NHL trade deadline: Fantasy hockey impact, reaction and analysis

The 2025 NHL trade deadline is almost upon us, as NHL teams have until 3 p.m. Eastern on Friday, March 7 to make critical upgrades to their teams, or to set up their franchise for longer-term success. With some stars already settled into their new teams -- J.T. Miller with the New York Rangers -- or another who may be moved again -- Mikko Rantanen of the Carolina Hurricanes? -- there are numerous difference-makers available on the ice and for your fantasy hockey rosters.

When one player leaves, it may open up opportunity for other players to step up on the team he left behind. To understand every angle of the fantasy hockey impact, we've asked ESPN Fantasy analysts Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash to break down every trade in the short-term, long-term, and the opportunities to be had in lineups everywhere.

Tune in Friday from 2-4 p.m. Eastern for the trade deadline special on ESPN2. This page will be updated regularly until the last trade is completed.

Resources: Goalie depth chart | Daily lines | Projections | Play for free | Player rater | Most added/dropped | Mock draft lobby | How to watch on ESPN+

Seth Jones to Florida Panthers, Spencer Knight to Chicago Blackhawks

While the trade sending Seth Jones to Florida serves as an immediate upgrade to the team's blue line, it doesn't project to necessarily bolster his individual value as a fantasy performer. At first blush, the former Blackhawk appears plugged in on the Panthers' secondary power play, leaving Aaron Ekblad in place to anchor the top unit with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett. Despite Chicago's struggles altogether, Jones put up relatively impressive numbers with the extra skater, earning five goals and 10 assists, accounting for more than half of his total 27 points through 42 contests. Unless he ends up supplanting Ekblad on the No. 1 unit, a dip in special teams production should be in order. With approximately a quarter of the season to go, Florida's entire defense have accounted for only 20 power-play points altogether.

There's also an obvious upside to Jones' fantasy projections in joining the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Paired with Niko Mikkola in the top-four, the right-shot defenseman is set to enjoy enhanced production numbers at even-strength with a team that's scoring at a much greater clip (3.28 goals/game) than his former squad (2.72/game). Once it all works out, Jones should continue to perform as a 2.0-point-plus defenseman in ESPN standard leagues.

Back in Chicago, Alex Vlasic again takes over on the No. 1 power play with Connor Bedard and company, like he did earlier when Jones missed time due to injury. With 23 points in 60 games, the young defender earned another assist with the extra skater in Saturday's 6-3 win over Anaheim, increasing his power-play total to 11. A key piece of the rebuilding Blackhawks' future, Jones has the potential to serve as an under-the-radar, minute-munching fantasy performer in deeper standard leagues even as this regular season draws to a close.

Between the pipes, while ex-Panther Spencer Knight is set to see a good number of starts in Chicago, he doesn't present as a viable fantasy option with the second-worst team in the league. Florida's new No. 2 Chris Driedger, recently promoted from the AHL, serves as an outside-the-box streaming/DFS option when offered the chance to spell off No. 1 Sergei Bobrovsky. Unless the Panthers make a deal for another goaltender. -- Matiash

Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild

With the move to the Wild, Nyquist (available in 91.0% of leagues) will inherit a better immediate role for his fantasy potential, but his time for fantasy relevance could be limited. Nyquist made his debut on a top line with Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. He'll also likely replace Vinnie Hinostroza on the top power-play unit in the shorter term. But as Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov make their way back to health, there won't be a power play role for Nyquist and there may not even be a top-six spot. Which would put him right back where he was in Nashville: Not earning enough for fantasy on a non-scoring line. -- Allen

Brady Skjei to the Nashville Predators

It's not easy to find someone to highlight for potential on a team earning so few overall fantasy points (Predators skaters have earned only 1,350 total fantasy points through Monday, lowest in the league by a fair margin). With Roman Josi currently injured, the Predators went to a five-forward power play by putting Nyquist on the top unit. But with him now shipped out to the Wild, Skjei (48.0% available) has been quarterbacking on the advantage. It's not going to mean much to fantasy leagues, but it's worth pointing out that there isn't any vacuum value from Nyquist being moved out of the lineup. -- Allen