The New Jersey Devils have traded defenseman Eric Gelinas to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2017.
Gelinas has spent his entire three-year career with the Devils, but has struggled to remain in the lineup this season. The 24-year-old has dressed in just 34 games, tallying one goal and five assists.
He was drafted by New Jersey in the second round in 2009.
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The Dallas Stars have filled out their previously incomplete defensive rotation, acquiring noted shot-blocker Kris Russell from the Calgary Flames, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was first to report.
Calgary will receive 24-year-old defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka, forward prospect Brett Pollock, and a conditional second-round draft selection for the pending unrestricted free agent.
Should Dallas make the conference final this spring - and Russell appears in at least 50 percent of the team's games - the 2016 draft pick will become a first-round selection, according to Friedman.
No salary was retained in the agreement, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
Russell's worth has been a contentious talking point throughout his free-agent season, but he'll be of value to Dallas. Likely destined for a second-pairing role, Russell will slot the back half of the rotation into their correct assignments.
Friedman notes that the Stars may still be in on defenseman Dan Hamhuis.
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The Colorado Avalanche have scored one of the NHL trade deadline's big targets, acquiring Mikkel Boedker from the Arizona Coyotes.
Arizona's return is a package of forward Alex Tanguay and prospects Conner Bleackley and Kyle Wood, both of whom were drafted by Colorado in 2014. Bleackley had yet to sign an entry-level deal, meaning he could be draft eligible in June if he doesn't agree to terms with the Coyotes.
Boedker, 26, is nearing the end of a one-year, $3.75-million contract signed last summer, and was unable to come to terms with the Coyotes on an extension.
He recorded 13 goals and 26 assists in 62 games this season.
Tanguay, who is also set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, had contributed four goals and 18 assists in 52 games for a Colorado team clinging to the second wild-card spot out West.
The cap addition for the Avalanche is minimal over the course of the season's remaining weeks.
#Avs add $250,000 annually in Boedker over Tanguay. Just $53,763 rest of the way.https://t.co/w0YknGMQrz
— General Fanager (@generalfanager) February 29, 2016
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The Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks pulled off a very minor deal Monday.
The Hurricanes acquired defenseman Dennis Robertson in exchange for Blackhawks goaltender Drew MacIntyre.
The 24-year-old Robertson recorded two goals and three assists in 37 games with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs this season. He has never played an NHL game.
MacIntyre, who last played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013-14, struggled for the AHL's Charlotte Checkers with a 3.09 GAA and .890 save percentage in 28 games this season.
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A new contender appears to have emerged in the Dan Hamhuis sweepstakes.
ESPN's Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Washington Capitals have "kicked tires" on Hamhuis, who's considered the No. 1 defenseman available in the rental market.
Fuelling speculation, at least on the part of the Canucks, is that Hamhuis will not take part in practice as originally expected, according to reports.
The Capitals created a little room under the salary cap late Sunday, dealing veteran Brooks Laich and his $4.5-million annual hit to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Washington has more than $6 million in cap space with top-pairing defenseman John Carlson on long-term injured reserve.
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The Edmonton Oilers are loading up on waiver claims.
Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has successfully claimed forward Adam Cracknell from the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Adam Pardy from the Winnipeg Jets.
Cracknell, a sandpapered depth winger, has netted 10 points in 44 games, while the veteran Pardy has been limited to 14 starts this season.
Both players should receive stopgap minutes with the dismantling Oilers, who have shipped out Teddy Purcell and Justin Schultz, and reportedly lost Benoit Pouliot to a separated shoulder.
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Eric Staal didn't want to look back on his career and wonder.
Staal met with the New York media on Monday less than 24 hours after being dealt from the Carolina Hurricanes, and explained that the prospects of winning another Stanley Cup - and this time with his brother, Marc - was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
"Deep, deep in my gut, this was a chance, an opportunity I needed to take," he said, according to Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record. "This is where I wanted to go, where I wanted to be. Being with Marc (Staal) is an (added) benefit."
The deal casts the unrestricted free agent's future further in doubt. But while he believes he has a lot of hockey left, Staal's unwilling to look beyond the next few months.
"I believe this a group that can compete against anybody when the playoffs start," he said.
Another uncertainty, and for now one that's more pressing, is where Staal fits in the Rangers' lineup. He told reporters he's more comfortable at center, but with Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard filling out the two top-six roles down the middle, he might have to shift to the wing.
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Toughness is the name of the game for the Montreal Canadiens.
It's for this reason that the team claimed forward Mike Brown off waivers from the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
While the pickup was not immediately understood by many, including esteemed TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie, it appears the Canadiens made the move with the intention of providing protection for the club's younger players.
Habs picked up Mike Brown because they wanted a little more protection/toughness for their younger players in the lineup rest of year
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) February 29, 2016
The move does raise the question of what Montreal's plans are for enforcer John Scott, currently playing for the Canadiens' AHL affiliate.
Brown has one goal and three points to go along with 63 penalty minutes this season.
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