Three Winners of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL Trade Deadline is usually a day for the league that is super busy and sees a ton of trades. It seemed, however, like there were not too many trades made this time around as there were in previous years.

But with the trades that were made on this rendition of NHL Trade Deadline Day, there were some clear winners that could be sorted out from what some of the other teams did. Some teams really outdid themselves and set themselves up nicely for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while other playoff teams did not do much at all.

With that, here are three winners from this year's deadline.

St. Louis Blues

The now-rebuilding St. Louis Blues, who have general manager Doug Armstrong at the helm, did as well as they could and got really good value for the trades that they did make. Armstrong traded captain and veteran forward Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders and defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings.

Mar 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer (31) blocks a shot attempt by St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) in the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Armstrong managed to get first-round picks plus more for both of those guys. Both players are past their primes and in their 30s, and he got valuable draft picks in exchange for them.

Armstrong hit a home run and set his team up nicely as they aim to rebuild in the near future.

Colorado Avalanche

The current Stanley Cup favorites decided to go all in, and why not do so when you're in that position?

General manager Chris McFarland added Nic Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators, Brett Kulak from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames.

Mar 5, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (91) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images | Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Kadri was a fan-favorite years ago when he was in Colorado and figures to be that again as he makes his return to where he won the Stanley Cup a few seasons ago. Roy is a veteran center who will help Colorado down the middle and in their playoff run. Blankenburg is a top 4/middle 6 defenseman that can be a good depth guy and play his bottom pairing role well, and Kulak is a defenseman that can play up and down the top 6 of their blue line.

All in all, McFarland nailed it, and Colorado should be favored to get through the West and to win the Cup. The Avalanche have the pieces and have what it takes to win it all like they did back in 2022.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks really only made one move at the deadline this go around, but the move that general manager Pat Verbeek made was a significant one; he acquired former Stanley Cup champion and veteran defenseman John Carlson from the Washington Capitals.

Jan 15, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) shoots the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Carlson gets to teach the likes of Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger and Jackson Lacombe what it takes to play winning hockey. It also helps that Carlson can still put up points on the scoresheet on a nightly basis.

It may have cost Verbeek a first-round pick and more, but this year is going splendid for the Ducks, and this trade was worth it.

The Ducks seem to be a dark horse in the West, and this trade will help them as they march towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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