NEW YORK (AP) — Stanley Cup contenders aren’t waiting until the NHL trade deadline day to shore up depth for what they hope is a long playoff run.
The league-leading Florida Panthers got deeper on the wing Wednesday by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa, and the Colorado Avalanche loaded up by getting defenseman Sean Walker from Philadelphia and center Casey Mittelstadt from Buffalo in separate trades.
Colorado traded a top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick and center Ryan Johansen to Philadelphia for Walker and a fifth-rounder in 2026 and got Mittelstadt in a one-for-one trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Sabres.
The Panthers sent a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft to Ottawa for Tarasenko, and the fourth-rounder would upgrade to a 2026 third-rounder if Florida wins the Stanley Cup this season. Ottawa also is getting a third-round pick from Florida in 2025, while the Senators are retaining half of Tarasenko’s salary.
“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scoring winger who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we embark on the remainder of our season,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “We are excited for him to join our team, and to compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”
The moves come less than 24 hours after the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights got the ball rolling by trading with Washington for 20-goal scorer Anthony Mantha. Many more moves are expected before 3 p.m. EST Friday deadline.
After taking on Johansen’s contract, which has $4 million annually left on it through next season, the Flyers immediately put him on waivers. GM Danny Briere, whose team is in third place in the Metropolitan Division and an unexpected playoff contender, said “everything’s on the table” for Philadelphia at this deadline as he looks to build for the future.
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AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo, New York, and AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds in Sunrise, Florida, and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
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