Utah’s Ian Cole talks about how the NHL trade deadline feels like

Like other major North American professional sports leagues, the National Hockey League (NHL) also has a deadline for player-for-player transactions. This trade deadline is often set in early March, marking a big day for teams to make major moves to help their quest to improve in the NHL Playoffs.

Utah Hockey Club is one of the newest teams in the NHL, as the 2024-25 season is their maiden campaign. As one of the veteran players on the team, defenceman Ian Cole knows that the trade deadline is an important day, and he spoke about it ahead of the March 7, 2025 deadline for the current campaign.

Cole’s trade deadline experience as a player

Cole is a veteran in his mid-30s, so he has had his fair share of experiences with the trade deadline in his career. He believes it is an important day during the season, and it has brought him some joy and sadness at times. It is a key moment for everyone involved, even those who are placing bets on sites like casinos.com.

Every player has a different perspective on it, but seeing that a team can make giant strides toward improvement could make them happier. That is what Cole wants to point out since while it can be tough to get traded for the players, the team should make good moves.

He said, ‘It’s different for everybody because if you’re in a position in the line-up where they bring somebody in and that may be the reason you’re out of the line-up, obviously you’re not going to be thrilled about it. If you’re in the line-up and you have another great player you can play with, you’re probably pretty excited about it’.

The difference for a team selling assets during the deadline

Some teams sell their assets through trades during the deadline, which could negatively impact the players on the current team, as they might’ve liked the player who got traded. This could lead to some possible resentment for the incoming player since they replaced the old one, who was close to them.

However, that is business in professional sports, and the goal for the front office executives is to maximise their chances of winning games. To do that, they must sell off some valuable assets to get more in return, and that could be the change they need to win games.

For a new team like the Utah Hockey Club, they must go through an arduous process of building a team. They do not have the assets to compete for the Stanley Cup in the first year, but they can slowly build towards that by drafting well and trading assets that could lead to them becoming a winning program.

Fellow Utah player Alex Kerfoot talked about how important it is to make trades during the deadline. He said, ‘When you’re adding, it means that you’re in the hunt. You’ve got a chance. Management’s willing to do whatever it takes to go all-in. You don’t just do that for no reason — you have to earn it’.

The importance of a no-trade clause

Having a no-trade clause in one’s contract could be a game-changer for everyone. That means the player could refuse a trade if they do not feel it would be helpful to them personally. However, this could jeopardise a team’s plans because they could want a move, but the player ultimately is against it.

For players, they have some agency with their career path with a no-trade clause, so if they have the power to negotiate for one, it would be a great move. Teams usually do not give out no-trade clauses, but the possibility of one coming up in negotiations could elevate the wages the player wants to have.

Overall, it’s a net positive, as long as the front offices are respectful of their wishes because the salary could be a good reward for not having a no-trade clause agreed upon in negotiations.

A trade deadline is a big day for any professional sport, but in the NHL, it could be a big day for teams looking to compete for the Stanley Cup. This is one of the most important factors you can look into when you’re betting on sites like casinos.com since it could help with your predictions.