2027 NHL trade deadline set for March 1

We know when one of the more chaotic days of the hockey calendar is going to take place.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the 2026-27 NHL Trade Deadline is set to fall on Monday, March 1, 2027.

It’s not necessarily breaking news, as, per the collective bargaining agreement, the trade deadline is supposed to come 40 days prior to the end of the regular season. The only time that rule isn’t followed is if the 40-day mark falls on a weekend. This past season, the league moved the deadline to 34 days prior to the end of the 2025-26 regular season to avoid having deadline day fall on a weekend, also giving teams more time to get back into the swing of things following the Olympic break.

Outside of the opening of free agency, the trade deadline is unquestionably the biggest day for the NHL in terms of off-ice drama. It is general managers’ last day to go out and add talent to their rosters for the final stretch of the year, as some seek better players to improve their chances of either making the Stanley Cup Playoffs or making a deep run in the postseason. On the flip side, other GMs are eyeing the future and will try to offload aging players and big contracts to acquire younger prospects or draft picks as part of retooling and rebuilding efforts.

On deadline day this past year, there were 21 total trades made across the NHL. While there were several notable trades made leading up to March 6, including Jason Dickinson being dealt from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Edmonton Oilers, and the Columbus Blue Jackets receiving Conor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks, many big-time deals were made up to the final bell. Nazem Kadri was traded back to the Colorado Avalanche from the Calgary Flames, and Scott Laughton was moved by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Los Angeles Kings.