It comes around the same time every season, assuming things are somewhat normal. This major date on the calendar gets the attention of anyone and everyone involved in hockey. It’s a sign that spring is around the corner. It’s the NHL Trade Deadline.
In 2024, the deadline comes in just nine days on March 8. Teams must make their moves by 3 P.M. eastern time. In the lead up to that moment, things will start to get crazy around the league.
But let’s ask a question right here. Have you ever thought about certain questions surrounding the NHL’s Trade Deadline? For example, have you every thought about how many trades have taken place? Maybe how many draft picks have been dealt? What about players with the most success after being dealt at the deadline?
Related: NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
The NHL recently released some numbers in advance of this deadline. We will share 15 of the most intriguing stats and figures from deadline’s past. Let’s jump in.
15 Intriguing Stats & Figures
- Since the 1979-80 season, the NHL Trade Deadline has seen a total of 693 trades in the previous 43 seasons when there was a deadline. That comes out to just over 16 trades on average per deadline. The most active deadline by number of trades happened twice. Ironically, one was in Feb 2020 before Covid-19 shut the league down. There were 32 trades on that day. How different would things have been had the deadline been in March? There were also 32 trades at the 2022 deadline, however one trade was later invalidated by the league. Remember which one that was? That was the failed Evgenii Dadonov trade from Vegas to Anaheim. There were 33 trades before that situation unfolded.
- The 693 deadline trades involved a total of 1260 players (which excludes players involved in invalidated trades) and a total of 495 draft picks. Picks with conditions not met are excluded.
- Ever wondered how many players were traded multiple times on deadline day? 157 players were traded multiple times on deadline day which includes 14 traded twice on the same date.
- Two players have been traded twice on the same deadline day in four consecutive seasons. Will this year be five?
- The team with the most acquired players on deadline day? The Pittsburgh Penguins. They have acquired 72 players since 1979-80.
- Since 1979-80, 28 players have gone on to win the Stanley Cup the season after being traded at the deadline. Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Cogliano were the last two to accomplish this.
- A total of 26 first-round picks have been traded at the deadline in the last 18 seasons. At least one first rounder has been dealt in 14 of the last 18 seasons. The most first-round picks dealt at one deadline was in 2018 when five were traded away.
- Speaking of 26, that’s how many points Marian Hossa scored for the Penguins in the playoffs after being traded at the deadline. That’s the most points in one playoff season for anyone acquired at the trade deadline earlier that season.
- In terms of most players acquired at the deadline in the last five years, it might surprise you. It’s the Anaheim Ducks with 14 players including seven players in the last two deadlines.
- Which active GM has either traded or acquired the most first-round picks on deadline day? It’s Red Wings’ GM Steve Yzerman with five total. He acquired two firsts at the 2014 deadline and one in 2021. He traded one in both 2015 and 2018.
- A total of eight active GMs, Bill Guerin, Steve Staios ,Mike Grier, Ron Francis, Craig Conroy, Kevyn Adams, Tom Fitzgerald and Jim Nill along with three active head coaches, Martin St. Louis, Drew Bannister, and Lindy Ruff have been traded on deadline day.
- Just one player since 1979-80 acquired on deadline day went on to score the Stanley Cup clinching goal later that season. That was Artturi Lehkonen.
- Since 1979-80, no team has acquired a goaltender on deadline day and that goaltender went on to earn the Stanley Cup clinching victory that season. Only three times did a championship team acquire any goaltender at the deadline: the 1981 Islanders (Jari Kaarela), 1988 Oilers (Bill Ranford; won Cup) and 2011 Bruins (Anton Khudobin).
- Which player acquired at the 2023 deadline led the league in playoff scoring? It was Jakub Vrana with 10-4-14 in 20 games. Which player acquired at the deadline since 1979-80 had the most points for rest of the regular season? That was Peter Mueller with 9-11-20 in 15 games for Colorado.
- We’ll wrap up with this one. Can you name the two players who have been traded at the deadline on four separate occasions? One was Alan May (1988, 1989, 1994, 1995). The other is current Winnipeg Jet Vladislav Namestnikov (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023.)
As for overall takeaways, it’s hard to pick out anything concrete. Every team’s situation was uniquely different. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup last season while not acquiring any players. But the four champions before them all acquired at least one new player.
The one thing that does stand out was the goaltending stat. Most champions have their goalie already in the fold. So if you’re a team desperate for goalie help, history suggests it doesn’t work out so well if you acquire one (sorry New Jersey Devils.)
We’ll see what the 2024 deadline brings. It may be slow now. But it won’t be for long.