The Colorado Avalanche, boasting the most formidable lineup in the NHL this season, just got a little nastier coming out of the NHL trade deadline.

Or, perhaps more fittingly, Naz-tier.

Nazem Kadri begins his second stint as a member of the Avs today, who face the newly reconfigured Minnesota Wild in a high stakes matchup at Ball Arena.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche return home on the heels of their most challenging stretch of hockey in the wake of the Olympic break. They defeated the Dallas Stars by a 5-4 shootout decision after coming back from separate 3-1 and 4-2 deficits on Friday evening at American Airlines Center. After Stars captain Jamie Benn botched an empty net play that would have secured a key regulation victory for Dallas, Valeri Nichushkin tied the game with 13.2 seconds remaining in the third period. Scott Wedgewood, who replaced Mackenzie Blackwood after he surrendered four goals on eleven shots, was sensational in relief, stopping everything that came his way in regulation, and made brilliant saves on Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen in overtime and both Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene in the shootout. Martin Nečas scored what proved to be the shootout winner on Jake Oettinger, and Nichushkin added another shootout goal to ice the comeback, salvaging two critical points in the standings from falling into Dallas’ hands. The victory completed a sweep of the Avs’ three game road trip, and was their fifth win in six games, while snapping Dallas’ franchise record ten game winning streak.

Coach Jared Bednar said this of Nichushkin’s performance on Friday: “I feel like he’s been playing a lot better right before the break, coming out of the break, he’s starting to using his legs like we’re used to seeing. He had been fighting the puck for a little bit, had a little bit of an injury that was bothering him; he was playing through that, and he’s been snakebit […] hopefully this sparks him here, and he starts feeling it a little bit, because he deserves to put a few more back in the net.”

In their win over Dallas, the Avalanche further solidified their position as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings. Coming into today’s game against Minnesota, they have a six point lead over Dallas with a game in hand, and a nine point lead over Minnesota with two games in hand. While the Avs trail the season series as a result of their 5-2 defeat on home ice by Minnesota on February 26, this version of the Avalanche roster will look markedly different from the one that Minnesota faced previously with the return of Nazem Kadri—a reunion that many Avs fans felt was nearly impossible—after being re-acquired from the Calgary Flames on Friday afternoon.

Despite having just a twelve goals to this point in this year, his lowest since the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, Kadri’s physicality, face-off prowess, and penchant for drawing penalties will be huge as the Avs close in on that coveted top seed for the playoffs. He should have no problem getting re-acquainted with Bednar’s system, and his chemistry within the locker room speaks for itself. Kadri will undoubtedly receive a hero’s welcome from Avs fans for his first game in a Colorado sweater in over three years.

Today marks the final game of the four game series with Minnesota, but a win by the Avalanche this afternoon could all but put the top spot in the Central Division out of Minnesota’s reach.

(Let’s try not to launch any pucks from the defensive zone on the penalty kill today.)

Nathan MacKinnon still leads the NHL with a League-best 42 goals and has closed the points gap with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (MacKinnon has 103 points; McDavid leads the League with 106). Nečas, who tied his career high in goals (28) this past Friday in Dallas, is two goals away from a tie for second place in goal scoring with Brock Nelson (30). Cale Makar is one goal away from his fourth season of reaching the 20 goal marker.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Gabe Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Parker Kelly – Nazem Kadri – Nicolas Roy
Joel Kiviranta – Jack Drury – Gavin Brindley

Defense:
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Brett Kulak – Sam Malinski

Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Minnesota Wild

Minnesota came out of the Olympic break with a huge opportunity to gain ground in the hotly contested Central Division with their victory over Colorado. However, two consecutive losses to division opponents (ironically, a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Utah Mammoth on February 27—the night after they defeated Colorado by the exact same score—and a 3-1 loss to the St Louis Blues on March 01) allowed Dallas to reclaim second place, dropping Minnesota to third in the division. Coming into today’s game, Minnesota pulled within two points of Dallas, having defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena this past Friday, so a win in Denver today would be pretty massive. However, since Dallas holds a game in hand on Minnesota, they would still retain second place in the division. With less than twenty games left in the regular season, Minnesota may need to start getting help from other teams in order to position themselves more favorably as teams hit the final stretch of the season.

While Minnesota landed its biggest trade piece earlier this season in the Quinn Hughes deal last November, GM Bill Guerin was very active leading up to the NHL trade deadline. He claimed center Robby Fabbri off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, and acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Minnesota’s seventh round pick in this year’s draft. He also acquired center Michael McCarron in exchange for Minnesota’s second round pick in 2028.

Guerin wasn’t done there: at the deadline, he acquired right wing Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman David Jiříček. Brink made his debut for Minnesota this past Friday, but is no stranger to playing in Colorado, having won several awards at the collegiate level, including the NCAA championship in 2022, with the University of Denver Pioneers. Guerin also acquired Nick Foligno, the brother of Minnesota assistant captain Marcus Foligno, from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. Marcus Foligno is currently out with injury, but could return to the lineup against Colorado. Vinnie Hinostroza was also dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations.

Minnesota’s retooled lineup will give them a much different appearance in this final regular season matchup against Colorado. The addition of Brink will give them another option on offense; while his thirteen goals would tie him for seventh place among Minnesota skaters, this figure is a career high for him in his short NHL career and could see a bump in his new surroundings, especially if he continues to see top six ice time like he did this past Friday against Vegas. Foligno and McCarron add a veteran presence that playoff-bound clubs find irrisitible for playoff runs, and while Fabbri has struggled in recent seasons, having roster depth—especially at center—is a must have at this time of year as teams gear up for postseason play.

Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy currently share the team lead in goals (35). Kaprizov leads all skaters in points (75), while Boldy is three points behind in second place (72). Filip Gustavsson got the start Minnesota’s previous victory in Colorado, but was unable to finish the game due to illness. With Gustavsson getting a majority of the starter’s workload since coming back from the Olympics, it’s possible Jesper Wallstedt starts today to give Gustavsson a breather prior to Minnesota’s upcoming four game homestand starting on Tuesday.

Projected Lineup

Forwards:
Kirill Kaprizov – Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello
Matt Boldy – Joel Eriksson Ek – Bobby Brink
Vladimir Tarasenko – Danila Yurov – Yakov Trenin
Robby Fabbri – Michael McCarron – Nico Sturm

Defense:
Quinn Hughes – Brock Faber
Jonas Brodin – Jared Spurgeon
Jake Middleton – Zach Bogosian

Between the Pipes:
Jesper Wallstedt
Filip Gustavsson

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton has gotten off to a strong start with his new team.

The 31-year-old, who was traded from the Maple Leafs to the L.A. Kings on Friday at the deadline for a conditional third-rounder in 2026, made his debut with his new club on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

Laughton centered the Kings' third line, alongside Alex Turcotte and Jared Wright, and scored a game-tying goal for his new team in the second period.

Scott Laughton has a goal in his first game with the Kings: pic.twitter.com/u099L05YHI

— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) March 8, 2026

Wright made a behind-the-back pass below the goal line to Laughton. He received the puck, spun, and then fired a shot under Jakub Dobes for his ninth goal of the season. It was Laughton's first goal since Jan. 23 against the Vegas Golden Knights, while with the Maple Leafs.

The Canadiens and Kings traded goals back and forth throughout the game, but Nick Suzuki's marker with less than five minutes to go in the third period turned out to be the game-winner for Montreal.

L.A. pushed to tie the game late in the third period, and Laughton was among the players on the ice fighting for a goal. Despite not scoring, the veteran forward finished the game with 15:08 of ice time in his Kings debut.

Laughton played more of a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs and had only 10 games this season in which his ice time was higher than what it was in his debut with the Kings.

Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, Laughton was living out his dream of playing for the Maple Leafs. Before being moved, he expressed a desire to remain with his hometown club.

However, with where Toronto sits in the standings, general manager Brad Treliving decided to sell, and Laughton — an unrestricted agent at the end of this season — was among the players traded before Friday's 3:00 p.m. ET deadline.

Hours after being shipped to the Kings, Laughton shared a post on X with a photo and video of him in Maple Leafs gear alongside his son, Reed. "Thank you Toronto," he wrote. "Dream come true."

Thank you Toronto. Dream come true. pic.twitter.com/Q0j8O2Ji8G

— Scott Laughton (@Laughts21) March 7, 2026

Laughton joined the Maple Leafs via trade one year earlier from the Philadelphia Flyers. Toronto moved a conditional first-rounder in 2027 and Nikita Grebenkin for the bottom-six center.

"(Laughton) fit in right away," said Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews on Saturday morning, looking back on Laughton's tenure in Toronto. "I mean, he was only here for a year. I think a lot of guys kind of knew him from the Toronto area, and just an incredible guy."

The Oakville, Ontario-born forward finished his Maple Leafs tenure with 10 goals and 16 points in 63 regular-season games, plus two assists in 13 postseason games last spring.

NHL trade deadline addition David Jiricek made his debut for the Philadelphia Flyers organization in the AHL on Saturday night, and the results were a mixed bag. That's ok, and it's what the Flyers signed up for when they traded for him.

Paired with Helge Grans for his debut with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Jiricek found the back of the net with a power play strike from medium range.

The 22-year-old, unfortunately, also went semi-viral online for a mishap early in the Phantoms' game against the Charlotte Checkers.

After blocking a point shot from Brian Pinho, Jiricek pivoted to play the puck, only to fall down and allow Sandis Vilmanis to open the scoring in alone on Carson Bjarnason.

He did redeem himself with the power play goal, though, completing a comeback from 4-0 down and tying the game at 4-4 late in the third period.

In one game, the Flyers organization got all of the good and all of the bad with Jiricek, and again, that's what they signed up for. Fans criticizing their new top prospect after one awkward mistake need to resign themselves to this, too.

How the Flyers Could Be Affected By Maple Leafs' StrugglesThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> could see the status of one of their first-round picks change if the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to struggle and sell off core pieces.

Flyers GM Danny Briere said himself that the goal was to get Jiricek ready to push for an NHL roster spot next year, which is seven months away.

In those seven months, the one thing Jiricek really needs to work on is his mobility. The hulking 6-foot-4 defender is never going to be skating around like a gazelle, but his hips are a bit stiff and he tends to take short, choppy strides. Jiricek's actual speed is perfectly adequate.

Defensively, Jiricek stood around a bit too much, and maybe that's a result of having just been traded for the second time and trying to learn a new system and new teammates on the fly. We'll see how that changes over the course of the rest of the 2025-26 season.

Initially, I wasn't too big a fan of trading an established middle-six scorer in Bobby Brink for a high-risk, high-reward defenseman in Jiricek who may or may not be an NHLer.

Flyers Trade Partner Chose Another Defender Over Rasmus RistolainenThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> were reportedly actually close to trading Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline, but the deal never got over the line.

But, after seeing the talent and the puck skills, he's a few tweaks off from making it. Big tweaks, to be clear, but only a few.

Criticize the Flyers' development staff all you want - and maybe some of that is warranted over the years - but they've been doing a great job recently.

Forwards Alex Bump, Nikita Grebenkin, and Denver Barkey are all already NHL-caliber contributors, and Brink and Tyson Foerster came up from their system, too.

Brink, notably, was a small playmaker with not a whole lot of speed, and he worked like a dog to become faster, stronger, and better defensively. Who's to say a much more physically gifted and revered Jiricek can't do the same in a summer or two?

Coming into Philadelphia, a 21-year-old Jamie Drysdale was looking like a total zero from the 2020 draft. Wasn't putting up points, couldn't defend, and couldn't stay on the ice. See the above advanced stats chart for a visual of how bad it really was in 2023-24.

Now, though, Drysdale is beginning to emerge as a leader for the Flyers, and he's become one of their best defensemen overall. Maybe better than Cam York, and I think he'll continue to grow even more.

Drysdale, of course, is an elite skater, but he, like Jiricek, needed to work on his side of the ice and learn to defend at the NHL level.

Whether or not it works out, the Flyers deserve props for their unwavering willingness to take on high-risk projects in player development.

Drysdale was one, Jiricek is one, Jack Berglund with his skating coming in is another, and Jack Nesbitt is probably a worse skater than Jiricek. It's clearly not something the Flyers value, and it's something they also feel can be corrected to the level they require.

Jiricek is a player the Flyers have coveted for a long time, as have some fans. Now that the opportunity cost was deemed appropriate, Briere and Co. pulled the trigger and brought him in.

Now that you have your ticket for the Jiricek ride, you have to get on the train.

After suffering a tough loss in the sixth round of the shootout on Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens were back on the ice less than 24 hours later to complete their Western road trip with a duel with the Los Angeles Kings. While the Habs were very vocal in their frustration about how they played on Friday night, it didn’t show in the way they started the game in Los Angeles.

Despite the loss in Anaheim, Martin St-Louis stuck to the same lineup aside from Jakub Dobes manning the net after yet another subpar display from Samuel Montembeault on Friday.

Canadiens Hope To Finish West Coast Trip With Win Against The Kings
Canadiens Swung For The Fences But Struck Out...For Now
Canadiens Can’t Protect Lead And Waste Fantastic Comeback

You Snooze You Lose

For a second game in a row, the Canadiens just weren’t ready to start the game. In Anaheim, they gave 12 shots in the first period while taking only four, and somehow, they managed to do worse on Saturday night. The Kings pummelled Dobes’ net with 16 shots in the first 20 minutes, including nine on the man-advantage. The Czech netminder looked very sharp on the penalty kill, making nine saves while the men in black passed the puck around as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters playing a team of kindergarten students.

The only goal Dobes conceded was at even strength on an odd-man rush after a questionable play from a knackered Brendan Gallagher in the offensive zone. The veteran was on the ice for over a minute and didn’t have any gas left to defend when the play went the other way. Adrian Kempe served a perfect feed to captain Anze Kopitar, who only had to tip it over a powerless Dobes.

The Canadiens’ inability to start on time in these last two games has been puzzling, to say the least. Whatever the reason, it’s just unacceptable, especially as the season is entering its final stretch and every team is fighting for points with desperation. It’s not because the Kings are just a much stronger team either, in the second frame, Montreal put 11 shots on net.

Slafkovsky Strong

When Juraj Slafkovsky first came to the NHL, he struggled to stay on his feet in the league’s tough physical battles, but not anymore. In the second frame, he battled for puck possession in the offensive zone with Scott Laughton, and he almost carried him on his back as he made his way to the high slot to take a precise shot that gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.

This is Olympic Juraj Slafkovsky 🔥

pic.twitter.com/PlRdTF5lTD

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 8, 2026

It’s easy to forget that Slafkovsky is still only 21 years old because he’s already in his fourth NHL season, but it remains true. When he graduated with the Habs, he still had some growing up and some filling up to do. Now that it’s done, he’s become a force to be reckoned with.

That goal was his 50th point of the season, and with it, he became the first player in Canadiens’ history to have three consecutive 50-point seasons before the age of 22. That’s an impressive feat, especially when you consider how much history this franchise has. The big Slovak added another goal in the third frame, and an assist to get to 52 points, a new career high with 20 games left to play.

Watch Juraj Slafkovsky get open on the PP for the game-tying goal.

This is Olympic Slaf 🔥

pic.twitter.com/xuGd1U7e2e

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 8, 2026

Protecting The Lead

Once again tonight, the Canadiens failed to protect the lead they acquired in the second period when Laughton and Alex Laferriere found the back of the net. At that stage, the Habs looked defeated. Nick Suzuki had slouched shoulders, and Mike Matheson looked discouraged before heading to the bench and slamming the door. Given how L.A. scored the third goal, it was almost understandable.

Dobes made a couple of saves, but he couldn't smother the rebound, and it was pushed back in. While it’s obvious that he could have done a better job controlling the rebounds, Matheson, Suzuki, and Kaiden Guhle didn’t exactly cover the slot very well.

However, they were all able to shake it off, roll up their collective sleeves with just over 13 minutes left in the third, and claw their way back into the game. Slafkovsky’s second goal tied up the score with just over five minutes to go, and Suzuki scored what would stand as the game-winner less than a minute later.

With over four minutes left, the Canadiens finally protected a lead, even after the Kings pulled their goalie for an extra skater, something they have struggled with this season. Dobes surrendered three goals on 39 shots for a .923 save percentage. Granted, he gave up a weak goal to Laughton, but without his performance, the game could have been over after the first frame. Furthermore, he didn’t let that weak goal get to him; he shook it off and got right back on the horse, so to speak. This was the Canadiens' first win in L.A. since March 2019 and it was long overdue. 

𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 | 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡

❌ | Jakub Dobes
🆚 | Adrian Kempe
🗓️ | Mar. 7, 2026 pic.twitter.com/scgeHdPDrw

— Canadiens 🎥 (@habsvidsroom) March 8, 2026

The Canadiens will now head back home for what will be another tiring week featuring a couple of back-to-backs. Given the schedule, it’s highly likely that we’ll see both goaltenders, but in an ideal world, St-Louis would be able to stick to Dobes going forward.

---

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

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You’re on your own.

That’s the message Kings general manager Ken Holland delivered to his team at the NHL trade deadline, when he turned his attention from the present to the future.

Rather than make a major move, Holland folded. The cards he was holding and the deficit he faced in the standings told him he didn’t have a winning hand.

“These are the decisions that I have to make,” he said. “Certainly where we are in the standings, I have to make some philosophical decisions.”

Where they are after giving up third-period goals just 49 seconds apart Saturday in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens is sixth in the eight-team Pacific Division, four points out of a wild-card berth with 20 games remaining.

Read more:Kings can't hold on to third-period lead in loss to Canadiens

So Holland decided draft picks for next season and the season after were more valuable than immediate help this season. That’s a big change in philosophy from just a month ago, when Holland traded away part of the future — a prospect and two draft picks — for forward Artemi Panarin just ahead of the Olympic break.

But before Panarin had played his fourth game with his new team, the Kings fired coach Jim Hiller and lost wingers Andrei Kuzmenko, Kevin Fiala and Joel Armia to injuries.

“If Fiala was healthy and Armia was healthy, we’d be looking at our team different,” Holland said. “That’s why I did the deal before the deadline. We don’t have a lot of key pieces.”

“We want to continue to try to push to qualify for the playoffs,” he continued. “At the same time, behind the scenes, we’re trying to get some [draft] picks, looking to the future.”

So Holland called off the cavalry. If the Kings are going to make a run at a fifth straight playoff berth, they’re going to have to do it with an interim coach and the guys they already have. Holland made only a few cosmetic moves ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, shipping out forwards Corey Perry and Warren Foegele for draft picks and adding Scott Laughton and Mathieu Joseph, depth pieces, neither of whom are signed beyond this season.

And if that sounded like a lack of confidence, D.J. Smith, the interim coach, said it was well-earned.

“It's up to the players and the coaching staff to get the team in a spot where the [general] manager feels that he's got to really help the group to try to win,” he said Saturday. “Obviously we didn't do that enough and it's unfortunate.”

But if the Kings’ breathing is shallow and their pulse faint, they aren’t dead just yet despite seven losses in their last nine games.

“We’re trying to win,” Holland said. “It’s the National Hockey League. We’re [four] points out of a playoff spot. Maybe the narrative changes if you’re 15 points out of a playoff spot. But we’re [four] points out of a playoff spot.”

Panarin — wearing the No. 10 sweater Perry had before he was traded to Tampa Bay — helped the Kings take a first-period lead Saturday, battling Montreal defender Mike Matheson for the puck entering the Canadiens’ zone. That allowed Adrian Kempe to skate in and take the puck off Matheson’s stick and feed Anze Kopitar at the far post for the tap-in.

That goal gave Kopitar 1,304 points for his career, just three shy of Marcel Dionne’s franchise record.

Samuel Helenius thought he had doubled the lead less than two minutes later but the goal was waved off by goalie interference. And the Kings should have had more after a period in which they outshot the Canadiens 16-1.

That proved costly when Montreal's Jake Evans drove a slap shot by Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper from the top of the left circle to tie the score in the second period.

Juraj Slafkovsky put Montreal in front less than five minutes before the second intermission, lifting a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove from the slot. But Laughton, making his Kings debut, got that back two minutes later, lining a low wrist shot from a tough angle off the pads of Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. Jared Wright got his first NHL point with an assist on the play.

Read more:Artemi Panarin scores his first goal with Kings in victory over Islanders

The Kings’ Alex Laferriere and Slafkovsky traded third-period goals, with Slafkovky scoring 31 seconds after Trevor Moore went to the penalty box for slashing. That set the stage for Nick Suzuki’s go-ahead goal 49 seconds later, following a Moore turnover deep in the Kings’ end.

And that moved the Kings a game closer to a new season Holland has begun preparing for.

“Time is running out,” Laferriere said. “We have 20 games left now and we need every single point. We can’t change what happened so we’ve got to try to take the positives from the game and make sure it doesn’t happen ever again.”

Because from here on out, they’re on their own.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Happy Sunday, folks!

The Bruins turned in a much-improved performance on Saturday afternoon, beating the Washington Capitals at TD Garden by a score of 2-1.

The B’s got goals from Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson, plus 22 saves from Jeremy Swayman.

The game probably could have gone a bit differently if Tom Wilson didn’t miss a couple of grade-A scoring chances, but coming off of Thursday night’s mess of a game in Nashville, yesterday’s team-wide performance was better in all areas.

The win coming in regulation had standings implications as well, with Washington falling to six points behind the Bruins for the second wild card spot.

The Caps are actually tied in points with Philadelphia now, with both Ottawa and Columbus ahead of them.

Other games on Saturday with playoff implications:

• Buffalo beat Nashville, while Tampa beat Toronto. Those two wins mean Buffalo and Tampa remain tied atop the Atlantic Division, though Buffalo has played two more games.
• Montreal beat Los Angeles to move into 3rd in the Atlantic and bump Detroit down to the first wild card spot.
• Ottawa beat Seattle to stay in the wild card hunt.
• Columbus lost to Utah in OT, allowing the B’s to gain a point in the standings on the Blue Jackets.

With 20 games left, there’s still plenty of time for all of this to change, so it’s probably silly to put too much thought into it, but hey, it’s Sunday. Something to read about.

Your highlights from yesterday’s win over Washington, if you’d like to review:

And now…more hockey!

The Bruins are right back at it today, taking on the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

• When: Today, 4:30ish PM
• Where: PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
• How to follow: TNT, HBO Max, 98.5 The Sports Hub
• Opposing perspective:Pensburgh

We’re back to “ish” for start time, is this is a TNT broadcast — it could start anywhere from 4:30 to 9 AM on Monday. Who knows.

The Penguins also played yesterday, falling to the Flyers in OT, 4-3.

Sidney Crosby is back to practicing but not playing, while Evgeni Malkin is suspended, so the Penguins aren’t exactly at full strength at the moment.

We’ll have a Public Skate up for you this afternoon. Until then, enjoy your Sunday!

Who:Boston Bruins (35-22-5, 75 points, 5th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (31-17-14, 76 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)

When: 4:30 p.m. eastern

How to Watch: National game on TNT and TruTV, streaming on HBOMax

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens take a long road trip that starts and ends in Carolina with games on Tuesday and next Thursday March 18th. In between, they go a long ways with stops next week in Vegas, Utah and Colorado before returning back east.

Opponent Track: Since beating the Penguins 2-1 on Tuesday night, the Bruins lost 6-3 to Nashville and then defeated the Capitals 3-1 yesterday in Boston. After today they head back home for their next two games this week.

Season Series: It hasn’t been fun for Pittsburgh to see that other team in black and gold. Boston won a 1-0 game back on January 11th, then took a 2-1 game earlier in the week. The Pens and struggling to score against the Bruins is unfortunately an all-too-familiar trope in the Sidney Crosby era. Luckily today is the third and final PIT/BOS game of the season.

Hidden Stat: The Bruins have the second worst away record in the Eastern Conference (their 11-14-4 is just ahead of Toronto’s 11-15-4). However, the Penguins have only won 16 of their 32 home games this season (16-9-7) for one of the worst home records in the East.

Getting to know the Bruins

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Marat Khusnutdinov – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak

Casey Mittelstadt – Pavel Zacha – Viktor Arvidsson

Alex Steeves – Fraser Minten – Morgan Geekie

Tanner Jeannot – Sean Kuraly – Mark Kastelic

DEFENSEMEN

Jonathan Aspirot / Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm / Mason Lohrei

Nikita Zadorov / Andrew Peeke

Goalies: Joona Korpisalo (Jeremy Swayman played yesterday)

Potential scratches: Michael Eyssimont, Henri Jokirharju, Jordan Harris, Lukas Reichel (newly acquired)

Injured Reserve: none

• Quiet trade deadline for the Bruins, who picked up forward Lukas Reichel for a sixth round pick and..that’s it. Much like the Penguins as a potential playoff team, Boston wasn’t interested in paying big costs to add veteran players at this time.
• It would be fun if Boston makes it to the playoffs since their tough physical style and defensive nature is kinda going against the grain of a lot of teams these days who might have a little more speed and skill. It’s very possible Boston ends up as a Wild Card and might have to play a division winner like Carolina or Tampa in the first round. And, honestly, I think the Bruins are going to at least make an uncomfortable, long series out if it.

Season stats
via hockeydb

• Swayman played yesterday, but that might not be a huge break for the Penguins to presumably see the backup goalie today. Korpisalo’s stats since Christmas (5-2-2, 2.61 GAA, .911 save%) are virtually identical to Swayman (10-3-2, 2.62 GAA, .912 save%). Seeing the backup in this situation, unfortunately, doesn’t look quite as beneficial as it might be in other instances.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Egor Chinakhov – Rickard Rakell – Bryan Rust

Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau

Ville Koivunen – Ben Kindel – Avery Hayes

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kris Letang

Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs (Stuart Skinner played yesterday)

Potential Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (suspended), Ryan Graves, Ilya Solovyov, Kevin Hayes

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany

• This is a kind of gut check game for the Pens, who just saw this Boston team last week and lost a hard-fought road game. It’s going to take a lot to dig deep on the back-to-back and get a good result against a tough opponent for them recently, which also means it’s a great opportunity to see if anyone can step up and stand out.

Two top performing goaltending tandems

A key to the Pens and Bruins finding success in the last quarter of the season has been superior goaltending inputs. Both teams have been getting a ton of saves at key times, pilling up towards the top of the league as far as the goaltending performances have gone. Given that both teams are on a b-2-b, Boston traveled, daylight saving time and a strange 4:30pm start and that there has been a 1-0 and 2-1 final scores in the early PIT/BOS games, you’d probably expect a low-scoring contest to unfold today with goalie performances like this leading the way. (That said, of course watch it be a 5-3 game today).

Team level goaltending over the past 20 games https://t.co/2TOxTAXjQspic.twitter.com/2Kbc904iut

— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) March 7, 2026

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As part of their 2026 NHL Trade Deadline acquisitions, the Detroit Red Wings picked up veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.

Faulk, who crossed the 1,000 career games played threshold this season, was acquired by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman in exchange for Justin Holl, a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

While he wasn't able to play in Detroit's 3-1 setback on Friday evening against the Florida Panthers, they expect him to be slotted into the lineup for Sunday evening's tilt against the New Jersey Devils. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Following practice in Detroit on Saturday before they departed for New Jersey, head coach Todd McLellan said that while they anticipate Faulk suiting up, they'll observe how he acclimates to his new teammates. 

“We're going to put him in and play him, and we'll have to observe just how comfortable he'll be in playing with certain partners," McLellan said. "We may think, ‘He'll fit really good with Ben Chiarot,’ and that is the plan a little bit to put him there, and get your four guys rolling out,” McLellan said of Justin Faulk.

“But we have to observe and pay attention to who he is playing well with, and see how it goes with his partner.”

Right now, no decision has been made as to which defenseman will slot out of the lineup for Faulk. 

Detroit hopes Faulk’s presence will help stabilize their increasingly precarious position in the standings. Just a week ago, the Red Wings held second place in the Atlantic Division, but after two straight losses combined with wins by their division rivals, they now occupy the first Wild Card spot.

While Faulk is expected to make his Red Wings debut immediately, the same can't be said about David Perron, who was re-acquired on Thursday evening from the Ottawa Senators. 

Perron, who played for the Red Wings from 2022 through 2024, underwent sports hernia surgery in January and isn't expected to be available to play for at least the next two weeks. 

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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Joel Farabee scored twice and had an assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

Morgan Frost had a goal and two assists for the Flames, who snapped a four-game winless skid. Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist in his debut for Calgary, and Blake Coleman also had a goal and an assist. Dustin Wolf made 25 saves.

Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists for the Eastern Conference-leading Hurricanes, who lost in regulation for just the second time in their last 16 games (12-2-2). Sean Walker, Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina.

Brandon Bussi stopped 20 shots, but his nine-game franchise record-tying winning streak ended.

In their first game without No. 1 center Nazem Kadri, who was traded to Colorado on Friday, the Flames got off to a rough start as Jarvis scored 44 seconds in on the game’s first shot.

Calgary bounced back in the second with three goals to take the lead for good. Strome, acquired from Anaheim on Friday, got it started by scoring 19 seconds into the period off a feed from Olli Maatta — who also made his Flames debut after coming from Utah in a trade on Wednesday.

Strome had his first multipoint game since Dec. 7, when he had two assists against Chicago.

Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud (upper body) left the game in the first period and didn’t return.

Up next

Hurricanes: Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Flames: Visit Washington on Monday.

—

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It wasn’t pretty, they didn’t find their game until the third period and really, who cares about that.

The Islanders got out of the SAP Center with two points in hand, and that is what matters most after Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime win against the Sharks.

With the Blue Jackets — whose chances of catching the Islanders looked all but done after they fell seven points back just over a week ago — picking up points seemingly every night, there is suddenly a three-team race for the last two Metropolitan Division playoff spots to worry about, and Bo Horvat’s game-winner jolted the Islanders to the top of it, ahead of the Penguins and into second in the Metro.

So, forget pretty. Especially on the road and especially against a Sharks team that had the Islanders on their heels for a lot of this game. Forget that it wasn’t a great second period. What matters is what came next.

“I thought maybe the third was our best period of the road trip,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I thought we simplified our game, we put pucks deep. We had to get our forecheck going, win those battles in the corners, low to high and throw pucks at the net.”

Indeed, it was the best period the Islanders played in California this trip, and by an order of magnitude. Finally, they held onto pucks, established a game down low and created sustained pressure. Finally, the top line, which had not looked quite right all trip, started making a positive impact on every shift.

If there was one less-than-positive piece of those 20 minutes, it’s that the Islanders failed to convert on the power play after Kiefer Sherwood’s roughing penalty handed them a chance to end it at 16:15 of the period, their third scoreless power play in three tries on the night.

The penalty kill that followed when Adam Pelech went for holding shortly after the game returned to even strength, though, was an exercise in grit, with Horvat making a crucial block on Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Sorokin his best save of 30 on the night with a stop on Will Smith that helped send the game to overtime.

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS

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And, after finishing off the kill in the extra period and suffering through 3:11 of overtime while barely touching the puck with the game at four-on-four, the Islanders finally got their chance at 4:20 of OT, when Matthew Schaefer sprung Horvat on the rush.

Horvat, promptly, ended the game and made it 9-0 for the Islanders in games that end at three-on-three.

“It builds us confidence for sure,” Horvat said. “We definitely weren’t at our best the last two games and we knew that. I thought we were a heck of a lot better here tonight.”

Brayden Schenn’s debut had its moments, good and bad, and he admitted to having nerves for the first time in a long time. His screen in front helped DeAngelo’s shot to beat Yaroslav Askarov 11:37 into the night, and his hit on Mario Ferraro along the left-hand wall was the hardest of the night for either team. Cal Ritchie appeared reasonably comfortable on the wing, especially early in the night.

“Do I think I had my A-game? No,” Schenn said. “I just tried to buy into the team system and do whatever they asked me to do. I feel like, obviously, I have more offensively to give. But at the same time, I’m just happy to be part of a win.”

Schenn’s line with Ritchie and Ondrej Palat came out of the night with poor numbers, but that was largely a factor of being matched with Macklin Celebrini’s line, which scored against them just 33 seconds into the second period on Celebrini’s snap shot from the slot.

Anthony Duclair, who returned to the lineup in place of a healthy-scratched Kyle MacLean, had a solid night on the fourth line, which was solid all night. DeAngelo had one of his better games too.

The trio of stars who didn’t look quite right in Anaheim or Los Angeles — Schaefer, Horvat, Mat Barzal — were much better in this one, though it did take them a while to get going. Once they did, it served as a reminder of why they are so crucial.

“You can tell it’s a special group of guys that play for one another and that’s how you win hockey games,” Schenn said. “They’re all not flashy and pretty and that’s what it looked like tonight. We gutted it out.

“Big block by Bo. Big game-winner by Bo.”

Bo Horvat scored with a nifty backhand on a breakaway as the Islanders continued their insane overtime record (9-0) and salvaged a win from their California swing, defeating the San Jose Sharks, 2-1.

Brayden Schenn made his Islanders debut and was a presence for both the regulation goal for and against, settling in next to Ondrej Palat and the center he’s temporarily bumped to wing, Cal Ritchie. Wearing the #10 ceded to him by new #92 Simon Holmstrom, Schenn was credited with winning 6 of his 14 faceoffs, a blocked shot and a check in 17:26 of ice time.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

The first two periods were not super eventful, though that in itself is a big improvement over the previous two games. There were a few good saves from both star goalies. Tony DeAngelo broke the ice with a shot through traffic midway through the first period. The Isles were victimized by super sophomore Macklin Celebrini finding space just 33 seconds into the second period to tie it at 1-1.

The rest of the second was a standstill, but the Islanders came out with real jump in the third and logged 11 of the first 13 shots. They couldn’t convert though, and every Celebrini rush provided a scare, just as every Matthew Schaefer counter doused the flame.

With time winding down, the Islanders were perhaps gifted with a power play with under four minutes in regulation, when noted pest(ilence) Kiefer Sherwood took a run at Mat Barzal on the Isles forward’s way to the bench. Barzal got a crosscheck back at him, but perhaps Sherwood’s reputation and prior behavior earned him the only call.

As they always do, however, the Isles completely wasted that power play. There was a TV timeout, and Patrick Roy started the second unit, which promptly skated in offside to burn their 30 seconds.

And worse, the officials gave the Sharks a chance of their own when Pelech held Sherwood’s arm on a counterattack after J-G Pageau failed to get the puck in at the Sharks blueline. The Sharks spent the final 1:28 of regulation on the power play and got a couple of golden chances that required five-star saves from Sorokin.

The power play carried into overtime for about 30 seconds of 4-on-3, but the Isles killed that off with some great anticipatory interceptions by Schaefer.

Horvat’s winner came when things were back to 3-on-3 with a great threaded feed from Schaefer, his 26th assist of the year. He got a step around all three Sharks and slipped a backhand through Yaroslav Askarov’s wickets, which proved a better approach than shooting him in the mask.

Bo Horvat has a step! 🚨#Isles win!!! pic.twitter.com/vo11e5xTBA

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 8, 2026

Up Next

It’s Schenn Packing Day as the Islanders finish this road trip Tuesday in St. Louis, where Schenn will get to pick up his things, do a farewell wave and hopefully take two points from his former team.

The win nudges the Islanders into 2nd in the Metro, a point ahead of Pittsburgh, which lost in extra time (as did Columbus). Both have two games in hand on the Isles.

The New York Islanders snapped their two-game losing streak, defeating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night. 

Bo Horvat played hero, beating San Jose's netminder Yaroslav Askarov five-hole on a backhand breakaway try at 4:20 of overtime, an extra frame that began with the Islanders killing off the final 32 seconds of Adam Pelech's penalty.

Bo Horvat has a step! 🚨#Isles win!!! pic.twitter.com/vo11e5xTBA

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) March 8, 2026

Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 of 31 in the win. 

Tony DeAngelo got the scoring started at 11:37 of the first period, a wrister that beat Askarov from the point. Then, Macklin Celebrini tied the game just 33 seconds into the second period. 

That was the lone scoring in regulation. 

Brayden Schenn, whom the Islanders acquired at the trade deadline, played 17:26 minutes, recording a shot, a hit, and a block. He went 6-for-14 in the face-off dot (43%). 

The Islanders wake up on Sunday morning in second place in the Metropolitan Division. 

UP NEXT: The Islanders conclude thier four-game road trip (1-2-0) against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM ET. 

If you've been paying any manner of attention to the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, you may have heard about their immense struggles in shootouts. 

And, unfortunately, those woes continued on Saturday in a key divisional matchup against the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.

All three Penguins' shooters failed to score in the shootout, and Flyers' forward Trevor Zegras was able to capitalize to give his team the 5-4 shootout win. After this shootout loss, the Penguins are now 1-9 in shootouts this season, and they are in third place in the Metropolitan Division after a New York Islanders overtime win. 

At this point, the shootout is legitimately costing the Penguins precious points in the standings. The team practices it frequently. The players can get the job done in practice, as can their goaltenders.

But 1-9 when it actually counts? Just seven goals on 28 attempts? Only a whopping 11 saves on 27 attempts against?

At this point, it's not a matter of effort, or even skill. The Penguins have three historically good shootout performers in Rickard Rakell, Egor Chinakhov, and Bryan Rust. 

No. It's, probably, mostly a psychological thing at this point. 

"Yeah, I think it might be," said Rakell, who missed on his attempt Saturday. "I mean, everybody knows it. Everybody really wants to score in the shootout, but it might one of the instances now where we're gripping the stick a little bit too tight and not really doing what we want to."

Even Erik Karlsson, who rarely gets an opportunity in shootouts, agreed that they might be in their own heads at this point. 

"Yeah, probably," Karlsson said. "Overtime and shootout usually go one way or another. Obviously, we've been on the short end of things for most of the season. I don't think it's for a lack of effort or trying. It's just the hand that we've been dealt, and hopefully, we can find a way - if we get in these situations again - to turn it around.

"And we're trying to. Obviously, today, again, we had a good opportunity to and couldn't capitalize on it. And that's the way it is sometimes."

'Find A Way To Write Our Own Story': After Quiet Deadline, It's Time To See What These Penguins Are Made OfKyle Dubas and his Pittsburgh Penguins were relatively quiet at the NHL trade deadline - which speaks to the GM's belief in his current group of players.

Obviously, the shootout struggles are a huge point of emphasis. But the Penguins also surrendered multiple leads in this game before the shootout even happened.

Tommy Novak opened the scoring on the power play with a shot from the slot three minutes into the opening frame to make it 1-0 Penguins. However, 54 seconds later, Owen Tippett one-timed a pass from Trevor Zegras and past Stuart Skinner to tie the game.

Then, three and a half minutes into the second period, the story was the same. Rickard Rakell notched his 12th of the season on a top-shelf snipe from the high-slot area to restore the one-goal lead. But, again, the Flyers responded a little over a minute later when Alex Bump, all alone at the net front, made a nifty move to beat Skinner for his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.

The Penguins responded 59 seconds later, though, as Rakell won a faceoff back to linemate Egor Chinakhov, who fed a one-timer to Erik Karlsson. He slammed it home to put the Penguins back up, 3-2. 

But, once again, Philadelphia responded. Denver Barkey scored his third of the season to tie the game at 3-3 a tick past the midway point of the third, which sent the game to overtime.

And, in overtime, the Penguins had a prime opportunity to end the game when Flyers' goalie Dan Vladar interfered with Karlsson and sent the Penguins to a four-on-three power play. But the Penguins were unable to convert and, clearly, had tired bodies on the ice near the end of it, as they kept all but one member of their first power play unit on for the entire two minutes.

Once the game went to a shootout, things felt inevitable. Anthony Mantha, Rakell, and Chinakhov all missed their opportunities for the Penguins, and Zegras - as he usually does - put them away and gave Philly the 4-3 shootout win.

Head coach Dan Muse, too, understands that the shootout struggles are probably getting to the players quite a bit. But he was also willing to shoulder some blame.

"It's a factor," Muse said. "I'm not going to say it's the only one. I think any time a part of your game's not going well consistently, then there's conversations about it. And then, there's buzz about it. And then, it wears on you. And then, you get in these situations, too, and rather than attacking them, rather than being excited for them, there's some of that.

"And some of that falls on me. I've got to do a better job of helping these guys with it. I'm not throwing just on the players or just on the shooters or just on the goalies, it's collective. I mean, the record is what it is. So, collectively, it hasn't been good enough, and I'll take some blame on that, too."

'You Know That Things Are Happening': Penguins' Players Talk Deadline Day, Belief In GroupWell, the biggest day of the NHL's regular season has finally arrived.

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Here are a few quick observations from Saturday's loss:

- As much as shootouts are a problem for the Penguins, so is closing games in regulation and overtime. 

The Penguins had plenty of opportunities to put this game away, and they just didn't do it. It's been an issue for them all season long in what has, otherwise, been a magical season. They barely showed signs of life on that overtime power play opportunity.

If the Penguins aren't going to get any better at shootouts, they need to find ways to prevent it from ever getting to that point in the first place. 

- The defensive effort was lacking in key moments during this game. Ben Kindel experienced a particularly rough outing, as he was on the ice for all three goals against and lost his man on two of those. Penguins' defensemen were allowing Flyers' players to break through the middle and to the net-front far too easily as well.

The shots don't really tell the story in this one. Yes, they only surrendered 15 shots on goal, and yes, they mostly kept play to the outside. But, in those few moments where they did let down their guard, they were burned every time.

- The Sam Girard-Kris Letang pairing has been a nightmare in these few games for the Penguins. Both try to play the same brand of high-risk, offensive-minded hockey, and they are always out-of-sync and caught out of position relative to each other.

Trading Brett Kulak when he was meshing so well with Letang is the only gripe I have about a move that Kyle Dubas has made this season. I understand the intent of getting a second-round pick and a puck-moving defenseman with term as opposed to keeping a rental. But Kulak and Letang had legitimate chemistry, and he was bringing the best out of Letang.

But, what's past is past, and I think Muse needs to swap Girard and Ryan Shea.

Evgeni Malkin Suspended Five Games By NHL's Department Of Player SafetyEvgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin.

- As rough as the third line had it Saturday, there was a pretty good sequence of events in the first period for them. 

First, a nice zone keep by Girard led to an offensive opportunity, as Ville Koivunen - playing in his first game back from the AHL and waiting for the puck below the goal line - made a ridiculous pass to set up Kindel in the slot, who simply couldn't finish the play. Then, Avery Hayes came in and leveled Cam York on the wall, and Jamie Drysdale took exception to it.

Hayes and Drysdale fought, and Drysdale took the insitgator and sent the Penguins to the power play. The building went nuts for Hayes' fight, as he clearly understood the rivalry and the assignment.

I'd like to see more of the kid line on Sunday.

- Speaking of Sunday, to say this game is a must-win is probably an understatement. The Penguins have lost four straight games to the Boston Bruins, who are in the final wild card spot in the East and beat Pittsburgh 2-1 on Mar. 3. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets are just three points behind the Penguins. The Islanders are one point up, even though the Penguins have two games in hand on them. Boston is just one point down on the Penguins. 

Of course, every point matters. But the Penguins really, really need two on Sunday.

Boston Bruins At Pittsburgh Penguins Preview: Lineup Changes, Where To WatchThe Pittsburgh Penguins will try to take two points from the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. Several significant prices were paid to acquire players league-wide, and other prices weren’t met, leaving many players rumored to be on the move to stay put with their current teams. What was rumored to be a “buyer’s market” quickly became a “seller’s market,” and now the NHL landscape is more solidified for the stretch run of the regular season, with playoffs on the ever-nearing horizon.

The Anaheim Ducks have been one of the busiest “sellers” since Pat Verbeek took over as general manager just before the 2022 trade deadline. They’ve stocked up on high-end young talent via the draft and trades, added some seasoned veterans, hired the second-winningest coach in franchise history, and are now on the precipice of their first playoff appearance since 2018, which would end the NHL’s third-longest such streak.

Takeaways from the Ducks 6-5 Shootout Win over the Canadiens

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek on 2026 Trade Deadline Moves

The Ducks made two trades in the 24 hours before Friday’s noon PST deadline, so here are reviews of those deals:

The Anaheim Ducks acquire defenseman John Carlson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick

Ducks Acquire John Carlson from Capitals

Embracing the “buyer” label, Verbeek actively attempted to put his team into the “contender” category when he pulled off perhaps the deadline’s biggest blockbuster trade. Carlson is in the final year of his eight-year contract, which carries an AAV of $8 million. No contract extension talks have been had or will be had during the season. Carlson is a pure rental.

The conditions on the pick rely solely on the Ducks making the 2026 playoffs. If they make the playoffs, they’ll transfer their 2026 first-round pick to the Caps. If they don’t qualify, they’ll have the option to send their 2026 or 2027 first-round pick.

Carlson (36), in his 17th NHL season, has scored 46 points (10-36=46) in 55 games and leaves the Capitals franchise as their defensive leader in all categories for defensemen and a Stanley Cup champion in 2018.

This is an interesting move for the Ducks from two angles. 1) Trading a first-round pick isn’t a move non-cup-contending teams make in exchange for rental players. 2) Carlson doesn’t fit the expected archetype for a defenseman the Ducks would have been looking to add at this year’s deadline.

The Cost

“I think when you have an opportunity to better your team, I think that’s your responsibility and your duty to do that,” Verbeek told the media following the deadline. “I think we have enough draft picks. We have enough prospects coming. Is it worth it to give up a conditional first-rounder? In my opinion, yes, it is. And so to get the quality of a player with John Carlson, then it made sense not only to us, but to our organization. So that’s how I viewed it.”

The Ducks are projected to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years, since 2018. They’ve stockpiled talented current young players and prospects at every position during their extended playoff absence, and the potential path to the Western Conference Final is the easiest (on paper) in the Pacific Division, widely regarded as the weakest division in the NHL.

Does adding a 36-year-old defenseman for 20 games line up with the assumed “contending window” for the Ducks? If the Ducks win one or two playoff rounds this spring, then the window is open now.

If the fit is undeniable and Carlson is a big part of whatever run the Ducks make during their projected playoff appearance, Verbeek has stated he hopes to re-sign Carlson following the season.

“It’s worth it to give this group experience, give them a chance to make the playoffs, and to do well in the playoffs,” Verbeek said. “That’s kind of how I looked at it, with the hope that we’ll be able to re-sign him when this season’s over.”

Parting with a first and third round pick for a player who plays 20 regular season games and a potentially short playoff run can understandably give some pause. However, if that player re-signs with the club on a reasonable contract extension, the deal becomes a lot easier to swallow and could even be received more glowingly.

The Fit

The other area of intrigue with Carlson’s addition to the Ducks’ roster is his fit along the blueline. Looking at the left side of their defense corps, it’s full of dynamic and offensively gifted young players: Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger.

If one had speculated an add to the blueline for Anaheim at the 2026 deadline, one would likely have assumed they’d have added a traditional “shutdown/stay-at-home” defender. Frequent names on trade lists fitting that archetype were players like Colton Parayko, Tyler Myers, Brandon Carlo, etc.

However, Verbeek zigged when a zag was expected. Carlson has been one of the most consistent and productive offensive-oriented defensemen in the NHL for nearly the last two decades.

The Ducks are one of the poorest defensive teams in the NHL in 2025-26 and have gotten where they are off the backs of their high-octane offense and spectacular starting goaltender, Lukas Dostal. So in a surprising and refreshing move, Verbeek seemingly leaned into his team’s strength and acquired an offensive play-driving puck-mover from the backend in Carlson.

Carlson’s offensive output shouldn’t dismiss his defensive impact, however. Even at age 36, Carlson, before the trade, played in all situations for the Caps, including ranking second among Washington blueliners in shorthanded TOI/G (2:28) and power play TOI/G (2:33).

Though his defensive metrics haven’t been spectacular, he’s a quality skater, cerebral positionally, and fundamentally sound. It’s possible that switching from the Caps’ man-coverage in the defensive zone to the Ducks’ pressure-zone coverage system could benefit Carlson, as he won’t be exerting as much energy in his end during elongated sequences and should give a boost to the Ducks’ exit numbers.

In theory, the Ducks’ system could enhance what he does well and allow him to translate that ability to the defensive side of the puck.

The Anaheim Ducks acquire a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Ryan Strome

Ducks Trade Ryan Strome to Flames

Strome was one of two signings Verbeek made on his first day of unrestricted free agency in his first summer as an NHL general manager in July 2022, with Frank Vatrano representing the other. Strome was signed to a five-year contract that carried a $5 million AAV and had no trade protection attached.

Strome was an eerily consistent producer for Anaheim, scoring 41 points in each of his first three seasons with the Ducks. He was projected to start the 2025-26 season in the middle-six for new coach, Joel Quenneville, but missed the first 16 games of the season with an oblique injury. He was replaced in the lineup by Beckett Sennecke, who grabbed hold of that spot and refused to relinquish it, as he currently leads all rookies in scoring.

Strome struggled to carve out a role for himself outside the top six and even served as a healthy scratch for 12 games this season. He’d been a positive locker room presence for the Ducks during three of their leanest years in franchise history, and he’s too skilled to be continuously kept out of the lineup.

Moving him to Calgary, even though his value was at its lowest, will allow him to play meaningful minutes again for the remainder of this season and next. Calgary will absorb Strome’s full cap hit, clearing $5 million off Anaheim’s books for the summer of 2026, where they’re expected to sign star RFAs Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson to sizable contract extensions, as well as RFAs Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Ian Moore. In addition, if Verbeek plans on re-signing any number of pending UFAs like Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, or Radko Gudas, he’ll need all the cap space he can get.

The Ducks are in a transitional period in their franchise’s history, on the cusp of returning to the playoffs and now even looking to make a deeper run than anticipated. Though the roster remains imperfect, and they’re playing a firewagon brand of hockey, Verbeek has made a statement to his roster and to the league that the Ducks view themselves as true contenders.

Ducks Sign Ryan Poehling to Four-Year Extension

Takeaways from the Ducks 5-1 Win over the Islanders

Looking ahead to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, many were anticipating some bigger moves ahead of the 3:00 p.m. ET cutoff on Mar. 6.

Well, as it turns out, there wasn't much activity at all - not from the league, and not from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The lone move that Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas made on deadline day was to acquire forward Elmer Soderblom from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. Soderblom, 24, is a massive physical presence at 6-foot-8, 252 pounds, his forechecking, speed for his size, and two-way game were all attributes that drew the Penguins to him.

However, given the Penguins' current predicament - they are still without Sidney Crosby, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury but skated with the team Friday, and Evgeni Malkin, who was suspended five games by the Department of Player Safety - there are many who wanted to see the team shoot a bit bigger in the trade market (size aside, of course).

The Penguins are stretched thin at the center position, they have the toughest strength of schedule remaining in the NHL, they're missing their top-two points producers, and they're barely hanging on to second place in the Metropolitan Division with two teams chasing closely behind them.

Nevertheless, Dubas chose to stay the course. And he believes in the group that they have.

Evgeni Malkin Suspended Five Games By NHL's Department Of Player SafetyEvgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin.

"Obviously, the mix has worked quite well," Dubas said. "They've got some chemistry. Dan [Muse] has done a great job coaching them. The staff has done a great job. We just have to deal with some absences this year for various different reasons, and continue to stay with it. 

"Find a way to write our own story, regardless of what everyone else expects it to be."

Dubas's actions - or inactions - at the deadline didn't simply speak to the market he was dealing with. Yes, he did say prices were sky-high, and teams weren't willing to meet asking prices. Yes, he did say that teams' respective positions in terms of playoff contention - including his own - played a factor in choosing not to buy big. Yes, at the end of the day, he didn't do much at all. 

But a big part of the equation was the fact that he already added to this team - and that they've already responded to those additions. Through trade, he added Stuart Skinner, Egor Chinakhov, and Brett Kulak - then Sam Girard - all of whom are upgrades over the players who would be in those positions otherwise based on the roster the team began the season with. 

Penguins Sign Goaltender To Entry-Level ContractThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> are pretty well-known at this point for the goaltending depth they possess in their system. Netminders like Sergei Murashov, Joel Blomqvist, and 2025 draftee Gabriel D'Aigle have received a fair amount of attention.&nbsp;

Since the Chinakhov trade, the Penguins are 14-5-4, and they've been playing better systemic hockey. They've been getting contributions from up and down the lineup, and even Crosby went pointless in four out of his last six games before the Olympic break while his team went 4-1-1. 

And Dubas points to those contributions from everyone - as well as his team's ability to respond well to adversity and respond after bad games - as defining qualities of this particular group of players. 

"I think the contributions from some of the younger guys throughout, but then, whether it's been Chinkahov, Brazeau, Mantha, the rise of the Lizotte line... I think that's led us to have success and give the team the chance to see it all the way through" Dubas said. "I think, especially since we've come back from Christmas, it's not just been the wins, but the way that the team has gone about winning that shows that, when we're at our best, it's a very good team."

He added: "For me, the greatest thing about the team the whole year has been the way that we've weathered times that haven't been great. The way that the team responds when things don't go well... the team always finds a way to respond, even with guys out of the lineup."

Evgeni Malkin Suspended Five Games By NHL's Department Of Player SafetyEvgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Rasmus Dahlin.

Without both Crosby and Malkin, there are some players, in particular, who are going to have to step up even more. That includes Rickard Rakell, who is already being asked to man the center position, which he hasn't played regularly since his teens and early-20s. That also includes Erik Karlsson, who will be relied upon to drive more offense from the blue line. And it especially includes 18-year-old rookie Ben Kindel, who has already impressed with his 200-foot play and will probably need to hike up the production. 

But that's just what these Penguins have done. They've stepped up when things have gotten hard. They've responded after tough losses. They've fought tooth and nail for every point they've gotten this season. 

And that's not only a testament to the talent that populates the roster, it also speaks to the chemistry of the team and the locker room.

"I think the mentality is very much, 'We're gonna make the most of what we have,'" Dubas said. "And I think Dan has led that, but the players have been right there with him every step of the way, and it's a huge credit to them for being able to stick with that throughout the year.

"That said, we have our biggest challenges ahead, and it will be the ultimate test of that. But I think that's also the most exciting part of being here and being in this position is we have a great opportunity now, and we have to make the most of it and find a way."

Dubas believes in his team as-is, and his team has a belief in themselves. Now, it's time for them to show everyone exactly what they're made of down the stretch run of what has been a magical season so far. 

'You Know That Things Are Happening': Penguins' Players Talk Deadline Day, Belief In GroupWell, the biggest day of the NHL's regular season has finally arrived.

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