The most productive player
The winner this time is the leader in points and the man who first reached 100 points in a season - forward Nathan MacKinnon. The Colorado Avalanche superstar scored in all three of his team's games, and the most points came against San Jose, against whom MacKinnon scored five points (2+3). He scored his fifth game-winning goal of the season against Toronto.
The Canadian world champion broke the century mark for the third season in a row and is one point short of reaching the 1,000-point mark in the NHL.
Goaltender of the Week
Goaltender Spencer Knight made a great start in Chicago after his trade from Florida, and his arrival helped the Blackhawks to get rid of Petr Mrazek. The 23-year-old American secured a 5-1 win over Los Angeles on opening night and became only the fourth goalie in franchise history to take at least 40 shots in his first game for his new team - 41 of them.
He also recorded a win in the second game against Utah, where he made a fantastic save with his hand. He stopped 77 of 81 shots and had a 95.1% save percentage.
Highlight of the week
Friday's transfer deadline wasn't as wild as we may be used to from previous years, with clubs agreeing to just 24 trades and a total of 47 players changing colors. But there was no shortage of interesting stories, so let's take a look at some of them.
Perhaps the biggest saga was Mikko Rantanen's move from Carolina to Dallas, where the Finn, who played only 13 games for the Canes and scored just two goals, immediately signed an eight-year contract. Who really profited from the trade? Forward, Jack Roslovic.
The Hurricanes forward gave Rantanen his number 96 upon his arrival and received a luxury Rolex watch from the Finn in return. After he left, he took the number back.
One more interesting thing about Rantanen - his second trade in one season made him the most productive hockey player to wear the jerseys of three clubs in one NHL season. He currently has 73 points, with the record being held by Thomas Vanek, who managed 68 points in 2013/14.
Hockey is first and foremost a business, friendship must be put aside at all costs. Ottawa's captain and renowned hard man, Brady Tkachuk, who lost his friend Josh Norris during his trade to Buffalo, also found this out and he could barely hold back the tears.
"It's tough, really uncomfortable. It's not easy to lose a teammate like that," he explained.
Boston made the most trades at the deadline with five. Only five players - David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Hampus Lindholm, Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy- remain from a team that brought in decent reinforcements over the summer and set a league record for points two years ago.
The most surprising name to disappear from the roster was undoubtedly captain Brad Marchand, a man who had played for the club since the 2009-10 season. He left for Florida, which has been buying up captains for the last few years. They also acquired Kyle Okposo from the New York Islanders in 2024 and Claude Giroux from Philadelphia in 2022.
Stat of the Week
Thirty-seven-year-old veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic of San Jose waited until January to make his first start of the season due to injury but has been playing regularly since then. And he's been doing what he's been very good at throughout his career - blocking shots, among other things. He reached 2,165 career blocked pucks during the week, a new NHL record, and he's pushing the numbers higher.
From social media
Until Vlasic surpassed him, the blocking champion was another tough Canadian defenseman, Mark Giordano. He's no longer playing this season, but his legacy is not forgotten. However, check out this video prepared by TSN.
Photo of the week
During the New York derby, two great football legends, former Italy players Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi, were also in the stands. After the game, they met Rangers star Mika Zibanejad and swapped jerseys.
The Swede's wife Irma Helin, a former national football player, commented on social media. "I really wish I was Mika."
Ladislav Šmíd's view
"The biggest shock was definitely Brad Marchand's departure from Boston. Now, moreover, the news is coming out, as it was between him and the club, that although they agreed on a three-year contract, they didn't agree on finances.
"Somehow the face-to-face meeting between the player and the club didn't work out and I'm guessing that Bruins fans won't be happy about it. The club got a second round pick for him, which under certain conditions can be a first round pick... Boston has a different vision now, get rid of more important players and they will rebuild.
"Another name was Rantanen, who ended up in Dallas, but there was a lot of interest in him in Edmonton and Toronto. No props to Carolina, they'll probably come out of the whole situation as the losing team, but the fact is that when I saw him in some games for the Canes, it looked like he still had Colorado on his mind.
"He didn't fit in, and he wasn't himself. Management had to make a decision to make sure it didn't accidentally turn out like it did a year ago with Jake Guentzel and then have Rantanen leave them in the summer for nothing.
"For me, the trade is fine, the club got Logan Stankoven and some draft picks, but that window to win a Stanley Cup is slowly closing for them too. I don't want to write them off, but immediate success is not likely after the losses, including Martin Necas.
"Who impresses me the most is Colorado, who acquired Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle and have arguably the best centers in the entire NHL. There's a clear vision there, the club has stepped up and feels a great chance to win.
"I like that they've been aggressive in the market. They've also managed to shore up the defense with the addition of Ryan Lindgren from the Rangers and Erik Johnson, who knows the Avalanche well, having won a Stanley Cup there a few years ago. They won't produce points, but defensively, they will stabilise things, especially Lindgren. He's great at blocking shots.
"It suited Florida too, I mentioned Marchand, but Seth Jones is another big name. I think moving him from Chicago will give him a big kick, plus there may not be as much pressure on him as in Florida. And Marchand's offense with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk could be a nightmare for any playoff contender. And I'm very happy that Vitek Vanecek has joined such a strong team."
