NHL trade tracker: Lightning make series of moves ahead of free agency

The NHL offseason is here, and that means the wheeling and dealing is about to be in full swing. This time of year is always an active one in the NHL as teams are trying to upgrade their rosters or move up in the draft. The fact that the NHL salary cap is going up to $88 million for the 2024-25 season only gives clubs more wiggle room to take some big swings.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were among the busiest teams around the league during draft weekend. They kicked off the action on Saturday by dealing defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for a couple of players and picks. They also acquired the rights to star winger Jake Guentzel, who is set to become a free agent on Monday.

It’s clear that the Lightning are trying to set up some bigger moves and they’ve been clearing salary cap space to make that happen.

Looking ahead, some big names could be on the move in the coming days and weeks. For starters, all eyes are on Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marner has one year left on his current contract, and the Maple Leafs may be looking to shake things up after several years of playoff futility.

If Toronto were to dangle Marner out there, there should be a long line of teams trying to land the former 99-point performer.

The Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly seeking to trade young winger Martin Necas, who is coming off his second straight 20-goal season at the age of 25. Necas would command a substantial return, so that could generate a Vegas blockbuster over the next couple of days.

Other players to keep an eye on include Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun, Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson and Ducks center Trevor Zegras.

Follow along right here as we keep track of every notable NHL trade this offseason.

Hurricanes deal F Jake Guentzel’s rights to Lightning

The Hurricanes had been working to get a contract done with Guentzel, but this move suggested the two sides were unable to come to a deal, and the Bolts have now reportedly signed Guentzel to a seven-year contract. With Steven Stamkos headed toward the free agency market, Tampa seems to have found a replacement with Guentzel, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and highly-skilled top-six winger.

Stars trade D Chris Tanev’s rights to Maple Leafs

The Stars attempted to get a contract extension done with shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev, but it never materialized. Because of that, Dallas got at least a little something for Tanev’s negotiating rights. The veteran defenseman is now poised to sign a long-term deal with Toronto.

Golden Knights get intriguing young players from Devils

In one of the more interesting moves from draft weekend, the Golden Knights got some nice young skill and goaltending from the Devils. Alexander Holtz, the No. 7 overall pick in 2020, is a promising forward still on his entry-level deal. Vegas also brought in goaltender Akira Schmid, a 24-year-old who flashed some talent in the NHL over the last couple seasons. The Golden Knights did have to part ways with a solid depth piece in Paul Cotter, but this is a nice bet for the Golden Knights.

Before adding Schmid, the Golden Knights dealt Logan Thompson to the Capitals for a pair of third-round picks. Thompson was part of a goalie logjam in Vegas, and now he will form what should be a solid tandem with Charlie Lindgren in Washington.

Just over a year ago, ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, the Lightning sent a haul of draft picks to the Predators in exchange for depth power forward Tanner Jeannot. Over the weekend, they sent Jeannot to Los Angeles for a fourth-round pick and a second-round pick. At least the Bolts cleared some much-needed salary cap room.

Utah continued to bolster its blue line by sending a couple of draft picks to the Devils in exchange for John Marino. New Jersey is expected to take a run at Brett Pesce in free agency, and that meant it would have to move out one of its other defensemen. Marino was the odd-man out, and he is a solid under-the-radar pickup for Utah.

Utah gets D Mikhail Sergachev from Lightning

As is usually the case, the Lightning needed to shed salary cap money this offseason, and Utah took advantage of that. Utah did have to trade a solid young defenseman in J.J. Moser to make this deal happen, but it landed a true top-pairing player in Mikhail Sergachev. At just 26 years old, Sergachev could be a big part of the Utah blue line for a long time.

St. Louis sends F Kevin Hayes to Pittsburgh

The Blues also did some subtracting over the weekend. They sent veteran forward Kevin Hayes and his $3.5 million cap hit to the Penguins, but it cost them a second-round pick as a sweetener.

Blues add F Alex Texier in deal with Blue Jackets

St. Louis needed to upgrade its bottom-six this offseason, and this trade with the Blue Jackets accomplishes just that. Texier should be a nice depth player for St. Louis, and he only cost them a fourth-round pick.

Capitals add forward help with acquisition of Andrew Maniapane

Sharks, Kings flip depth players