Countdown to the 2025 AFHL Trade Deadline:
February 23rd, 2025
Today is the day that separates the boys from the men in the Amazing Fantasy Hockey League. TheAFHL.com and TSN will be informing us on all of the rumors and speculation as well as providing breaking news and analysis of the deals as they happen. We will hear lots from Pierre LeBrun, Barry Melrose, Scott Burnside and Scott McKenzie who is at TSN’s studios for Tradecentre.
So, feel free to stay on the page and refresh for updates, which begin below:
10:00 am 
Bob McKenzie: Happy Trade Deadline Day!! Buckle up everybody!
10:01 am 
Pierre LeBrun: WOO!!! TRADE DEADLINE 2025 LETS GOOOOO!!!!!
10:03 am 
Barry Melrose: I just watched Pierre Lebrun drink three large Dunkin ice coffees in the last two hours. He’s pretty fired up right now.
10:04 am Pierre LeBrun: YES I AM!!!! LET’S ROCK AND ROLL!!!!
10:29 am Bob McKenzie: I’m hearing most GMs are just starting to wake up and drink their morning coffees but there are already many deals currently in the works.
10:31 am Barry Melrose: Hey, did anybody watch Rain City pregame last night? They finally had their banner raising ceremony. Normally, the banner raising ceremony takes place at the beginning of the season but the team had to do some minor renovations of their arena to make room for the third banner.
10:35 am Bob McKenzie: Yeah that was fun to watch. Rain City GM Jason Henley brought his wife and kids with him onto the ice and wore a new shirt with the number 3 on it, one for each Stanley Cup title. Crowd was chanting “We want four!” as yellow, green and black confetti flew through the air.
10:49 am Pierre LeBrun: I just mentioned this on ESPN – Sounds like the Boston Giants have been searching for a veteran forward to add to their roster for a Cup run this year. We’ll see if they can pull it off over the next 7 hours, but they’re looking.
11:07 am Barry Melrose: The big fish today has got to be Antigonish forward Mikko Rantanen. Several teams have been making a strong push. GM Pat McKenna looking to fetch bluechip prospects and 1st round picks in return for the superstar forward.
11:15 am Bob McKenzie: Keep an eye on Fort Drum today. GM Stryska promised his fan base he will be more active today than in previous years.
11:17 am Barry Melrose: He better be active. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. That was 15 years ago!! I feel so bad for Killers fans.
11:20 am Pierre LeBrun: Manhattan Supermen are expected to call up Collin Graf. His name continues to swirl around the trade winds, but for now he’s been told he’s going to be called up.
11:25 am Bob McKenzie: Tage Thompson meeting the Laval media via zoom today at 1pm. He was acquired in a blockbuster from Washington a few days ago.
11:30 am Pierre LeBrun: Yeah, that was a great haul for Wolfpack GM Jared Sexton. The full trade was Thompson, Georgiev, Sanderson, and Cuylle to Laval for Leo Carlsson, Sam Rinzel, Jiri Kulich, Dylan Garland, 2025 1st, 2026 1st, 2027 2nd. Wolfpack are now loaded with young, elite talent. Sexton is setting up that team to dominate for many, many years.
11:51 am Barry Melrose: Vikings GM Phil Svoboda looking to make some moves today. He announced Steven Stamkos is on the block. The veteran superstar forward has a number of clubs circling. Manhattan, Boston, Laval to name a few. As of this morning, it seems the Supermen have the inside track with Liam Greentree as a centerpiece in a deal. We will see how the day unfolds.
12:10 pm Bob McKenzie: Just received this text from the reigning champ: “I told every player on my roster to cancel the hotel rooms and buy houses in Rainbow City or wherever we play out of. That said, I get off on lying to my players so who knows what will come to pass.”
12:12 pm Pierre LeBrun: LOL. Jason Henley always makes me chuckle.
12:15 pm Barry Melrose: Source telling me Barrie and Long Beach are nearing a deal.
12:17 pm Barry Melrose: Trade call underway. Long Beach Ice Dogs have acquired Owen Tippett from the Barrie Brigade in exchange for a 2026 1st Round Pick.
12:18 pm Bob McKenzie: First trade of the day! I had a feeling Tippett was being dealt when I read he left practice early today.
12:43 pm Barry Melrose: London forward Casey Mittelstadt sitting out tonight. Asset management ahead of the deadline.
1:16 pm Pierre LeBrun: Hearing that the Sharks and Supermen are very close to a Panarin trade. They are working through the details. Liam Greentree is part of the package. Multiple players are playing tonight which also may complicate timing to some degree. But all signs point to Panarin going to Manhattan.
1:21 pm Pierre LeBrun: Again, just to be clear, the Panarin trade is not quite done yet. Some final details to be ironed out, but all signs pointing to Panarin heading to Manhattan.
1:25 pm Bob McKenzie: Yes, talks between Atlantic City and Manhattan are intensifying. I’m being told “it’s getting close”.
1:29 pm Pierre LeBrun: Trade call just ended. Artemi Panarin is a Manhattan Superman.
1:33 pm Pierre LeBrun: Full trade: Atlantic City trades Artemi Panarin and Brandon Montour to Manhattan in exchange for Charlie McAvoy and Liam Greentree.
2:05 pm Barry Melrose: Alex Ovechkin controls his fate in Antigonish with a full NMC. It sounds like a couple of contenders are interested in adding him as a rental considering his age.
2:12 pm Bob McKenzie: Phantoms forward Sidney Crosby might be sitting out this afternoon’s game. Not sure if trade related or injury related.
2:29 pm Pierre LeBrun: Killers GM Steven Stryska has announced he is listening to offers for Mark Scheifele. Some around the situation have believed there’s a chance he can be moved by the deadline as he will be turning 32 next month and Fort Drum is missing the playoffs this year. We’ll see, but talks are happening.
3:45 pm Barry Melrose: As I mentioned on ESPN Sportscenter, Manhattan has been making traction on another big move for a player on defense. Source telling me the team they are working with is Washington.
4:07 pm Bob McKenzie: Antigonish GM Pat McKenna continues to weigh trade options for Alex Ovechkin, with multiple teams in play. Ovechkin has been told he will be moved by the 7pm ET deadline. #waitinggame
4:11 pm Pierre LeBrun: Jackson Lacombe is believed to be the player Manhattan is close to acquiring from Washington.
4:13 pm Pierre LeBrun: Tommy Novak and Gustav Nyquist have just been scratched from Manhattan’s lineup tonight. Trade is probably happening.
4:21 pm Barry Melrose: Flower City GM Derek Jedamski has been working the phones all day. Looking to add production on the pro roster. Most conversations revolving around Jackson Blake, Erik Portillo, and Alieksei Protas.
4:22 pm Barry Melrose: Jackson Lacombe no longer appears to be on Washington’s roster per WashingtonWolfpack.com
4:35 pm Pierre LeBrun: My understanding: Manhattan and Washington have agreed to the basic framework of a deal that will send Jackson Lacombe to Manhattan and Nyquist/Novak to Washington. Work to do, but well down the track.
4:43 pm Barry Melrose: Correction – Flower City is taking calls on Ilya Protas (not Alieksei Protas).
5:01 pm Bob McKenzie: Chatter is really starting to pick up with only two more hours until the Trade Deadline.
5:10 pm Pierre LeBrun: Manhattan and Washington finalized the trade. Lacombe and Gulyayev to Manhattan. 2027 1st, Novak, and Nyquist to Washington.
5:23 pm Barry Melrose: Here’s Pierre McGuire with a whammy: pending trade call, Flower City acquiring Ivan Barbashev and Blake Coleman.
5:24 pm Barry Melrose: Full trade: Barbashev, Coleman, 3rd round pick to Flower City. Jackson Blake and Damian Clara to Atlantic City.
5:27 pm Bob McKenzie: Ivan Barbashev in the Sharks dressing room right now finding out about the news he’s off to Flower City.
5:48 pm Pierre LeBrun: Antigonish GM Pat McKenna is getting settled in. Makes two trades simultaneously – Tye Kartye to London for a 2025 3rd Round Pick and Ryan Hartman to Barrie for a 2025 3rd Round Pick.
5:59 pm Barry Melrose: McKenna strikes again. Jame Benn is off to Laval in exchange for Victor Mancini and Luke Evangelista.
6:11 pm Bob McKenzie: This is turning into the Pat McKenna Show. X-Men trade Rasmussen and Luchanko to London for Cormier and a 2025 1st Round Pick.
6:20 pm Pierre LeBrun: London has traded Kaapo Kakko to the Boston Giants in exchange for Morgan Frost and a 2025 2nd Round Pick.
6:27 pm Barry Melrose: Take Vincent Trocheck off the market. X-Men have traded Trocheck to Laval for Anthony Cirelli and Drew Helleson.
6:32 pm Bob McKenzie: Shawinigan has won the Ovechkin Sweepstakes. X-Men trade Ovechkin to Vikings for 2027 1st, 2027 2nd, and three 3rd round picks.
6:50 pm Barry Melrose: Call underway. Quebec trades Filip Gustavsson and a 3rd Round Pick to Antigonish for John Beecher and Easton Cowan.
6:51 pm Bob McKenzie: Lethbridge trades Gallagher to Sarnia for a 2026 3rd.
6:55 pm Bob McKenzie: Killers fans are burning their jerseys tonight for another quiet deadline.
6:56 pm Barry Melrose: FIVE MINUTES LEFT!!! WHAT A RUSH!!!
7:00 pm Pierre LeBrun: A flurry of activity at the buzzer including a Rantanen blockbuster!
7:05 pm Bob McKenzie: X-Men trade Rantanen to Rain City for Meier, Othmann, and Kerins.
7:25 pm Bob McKenzie: Waiting a few more minutes to see if any other deals trickle in…
7:30 pm Barry Melrose: And that’s all folks. We saw a grand total of 20 trades today! Our apologies to those who made trades that did not get posted here as we are dead tired from a long day and that flurry of activity at the buzzer would have taken a while to post up.
7:35 pm Bob McKenzie: Another amazing and fun AFHL Trade Deadline! Goodnight all!
Test
No more Mr. Nice Guy, as Derek Jedamski takes over Royals
Team name changes to Flower City Fury
October 1st, 2024
Exit the nice guy and enter Derek Jedamski, who was recently described by someone as a John Tortorella type head coach/GM.
Jedamski has everything that the previous coach/GM didn’t. He is a former hockey player, he has experience coaching younger players. He also doesn’t seem to have any issue working with players that are considered to be stars in the league.
If one comment stood out from his the many he’s made over the past week, it’s that he doesn’t feel he needs to micromanage guys like Hughes and Kaprizov.
“I’ve always been a believer that you have to allow your top players the latitude to make plays and act on their instincts,” Jedamski said. “It’s fine line between making sure that you stay out of the way in certain circumstances, but you provide the necessary structure so that you don’t become a high-risk team.”
He also sounds like a guy who has been there, done that and has learned a lot about what it takes to be successful in fantasy hockey.
Jedamski also seems ready to focus on something that was absent under the previous coach – helping the team figure out what they want to be. Or in simpler terms, establishing an identity.
“What are our strengths as a group and how do we play to those strengths to have a competitive advantage?” Jedamski said. “I don’t think it’s any secret that the Westbury Royals are built around speed and skill. That has to be part of our identity on how we’re going to play.”
That again speaks to letting those top players go out and do what they do. Guys like Hughes, Kaprizov, Dobson, and Konecny need to have a longer leash to create offense. They can’t abandon their defensive responsibility, but there should be times during the course of a game where they can focus on putting pucks in the net instead of keeping them out.
Jedamski sounds like he wants to be more of a director. He wants to be the guy to explain processes, correct them when they go awry, but he’s going to put the onus on the players to create the atmosphere of success.
“I challenged them to embrace the process,” Jedamski said. “I told them hockey is a hard game. It’s a hard sport. It’s hard to win. We have to embrace the struggle here. We have to embrace the process. I think if we do that we have the best chance moving forward.”
He’ll get his first chance to do that this weekend when the Royals take the ice against the Long Beach Ice Dogs in their season opener. Some things might look familiar, such as lines during the early going, while others will be completely different.
“Everything’s on the table. I spoke with the coaching staff this morning about that and got their input and the line combinations the defense pairs as they have been through these preseason games. I’m coming in a little late here and trying to get an assessment of what the line combinations have looked like and what kind of chemistry is there and if there is a need to try to tweak things. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to start playing regular season games so I can see for myself and get a first-hand view of how this team can really play.”