NHL trade grades: Report cards for the biggest deals of 2025 - ESPN

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you'll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

Jump to a trade:
Jones to FLA
Nyquist to MIN
Lindgren to COL
Granlund to DAL
J.T. Miller to NYR
Pettersson to VAN
Farabee, Frost to CGY
Rantanen to CAR
Kakko to SEA
Fowler to STL
Blackwood-Georgiev
Trouba to ANA
Jiricek to MIN

After saying he wanted to play for a contender, Seth Jones is now a member of the defending Stanley Cup champions.

The Florida Panthers acquired Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks with goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick going the other way. The Blackhawks will also retain 25% of Jones' salary for the next five seasons.

How did each front office perform in the NHL's latest blockbuster? Let's find out.

It was never a question of whether the Panthers needed Jones. They did. But many wondered whether the Panthers had the capital to pull off a deal. Turns out, the