Teams furious as deals leak before player approval

The NHL trade deadline has taken a chaotic turn on Wednesday.

Ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ broadcast against the New Jersey Devils, insider Elliotte Friedman openly admitted he may have been part of a growing problem: trades leaking before players with protection clauses have given approval.

Today was a perfect example.

First, the Vancouver Canucks traded defenseman Tyler Myers, not to the Detroit Red Wings as previously reported, but to the Dallas Stars.

Then came word from Darren Dreger that the Buffalo Sabres had acquired Colton Parayko from St. Louis, with Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick believed to be part of the return. There’s just one issue: Parayko has a full no-trade clause and, as of the report, had not officially agreed to waive it.

There is tons of frustration with this one.

Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford clarified that “at this moment, to my knowledge, there’s been no official decision from Parayko about waiving his no-trade clause to Buffalo.” The Blues are in Seattle preparing to face the Kraken, and Parayko, out with back spasms, remains at the team hotel, wondering if he should accept the trade offer, that was perhaps too quickly put out there...

The same situation unfolded with Mackenzie Weegar. Friedman reported that the Calgary Flames and Utah Mammoth are closing in on a deal, but it awaits Weegar’s approval. While he has been in rumors for weeks, being formally asked to waive protection is an entirely different conversation. Finally on Wednesday evening, he accepted to waive his clause and Calgary gets in return three 2026 2nd round picks, Olli Maatta, and prospect Jonathan Castagna.

It’s rare to see three significant trades leak without finalized approval from the players involved.

The deadline chatter feels unusually aggressive this year, and Friedman explains what’s happening in the video below: