After Weeks of Luka Doncic Trade Pain, Dallas Sports Fans Find Some Relief

Posted on: March 7, 2025, 07:29h. 

Last updated on: March 7, 2025, 07:44h.

Mark Keast Read More

Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.

• Big day for the NHL’s Dallas Stars as team lands superstar
• Stars now betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup
• Winners and losers on NHL Trade Deadline Day

The clock struck 3 p.m. EST and a hurricane of trades on NHL trade deadline day finally died down.

Commentators across Canada and U.S. all referenced the post 4 Nations Face-Off buzz that the NHL has been enjoying, with interest in hockey spiking, bringing in fans who never watched the sport.

One of the big storylines from today: Sports fans in Dallas, beaten down after the stunning trade of NBA superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last month, with Anthony Davis, the key piece coming back to the Mavs in the trade, now out of the lineup long term after suffering an adductor strain in his Mavs debut, then PG Kyrie Irving going down this past week with a season-ending ACL tear.

Winner: Dallas Stars

So, Dallas fans were hanging their heads until today when the news broke that the Dallas Stars had acquired the best player available in the NHL trade market, Mikko Rantanen, a playoff stud in his days with the Colorado Avalanche, from the Carolina Hurricanes, with Rantanen now looking at Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz as linemates.

Plus, the Stars locked down the Finn with a contract extension (USD$12 million per year, over eight years – less than had been reported in terms of what he was asking, so a tip of the hat to Texas’ lax state taxes for helping get that done). Logan Stankoven, two first round picks (2026 and 2028) and two third round picks (2026 and 2027) went to the Hurricanes. Doesn’t get better than that if you’re a Dallas sports fan.

Winner: Toronto Maple Leafs

Hard to find a right shot for your defence – but the Leafs pulled it off, grabbing 6-foot-5, 220-pound Brandon Carlo in a deal with the Boston Bruins, having to give up a great prospect in Fraser Minten (and their first round draft pick in 2026 and Philadelphia’s fourth round pick in 2025). Carlo was plus-11 in 72 playoff games with the Bruins. Carlo is a big net-front presence, and slots in as a Top 4 defensemen with the Leafs. Plus he’s under contract through 2025-26 – another advantage for the Leafs.

Leafs also had earlier in the day acquired centre Scott Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Toronto’s first round pick in 2027 and forward Nikita Grebenkin. Plus the Leafs got the Flyers to retain 50% of Laughton’s salary (USD$3 million, through 2026).

Winner: Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers brought in Brad Marchand in a trade with the Bruins, for a conditional 2027 first round pick, creating an ungodly potential second line of Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. Florida had bolstered their defense by acquiring Seth Jones in a huge trade last week with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Marchand is built for the NHL playoffs, and it takes away from the sting for fans of the defending Cup champions after Tkachuk was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a groin injury.

Losers: Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes

Brutal day in Beantown as the Bruins jettisoned a list key players – Marchand, Carlo, Charlie Coyle to the Avalanche, Justin Brazeau to the Minnesota Wild, after Max Jones earlier.

The Hurricanes, who also dealt Martin Necas to Colorado, once were considered a Cup favourite. No more. The Buffalo Sabres jettisoned 6-foot-3 center Dylan Cozens, two season removed from a 33-goal season with the Sabres, in a trade with the Ottawa Senators, with forward Josh Norris and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker going to Buffalo. Cozens carries loads of potential but needed to get away from Buffalo, another indication how low things are with the Sabres, 4th last in the NHL

NHL Odds Shakeup: Cup Favourites

This from bet365, adjusted post 3 p.m. EST: The Stars and Panthers at +550, the Edmonton Oilers at +700, the Avalanche at +800, the Vegas Golden Knights at +1000, the Washington Capitals at +1100, the Leafs at +1100, the Tampa Bay Lightning at +1200, the Hurricanes at +1300 and the Winnipeg Jets at +1300.

Some sportsbooks find the deadline challenging, according to Phillip Gray, an igaming consultant and former Head of Trading Operations.

Generally because obviously if some big trades did occur, trading would be suspended on futures bets until after the deadline,” he said. “For games that day, which really you can’t suspend betting on, and players that might be moved are already out of the lineup, so the lines reflect that. It’s all an operations question for each book. But you have to be pretty careful if something does come across the wire to have affected markets off the board. Increase in volume comes from bettors looking for stale lines.

“A team was +2000 to win, but with a big trade now they’re +800. How long was the +2000 still on the board to be hit? It shouldn’t be an issue with advancement in technology, but it still happens though.”