The 2021 NHL trade deadline was this week. "Dead" being the operative word.
There were only 17 deals made on April 12, involving 26 players. Compare that with last season's deadline day, which yielded 32 trades involving 55 players. But the 2020 NHL trade deadline happened in "the before times." Obviously, a lot has changed.
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the economic landscape for the NHL. The flat salary cap of $81.5 million this season, and in subsequent seasons, left teams unable to trade out high-salaried players or take them on without some creative maneuvers, such as having a third team shoulder part of the cap hit in a side deal.