The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are just around the corner and teams will be hoping their rosters are built to sustain a long run to lift Lord Stanley's Cup in June.
March 7 was the deadline for NHL teams to complete any transactions in which players or draft picks would be swapped. However, that's not the end of any negotiating or even exchanges between general managers and front offices.
In fact, two trades were completed by teams after the March 7 deadline. The New Jersey Devils acquired defenseman Tory Dello from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations and the Tampa Bay Lightning received forward Lucas Mercuri from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.
Can NHL players be traded and play in the playoffs?
Despite players switching teams after the official deadline, they are not allowed to participate in games until the new league year begins in the summer. So, Dello and Mercuri will not see the ice for New Jersey or Tampa Bay until at least the preseason in September.
That basically explains why the Hurricanes needed to dump Mikko Rantanen before the March 7 deadline. He reportedly told head coach Rod Brind'Amour after the Colorado Avalanche had traded him to Raleigh, N.C. that he was not interested in re-signing.
"When he showed, he said, 'There's four teams I'll go play for, but you're not one of them,'" Brind'Amour told reporters in March shortly after the deadline passed.
Therefore, a playoff run with him on the roster would only be worth it if a Stanley Cup was imminent. Carolina subsequently sent him to the Dallas Stars.
However, that kind of trade is the exception to the norm. Mostly excess prospects or healthy scratches that teams know they cannot retain or re-sign over the summer will get sent away in order to recoup any potential value.
So, if you see your favorite team acquiring or giving away a player during this part of the season, it's not unusual but don't expect to see them on the ice during the playoffs.