The Colorado Avalanche made a big splash on the eve of the NHL trade deadline late Thursday night by getting center Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders. The move came hours after the Western Conference rival Vegas Golden Knights reacquired winger Reilly Smith in a deal with the New York Rangers.

The banged up New Jersey Devils wasted no time filling an area of need ahead of the NHL trade deadline, the defending champion Florida Panthers made an under-the-radar move that could pave the way for another deep playoff run and the Vegas Golden Knights brought back a member of their recent Stanley Cup-winning team.

Some guys are just built to play for the Florida Panthers. Newly acquired forward Nico Sturm might be one of them. “Definitely exciting,” Sturm said following his first practice with the Panthers at Baptist Health IcePlex on Friday.

SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zitoannounced today that the club has acquired forward Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round selection from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Florida’s 2026 fourth-round selection.

We are looking forward to buckling down and moving forward to focus on being the best team we can be and going as far as we can go.’

The San Jose Sharks on Thursday traded center Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Florida Panthers for a 2026 fourth-round selection. The trade is the second between the Sharks and Panthers in as many days. On Wednesday, San Jose sent goalie Vitek Vanecek to Florida for forward Patrick Giles.

The San Jose Sharks have traded Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Florida Panthers for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.