks. Tanev gives Winnipeg a lot of speed and energy on the fourth line, albeit at the cost of Morgan Barron or David Gustafsson’s minutes. Schenn represents much-needed depth on the blue line where the Jets’ recent deployment implies they’re an injury away from using Logan Stanley in the top four. Neither player drives play — that’s fine, Winnipeg needed depth — but it’s wildly underwhelming compared to work done by Colorado and Dallas. The Jets began the day as the favorite to emerge from the West. They’re still in the mix but it isn’t fair to call them favorites anymore. — Murat Ates

(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: Maddie Meyer, Eliot J. Schechter, Derek Cain / Getty Images)