It had been a fairly quiet month for NHL trades through the first two-and-a-half weeks of August. The only deals made during that period occurred on Aug. 13, when the Pittsburgh Penguins swapped some draft picks with the St. Louis Blues and acquired checking-line center Cody Glass from the Nashville Predators.

However, that swap of draft picks was related to the Blues signing defenseman Philip Broberg away from the Edmonton Oilers with an offer sheet. They were reacquiring their 2025 second-rounder sent to the Penguins in the Kevin Hayes trade because they needed it to compensate the Oilers after signing Broberg.

That led to the Oilers acquiring winger Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks on Aug. 18 and trading defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks later that day. Two days later, Edmonton opted not to match the offer sheets for Broberg and Holloway.

Those moves kicked off a busy week for significant moves in an otherwise sleepy August for the NHL trade market.

Following weeks of trade speculation, the Columbus Blue Jackets shipped winger Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-rounder to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 19 for defenseman Jordan Harris.

Three days later, the Penguins and Winnipeg exchanged NHL-ready forward prospects as the Jets sent winger Rutger McGroarty to Pittsburgh for center Brayden Yager.

The week ended with another promising young player on the move as the Nashville Predators sent goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks in a multi-player deal.

What are we to make of these deals? Follow along as we examine whether to buy or sell those significant trades.

Feel free to express your views on this topic in the app comments below.

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Vasily Podkolzin From Vancouver Canucks

The Edmonton Oilers kicked off the week's trade activity by acquiring Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick that previously belonged to the Ottawa Senators.

The 23-year-old winger was chosen 10th overall by Vancouver in the first round of the 2019 draft. He'd made a promising debut with the Canucks in 2021-22 with 14 goals and 26 points in 79 games, but he bounced between Vancouver and its AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, BC, over the next two seasons as the club went through three coaching changes.

With the Canucks already carrying 14 forwards under one-way contracts for this season, Podkolzin was the odd man out in their lineup. Shipping him to Edmonton freed up $1 million in cap space for this season and next for cap-strapped Vancouver.

The Oilers, meanwhile, had to add a forward as they weren't going to match the St. Louis Blues' offer sheet for Dylan Holloway.

Podkolzin could regain his form and potentially thrive on a Stanley Cup contender with high-scoring teams like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Buy or sell: Buy for the Oilers, sell for the Canucks

Edmonton gave up very little to add a young forward like Podkolzin, who has shown potential to become a scorer at the NHL level.

If he develops as expected, this could turn into a steal for the Oilers; if not, they have an affordable depth forward to shuttle between their roster and their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield for the next two years.

Podkolzin would not get sufficient ice time in Vancouver this season to regain his confidence and scoring touch. The Canucks also needed to clear some cap space. Nevertheless, getting a fourth-rounder in return for a former first-rounder who still has room to develop into a top-six winger wasn't much of a deal for them.

San Jose Sharks Trade For Cody Ceci From Edmonton Oilers

Shortly after acquiring Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for blueliner Ty Emberson.

Some observers assumed the Oilers did this to shed Ceci's $3.25 million cap hit this season to match the St. Louis Blues' offer sheet to defenseman Philip Broberg. However, they had opted not to match the Swede's offer and wanted to move out Ceci's contract to get under this season's $88 million salary cap.

Ceci, 30, is an 11-year NHL veteran with 211 points in 786 games. A puck-moving blueliner, his occasional defensive miscues made him the whipping boy for Oilers fans and pundits during the playoffs. Nevertheless, he was well-liked by his teammates and coaches, including assistant coach and Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier was pleased to add Ceci to his rebuilding roster. Calling him a "solid, competitive veteran defenseman," he praised his all-around skills, penalty-killing and ability to generate offense from the blue line.

Emberson, 24, made his NHL debut in 2023-24 with the Sharks, netting 10 points in 30 games until suffering a lower-body laceration that ended his season. He's fully recovered and expects to be ready for training camp next month. The young blueliner is on a one-year contract with an affordable cap hit of $950,000.

Buy or sell: Sell for the Oilers, buy for the Sharks

Ceci may have been a scapegoat for Oilers followers, but his experience and skills won't be easy to replace. He'll be a welcome addition to the rebuilding Sharks this season, and they could flip him at the March trade deadline to a contender for a return that further builds their prospect pool.

Emberson has potential as an NHL defenseman and could pan out for the Oilers in the long run, but he won't offset Ceci's absence in the short term.

Columbus Blue Jackets Ship Patrik Laine To Montreal Canadiens

Entering August, Patrik Laine topped our NHL Trade Block Big Board. He was the subject of media speculation since requesting a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets in early June.

On Aug. 19, the Blue Jackets honored the winger's request, shipping him and a 2026 second-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Jordan Harris.

A former 44-goal scorer earlier in his career with the Winnipeg Jets, Laine had struggled with injuries and inconsistency over the last four seasons in Columbus. He entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in January to prioritize his mental health and well-being and left the program in July.

The Canadiens are betting that a move to a bigger hockey market will help the 26-year-old regain his scoring touch and bolster the rebuilding club's offense. They took on his full $8.7 million annual salary-cap hit for the final two seasons of his contract.

New Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell sought a hockey trade for Laine. Shedding his contract gives the team plenty of cap space for this season and 2025-26, enabling Columbus to make more significant additions to its rebuilding roster.

The addition of the 24-year-old Harris gives the Blue Jackets a young puck-moving defenseman with 131 games of NHL experience on his resume. He also carries an affordable $1.4 million cap hit this season and is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.

Buy or sell: Buy for both clubs

These two teams both got what they wanted. The Canadiens wanted an established top-six scoring forward, while the Blue Jackets wanted to move the unhappy Laine and his expensive contract.

Time will tell over the long term which team benefits the most. It could be the Canadiens in the short term if Laine returns to his high-scoring ways. However, the extra cap space for the Blue Jackets could help them land one or two players who could play big roles turning them into a playoff contender in a couple of years.

Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets Swap Top Prospects

Chosen 14th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 draft, Rutger McGroarty soon established himself as their top prospect.

However, a disagreement between the Jets and the 20-year-old University of Michigan winger saw him becoming the subject of trade speculation, landing him at No. 6 on our August NHL Trade Block Big Board.

On Aug. 22, the Jets sent McGroarty to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In return, they received promising center Brayden Yager, who was chosen 14th overall in the 2023 draft.

McGroarty intended to return to Michigan this season rather than sign with the Jets and start the season with their AHL affiliate. The difference of opinion over his path to the NHL made clear he didn't have a future in Winnipeg, forcing Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to peddle him to Pittsburgh.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is attempting to retool his roster by adding younger players to complement aging stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. McGroarty is a year older than Yager and considered closer to NHL-ready. Having signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins, McGroarty could be in their lineup this season.

Yager, meanwhile, was ranked as the Penguins' top prospect before this trade. The 19-year-old center totaled 104 goals and 135 assists in 211 regular-season games with the Western Hockey League's Moose Jaw Warriors. He's a skilled offensive center who plays a smart game at both ends of the rink and could become a scoring threat for the Jets.

Buy or sell: Buy for both teams

It's too early to tell which team got the better player. They've yet to begin their NHL careers, and it will take time to determine what kind of players they'll be with their new clubs.

Nevertheless, the Jets had to move the unhappy McGroarty for something worthwhile and got it with the promising Yager. Meanwhile, the Penguins bring in a young winger who could flourish alongside Crosby or Malkin.

San Jose Sharks Land Yaroslav Askarov From Nashville Predators

Trade rumors began swirling about goaltender Yaroslav Askarov in July.

The Nashville Predators signed starter Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension and free-agent backup Scott Wedgewood to a two-year deal, suggesting Askarov had no immediate path to the NHL this season.

That speculation had the Russian goaltender sitting at No. 3 on our August NHL Trade Block Big Board. On Aug. 19, he told Predators management he wouldn't report to their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee and requested a trade.

Askarov didn't have to wait long to be moved. On Aug. 23, the Predators shipped him, minor league forward Nolan Burke and a 2025 third-round pick to the San Jose Sharks. In return, the Preds received forward prospect David Edstrom, goalie prospect Magnus Chrona and a conditional first-round pick that previously belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Landing Askarov addressed the Sharks' need for a promising young goaltender. He played well in Milwaukee over the past two seasons and should get an opportunity to feature in the NHL as early as this season. Having signed a two-year contract extension following the trade, the 22-year-old is guaranteed to see action with the Sharks by 2025-26 at the latest.

The Predators did OK with this trade. Edstrom, 19, could develop into a solid two-way checking-line center in Nashville. Chrona will replace Askarov on their farm team this season. The conditions of that first-round pick ensure they'll get Vegas' or San Jose's first-rounder for next year.

Buy or Sell: Buy for both clubs

Askarov didn't fit into the Predators' goaltending plans and will get the chance to prove himself with the Sharks. He's joining a rebuilding club loaded with promising talent and could become part of a core that turns San Jose back into a Western Conference powerhouse within a few years.

The Predators did all right by getting a former first-rounder in Edstrom and a goalie for their farm system. But they now have three first-rounders in next year's draft and could use one or two as trade bait to acquire more immediate roster help later this season.

Stats via NHL.com, salary info via PuckPedia.