Analysis

Thompson, a former 2022 third-round pick, scored 15 points in 40 games this season with the Rockford IceHogs. His entry-level contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

Pouliot, the eighth overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, has scored 28 points in 52 games this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the Rangers. His contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

A minor trade in the grand scheme of things, the justification for the trade is straightforward. According to Ben Pope, bringing in Pouliot provides Rockford with desperately needed defensive depth. With the recent trade of Connor Murphy, along with the expiring contract of Matt Grzelcyk, young defensemen like Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro may see permanent graduations to the NHL. Along with this, the contracts of Ryan Mast and Dmitri Kuzmin expire this offseason. Adding a defenseman going into next season fixes a problem before it can start.

On the other side of this deal, dealing Thompson made sense for the organization. Already at 24 years old, Thompson left little room to develop. Scoring only 15 points this season, Thompson fell short of expectations. With multiple high-end forward prospects possibly joining the organization this spring and in the fall, Thompson became expendable.

Final thoughts

Easy to overlook, minor moves like these can make the difference for AHL teams. Pouliot is a veteran with over 200 games in the NHL and a Stanley Cup championship. Pairing Pouliot with a young defenseman like Korchinski, Taige Harding or Jake Furlong for the remainder of this season could prove valuable.

For Thompson, there is hope that he can find consistency in a new environment. It became clear it would not work out with this organization, so the hope is that he could find opportunities with another rebuilding organization.

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Make sure to bookmark this page and come back as the moves happen for up-to-the-minute analysis and breakdowns from our friends at 

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/2/2026		Connor Murphy (50% salary retained)		2028 2nd round pick
3/4/2026		Jason Dickinson (50% salary retained) and Colton Dach		Andrew Mangiapane and 2027 1st round pick (top 12 protected)
3/6/2026		Nick Foligno		Future Consideration
3/6/2026		Aidan Thompson		Derrick Pouliot

Trade Analysis/Breakdown:

• • 
    • • • The Edmonton Oilers acquire Connor Murphy (50% retained) from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2028 2nd round pick.

    

    • • • The Edmonton Oilers acquire Jason Dickinson (50% retained) and Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 1st round pick.

      

      • • The Chicago Blackhawks trade Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

      

      • The Chicago Blackhawks acquire Derrick Pouliot from the New York Rangers for Aidan Thompson.

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The post Chicago Blackhawks 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker appeared first on The Rink.

Rask was immediately assigned to Charlotte to join the Kraken’s AHL affiliate. On the outside, this looks like a depth deal, but it is mainly a salary cap deal to give the Wild some cap breathing room.

TRADE: The #SeaKraken have acquired forward Victor Rask from Minnesota in exchange for future considerations. Minnesota will retain 50 percent of Rask’s contract, and he will report to @CheckersHockey (AHL).

Read more → https://t.co/pW2UCKhvbz pic.twitter.com/ZpXOtoc2Bx

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) March 21, 2022

Rask just turned 29 on March 1 and has appeared in almost 500 NHL games between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Wild. The Swedish-born forward has put up 215 points (85 goals, 130 assists) in his eight-year NHL career. He is in the last year of a six-year contract with a $4 million cap hit.

In another small transaction, the Kraken claimed defenseman Derrick Pouliot off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights to fill some lineup spots left open by trade deadline deals. Pouliot signed a one-year deal with the Golden Knights on March 17, and was put on waivers to be sent to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, after playing two games with the Golden Knights.

He has appeared in over 200 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Golden Knights and has 49 career points (eight goals, 41 assists).

Date	The-Rink Division	Outgoing Player/Pick	Opposite Team	Player/Pick Received
3/16/2022		Calle Jarnkrok		'22 2nd round pick (acquired from FLA), '23 3rd round pick, and a '24 7th round pick
3/18/2022		Brandon Hagel, '22 4th round pick, '24 4th round pick		Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, ‘23 1st round pick, ‘24 1st round pick
3/20/2022		Mark Giordano (50% salary retained), Colin Blackwell		'22 2nd round pick, '23 2nd round pick, and, '24 3rd round pick
3/20/2022		Jeremy Lauzon		'22 2nd round pick
3/20/2022		Mason Appleton		'23 4th round pick
3/21/2022		Marcus Johansson (50% salary retained)		Daniel Sprong, '22 4th round pick, and '23 6th round pick
3/21/2022		Marc-Andre Fleury (50% salary retained)		Conditional '22 2nd (potential 1st) round pick
3/21/2022		Ryan Carpenter		'24 5th round pick
3/21/2022		Future Considerations		Victor Rask

The post BREAKING: Kraken wrap first trade deadline acquiring Victor Rask, claiming Derrick Pouliot appeared first on The Rink.