On October 2, the Whalers were involved in two trades. In the first trade, Hartford acquired right winger Doug Sulliman, defenseman Chris Kotsopoulos and defenseman Gerry McDonald from the New York Rangers in exchange for center Mike Rogers and a tenth round selection in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. In 32 games with New York, Sulliman scored four goals and five points before scoring a goal in three playoff games with the Rangers. He also played in 45 games with the New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL, where he scored 10 goals and 26 points. As a rookie in 1980–81, Kotsopoulos appeared in 52 games with the Rangers, scoring four goals, 16 points and accumulating 153 penalty minutes. In 14 post-season games, Kotsopoulos earned three assists while racking up 63 penalty minutes. McDonald appeared in 70 games with the Nighthawks in 1980–81, scoring six goals and 29 points. In four playoff games, McDonald was held off the scoresheet.