The NHL draft is on June 27 and free agency is around the corner on July 1.
But there are also trades to be made as NHL teams acquire or move players to improve their immediate future or get their salary cap situation under control.
The latest was a deal on June 26 between the Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth, a three-player trade involving a pair of 23-year-old forwards. J.J. Peterka is heading to Utah and Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan to Buffalo in the trade, which involved no draft picks.
Also, the Florida Panthers acquired goalie Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Trades will pick up with the draft and free agency approaching. Tracking the latest NHL deals:
June 26: Mammoth acquire JJ Peterka from Sabres
The Utah Mammoth will be aggressive this offseason as they head into their second season in Salt Lake City. Peterka is coming off a career-best 68 points and totaled 55 goals the past two seasons. The 23-year-old was a restricted free agent and signed a five-year deal with the Mammoth after the trade.
The Sabres, who need to adjust their roster to try to end a 14-season playoff drought, get back defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan. Kesselring, 25, had a career-best 29 points as he got more ice time because of injuries on the Utah blue line. Doan, 23, is the son of former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan. He has another year left on his contract.
June 26: Panthers acquire Daniil Tarasov from the Blue Jackets
The Panthers give up a 2025 fifth-round pick for Tarasov, 26, a restricted free agent who became available with Jet Greaves emerging in Columbus. Current backup Vitek Vanecek is a pending unrestricted free agent. Tarasov has a career 3.44 goals-against average but those numbers should come down while playing behind a better Panthers defense. Sergei Bobrovsky will be 37 next season and has a year left on his contract. General Bill Zito potentially has found his future No. 1 goalie.
Also: The Seattle Kraken acquired two-way center Frederick Gaudreau from the Minnesota Wild for a 2025 fourth-round pick. … In a free agency move, the Dallas Stars re-signed captain Jamie Benn for one year at $1 million, plus an additional $3 million in potential performance bonuses
June 25: Oilers trade Evander Kane to Canucks
This was a salary cap move, saving more than $5 million with the Oilers needing to re-sign defenseman Evan Bouchard. The Oilers get back a fourth-round pick. Kane, a Vancouver native, adds help on the wing with the Canucks expected to lose Brock Boeser to free agency.
June 23: Flyers acquire Trevor Zegras from Ducks
Zegras wanted to play center and the Ducks didn’t have room for him there in their top six. The Flyers land a creative forward who has scored several lacrosse-style goals but also has dealt recently with injuries. The Ducks get back center Ryan Poehling, who wins faceoffs and kills penalties, two areas where Anaheim needed improvement. They also receive a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder.
June 21: Blackhawks, Kraken make trade
The Chicago Blackhawks traded for left wing Andre Burakovsky, sending center Joe Veleno back to the Seattle Kraken. Burakovsky was available after the Kraken earlier acquired Mason Marchment. Burakovsky has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons but bounced back to play 79 games during the 2024-25 season, netting 10 goals and 27 assists with Seattle. Veleno scored 17 points this season between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. – Elizabeth Flores
June 19: Kraken acquire Mason Marchment from Stars
The Stars needed to clear out cap space after re-signing Matt Duchene so they traded 22-goal scorer Mason Marchment and his $4.5 million contract to the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-rounder. In addition to his goals, he’s 6-foot-5 and throws hits.