A Nazem Kadri reunion in Colorado once felt like wishful thinking. Now, it feels possible.

As trade chatter intensifies around the Calgary Flames forward, the idea of him returning to the Colorado Avalanche is gaining legitimate traction. With the deadline approaching and contenders looking to separate themselves from the pack, Kadri is emerging as one of the most intriguing names potentially available — and Colorado suddenly checks every box as a landing spot.

#Flames Nazem Kadri snaps a 13-game goalless drought pic.twitter.com/mqPcDYoVlI

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 20, 2026

Nazem Kadri has taken the top spot on our 2026 Avalanche Trade Board.

Is it time to bring Naz home?

🔗 https://t.co/lILyk266c8pic.twitter.com/mNFlo0jAi5

— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) March 3, 2026

The Market Is Heating Up

Reports of Kadri being available date back to training camp, but the noise has grown significantly after word surfaced that the 35-year-old would welcome a move to a Stanley Cup contender. That development alone changes the market. Kadri isn’t just a veteran scorer — he’s a proven playoff performer who can tilt a series.

Several teams have been mentioned as possible fits, including the Dallas Stars, Utah Mammoth, and Montreal Canadiens. But Colorado is the team generating the most traction — and for good reason.

After moving Samuel Girard to the Pittsburgh Penguins last week, the Avalanche created roughly $9.8 million in cap space. That kind of breathing room gives them the ability to swing big without gutting the roster. If they want to add a true difference-maker down the middle, they can.

Right now, Colorado is relying on Jack Drury as its third-line centre. He’s been solid, but that spot feels like a clear area to upgrade before the playoffs. Kadri, who leads the Flames with 41 points, would be a major boost in that role — and head coach Jared Bednar knows exactly what he brings in high-pressure games.

Talks Picking Up

Momentum behind the talks appears to be building.

“Definitely, things are picking up with talks between the Avalanche and the Flames,” Chris Johnston said on The Chris Johnston Show.

“Right now, the way it looks is that Colorado could be at the front of list. We’re down to one phone call territory now, where everything could change at a moment’s notice.”

Kadri spent three seasons in Colorado and played a key role in the franchise’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, posting a career-high 87 points that year. The organization wanted to keep him at the time but simply couldn’t make the numbers work under the cap.

Now, the situation is different.

Kadri still has term remaining on his contract through the 2028-29 season, carrying a $7 million cap hit along with a 13-team no-trade clause. That long-term commitment is something Colorado would need to weigh carefully. While the cap hit is manageable now, it could create challenges down the road as other core players come up for new deals.

But windows don’t stay open forever.

The Avalanche sit first in the NHL standings and look every bit like a legitimate Cup threat again. Adding a familiar, battle-tested centre who thrives in big moments might be the move that separates a contender from a champion.

If the Flames are serious about moving Kadri — and if Colorado is serious about maximizing this season — this reunion may not just be talk for much longer.

The Montreal Canadiens are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference, so they should be buyers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. Due to this, they are now being predicted to address a specific roster need.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Arpon Basu predicted that the Canadiens would trade for a right-shot defenseman ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline.

"It is bold because the right-shot defensemen seemingly available on the market are in high demand, and one just came off the board with Connor Murphy’s move to Edmonton. When demand is higher than supply, prices generally inflate, and the Canadiens are unlikely to want to overpay. But it could happen because it represents a clear area the Canadiens can improve, balancing out their left-shot-heavy defense corp," Basu wrote.

It is no secret that the Canadiens could use another right-shot defenseman, so predicting that they will acquire one ahead of the deadline makes sense. They have already been connected to Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. A few other interesting names floating around the rumor mill who could make sense for the Canadiens include Justin Faulk, Zach Whitecloud, MacKenzie Weegar, Braden Schneider, and Brandon Carlo. 

Ultimately, with the Canadiens needing another impactful defenseman on their right side, they should not be afraid to swing a deal for a new blueliner. It will be interesting to see if they do just that from here. 

The Vancouver Canucks are 60 games into their 2025–26 NHL season and sit comfortably at dead-last in the entire league. They have yet to win a game since their January 29 shutout against the Anaheim Ducks. With one game remaining before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, here’s how the Canucks stack up to the rest of the NHL at the 60-game mark. 

Team Stats 

Unsurprisingly, the Canucks rank dead-last in nearly all of their team stat categories including goals-against (222) and penalty kill (70.6%). Shockingly, they aren’t last in goals-for (149), faceoff winning rate (48.3%), or power play (17.7%). Those honours belong to the Calgary Flames for goals-for (146), the Buffalo Sabres for faceoff winning percentages (44.6%), and the Colorado Avalanche for power play efficiency (15.3%). Intriguingly, along with the Avalanche, Vancouver ranks ahead of two other teams currently in a playoff spot when it comes to power play success rate — the Utah Mammoth (15.9%) and New York Islanders (15.8%). 

Individual Skater Stats 

Vancouver’s current leading points-getter, Elias Pettersson, is tied with nine other players for 136th in the NHL including former Canuck defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Their new goal-scoring leader, Drew O’Connor, is tied with 17 other players in the NHL for the 121st-most goals this season with 14. Alongside him with 14 are former Canuck J.T. Miller, Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Boston Bruins rookie Fraser Minten. Filip Hronek remains within the top-10 in the NHL in overall TOI with 1466:48; in the lead is Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings with 1562:55, followed by former Canucks captain Quinn Hughes with 1528:20. 

Goaltending Stats

With Thatcher Demko sidelined for the remainder of the season and Kevin Lankinen coming off a bronze-medal win at the Olympics, Nikita Tolopilo has officially taken the lead for the highest SV% by a Canucks goaltender who has played in 10 or more games through the 2025–26 season. Ironically enough, compared to the rest of the NHL, he’s tied with Artūrs Šilovs in this stat with a .901 SV%. Impressively, the other category that Tolopilo leads his team in is high-danger SV% (.870%), which ranks third of all NHL goaltender who have played 10 or more games. Only Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (.878%) and Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley (.877%) have registered higher. 

Vancouver’s final game before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. After that, they’ll spend two games on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets before returning home for an eight-game home stand. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins' daunting March schedule continues with a matchup against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

This will be the second meeting between the two teams this year after the Bruins won the first matchup 1-0 back on Jan. 11. The Penguins couldn't generate much of anything in that game and lost on a game-winning goal from Viktor Arvidsson. 

Since that game, the Penguins are 10-1-4 and are in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 75 points. The Bruins are in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 71 points and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. 

This is a very top-heavy Bruins team led by David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie. Pastrnak is one of the best players on the planet, compiling 22 goals and 72 points in 54 games. Geekie is having another outstanding season, racking up 33 goals and 55 points in 58 games. 

Outside of those two, Charlie McAvoy does it all on the backend, and the Bruins have gotten some depth scoring from other players in their lineup, including Elias Lindholm, Arvidsson, and Pavel Zacha. 

Jeremy Swayman will start in goal for the Bruins. He's having a better season this year compared to last year with 22 wins, a 2.89 goals-against average, and a .903 save percentage. He's also fourth among all goaltenders in goals saved above expected with 16.9. 

The Penguins will feature some new line combinations and pairings for this game. Blake Lizotte has been ruled out for this game with a lower-body injury, meaning Avery Hayes will center the fourth line. Ben Kindel will also center the top line after Rickard Rakell was in that spot for the last three games. 

Here's a look at the projected lineup:

Forwards

Rakell-Kindel-Rust

Malkin-Novak-Chinakhov

Mantha-K. Hayes-Brazeau

Dewar-A. Hayes-Acciari

Defensive pairs

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Shea-Letang

Girard-Clifton

Stuart Skinner will start in goal for the Penguins. 

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

---

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Ottawa Senators (29-22-8) at Edmonton Oilers (29-24-8)

Date: March 3, 2026
Time: 9:00 PM EST
Location: Rogers Place
TV/Radio: SNW, TSN5, RDS2/TSN 1200

Alberta-Bound

The Senators begin a four game western road swing on Tuesday night with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. Ottawa will then head down to Calgary to face the Flames on Thursday.

Friday will bring the annual NHL trade deadline at 3 pm so the Senators' Alberta performances will probably have at least some influence on whether Steve Staios pulls the trigger on something or not.

Where Things Stand

The Senators are 18th in the NHL standings while the Oilers are 20th. But the two teams are tied with 66 points, and that total buys you a lot more in the Western Conference than it does in the East.

While the Sens are five points and four teams out of the final Eastern wild card spot, the Oilers own the final Western wild card spot with a four point lead to go with it. With two fewer losses, the Senators actually have a better points percentage (.559) than the Oilers, the two-time Western Champs (.549).

Senators fans are now in full scoreboard-watching mode, and will primarily keep a close eye on the 7 pm Tuesday matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the team they're trying to catch, the Boston Bruins.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Since the Olympic break ended, the Senators have secured three of a possible four points with a 2-1 overtime loss to Detroit on Thursday and then a one-sided 5-2 demolition of Toronto on Saturday.

The Oilers have scored 17 goals in 3 games since the break, but somehow have only two points to show for it. They lost 6-5 to Anaheim, beat the LA Kings 8-1, and lost 5-4 to San Jose, one of the teams that's right on their tail for the final wild card. Overall, the Oilers have lost five of their last six games.

Blue Line Renos

The Oilers got started on the deadline early, bolstering their blue line. They acquired right-shot defenceman Connor Murphy from the Blackhawks on Monday in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft. Chicago will retain 50% of Murphy's $4.4 million salary. That's a fairly light price tag for Murphy, who was often mentioned in sports talk circles as a potential target for the Senators who may still be eyeballing the addition of a right D this week.

How We First Met

In the Senators' first meeting with the Oilers back in October, they overcame a 2-0 deficit before falling 3-2 in overtime. Jake Walman's slapshot from the point beat Linus Ullmark, who appeared to duck his head as the puck whistled past his ear. Walman, meanwhile, celebrated by trading in his usual griddy celebration for a weird little bobblehead dance.

JAKE WALMAN ON HIS RETURN

WINS IT IN OVERTIME!#LetsGoOilers

📹: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/J5Y4KcoGI7

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) October 22, 2025

Coach/player media availabilities and game day skate line combinations will be available soon.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published by The Hockey News. More headlines here:  

Ex-Ottawa Senator D.J. Smith Returns To NHL Head Coaching Ranks
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After winning 4-2 against the Los Angeles Kings yesterday, courtesy of a late third-period go-ahead goal from Devon Toews, the Colorado Avalanche are back at it again tonight as they take on the Anaheim Ducks on the second leg of a back-to-back. This will be the third and final regular-season game between these two teams.

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado kicked off their second back-to-back in seven nights against the Kings yesterday. The visitors managed to build a two-goal lead early in the first period, but LA was able to come back and ultimately tie the game at 2-2. Devon Toews would be the one to give the Avs the lead back late in the third period, off a beautiful pass from Nathan MacKinnon to set him up. The Avalanche won 4-2 and in doing so was the first team in the NHL to reach the 40 win milestone.

The other big piece of news during the game last night was, of course, Artturi Lehkonen going out during the game. He won’t be playing tonight in Anaheim and is going to miss some time. If Joel Kiviranta, who is still dealing with his own upper-body injury, can’t play they are going to need the services of an extra forward, which is Jason Polin who was called up from the Colorado Eagles this morning.

Projected Lineup

Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Necas
Parker Kelly – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Jason Polin – Zakhar Bardakov – Gavin Brindley

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

Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks come into this game off a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Sunday, and are currently locked in a battle for the top spot in the Pacific Division, sitting just one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights for that spot. The Ducks are an incredibly fun and talented team, with a phenomenal goaltender in Lukas Dostal. They’ve shown that they can certainly be competitive, as they’re competing for the top spot in the Pacific, and every point matters to this team at this point. Colorado is perfectly capable of beating this team, but it’ll certainly be easier said than done.

Projected Lineup

Chris Kreider – Leo Carlsson – Cutter Gauthier
Jeffrey Viel – Mason McTavish – Beckett Sennecke
Alex Killorn – Ryan Poehling – Jansen Harkins
Ross Johnston – Tim Washe – Ian Moore

Jackson LaCombe – Jacob Trouba
Olen Zellweger – Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov – Drew Helleson

Lukas Dostal
Ville Husso

The Buffalo Sabres' top goal for the 2026 NHL trade deadline should be to add an impactful right-shot defenseman. Due to this, they are now being linked to one of their former players. 

According to Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco, the Sabres are among the teams interested in Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. 

Ristolainen, of course, was selected by the Sabres with the eighth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he spent his first eight NHL seasons with Buffalo before being traded to the Flyers. Now, five years after trading the big right-shot defenseman, the Sabres are open to the idea of bringing him back to Buffalo. 

If the Sabres acquired Ristolainen, he could work nicely on their bottom pairing and penalty kill. However, he could also move up to the Sabres' top four if needed. 

Ristolainen would be more than a rental for the Sabres if acquired. This is because he has a $5.1 million cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season. As a result of this, Ristolainen has good trade value and could cost the Sabres a first-round pick in a potential move.

In 23 games this season with the Flyers, Ristolainen has recorded one goal, six points, and 25 hits. 

Objectively speaking, the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins appear to be a really good hockey team. By every major piece of data that exists to evaluate hockey teams, the Penguins rate extremely well across the league through their first 59 games this season.

Entering play on Tuesday their .636 points percentage is the sixth-best in the NHL and the third-best in the Eastern Conference.

Their plus-30 goal-differential is fifth-best in the NHL.

They have 27 regulation wins, which is sixth-most in the NHL.

They are 9-3-3 against teams with a top-10 record.

They have a 51.7 percent expected goals share during 5-on-5 play, a rate that ranks eighth-best in the NHL. They are top-10 in pretty much every, goal, scoring-chance and possession-based metric during 5-on-5 play.

They have the NHL’s second-best penalty killing unit and the NHL’s third-best power play unit.

The goaltending has been, at the very least, competent.

They have a No. 1 center (when Sidney Crosby is healthy, that is), a No. 1 defenseman that has rediscovered his game, excellent scoring depth, good veterans, good young players, a lot of salary cap space in the future and more draft picks to work with than pretty much every other team in the NHL.

If you knew nothing of the Penguins preseason expectations, or what they were supposed to play like this season, you would look at all of that and not hesitate to say, “wow, that team must be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and in a really good position long-term.”

That would be a logical conclusion. It would be a sensible conclusion. It might even be the correct conclusion.

Yet, when you have watched the Penguins play on a nationally televised broadcast this season, or listened to a national writer or analyst talk about their approach to the trade deadline, you would never guess where this team is in the standings. They played two nationally televised games this past weekend and the first of those games on Saturday started off with a discussion about Evgeni Malkin’s future, and asking Kyle Dubas if there was any chance Malkin would be traded before Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline.

There is a constant rumbling of whether or not the Penguins will sell players like Anthony Mantha, or if veterans could be on their way out due to the ongoing rebuild or re-tool.

You had T.J. Oshie saying they will fall out of a playoff position because of the injury to Sidney Crosby and how that will impact their power play, and Paul Bissonnette talking about how Sunday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights was going to be a bad time for them. There still seems to be a sense of, “hey, they could maybe make the playoffs,” when it should probably be, “hey, what can this team potentially do when it does make the playoffs?”

This is not meant to be critical of those two guys for their predictions, or in Bissonnette’s case, getting a pre-game prediction badly wrong. Because we all do that. As Smooth Jimmy Apollo once said, when you are right 52 percent of the time, you are wrong 48 percent of the time.

It is meant to just point out that very few people outside of Pittsburgh have really paid much attention to what this team has actually played like and what it is doing. Honestly, I am not even fully convinced all of the city of Pittsburgh realizes how good this team has been so far.

It is almost as if everybody had an expectation in mind for what this team was supposed to look like this season and how it was supposed to play, and then nobody really took any time to pay attention to what they were actually doing or change their narrative.

This is, admittedly, easy to do when you are working in a national setting and trying to focus on 32 different teams. Sometimes things slip through the cracks. I know first-hand how difficult that can be because I have spent the better part of the past 18 years trying to write and blog about teams and sports on a big-picture, national level. It is a lot to try and look at. I do not expect every person covering the sport of hockey to have an in-depth knowledge of every single player and storyline on every single team. Again, over 32 teams that is nearly impossible to do on the same level as a local beat writer. You are just getting a basic, big picture view before you move on to the next game.

The Penguins have also made it kind of easy on themselves over the past few years to go unnoticed. They have not won a playoff series since the 2017-18 season. They have not actually made the playoffs in three years. This is supposed to be a rebuilding season. No matter what big names and future Hall of Famers you still have on your roster, it is still a results oriented business. The Penguins have simply not produced much in the way of results over the past few years.

The other issue potentially at play: Nobody likes to admit they are wrong. Nobody wants to look like they are waffling or changing their opinion.

But you still need to be able to adapt and at least pay closer attention to what is actually happening.

Do I know every detail of the Anaheim Ducks roster this season or what their third-defense pairing looks like on a nightly basis? No. I do not. Did I think they would miss the playoffs again before this season? Yeah, I did. But I do know they are currently a pretty good team, in a position to make the playoffs, perhaps in a position to win the Pacific Division, and I would not be treating them as the same bad, rebuilding team they have been the past few years. You would not be looking at them as sellers right now or questioning if they should trade, I don’t know, Troy Terry. Because they are now good. They have changed the narrative around their team and season.

The Penguins have done the same. It has just taken a long time for people to catch on to it because they have not done much over the past seven seasons and had very little in the way of expectations coming into the season. There is still a quarter of the season to play, and they still need to get Crosby back. They still have to keep collecting points and maintain this level of play. We will see if they can. In the meantime, they look the part of a really good team right now. Perhaps even a contender. They should probably be treated as such until they do something to show they are not.

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The Montreal Canadiens will travel way south — and way west — to visit the San Jose Sharks tonight. These two young, exciting teams will meet for the first time this season.

My Canadiens vs. Sharks predictions expect Cole Caufield to stay on his torrid pace as he pushes to become the first Montreal player to reach 50 goals since 1989-90.

Read more in my NHL picks for Tuesday, March 3.

Canadiens vs Sharks prediction

Canadiens vs Sharks best bet: Cole Caufield anytime goalscorer (+120)

Since January 15, no player has scored more than Cole Caufield.

The Montreal Canadiens forward has 14 goals in his last 12 games and has found the back of the net three times in two games since the NHL returned to action. A focal point of the Habs’ top six, Caufield now draws a San Jose Sharks squad that allows the third-most goals in the league.

It's the perfect matchup for Caufield to light the lamp at least once.

Canadiens vs Sharks same-game parlay

Speaking of red-hot Habs players, Noah Dobson has seen a notable uptick in offense recently. The Montreal defenceman has nine points in his last seven games, eight of which were at even strength.

The Canadiens and Sharks rank 24th and 30th in goals allowed, respectively. Additionally, Montreal boasts the fourth-best offense in the league. Both meetings last season went Over, with the Habs emerging victorious in both.

Canadiens vs Sharks SGP

• Cole Caufield anytime goalscorer
• Noah Dobson to record 1+ points
• Over 6.5

Canadiens vs Sharks odds

• Moneyline: Canadiens -130 | Sharks +110
• Puck Line: Canadiens -1.5 (+175) | Sharks +1.5 (-215)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-115) | Under 6.5 (-105)

Canadiens vs Sharks trend

The Canadiens have won four consecutive games in San Jose, dating back to October 2021. San Jose hasn't beaten Montreal at home since the 2018-19 season. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Sharks.

How to watch Canadiens vs Sharks

Canadiens vs Sharks latest injuries

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The Philadelphia Flyers are certainly a team to watch leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. With the Flyers currently being on the wrong side of the playoff line, it is possible that they could end up making some changes to their roster.

Rasmus Ristolainen is the player on the Flyers who has been creating the most chatter as a trade candidate. While this is the case, another notable Flyer is being viewed as a player to watch. 

In a recent article for The Athletic, Kevin Kurz predicted that the Flyers would trade forward Bobby Brink ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline.

"At 24 years old and still on the upswing, Brink isn’t the kind of player rebuilding teams tend to deal. But the Flyers are deep at wing, and have another, Porter Martone, on the way, perhaps as soon as the end of this season. Moving Brink, maybe for some help at center or in goal, would also allow Flyers coach Rick Tocchet the option of putting Matvei Michkov back on the right wing for the final six weeks," Kurz wrote. 

There is no question that the Flyers have a lot of depth on the wing, so it could make sense for them to deal Brink. This is especially so if the skilled winger could be used in a trade package to help improve the Flyers' roster elsewhere.

Yet, trading Brink would also come with some risk. At just 24 years old, Brink undoubtedly has the potential to get better as he continues to gain more experience. He is also in the middle of a solid year for the Flyers, as he has scored a career-high 13 goals and recorded 26 points in 54 games.

It will be interesting to see what the Flyers do with Brink from here, but he is standing out as a trade candidate to watch.

In the run-up to the trade deadline, St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas’ reported availability continues to make the headlines. The Central Division team is currently dead last in its division and second-to-last in the Western Conference and has let it be known that it’s ready to move on from some of its veterans, including their first-line center, Thomas.

According to multiple reports, the Montreal Canadiens are very interested in the pivot, and they have been for some time, as RG.org writer Marco D’Amico reports. The Habs brass contacted the Blues' front office but backed off due to the steep asking price. Last month, Nick Kypreos reported that Doug Armstrong and co. were after the equivalent of three first-round picks to let go of the pivot. Today, D’Amico reports that the ask would be equivalent to four first-round picks.

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On the latest episode of The Sick Podcast, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels says he believes a deal for Thomas would likely look like the one between the Vancouver Canucks and the Minnesota Wild for Quinn Hughes in which Vancouver received defenseman Zeev Buium (12th overall pick at the 2024 draft), center Marco Rossi (9th overall pick at the 2020 draft), winger Liam Ohgren (19th overall pick at the 2022 draft) and Minnesota’s first-round pick at the upcoming draft. In other words, four first-round pick players.

If that’s the asking price, the Canadiens could definitely meet it, as they have the assets, but D’Amico believes Armstrong would want highly touted prospect Michael Hage to be part of the deal, and the Habs are reluctant to part with the youngster. As you might recall, the Canadiens traded up with the Los Angeles Kings at the 2024 draft to select Hage with the 21st overall pick, as they were quite high on the player.

Since then, the youngster has put two solid seasons together in the NCAA, recording 34 points in 31 games in his rookie season with the University of Michigan, and he now has 45 points in 34 games in his sophomore season. Furthermore, at the latest World Junior Championship, he led the scoring race with 15 points in just seven games. Whether the Habs’ brass likes it or not, right now, Hage has the wow factor to make that deal happen.

Michael Hage with the shootout winner against Penn St.

He's so damn smooth pic.twitter.com/jjXgZWBQ9z

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) February 14, 2026

At the end of the day, Tomas is an established first-line center in the NHL, and those rarely become available. President of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and GM Hughes have said in the past that they would be willing to overpay for the right piece that would make the Canadiens a contender. While some will say it’s still too early for that and the Habs may be in a better place a year from now, the fact is that Thomas is available now. He’s 26 years old and fits in the Canadiens’ core age group; he’s signed for another four seasons at just $8,125,000 per year. He’s coming off two 80+-point seasons, and while he’s having a disappointing season, who isn’t in St-Louis?

The dilemma then becomes, will Hage be a better center than Thomas if and when he reaches the NHL? There’s no way to know that. Winning the scoring race at the WJC doesn’t guarantee offensive success in the NHL. Ryan Poehling was second in scoring in 2019 and won the tournament MVP, and he’s currently the Anaheim Ducks’ third-line centre. Then again, Poehling didn’t benefit from the development team the Canadiens currently have.

If the Canadiens decided that Thomas is too good an opportunity to pass on, it looks like they will have to let Hage reluctantly go on top of adding multiple other pieces that may leave their prospect cupboard a bit bare. Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield are probably untouchables. Still, the likes of Oliver Kapanen (even though he was a second-round pick), David Reinbacher, and Alexander Zharovsky, who was an early second-round pick but is certainly worth a first now, could also be in play. It would take some serious magic from Hughes to manage to land Thomas without sacrificing Hage.

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Darren Raddysh has come out of nowhere and put forth one of the best offensive seasons among all defensemen.

My Lightning vs. Wild predictions expect him to have another active performance against a Minnesota team that bleeds shots to his position.

Let’s dive deeper into my NHL picks for Tuesday, March 3.

Lightning vs Wild prediction

Lightning vs Wild best bet: Darren Raddysh Over 2.5 shots on goal (-125)

Darren Raddysh ranks third among defensemen in shot attempts and second in shots on target over the past 10 games. He cleared 2.5 SOG in nine of them, missing by one shot against the Panthers.

The volume should remain high against the Minnesota Wild. They rank dead-last in suppressing shots from defensemen and 30th defending Raddysh’s primary shooting zone over the last 10 games.

Raddysh has excelled in similar matchups with or without Victor Hedman in the lineup. He has registered 3+ shots in 10 of his last 12 games against Bottom-10 teams in shots allowed to blueliners.

Lightning vs Wild same-game parlay

Raddysh has hit the scoresheet in 16 of his last 20 games, piling up 27 total points. He has put forth more than twice as many multi-point efforts (nine) as zeros (four). He has also picked up a point in eight of the last 10 in which he’s generated 3+ shots.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point has averaged 0.7 assists per game on a line with Jake Guentzel compared to 0.4 without. He has also assisted in four straight games with Guentzel riding shotgun, tallying five along the way.

Lightning vs Wild SGP

• Darren Raddysh Over 2.5 shots on goal
• Darren Raddysh Over 0.5 points
• Brayden Point Over 0.5 assists

Lightning vs Wild odds

• Moneyline: Tampa Bay -125 | Minnesota +105
• Puck line: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+190) | Minnesota +1.5 (-230)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+110) | Under 6.5 (-130)

Lightning vs Wild trend

Darren Raddysh has gone Over 2.5 shots on goal in five consecutive road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Lightning vs. Wild.

How to watch Lightning vs Wild

Lightning vs Wild latest injuries

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Dougie Hamilton has been a one-man shooting gallery of late, clearing his 2.5 shot line in nine consecutive games.

My Panthers vs. Devils predictions expect the shots to continue flying against a Florida team he’s already gone Over twice against this season.

Let’s dive deeper into my NHL picks for Tuesday, March 3.

Panthers vs Devils prediction

Panthers vs Devils best bet: Dougie Hamilton Over 2.5 shots on goal (-140)

Dougie Hamiltonleads all NHL defensemen in both shots on goal (39) and shot attempts (79) over the last 10 games. He recorded at least three shots on target in nine of them.

While Luke Hughes returned to the New Jersey Devils lineup last time out, Hamilton still logged 21 minutes and maintained his role on the top power play.

That bodes well for his shot volume against the Florida Panthers. Hamilton has cleared 2.5 shots in 20 of the last 22 games when logging at least two minutes of power-play ice time, which is a common benchmark to clear skating on the top unit.

Panthers vs Devils same-game parlay

Arseny Gritsyuk is expected to skate on a line with Jack Hughes in tonight’s game. Gritsyuk hasn’t spent a ton of time on Jack’s wing, but his scoring chance rate with Hughes is higher than with any other player.

Gritsyuk is also playing on the top power play alongside Hughes and the team’s most dangerous weapons, making him a real threat to find the scoresheet.

Panthers vs Devils SGP

• Dougie Hamilton Over 2.5 shots on goal
• Arseny Gritsyuk Over 1.5 shots on goal
• Arseny Gritsyuk Over 0.5 points

Panthers vs Devils odds

• Moneyline: Panthers -110 | Devils -110
• Puck Line: Panthers +1.5 (-280) | Devils -1.5 (+225)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (+100)

Panthers vs Devils trend

Dougie Hamilton has generated 3+ shots in nine straight games against Florida. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Devils.

How to watch Panthers vs Devils

Panthers vs Devils latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Los Angeles Kings have a lot to play for after recently firing their head coach, Jim Hiller, yesterday. Will this team turn it around? They have the easiest remaining schedule in the NHL, sitting last in remaining strength of schedule. 

Breaking News: Kings Fire Head Coach Jim HillerEarlier on March 1st, the Kings announced that they had fired head coach Jim Hiller.

With 60 games already in the books, the upcoming final weeks of the regular season pose a question: Can the Kings take advantage of their soft schedule? If they have a switch to flip, now is the best time to do it. 

The No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division is only five points ahead of the sixth seed, which is where Los Angeles sits right now, with a record of 24-22-14 and 62 points. Los Angeles' best option is to climb up to that fourth seed and overtake Edmonton and San Jose for the final playoff spot. 

With their recent skid coming out of the Olympic break, it's certain now that Los Angeles is far from having home-ice advantage in the first round, something they achieved last season. However, things can also go south despite having the easiest schedule remaining. Because following their brutal loss to the very shorthanded Vegas Golden Knights out of the Olympic Break and their blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers 8-1, easy games don't seem to matter for the Kings. 

With little margin for error, the difference between a solid playoff standing position at that fourth spot and totally missing the postseason for the entire summer will be decided from every game here on out. 

But, if the Kings want the result to happen, they will need to do something that they’re not nearly consistent at doing this year - beat below .500 teams. Los Angeles is 11-9-3 against teams under .500 this season, one game below .500 against teams that they're supposed to defeat.  

Kings Strength of Schedule

Despite Los Angeles'  strength of schedule, the Kings will face some stiff competition on the way to having the easiest remaining schedule.  There are a handful of teams in the Western Conference who can spoil their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs. The Kraken, Mammoth, Oilers, and Nashville are all teams jockeying for playoff position. 

The two teams in that division sandwiching them, the third seed and fourth seed, Edmonton and Seattle, are the only tough tests they will face. Now, meanwhile, in the central division, they will play Utah and Nashville twice, two teams also fighting for a playoff spot. 

All five of those teams are bunched up in the Pacific and Central Divisions, so likely only two teams will get in, and four will remain out. The tiebreakers against Utah, Nashville, and Edmonton will play a critical role in deciding Los Angeles' fate. 

For example, despite still having one game remaining against Seattle, the Kings have already lost the season series to the Kraken, so their final meeting won't mean much. Controversially, thanks to their wins against the Oilers and the Mammoth earlier in the season, those two games against Utah, and one remaining game against Edmonton, will all be critical. 

The Oilers just blew out the Kings on Thursday, 8-1, to tie the season series 1-1. The final matchup will be on April 11 at home. Los Angeles beat Utah in their first matchup on Dec. 8, and will play them twice in a span of one week, beginning March 22 and March 28, with both matchups split between home and away. 

While the Kings lost to the Predators back on October 25th in a shootout, their next two meetings will be in a span of four days, on April 2 and April 6, both at Crypto.com Arena.  

It may sound like hyperbole, but this is why the Kings' entire season comes down to how they fare in those games against respected Western Conference teams. A proposition that feels ominous because on one hand, they have the easiest schedule remaining, but still struggle to beat below .500 teams and have those tough five Western Conference matchups that will most likely decide their outcome of reaching the playoffs.

But, despite their poor record, the Kings have shown the ability to beat contending teams in the league, including the Oilers, Vegas, and Dallas, but their inability to build on that success has been a problem. 

Regardless of the reality of their situation, the Kings are about to be presented with an opportunity to change their narrative and, in the process, restore their belief that they can actually make it to the postseason. 

While the Kings were never likely to make a deep run in the playoffs this year, if they got there, they could still give themselves the best odds by finding their groove right now. The very same teams they will have to leap in the standings are coming their way. 

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