Buy or Sell New Teams for 4 NHL Prospects Dealt at the 2025 Trade Deadline

If you're an NHL team making trade deadline deals, trading prospects come in many forms.

One could be the blue-chip prospect who is the trade centerpiece; another is the "and this guy too" valuable add-on to a robust trade package. And who could forget the "we have too many contracts and we don't see this guy as part of the long-term picture, please take him off our hands before we have to give him an insultingly low qualifying offer this summer" throw-in? And then there's everything else that falls in between those points. 

Many prospects who get traded at the deadline don't see their day-to-day reality change. They'll be playing in college or major-junior hockey, hear about the trade, and then suit up for the same team again that evening. But most of the guys we're looking at here changed locations—only Cal Ritchie, currently with the Oshawa Generals, didn't end up physically in another city after the events of last Friday. (And honestly, I'm happy for him that he didn't. More on that later.)

1. Logan Stankoven, Carolina Hurricanes

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Verdict: Perfect fit. Incredible vibes. 15/10 would acquire again if I was Eric Tulsky.

If he couldn't stay in Dallas, the next best place for Stankoven is with the Carolina Hurricanes. My first reaction when the trade happened was, "Oh god, Canes fans are going to love having another Jarvis". That's somewhat reductive—they're different players, despite their surface-level similarities—but having the two of them on one team is going to torment the rest of the league for years to come. Mark my words. They have the same lack of off-button and nose for getting under opponents' skin,

I've been saying since the beginning of the regular season that Stankoven will be a dark-horse Calder Trophy nominee, and at every turn, he's gone out and proven me right. Stankoven is fearless on the ice, a relentless attacker, and his AHL scoring last season (57 points in 47 games) feels indicative of the kind of NHL player he'll be once he gets into his groove. It's interesting to watch Stankoven play because he makes you forget that he's only got 60 NHL games under his belt.

The Hurricanes play an aggressive forechecking style of hockey, mobile and focused on puck possession, and Stankoven will fit right into that model for years to come. He's only 22. He's a great locker room guy. In addition to the Hurricanes making the best of a sour situation with Mikko Rantanen and maximizing their return in a holistic sense, they also just managed to nab one of the most Hurricanes-style players out there. This should be very good indeed.

2. Calum Ritchie, New York Islanders

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Verdict: Do not pass go, do not collect $200, and for the love of god, don't grow a beard.

The Islanders are lucky. Calum Ritchie is not. With the way general manager Lou Lamoriello approaches player development and asset management, the Islanders aren't a good place for an offense-first forward prospect to develop and begin his NHL career.

From Lamoriello's standpoint, Ritchie was a fantastic acquisition. If you're going to ship out one of your longest-tenured players for assets to help your team rebuild, you want to make sure you get a player of Ritchie's caliber back. But if I'm Ritchie, I'm wary of what my NHL future holds—not in the sense of when I'm going to make the NHL, but what the state of things will be when I get there, and how much of the burden of the rebuild I'll be expected to shoulder.

Ritchie is a phenomenal player, and I don't think it's a stretch to say he's instantly the Islanders' best prospect. He is easily one of the smartest forward prospects not in the NHL right now, and that intelligence and vision make him a naturally gifted playmaker. He's also got an incredible work ethic that he has applied to improving his abilities in his own end to supplement his scoring talent. He's going to make an incredible NHL player; I don't think the Islanders are the right spot for him to utilize his full potential.

3. Fraser Minten, Boston Bruins

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Verdict: [Jemima Kirke meme voice] What the hell, sure.

I cannot say I've ever thought where Fraser Minten might fit that wasn't the Toronto Maple Leafs. He just felt like someone who was intended to be a Leaf. That said, I have zero trouble imagining him jelling with the Boston Bruins on the ice and becoming an important part of their core moving forward. Especially since, given their trades of important veterans Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, and Brandon Carlo last week, they seem determined to tear down the old and rebuild the new. 

The front office's willingness to burn bridges with those vets gives me pause, but Minten is a young guy who likely will grab the chance to be part of a fresh new start with both hands. And he's instantly a top prospect in the Bruins' system (or will be once he gets his American work visa and can stop skating at Providence College and start playing).

I was a little surprised that Minten got traded instead of Easton Cowan, but I was not surprised that the Bruins wanted Minten rather than Cowan. Minten's style of hockey fits what the Bruins would seemingly want in an ideal world where they're playing hockey well. He's a physical guy with a fantastic shot; he reads the ice well and his top speeds are good. If the Bruins get the full Minten experience they'll be pleased.

4. Brendan Brisson, New York Rangers

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Verdict: Brisson is an RFA this summer. Right now we're the Magic 8-Ball's "Ask again later" side.

When I said, "It's time to get this kid another shot somewhere that isn't in Nevada" in our piece about prospects who could be moved at the deadline, I definitely didn't mean the New York Rangers. The Rangers are a team on the verge of an epic crash out, and where the pieces land will probably determine whether Brisson becomes a part of the rebuild in the Big Apple or whether he gets moved somewhere else ahead of becoming an RFA this summer. Either way, a new team and a fresh city are probably good to getting Brisson back on track. He's an intelligent player with vision and a good skater, and he'll need both qualities to start playing like what was expected of him on his draft day.

While it feels like Brisson's development has stalled since leaving the University of Michigan, I'm not ready to write him off yet. It's very possible that his feasting on the power play in junior and college made us—and the Golden Knights—see things that weren't there, and that Brisson is more of a career AHLer with some utility as an NHL callup.

It's also possible that being in Hartford reinvigorates his play. In the above-linked piece, I noted that somewhere like the Washington Capitals—a team with great cohesion between NHL and AHL clubs—would be a good landing spot for Brisson and could help him maximize. I stand by that, and I don't think the Rangers are that kind of organization. But I'm keeping an open mind.