The 24-25 NHL season has proven to be anything but boring. The official NHL Draft Tracker has been recording all official trades since July 1st, 2024. With months of trades already in effect, the league had and will continue to have, some serious changes.
In a shocking turn of events the New York Rangers traded their captain and experienced defenseman, Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks in return for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Rangers fans around the country claim that this trade is what the team needed to shake up their plays, but after more losses, are they beginning to regret the decision? Unsure of what Vaakanainen will bring to the team, fans anxiously await more games.
Of course, the Rangers aren’t the only team who’s shaking things up. On December 9th, The Colorado Avalanches made a trade to acquire goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a 5th-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks for their previous goaltender, Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 5th-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and 2nd-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.With the Sharks sitting at seventh in the Pacific Division, fans are hoping that these new, yet experienced, players will bring in more wins.
November 30th brought on another unexpected change in the league, with the Minnesota Wilds acquiring defenseman David Jiricek and a 5th-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Daemon Hunt, a 1st-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, 3rd- and 4th-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 2nd-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
The upcoming years of drafts will be too exciting to miss, so be sure to tune in.
Looking at the stats, it’s easy to see that the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins have been making the most changes to their teams, with both frequent and unexpected trades.
On November 25th the Pittsburgh Penguins gained forward, Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators for a 4th-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Furthermore, on November 12th, the Washington Capitals absorbed a new forward, Lars Eller, from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 3rd-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and a 5th-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Additionally, Askarov was traded to the San Jose Sharks by the Nashville Predators.
July 2nd was quite the popular day, with three trades officially occurring on this date.Though some of these trades have shocked fans across the country, all hockey fans are uniting for this upcoming season. These are just a few of the dozens of trades made within the NHL this season. Fans are eager to see what will happen next. Keep up with the National Hockey League trades at NHL.com
Standings as of 1/23/25:
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division:
Maple Leafs
Panthers
Lightning
Senators
Canadiens
Bruins
Red Wings
Sabres
Metropolitan Division:
Capitals
Hurricanes
Devils
Blue Jackets
Rangers
Flyers
Penguins
Islanders
Western Conference
Central Division:
Jets
Wild
Stars
Avalanche
Blues
Utah
Predators
Blackhawks
Pacific Division:
Golden Knights
Oilers
Kings
Flames
Canucks
Kraken
Ducks
Sharks