If you, much like I, were caught up in all the news around Mike Babcock and D.J. Smith being named head and associate coaches of the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday, I couldn’t blame you.

After all, there were a slew of stories to come out of one of the most fascinating press conferences in franchise history.

Teams around the NHL, however, were hard at work, with four blockbuster trades that will significantly impact the League’s landscape for years to come.

The first deal of the day saw the Calgary Flames acquire defenceman Simon Nemec and winger Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a pair of conditional first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028, the 35th overall pick in Friday’s draft, and prospect Etienne Morin.

Both first-round picks are top-10 protected.

Nemec, 22, is the main piece in the deal, dealt just shy of four years after he was drafted second overall by the Devils in the 2022 draft. He’s appeared in 155 NHL games thus far in his career, scoring 16 goals and 49 points. Nemec is coming off his entry-level contract, and is slated to become a restricted free agent on July 1.

All three of the Flames’ picks dealt in the trade were previously acquired by the team. The first-round picks were acquired in separate deals for defenceman Rasmus Andersson and centre Nazem Kadri, while the second-round pick was acquired from the Utah Mammoth in the MacKenzie Weegar trade.

Roughly 48 hours after trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, the Senators dealt the ninth-overall pick acquired in that deal to the San Jose Sharks. In return, Steve Staios’ Sens picked up Swedish winger William Eklund, and prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda.

Eklund, 23, is entering the first year of a three-year contract paying him $5.6 million annually, and is coming off a 15-goal, 55-point season in which he played 78 games. Drafted by the Sharks seventh overall in the 2021 draft, Eklund has appeared in 252 NHL games, scoring 50 goals and 163 points.

Jordan Kyrou’s name has been in the rumour mill for years, and the St. Louis Blues finally pulled the trigger to move him Tuesday, sending him to the Washington Capitals.

In return, the re-tooling Blues picked up the 16th overall selection in Friday’s draft, centre Connor McMichael, and centre prospect Milton Gästrin.

Kyrou, 28, has spent his entire career with the Blues after being drafted 35th overall in the 2016 draft, scoring 168 goals and 378 points in 488 games. This season, he saw a significant dip in offensive production, totaling just 18 goals, 28 assists, and 46 points — his lowest marks in each category since the 2020-21 season.

McMichael, 25, had spent his entire career up to this point with the Capitals since being selected 25th overall in the 2019 draft. He’s totaled 67 goals and 154 points in 315 games, racking up 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games this season.

Kyrou has four years left on a deal paying him $8.125 million per year, while McMichael is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

Bowen Byram is on the move once again, as the Buffalo Sabres dealt him alongside depth winger Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks, bringing back the fourth overall selection in Friday’s draft as the main piece.

They also acquired a 2026 second-round pick, 45th overall, and defenceman Louis Crevier.

The Blackhawks will mark Byram’s third NHL team, after being drafted fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019. Byram, 25, played 146 games in Denver before being sent to the Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt in March 2024.

Byram has broken out offensively with 21 goals and 89 points in 182 games in Buffalo, but was looking for a contract extension too rich for the Sabres’ blood. He has one year left on a deal paying him $6.25 million.

Greenway, 29, has one year left on a deal paying him $4 million, and scored just one goal and six points in 40 games last year. The veteran of 475 NHL games has scored 56 goals and 165 points between the Sabres and the Minnesota Wild.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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