The NHL's annual trade deadline usually takes place in late February or early March. This season's deadline is set for Tuesday, March 8, 2024.
Deadline day tends to be the busiest for trade activity during the regular season. Thanks to the salary cap, many teams tend to wait until as close to that date as possible to accrue sufficient cap space to make what they hope will be significant moves to improve their rosters.
Most deadline-day deals tend to involve playoff contenders and those who are outside the playoff picture. The contenders are buyers looking to bolster their rosters for what they hope will be a run to the Stanley Cup.