Devils get Dumoulin, Panthers add Sturm and Golden Knights reacquire Smith as NHL trades pile up

The banged up New Jersey Devils wasted no time filling an area of need ahead of the NHL trade deadline, while the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers made an under-the-radar move that could pave the way for another deep playoff run, and the Vegas Golden Knights are bringing back a member of their recent Stanley Cup-winning team.

With action heating up Thursday with roughly 24 hours to go before the deadline, New Jersey acquired veteran defenceman Brian Dumoulin from Anaheim and Florida got depth centre Nico Sturm from San Jose and Vegas reacquired winger Reilly Smith from the New York Rangers.

The Devils' acquisition of Dumoulin, sending a second-round pick in this year's draft and the rights to unsigned 19-year-old prospect Herman Traff to the Ducks, comes after they learned leading scorer Jack Hughes is done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery and with No. 1 defenceman Dougie Hamilton also out because of injury. With Hughes going on long-term injured reserve, they can add roughly $10 million US worth of players before the deadline, even after getting Dumoulin because Anaheim is retaining half of Dumoulin's salary.

The Rangers are also retaining half of what's left of Smith's salary. Smith has been traded to Pittsburgh to New York and back to Vegas since helping the Golden Knights win the Cup in 2023.

The Panthers, who lost in that final before winning their first title in franchise history last year, sent a 2026 fourth-rounder to the Sharks for a seventh in '27 and Sturm, a capable 29-year-old penalty killer who has seven goals and six assists and won 62.7 per cent of his faceoffs in 47 games this season. That is the highest total of anyone who has taken part in at least 200 faceoffs, and San