NHL trade season is well underway,
with plenty more moves expected before the deadline Friday
[March 03, 2025]
By STEPHEN WHYNO
Mikko Rantanen could be on the move again if Carolina cannot sign
him to an extension. Brock Nelson, Erik Karlsson and brothers
Brayden and Luke Schenn are all in the mix.
Seth Jones, Ryan Lindgren and Gustav Nyquist have already changed
teams. And there is still plenty of time before the NHL trade
deadline on Friday. Even after a series of deals prior to the 4
Nations Face-Off, the coming week should bring plenty of action
before the NHL trade deadline on Friday.
“The two-dollar answer to the million-dollar question is, ‘I’m not
sure we know,’” Bill Zito, general manager of the reigning Stanley
Cup champion Florida Panthers said earlier in the week before
acquiring Jones from Chicago.
Of the league's 32 teams, 25 are either in a playoff position or
within four points of a spot. Not all of them are legitimate
contenders, but Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick
wondered if the tightness of races in the Eastern and Western
Conferences will affect the volume of moves.
"There’s some teams this year that are kind of in that four-point
range of the playoffs that maybe have been sellers for the last
couple years and say: ‘You know what? We’re just going to run with
it here and see what we can do, and if we miss, we miss, but I want
to give the guys a chance to make it,’” Patrick said. “I’m really
not exactly sure what to expect, but it does feel like there’s kind
of less teams that have come out and said, ‘Hey, we’re open for
business.’”
Late in a horribly disappointing season, the Nashville Predators
signaled they are open for business by trading Nyquist to the
Minnesota Wild. That came hours after Colorado got Lindgren and
Jimmy Vesey from the New York Rangers, who traded a couple of
pending free agents but aren't giving up on the season.
Forwards
Rantanen went from the Avalanche to the Hurricanes in a three-team
blockbuster in January, but the 2022 Cup champion remains the
biggest name in trade buzz because he still does not have a contract
beyond this season.
Carolina could opt to roll the dice and try to win with him and
figure it out before July 1, but if he is available, the suitors
from Dallas to Edmonton to Florida will be lining up.
Nelson, another pending unrestricted free agent forward, is more
likely than not to get traded with the New York Islanders fading
from the playoff chase. Same goes for Rickard Rakell of the
Pittsburgh Penguins, Scott Laughton of the Philadelphia Flyers and
Ryan Donato of the Blackhawks.
Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde — a two-time Cup champion with
Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21 — is coming off sports hernia surgery but
could be exactly the kind of depth addition that gets a team over
the top in the playoffs.
[to top of second column] |
Carolina Hurricanes' Mikko Rantanen (96) protests against a penalty
with an official during the third period of an NHL hockey game
against the Edmonton Oilers in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, March 1,
2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn just played
his 1,000th regular-season game in the league, and reports have
circulated that teams are interested in acquiring him and defenseman
brother Luke, who plays in Nashville, in separate trades.
“Honestly, the times I’ve gotten traded, I didn’t expect to get
traded," Brayden said. “So, you really never know.”
The Rangers are holding winger Reilly Smith out for trade-related
reasons, and Boston has some decisions to make with (injured)
captain Brad Marchand and hard-nosed forward Trent Frederic.
Defensemen
Jones to the Panthers for goaltender Spencer Knight and a
conditional first-round pick put the wheels in motion and may have
set the market rate, though the defense market is far less robust
than at forward.
Philadelphia's Rasmus Ristolainen might be the best right-handed
shooter at the position available, and he has two years left on his
contract. So does three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson — at
roughly double Ristolainen's salary — and the Penguins should be
motivated to move him and get younger.
Montreal's David Savard, a teammate of Gourde's and Luke Schenn's on
the Lightning's 2021 Cup run, is among the best rental options on
the board.
Goaltenders
Knight being part of the return for Jones could open the door for
Florida to get another backup for two-time Vezina Trophy winner
Sergei Bobrovsky, but after that it's slim pickings in net.
Anaheim's John Gibson is the only No. 1 goalie believed to be
available. Carolina and defending West champion Edmonton are in the
small group of teams with championship aspirations that may look to
upgrade at hockey's most important position, though salary cap
implications could very well lead them to stay pat.
___
AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Sunrise, Florida, contributed.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
