6 Trades That Should Have Happened at 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline has passed us by, and even though it may have been a bit lackluster for a lot of people, it wasn't without its surprises. After all, if seeing John Carlson leave Washington for Anaheim didn't send you for a loop, you're just not immersed in enough hockey.

Despite there being 20 trades on deadline day itself, we're always left with some that didn't go through, leaving us wondering what could've been for the players and the teams believed to be involved in talks. Yeah, 20 trades is a lot, and with 33 players moving around in them, it's still busy, just...we're greedy, OK?

We love the action of trades and the machinations of changing up teams for the playoff run, or the start of a rebuild or retooling, is the stuff we can't get enough of. That's why we've combed through the rumors and reporting after the deadline and picked out some of the discussed (or believed-to-be-discussed) moves we would've liked to see.

Jordan Binnington to the Edmonton Oilers

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The Oilers thought they were getting way out ahead of the trade deadline when they traded Stuart Skinner to the Penguins for Tristan Jarry in December, solving their goaltending issue. After all, adding a goalie at the deadline doesn't leave a lot of games to acclimate, and Edmonton is in the middle of the Stanley Cup window.

There's a saying about the best-laid plans that comes to mind here because Jarry has struggled, which has led many to wonder whether they'd trade for another goalie, and it's hard to ignore Jordan Binnington following his play at the Olympics. After all, Oilers captain Connor McDavid knows him well by now after that and Four Nations, and he's seen up close how big Binnington can play.

The Oilers, however, tried to make it clear that trading for a goalie was not their aim. They added defenseman Connor Murphy and forward Jason Dickinson, but with Jarry and Connor Ingram in goal, that's how they plan to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year.

It's risky as all get out, and the Oilers are in a playoff fight in the West, but if they fall short and goaltending is the reason, you wonder if they eventually circle back to the Blues to try and hammer something out.

Matthew Knies to the Montréal Canadiens

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Matthew Knies and Nick Suzuki

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs did their part to contribute to the deadline by sending Bobby McMann to Seattle, Nicolas Roy to Colorado, and Scott Laughton to Los Angeles, there was some talk out there about power forward Matthew Knies being available. As wild as it was to move McMann, dealing Knies would've signaled a harsh retooling on the way in The Six.

Nick Kypreos shared on the radio in Toronto that Knies very nearly headed to the Leafs hated rivals, the Montréal Canadiens, in what assuredly would've been a whopper of a trade.

Knies is one of Toronto's star players, granted not at the same level as Auston Matthews, William Nylander, or John Tavares, but he's a star, nonetheless. The idea that the Leafs would've helped the Canadiens out in the playoff race is almost unheard of, even though the teams have made deals in the past.

The Canadiens have tons of prospects and a GM in Kent Hughes who will be aggressive when it's time to seize on a moment, and had they landed Knies, the battle going on atop the Atlantic Division would've been even more ferocious. Hughes did have some fun saying he was working on something big that maybe they could circle back to in the offseason. Surely that won't be remembered.

Šimon Nemec to the San Jose Sharks

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There was a lot of smoke around the New Jersey Devils' young defenseman and 2022 No. 2 pick Šimon Nemec at the deadline. He's due to be a restricted free agent this summer, and that means there'll be a bigger money deal to be signed. With Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Brett Pesce, and others already signed to big contracts, and the Devils needing more scoring depth at forward, the blueprint was there to make something happen with another team.

One team with lots of young forward talent and a desperate need for more help on the blue line is the San Jose Sharks. There was a lot of chatter online about there being a connection between the Sharks and Devils built around Nemec. One name thrown into the mix was William Eklund, but that was shot down by Sharks GM Mike Grier.

The cost for Nemec should be high; he's 22 years old, and his talent level is high, while the opportunity to play key minutes in New Jersey has been harder to come by. Although San Jose's offense has been heavy on Macklin Celebrini's influence, that's not really a reason to move one of their other key contributing forwards, but if it meant landing Nemec? That's a very different conversation.

Robert Thomas to the Pittsburgh Penguins

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Robert Thomas

The biggest rumor about St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas was focused on the Buffalo Sabres a few days ahead of the trade deadline, but one team that kicked the tires on him but backed away was the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Elliotte Friedman mentioned the Penguins as a team with interest in adding Thomas at the deadline, but when they heard what the Blues wanted in return for the star player, they took a step away. There's no doubt St. Louis wanted a massive trade package in return with NHL players, prospects, and first-round pick(s) involved, and even though the Penguins have been amassing picks like mad over the past few years, giving them all away may not have been in their best interests.

That said, Pittsburgh may not have Evgeni Malkin for too much longer, and Sidney Crosby is getting older, too. Even though Ben Kindel is playing superb hockey, having Thomas join the party would've been great. Besides, if the Penguins did add Thomas, there's a chance Kindel would've been going to St. Louis to make it happen.

Vincent Trocheck to the Boston Bruins

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Even though the New York Rangers are having a brutal season and have already made some moves to play into the deadline (Artemi Panarin to Los Angeles), they had a player many teams wanted: Vincent Trocheck, the veteran center with three more years on his contract, didn't move. The team that was circling hardest for Trocheck was reported to be the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins really needed to improve up the middle, and adding Trocheck would've been a huge move to improve their chances of making the playoffs. The Bruins aren't loaded with young talent, and they're still in an awkward position where giving up first-round picks isn't really in their best interests for the future. That was a bad combo to get a deal done with Rangers GM Chris Drury.

When you look at Boston's center depth at the moment with Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, Fraser Minten, and Sean Kuraly, there's an obvious spot there for a player of Trocheck's talent. There's no doubt they'd be better with him. High prices are tough to overcome, though.

Evander Kane to Somewhere Other Than Vancouver

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One of the surprises on deadline day was seeing Canucks veteran forward Evander Kane stay in Vancouver. He has 11 goals and 27 points in 61 games this season, and while he's not the power forward force he once was, he could've provided value in a depth role for a contending team.

At least, that's what the conventional thought was about Kane's value at 34 years old. Instead, it turned out that Canucks GM Patrik Allvin didn't receive any calls about acquiring him or forward Teddy Blueger.

It's tough to see that be the case for veteran players who were known to be readily available. With the number of teams out there who were searching for help, you'd think one of them would've tossed a draft pick Vancouver's way or something to add another body for the playoff rush, right?

Apparently not. NHL streets are cold sometimes.