With the expansion draft and free agency here — and a flat cap, to boot — the 2021 NHL offseason is expected to be a wheelin'-and-dealin' one.
"There’s a number of teams that — there’s just really big decisions to be made," former Lightning general manager Brian Lawton told The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. "Now it’s fast and furious trying to figure out what they can get done."
WINNERS, LOSERS: Bruins, Devils look smart; Canadiens, Hurricanes make disturbing moves
With regard to the expansion draft, teams will be looking to get something for players they probably would lose otherwise in the draft. Then there is free agency, which begins July 28. A number of teams are cash-strapped and looking to free up space to not only re-sign their free agents but also reel in new players.
A number of big names are rumored to be on the trade block, including the Sabres' Jack Eichel. One domino has already fallen: The Blackhawks shipped three-time Stanley Cup champion Duncan Keith to the Oilers on July 12.
NHL FREE AGENCY: All 31 teams' UFAs, RFAs
The 2021 offseason is a short one as the new season is scheduled to begin in mid-October. Therefore, the expectation is that things will be fast and furious.
Sporting News is tracking every trade completed during the 2021 offseason.
NHL trade tracker 2021
| DATE | TEAM | PLAYERS | TEAM | PLAYERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 28 | Red Wings | Mitchell Stephens (F) | Lightning | 2022 sixth-round pick |
| July 28 | Rangers | Ryan Reaves (F) | Golden Knights | 2022 third-round pick |
| July 28 | Avalanche | Darcy Kuemper (G) | Coyotes | Conor Timmins (D), 2022 first-round pick, 2024 conditional third-round pick |
| July 28 | Flames | Dan Vlader (G) | Bruins | 2022 third-round pick |
| July 28 | Capitals | Vitek Vanecek (G) | Kraken | 2023 second-round pick |
| July 28 | Sabres | Will Butcher (D), 2022 fifth-round pick | Devils | Future considerations |
| July 28 | Sharks | Lane Pederson (F) | Coyotes | 2024 fourth-round pick |
| July 28 | Maple Leafs | Brennan Menell (D) | Wild | 2022 seventh-round pick |
| July 28 | Senators | Nick Holden (D), 2022 third-round pick | Golden Knights | Evgenii Dadonov (F) |
| July 28 | Hurricanes | Ethan Bear (D) | Oilers | Warren Foegele (F) |
| July 28 | Flames | Nikita Zadorov (D) | Blackhawks | 2022 third-round pick |
| July 27 | Blackhawks | Tyler Johnson (F), 2023 second-round pick | Lightning | Brent Seabrook (D) |
| July 27 | Jets | Nate Schmidt (D) | Canucks | 2022 third-round pick |
| July 27 | Avalanche | Kurtis MacDermid (D) | Kraken | 2023 fourth-round pick |
| July 27 | Blackhawks | Marc-Andre Fleury (G) | Golden Knights | Mikael Hakkarainen (F) |
| July 26 | Jets | Brenden Dillon (D) | Capitals | 2022 second-round pick, 2023 second-round pick |
| July 26 | Panthers | 2023 seventh-round pick | Coyotes | Anton Stralman (D), Vladislav Kolyachonok (D), 2024 second-round pick |
| July 24 | Panthers | Sam Reinhart (F) | Sabres | Devon Levi (G), 2022 first-round pick |
| July 24 | Blue Jackets | Jakub Voracek (F) | Flyers | Cam Atkinson |
| July 24 | Coyotes | Cole Hults (D), Boko Imama (F) | Kings | Brayden Burke (F), Tyler Steenbergen (F) |
| July 23 | Blue Jackets | Jake Bean (D) | Hurricanes | 2021 second-round pick |
| July 23 | Blue Jackets | Adam Boqvist (D), 2021 first-round (12th overall), 2021 second-round pick (44th overall), 2022 first-round pick | Blackhawks | Seth Jones (D), 2021 first-round pick (32nd overall), 2022 sixth-round pick |
| July 23 | Canucks | Oliver Ekman-Larsson (D), Conor Garland (F) | Coyotes | Loui Eriksson (F), Antoine Roussel (F), Jay Beagle (F), 2021 first-round pick (9th overall), 2022 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick |
| July 23 | Rangers | Sammy Blais (F), 2022 second-round pick | Blues | Pavel Buchnevich (F) |
| July 23 | Flyers | Rasmus Ristolainen (D) | Sabres | Robert Hagg (D), 2021 first-round pick (14th overall), 2023 second-round pick |
| July 22 | Coyotes | Shayne Gostisbehere (D), 2022 second-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick | Flyers | — |
| July 22 | Red Wings | Alex Nedeljkovic (G) | Hurricanes | Jonathan Bernier (G), 2021 third-round pick (94th overall) |
| July 22 | Flames | Tyler Pitlick (F) | Kraken | 2022 fourth-round pick |
| July 17 | Canucks | Jason Dickinson (F) | Stars | 2021 third-round pick |
| July 17 | Sharks | Adin Hill (G), 2022 seventh-round pick | Coyotes | Josef Korenar (G), 2022 second-round pick |
| July 17 | Maple Leafs | Jared McCann (F)* | Penguins | Filip Hallander (F), 2023 seventh-round pick |
| July 17 | Rangers | Barclay Goodrow (F) | Lightning | 2022 seventh-round pick |
| July 17 | Rangers | Nick DeSimone (D), 2022 fourth-round pick | Golden Knights | Brett Howden (F) |
| July 17 | Flyers | Ryan Ellis (D) | Predators | Philippe Myers (D), Nolan Patrick (F) |
| July 17 | Coyotes | Andrew Ladd (F), 2021 second-round pick, 2022 conditional second-round pick, 2023 conditional third-round pick | Islanders | — |
| July 17 | Predators | Cody Glass (F) | Golden Knights | Nolan Patrick (F) |
| July 16 | Red Wings | Nick Leddy (D) | Islanders | Richard Panik (F), 2021 second-round pick |
| July 15 | Devils | Ryan Graves (D) | Avalanche | Mikhail Maltsev (F), 2021 second-round pick |
| July 14 | Oilers | Future considerations | Hurricanes | Dylan Wells (G) |
| July 12 | Oilers | Duncan Keith (D), Tim Soderlund (F) | Blackhawks | Caleb Jones (D), 2022 conditional pick |
| July 1 | Kings | Viktor Arvidsson (F) | Predators | 2021 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick |
*Selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft.