Fantasy Hockey Trade Deadline Eve: Reilly Smith, Carson Soucy, Brian Dumoulin and More

T'was the night before the trade deadline, when all through the league, not a general manager was stirring, not even a… Yeah right!

Five more trades have happened since my last trade article early morning on March 6. This is it folks, the trade deadline is upon us, and probably nobody is more excited than I am. None of these are really big blockbuster deals, but we're going to break them down all the same.  

Let's dive in on these deals!

The Devils and Ducks Trade

To the New Jersey Devils: Brian Dumoulin

To the Anaheim Ducks: Herman Traff, conditional second-round pick (2025), retain 50% of Dumoulin's contract

A pretty basic one here. The Devils are picking up a physical depth defenseman who will play in their bottom four and paid a second-round pick and some salary retention for him to make the deal fit, as well as a prospect.

Dumoulin has two goals, 14 assists, and 10 penalty minutes as a defenseman in 61 games played. He also has 57 shots on goal, 60 hits, and 91 blocked shots.

Traff is a third-round draft pick from 2024 by the Devils and is a forward.

In my opinion, the Devils overpaid in this deal and the Ducks got a great return. There is no fantasy impact here.

The Panthers and Sharks Trade

To the Florida Panthers: Nico Sturm, seventh-round pick (2027)

To the San Jose Sharks: Fourth-round pick (2026)

The Panthers are having injury issues up front, and this is solely a bandaid deal to get them through with an affordable and serviceable player. Nothing special here, and no fantasy impact either.

Sturm has seven goals, six assists, and 13 penalty minutes as a forward in 47 games played. He also has 38 shots on goal, 68 hits, and 25 blocked shots.

The Golden Knights and Rangers Trade

To the Vegas Golden Knights: Reilly Smith

To the New York Rangers: Brendan Brisson, third-round pick (2025)

This is Smith's second go with the Golden Knights, and he's likely to play a top six role there. He has struggled and has not seen the same production since he left Vegas, but obviously the cutthroat organization thinks they can get some past value from him in a familiar locker room.

Smith has 10 goals, 19 assists, and four powerplay points as a forward in 58 games played. He also has 89 shots on goal, 42 hits, and 34 blocked shots.

Brisson is a late first-round pick from 2020 and has only nine games in the NHL this year as a forward, with no noteworthy stats to report.

The Jets and Panthers Trade

To the Winnipeg Jets: Chris Driedger

To the Florida Panthers: Kaapo Kahkonen

A true hockey trade. One for one. Goalie for goalie. Why? I am honestly not sure, but let's talk about it.

Kahkonen has only played one game this season and he left in four goals. It is likely he will remain in the AHL unless Sergei Bobrovsky or Vitek Vanecek go down, but even still he would only be serving as a backup.

Driedger was third fiddle again in Florida with the recent addition of Vanecek, and while this doesn't change either with the Jets as he will be behind Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, he is at least in his native town of Winnipeg. Driedger also hasn't played an NHL game this year, so there's that.

The Canucks and Rangers Trade

To the Vancouver Canucks: Third-round pick (2025)

To the New York Rangers: Carson Soucy

An interesting one, and given all of the Rangers' recent activity, they are proving they are still in it to win it. They are proving to their players and their fans that despite a really rocky start of the season, the Rangers still want to compete.

Soucy is a defense first defenseman, and has been a big part of the Canucks defense core. What is interesting is he is not on an expiring contract, and the Canucks are still without captain and fellow defenseman Quinn Hughes. This trade leaves them further behind on the blueline.

While giving a third-round pick does make sense value wise, I just can't help but think the Canucks have made a mistake with this move. The Rangers have a “start the car!” kind of moment here, given they still have a year of term with this player.

Soucy has three goals, seven assists, and 42 penalty minutes as a defenseman in 59 games played. He also has 62 shots on goal, 84 hits, and 92 blocked shots.

Further Trade Rumors

Currently there are three players that are on everyone's radar. Forward Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders (again) is being mentioned all over X, so look for this deal to break through the night.

As well as a rumor that San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman may be on his way to the Edmonton Oilers. Let's see if that is accurate and done by morning.

Lastly is Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand. This power forward has been in and out of rumors all season, due to his age and the disappointing season so far. This one I am less convinced about, but he would really shake up whatever team he lands on and be a huge plus for any Marchand owners in fantasy. Moving to a winning team will only increase his value and production!