Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson (left) and New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider. Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images
Nearly two months have passed in the 2024-25 NHL regular season but the trade rumor mill is picking up steam, stoked in part by recent activity in the trade market.
Five trades involving NHL regulars took place in November.
On Nov. 8, the Seattle Kraken acquired winger Daniel Sprong from the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations. Four days later, the Pittsburgh Penguins sent center Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals for two draft picks. On Nov. 25, the Penguins acquired winger Philip Tomasino for a 2027 draft pick.
The latest occurred on Nov. 30. The first saw the Colorado Avalanche shio goaltender Justus Annunen and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for netminder Scott Wedgewood. That was followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets trading defenseman David Jiříček to the Minnesota Wild.
Throughout November, there was growing speculation around several notable players. Some involved players who appeared on our November 2024 NHL Trade Block Big Board like Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov and Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson.
As November drew to a close, other significant players surfaced in media trade chatter. They included two members of the New York Rangers, a Penguins defenseman, and a promising young Minnesota Wild forward.
The league’s annual holiday roster freeze goes into effect from 11:59 PM ET on Dec. 19 to 12:01 AM ET on Dec. 28. Perhaps we’ll see more trade activity before the freeze or soon afterward as January 2025 approaches.
Here’s our take on the most noteworthy NHL trade targets entering December 2024. Let us know your thoughts on this topic in the app comments below.
