The Chicago Blackhawks have traded defenseman Connor Murphy to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
The Chicago Blackhawks also made it happen by retaining 50% of Murphy's $4.4 million cap hit.
This has been a long time coming. The question was always going to be which team was the one that made the best offer for Kyle Davidson to consider retaining salary. Edmonton clearly wanted to add a defenseman like Murphy for their playoff run.
Outside of the COVID-19 bubble, Murphy has never come close to being on a playoff team. After the last nine years spent with the Blackhawks, mostly spent rebuilding, he will finally get his chance.
Murphy will always be remembered for being a great soldier in a tough situation. He never once complained about the fact that the team wasn't making the playoffs. Instead, he was a wonderful leader in the room. A lot of their young players will benefit in the long run from having had him around.
It was also well known that Connor Murphy was a wonderful asset to the city of Chicago. He is a community man who loves giving back. Now, he can bring some of that joy to the city of Edmonton.
The Oilers, who have been to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, losing both, have aspirations of getting back there again with stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way. Murphy's defensive game is sure to help their depth.
They have work to do to get there, and they likely aren't done adding, but this is a great stepping stone.
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Following Sunday’s crushing last-minute loss to the New York Islanders, Florida’s second straight defeat, the Panthers now have just 22 games to overcome an eight-point deficit in the Wild Card race while simultaneously climbing over the five teams that are currently between the Cats and that final playoff spot.
It’s surely not impossible, but considering the overwhelming feelings of frustration based off how those two losses have occurred, it’s hard to blame the Panthers, or their fans, for feeling somewhat despondent.
The focus after Friday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres was a challenged goal that the NHL’s decision-makers deemed worthy to stand despite contact between the player’s stick and goaltender’s glove, calling the interaction between stick and glove incidental.
Then on Sunday, the Panthers began a four-game road trip by storming out to a 2-0 lead on Long Island, only to find themselves trailing by a goal during the game’s final minutes.
Just when the team’s spirits were lifted thanks to a late, game-tying tally by Sam Reinhart, Florida allowed a backbreaking goal with 32 seconds left to shatter any chances of making progress in the standings.
“We pushed pretty hard tonight, but the games are too important to be giving up games like that,” Panthers center Sam Bennett said afterwards.
Indeed, the time to make up ground is shrinking by the day.
While it surely helps that the Panthers are getting healthier, welcoming defenseman Dmitry Kulikov back into the lineup Sunday and expecting Tomas Nosek, Seth Jones and Jonah Gadjovich to all join him in the coming fortnight, the lasting dark cloud looming over the team following such demoralizing defeats can be extremely difficult to dismiss.
As Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice explained, the best thing for Florida to do is focus on the positives and fall back on the knowledge of their experiences over the past several seasons.
“Any one good feeling, right?” Maurice said. “Any one good play, anything that gives them the feeling that there’s hope. That’s really what we’re trying to drive now. They’ve got miles on them, but they’ve played a lot of big games together, and that’s the key.”
One positive for the Panthers is that they don’t have to wait long for a chance to turn things right back around.
Florida will play three games in the next four nights, and two of them are against teams that are currently not in a playoff position.
The Panthers (63 points) face the New Jersey Devils (60 points) on Tuesday and the Columbus Blue Jackets (66 points) on Thursday before ending the road trip against the Detroit Red Wings (74 points) on Friday.
Detroit currently holds the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, with the Boston Bruins (71 points) clinging to the second spot.
Make no mistake, the Cats are running out of their nine lives.
At a time where the pain and anguish can feel like it cuts deeper than usual, the veteran squad will need to rally around one another and find a way to push through.
“We’re on the road and we know how important games are,” said Bennett. “We’re sticking together as a team, and we’re going to fight right to the very end.”
With a roster that continues to grow stronger, and plenty of past successes to draw from, the Panthers know they are capable of achieving their goal.
One game, one shift at a time.
“We’ll deal with the hockey, we don’t hide from it,” Maurice said. “We’ll deal with the game tomorrow, so we can move on and put our best foot forward in Jersey.
Photo caption: Mar 1, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) scores the winning goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period at UBS Arena. (Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images)
When the Montreal Canadiens returned from the Olympic break, coach Martin St-Louis stated that both of his goaltenders would get a game in the first week to get back in the swing of things and that he would take it from there. Now that Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes have each played a game, the former against the New York Islanders and the latter against the Washington Capitals, it will be time for St-Louis to decide who will be between the pipes on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. The California outfit has won two of its three games since the break and is currently involved in the playoff chase, three points out of a wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
Montembeault gave up four goals on 26 shots against New York, which comes to an .846 save percentage: that’s not enough. Granted, he couldn’t do much on the game-tying goal in the third frame when the shot from the high slot was deflected right in front of his crease by Anders Lee, but the two goals from rookie wonder Matthew Schaefer came from a distance. While the blueliner has a great shot, there comes a time when a starting netminder has to come up big and make unexpected saves.
As for Dobes, he allowed two goals against Washington, both to the league's all-time best goalscorer, Alexander Ovechkin. The Czech netminder saved 27 of the 29 shots he faced for a .931 SV. The first goal was on a rebound that fell to the Russian sniper, right under the nose of the Canadiens’ defenders, Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson. As for the second goal, Ovechkin was allowed to walk right into the slot and was all alone when he received the feed from behind the goal line. There’s not much a goaltender can do in that situation.
On top of those numbers, though, there’s also one fact: the Canadiens won with Dobes in net and lost with Montembeault. With Dobes, they were able to protect their lead and kept playing for the full 60 minutes. With Montembeault in the net, they sat back in the third frame, stopping their attack and focusing solely on defence. It’s almost as if they felt they needed to defend more. The last time Dobes lost in regulation was on December 9, whereas Montembeault lost two of his last five games in regulation.
Whichever way you look at it, Dobes should get the start on Tuesday. Of course, the Canadiens still have six back-to-backs to play until the end of the regular season, so logic dictates that those games will be split. Three of the six back-to-backs are coming up in the next two weeks, so we’re likely to see both goaltenders a lot over that span, and once those are out of the way, the Habs will need to go back to the masked man who performed the best and in front of whom the team looked most confident.
The last thing that the Detroit Red Wings need now that the calendar has shifted to March for their stretch drive toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs is an injury to a key player, but it looks like that's their situation.
Goaltender John Gibson, who has posted elite numbers for the Red Wings since the beginning of December, departed this afternoon's tilt against the Nashville Predators with an upper-body injury.
His chances of returning to the game are slim, as announced by the Red Wings on X.
UPDATE: John Gibson (upper body injury) is unlikely to return to today's game.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 2, 2026
Backup Cam Talbot, who started Detroit's previous game against the Hurricanes, replaced Gibson between the pipes.
The nature and severity of Gibson's injury are unknown, and whether it forces GM Steve Yzerman to consider a goaltending acquisition before Friday afternoon's NHL Trade Deadline, or potentially even consider a call-up of Sebastian Cossa from the Grand Rapids Griffins, remains to be seen.
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The Kings season continues to be an emotional roller coaster from the play on the ice to the Artemi Panarin trade, and now the coaching change. Nobody wants to see someone lose their job, but after a dreadful return to action, it was clear that a change was need sooner rather than later.
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings made a major move by firing Head Coach Jim Hiller after three years behind the bench. D.J. Smith will serve as Interim Head Coach, likely for the remainder of the season, while former King, Matt Greene was promoted to Assistant Coach.
Los Angeles was once thought to have a very promising young core led by the likes of Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, and Brandt Clarke. Despite them being productive players, it's not far fetched to say they have not lived up to their draft night potential. A major coaching change could prove to be beneficial to L.A.'s young guns.
The Youth Movement
The Kings are in an interesting position, they're not good enough to be contenders, while not bad enough to embrace the tank. Some would they're in no man's land, where no franchise wants to be.
Whether it is D.J. Smith or someone else, the next Head Coach of the Kings should try and embrace the youth on the roster and allow the young talent to play their game and develop into their once very high potential.
Quinton Byfield
Byfield is the most established of the Kings young core, but even he hasn't reached his 2nd overall pick potential. He is still just 23-years-old, which gives him plenty of time to improve but the clock is ticking.
Anze Kopitar will be gone next season, and although it was thought to be Byfield, the Kings do not have a true replacement for their Hall of Fame center. He currently averages 19:59 of time on ice, which is the most as a forward on the Kings but the constant line juggling and perhaps Hiller's system have made it difficult for him to gain any offensive momentum. Slotting him in at center between Panarin and Adrian Kempe is more than worth a shot as it would be the first time that Byfield has played with a 100 point scorer in his career, which may lead to some momentum moving forward.
Brandt Clarke
Of the young players on the Kings, Clarke's situation has been in the headlines the most. Whether it's about ice time, production, or defensive player, there seemed to always be something going on with Brandt Clarke during Hiller's time as bench boss.
There is no reason for Clarke to be averaging under 20 minutes as a 23-year-old with a boatload of energy. Although he's not retiring like Kopitar, Drew Doughty is on the back nine of his career, and the Kings need someone to step in a be the new number one guy.
Clarke is the obvious choice and needs to start getting treated as such. Limiting his ice time and playing him on the bottom pair at times doesn't improve his growth, and likely makes the former 8th overall pick disgruntled. Clarke needs a coach that believes in him and allows him to play his game, he was drafted that high for a reason, let him show what he can do.
As perhaps the most disappointing of the bunch, Alex Turcotte has yet to sniff his 5th overall pick potential. In 152 career games in the NHL, the now 25-year-old has scored just 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points.
It took Turcotte several years to fully break into the league after being drafted in 2019, but he's now in his third full season and has been basically buried in the Kings bottom six. Whether it's earned or not, sometimes it's worth it to take a flyer on a young player and see if he mesh's well in a top six role. The new regime should give Turcotte a chance and if he doesn't fit then they know exactly what they have in the player.
Alex Laferriere
Although he wasn't drafted in the top 10 like some of his fellow youthful teammates, Alex Laferriere has established himself as part of the young core the Kings have built. In 217 career games, 'Laf' has scored 45 goals and 47 assists for 92 points. Solid numbers for a third round pick who recently turned 24-years-old.
Hiller made the bold move of playing Laferriere at center with Kempe and Panarin. Although it hasn't worked out so far, it's not a bad move trying to get the young forward comfortable at center, but it might be too much for him to keep up with two offensive stars right away. Slot him in at center alongside two middle six wingers and go from there.
High draft picks always have the most pressure on them to perform, they need to supported and developed by their organization while also being held accountable for their mishaps and lack of production.
The Kings young core has been playing for Hiller for most, if not all of their young careers. Sometimes all it takes is a change for true potential to be seen.
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The Vancouver Canucks face the scorching-hot Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena on Monday, March 2, with the two clubs trending in complete opposite directions.
My top Stars vs. Canucks predictions and NHL picks are calling for a low-scoring result between the two tonight.
Stars vs Canucks prediction
Stars vs Canucks best bet: Under 5.5 (+110)
The Vancouver Canucks have only scored five times through three games out of the Olympic break to drop to just 2.08 goals per game during an active 3-17-4 skid.
So, with the Dallas Stars missing star Mikko Rantanen (lower body), I think the Canucks can batten down the defensive hatches and keep this a low-scoring tilt.
Of course, Dallas is also rolling along a 9-1 stretch while allowing the third-fewest goals per game (2.4), ranking fourth in Corsi For percentage and allowing the fewest expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
Stars vs Canucks same-game parlay
The Canucks have been battling on home ice of late and covered the puck line in seven of their past eight games at Rogers Arena, and this could be a potential letdown spot for the Stars on the front end of a mini, two-game road trip.
Turning to Vancouver starter Nikita Tolopilo, he turned away at least 25 shots in each of his past seven starts and eight of nine for the season. The 25-year-old goaltender also sports a solid .908 save percentage for the campaign, and as noted, Dallas has been an excellent possession team during its highlighted 10-game heater.
Of course, the Canucks have also surrendered the seventh-most shots per game (29.8) this season.
The Vancouver Canucks have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight home games (+4.90 Units / 32% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Stars vs. Canucks.
How to watch Stars vs Canucks
Location
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
Date
Monday, March 2, 2026
Puck drop
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
Victory+, Sportsnet Pacific
Stars vs Canucks latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The St. Louis Blues have had to make roster decisions in the past week with players returning from injury.
They got Mathieu Joseph through waivers last week when Dylan Holloway was activated off injured reserve; they didn't have such luck with Robby Fabbri.
The Minnesota Wild put in a waiver claim on Fabbri on Monday, and thus his second stint in St. Louis comes to an end.
The 30-year-old, who signed a one-year, two way contract ($750,000 NHL/$300,000 AHL) on Dec. 10, played in 15 games for the Blues and had a goal ad three assists.
Fabbri became a roster casualty when Robert Thomas was activated off IR and made his return back to the lineup after missing 13 games with a right leg injury and personal reasons.
Fabbri's stint with the Blues was a good one, as the 2014 first-round pick, who spent the first three-plus seasons with St. Louis, became a hard forechecker and added some grit and physicality to his game to become more well-rounded. He should add some bite to the Wild's bottom six in Minnesota's playoff push.
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With the 2026 Trade Deadline just a week away, the rumour and insider reporting train has been full steam ahead with numerous teams linked to this year's big board of players who might be on the move, and the Colorado Avalanche are no different this year. A third-line center is all but the move at this point, but who are they eying, and most importantly, what is the package for these pieces going to look like?
Well reported by Eric Francis, senior columnist and analyst for Sportsnet, he reported that General Manager Chris MacFarland, Assistant General Manager Kevin McDonald, and assistant to the GM Andrew Cogliano were in attendance at last night's Calgary Flames game against the Anaheim Ducks, and Craig Conroy was in the building as well.
Well this is interesting. Three members of Colorado’s front office, including GM Chris MacFarland, asst GM Kevin McDonald, and assistant to the GM Andrew Cogliano, are all in attendance here in Anaheim for tonight’s Flames game. Craig Conroy here too, just 5 days ahead of the…
The clear connection is Nazem Kadri, whose name is among those of many centers linked to the Avalanche and other teams seeking depth at center. With other options like Mackenzie Weegar and Black Coleman, the main attraction is a reunion with Kadri, who helped with the 2022 Stanley Cup championship run.
Granted, the Avalanche do have a game tonight (March 3) against the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday in a back-to-back, but with the destinations so close on the west coast, there is no surprise management took a slight detour to do some early talks before the 3 pm March 6th deadline.
Kadri still has three more seasons on his contract, worth $7 million per season with a 13-team no-trade list. Him hearing an Avalanche reunion being in the works isn’t something I can make an issue of; it's the cap hit and the three years that follow. They have the cap space right now, but at 35 years old and with his production down tremendously, it's going to be tough to swallow that high of a cap hit with Martin Necas' extension kicking in next season and the next Cale Makar contract to follow.
Which exactly brings up why, while it would be nice to have a reunion, the price to bring him in and talk to Calgary to hold at least 25-30% of the rest of his contract is going to be steep. Which is exactly why, if they are going to find a center, it needs to be within a range they will expect or come to terms with, and a team taking on some relief to sweeten the deal.
Elliotte Friedman reported on the TNT panel about a Kadri reunion and how, if it happens, everything they do this season onward will revolve around Makar’s upcoming contract.
“Everything that Colorado does is about that Makar number. Everything that they do is about that number. Whenever it comes to a player with term and whenever I’ve asked around about what they’re up to, it’s always about protecting themselves from Makar’s number.”
This is why names like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Scott Laughton and the New York Rangers' Vincent Trocheck are also connected to the Avalanche, their lower AAVs, and, if willing, the Avalanche could sweeten the deal to lower that cap hit even further. Friedman adds on top of that.
“So, unless Colorado’s going to be able to find a way to make that work or have the number not be as high, I think it’s going to be really tough…One of the centers I heard that could end up in Colorado is Scott Laughton, and he would be more of a rental.”
The Avalanche does have the cap space to make a lot of trades work, with just over $8 million available after the Brett Kulak trade. I assume the Avalanche wants to use this cap space to its fullest, not just on one deal that fills it all up.
A lot of the roster has trade protection, but Ross Colton’s name pops up frequently when it comes to moving off a player for a pick and a player to help free up some cap space. With a cap hit of $4 million this season and next, it's not a lot of money, but given the needs the Avalanche want to address at center, it could be a move, given the amount of wing depth this team already has.
It's going to be a very interesting deadline with the number of players reportedly available this deadline, especially for the Avalanche, as both the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars are linked to multiple names the Avalanche are interested in, and how their potential trade packages could be more enticing than theirs.
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs was spectacular over the past week.
He won both of his starts against the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights, allowing only one combined goal. He also finished the week with a .981 save percentage.
Those numbers earned him the NHL's Second Star of the Week on Monday.
Second shutout of the season, .981 save percentage, and 2-0-0 over the week? That’s our kind of Arty party 🎊
Congrats to Arturs Silovs on being named @NHL Second Star of the Week!
Silovs has been on a heater as of late, winning five of his last six starts and allowing only 10 goals in those six games. Going back even further, he's 5-2-2 in his last nine games with a .936 save percentage.
He's making a strong case to be the Game 1 starter in the playoffs, should the Penguins make it.
He'll be needed a lot this week since the Penguins have four games, three of which are against potential playoff teams. They'll play the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, and the Bruins again on Sunday.
Detroit Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygård got a brief taste of NHL action earlier this season, and although he was later reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, he continues to offer glimpses of what fans can expect when he ultimately becomes a full-time NHL player.
He's been tearing it up with the Griffins, who have enjoyed a record-breaking season and became the first AHL team since the early 1990s to clinch a postseason spot in the month of February.
Thanks to his recent stretch of play, Brandsegg-Nygård has been named the AHL's Player of the Week.
During his last three games, Brandsegg-Nygård has registered an impressive five goals, one assist, 17 shots on goal, and a plus-three rating. It added to his totals of 15 goals with 19 assists in 48 games so far this season with the Griffins.
Brandsegg-Nygård, whom the Red Wings selected in the first round (15th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, initially made Detroit's roster thanks to his strong showing in Training Camp, and registered an assist in the nine games he appeared in.
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Jordan Kyrou is and has drawn interest from several teams around the NHL. Up to this point, no trade has come to fruition due to either the St. Louis Blues’ hesitance to move him or the price being too high.
But now, it feels different, as the Blues sit in 31st place in the NHL standings and appear to be sellers at the upcoming March 6 trade deadline.
Kyrou’s name has been littered all over trade boards. Known interest in Kyrou previously has come from the Seattle Kraken and the Montreal Canadiens, but a new team has emerged with possible interest in the three-time 30-goal scorer.
According to The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner, New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche has checked in on both Kyrou and Robert Thomas. He also revealed what Blues GM Doug Armstrong could be looking to acquire from the Islanders in a potential deal involving Kyrou.
The first name Rosner said Armstrong is interested in is 19-year-old defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson. Aitcheson was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Islanders in the 2025 NHL draft, and the 6-foot-2 defender has lit up the OHL this season, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 48 games.
Aitcheson is an offensive defenseman who loves to throw his weight around physically. There are some holes in his defensive game, but at 19, there is plenty of time for him to correct them.
Rosner mentioned that the Islanders aren’t necessarily looking to move Aitcheson, but he believes that Aitcheson, plus draft picks, is likely the ask for Kyrou.
Center and Islanders prospect Danny Nelson is believed to be drawing interest from the Blues as well. The 20-year-old is skating in his third season with Notre Dame in the NCAA, posting 13 goals and 27 points in 33 games this season.
Listed at 6-foot-3, Nelson has all the traits of a potential two-way NHL center. The level his offensive game can reach in the NHL is unknown, but the former 2023 second-round pick of the Islanders has an intriguing skill set.
Kyrou is only in the third year of an eight-year contract, so Armstrong is in no rush to move him. There is belief that Kyrou could be moved in the off-season, rather than in-season, but if the right package comes along, a deal could be made.
At 27 years old and an established 30-goal scoring winger, the price is deservedly high for Kyrou.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly kicked tires on St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas.
According to TSN's Darren Dreger on TSN 1050's First Up with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving checked in with the Blues on Thomas last week.
"Lots of Robert Thomas speculation over the course of the weekend, and frankly — I wouldn't say over the course of the weekend, this is more last week — Treliving and the Maple Leafs kicked tires on Robert Thomas," Dreger reported.
"And why wouldn't you, right? Again, there's a player who's got term. If you can somehow figure it out, now what's it going to cost? A significant amount. It's not Easton Cowan. Are you willing to have the Matthew Knies conversation? But that seemed to cool over the course of the weekend."
The 26-year-old has played 43 games this season with the Blues, totalling 12 goals and 35 points. Despite working through several injuries this year, Thomas has averaged 18:55 of ice time, the most among St. Louis forwards.
He's in the third year of an eight-year contract, which pays him $8.125 million annually.
From a quick glance, Thomas joining the Maple Leafs makes sense. There's history with Craig Berube, with whom the forward won the Stanley Cup in 2019 on the Blues. Thomas would also be the perfect player to take over the second-line center position for John Tavares, who's battling Father Time.
However, the deeper you look at the trade, the less it makes sense for Toronto.
As Dreger points out, Toronto would have to give up Cowan, Knies, and likely even more to acquire Thomas from the Blues. That alone should turn the Maple Leafs away almost immediately.
Toronto needs players like them for its future.
Cowan has yet to show his true potential with the Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Knies has demonstrated he can be one of the NHL's top power forwards when he's at the top of his game.
Trading for Thomas feels like a short-term band-aid for a team with several problems. They need to figure out what they're going to do with pending unrestricted free agents like Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton before doing any of the heavy swinging.
The 18-year-old recorded four goals, becoming the first rookie this season to score 20 after a two-goal night in the Islanders' 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.
He added one assist to go along with those four goals, for five points in three games, helping his team to a 3-0-0 week. The Islanders trailed 2-0 in each of those three games.
Against the Montreal Canadiens, Schaefer scored two goals in 55 seconds to tie the score at 2-2 in a 4-3 overtime win.
Schaefer has 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 61 games played this season, averagin 24:07 minnutes per game. x.com
The NHL’s trade deadline is scheduled for March 6 at 12 PM PST, and this season has a unique landscape as that anticipated date on the calendar approaches.
Typically, around the 60-game mark, the list of “buyers” and “sellers” has been all but solidified, but with the deadline just a week away, all but four teams (New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks) are either in a playoff spot or within ten points of the final wild card spot in their respective conference.
The list of true Stanley Cup contenders (judging solely by the standings) is relatively short as well, with just five teams with a points percentage over .650 (Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars).
The rest of the teams in the NHL will likely conduct themselves as “soft buyers” or “soft sellers,” meaning franchise-altering pieces will likely remain in place unless said piece is seen as a substantial player for whichever acquiring organization beyond the 2025-26 season.
The Anaheim Ducks are currently in line to achieve the mandate set forth nine months ago by owner Henry Samueli and general manager Pat Verbeek: to take the next step in their build and make the playoffs.
As of Monday morning, the Ducks currently sit in second place in the Pacific Division standings and are just one point behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights.
A fully healthy Ducks lineup (based on their most recent games) roughly resembles something like this:
Kreider-Carlsson-Gauthier
Killorn-McTavish-Sennecke
Granlund-Poehling-Terry
Johnston-Washe-Viel
Vatrano-Harkins-Strome
LaCombe-Trouba
Zellweger-Gudas
Mintyukov-Moore
Helleson
Dostal
Husso
With the Ducks’ playoff contention window seemingly just opening and their potential cup-contending window still at least a couple of years in the future, it’s safe to assume they won’t be in the market to add significant rental pieces that the front office doesn’t project to be part of the roster beyond this season.
A glance at the roster won’t uncover any glaring holes, just an underdeveloped young core surrounded by mostly post-prime veterans. Again, unless a young or prime-age impact player can be had, minor upgrades here and there may be the focus heading into this trade deadline for Verbeek and the front office.
With just 23 games remaining on their 2025-26 schedule, the Ducks remain one of the poorer defensive teams in the NHL, both in traditional numbers and 5v5 underlying numbers. They rank 31st in goals against per game (3.49) and 21st in shots on goal allowed per game (29). At 5v5, they’re 25th in shot attempts allowed per 60 minutes (59.66), 23rd in shots on goal allowed per 60 (27.85), and 29th in expected goals against per 60 (2.86).
Three areas to focus on heading into Friday’s deadline for Anaheim could be a top-line forward, a depth defensive-oriented forward, and a top-four right-shot defenseman. Let’s take a look at some of the more consistent impact names currently available on various outlets’ trade boards that could fit the bill, to give an idea of what the Ducks could look to add should the opportunities present themselves.
Top Line Forward
The Ducks deploy four dynamic young forwards in their top-six on a nightly basis: Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier, and Mason McTavish. Filling in the gaps are Troy Terry, a prime-age complementary scorer, and a trio of savvy veterans with varying skillsets: Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, and Mikael Granlund. Another high-end talent who can become or remain a core piece when the Ducks’ contending window is truly open could round out the top of their roster, especially so if that player provides a positive defensive impact.
Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks)
27, $11.6 Million Cap Hit, Full NMC, Expires 2032
Pettersson is in year two of a massive contract extension, but three years removed from his most productive season in 2022-23, where he notched 102 points (39-63=102) in 80 games. His last three seasons have been full of both on and off-ice turmoil and injury concerns. He can play wing or center, and he can kill penalties, but the question remains if Pettersson can recapture his production from a few years ago. If an acquiring team isn’t 100% certain, that contract becomes the riskiest of risky gambles.
Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues)
26, $8.125 Million Cap Hit, Full NTC, Expires 2031
Over the past four seasons, Thomas has been one of the most consistent and healthy 75-90-point centers in the NHL, who controls the game in all three zones. He’s run into a bit of injury trouble this season, and the Blues seem to be heading in the opposite direction for the talented playmaker. The ask is reportedly high, justifiably and predictably so, but a player of his caliber could round out an up-and-coming forward group. These kinds of players aren’t available often, so if a deal can be made, GMs in Verbeek’s situation would be wise not to hesitate.
Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues)
27, $8.125 Million Cap Hit, Full NTC, Expires 2031
With an identical contract to Thomas’, every point made above can be echoed for Kyrou. He attacks dynamically with pace, and though he doesn’t kill penalties, he produces quality defensive metrics likely due to his team’s possession time when he’s on the ice. His potential fit with Anaheim isn’t quite as obvious as Pettersson’s or Thomas’ due to Terry and Sennecke’s presences, but that would be a good problem to have, and shouldn’t be seen as a deterrent, again, if a deal can be had.
Other Notable Candidates: Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers), Nazem Kadri (Calgary Flames), Steven Stamkos (Nashville Predators)
Depth Defensive Forward
Having a true 200-foot forward that the coaching staff can deploy on the penalty kill, against opposing top lines, and provide offense from the bottom six would relieve some pressure from the LaCombe-Trouba pair, as well as some of the Ducks’ top offensive players who haven’t developed on that side of the puck quite yet.
Ryan O’Reilly (Nashville Predators)
35, $4.5 Million Cap Hit, NO trade protection, Expires 2027
The Preds are suddenly in the playoff mix, but if they decide to sell, O’Reilly is a suitable candidate for several middle-sixes across the league. He doesn’t have an NTC, but Nashville has stated they’re treating him as if he does, indicating he will dictate where he’ll land if he moves. He’s been one of the NHL’s top defensive forwards for most of his long career, and he’s on pace to set a career high in points, as he’s scored 57 points (21-36=57) through 59 games this season.
Blake Coleman (Calgary Flames)
34, $4.9 Million Cap Hit, 21-Team NTC, Expires 2027
For a player who plays as physically taxing a brand as Coleman does, he’s been surprisingly durable through the course of his career, is good for 35-50 points a season, and is a proven playoff performer. Coleman is the type of player who will likely command a sizable return, but his trade protection could mute that somewhat. However, one wouldn’t be surprised if a first-round pick is exchanged in a potential deal.
Warren Foegele (Los Angeles Kings)
29, $3.5 Million Cap Hit, 5-Team NTC, Expires 2027
After back-to-back 40-plus point seasons, Foegle hasn’t been able to find that same level of production in his second season in LA. He had even served as a healthy scratch earlier in the year. The Kings just made a change at head coach, bringing in DJ Smith, and they seem to be interested in making a playoff run in Kopitar’s final year. If Foegele is available, he can provide a versatile middle-six role, blending speed and tenacity, and is one of the first forwards over the boards on the PK.
Other Notable Candidates: Scott Laughton (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jason Dickinson (Chicago Blackhawks), Erik Haula (Nashville Predators)
Top Four Defensemen
Jacob Trouba has elevated his game and has been an impactful defenseman opposite the club’s #1 defenseman in LaCombe. However, he’s unlikely to assume that role, even if re-signed, too far into the future. Similarly, the same could be said for Radko Gudas, who’s in the last year of his deal. Gudas would likely be most effective in bottom-pair minutes at this stage in his career and into the playoffs should the Ducks make it that far.
Tyler Myers (Vancouver Canucks)
36, $3 Million Cap Hit, Full NMC, Expires 2027
The towering 6-foot-8 defenseman is being held out of Vancouver’s nightly lineup in anticipation of a trade ahead of Friday’s deadline. Seemingly a product of environment, Myers has had a rollercoaster career for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, and Vancouver Canucks. His best years were alongside Quinn Hughes with the Canucks as the defensive-oriented half of a dynamic pair. The Ducks have three young, dynamic defensemen on their current blueline (LaCombe, Mintyukov, Zellweger), and if paired next to one, Myers has a chance to recapture some of that magic in the later stages of his career.
Justin Faulk (St. Louis Blues)
33, $6.5 Million Cap Hit, 15-Team NTC, Expires 2027
Faulk has been the Blues’ most consistent all-situations defenseman for the better part of a decade. He moves pucks, kills penalties, and has performed well in his five career trips to the playoffs. The underlying metrics haven’t been kind to Faulk since arriving in St. Louis from Carolina in 2019, but perhaps a slightly lesser role on a contender would iron some of that out. Again, St. Louis probably has phones ringing off the hook due to their volume of tradable assets, as they will hope for a quick reset with plenty of young talent either on the roster or in the way.
Rasmus Ristolainen (Philadelphia Flyers)
31, $5.1 Million Cap Hit, NO trade protection, Expires 2027
Another towering right-shot defenseman on trade boards, Ristolainen is coming off an impressive Olympic performance, earning a bronze medal with his native Finland. Injury concerns are real, as he’s barely played more than 100 games (116) over the past three seasons for the Flyers, and a saturated right-shot defense market may drive the price down. However, his lack of trade protection could recoup some of that lost value. He still skates well, he’s still physical in the small areas, and he is still prone to some unfortunate, costly mistakes. It will be interesting to see how his market plays out over the next few days.
Other Notable Candidates: Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey Devils), Luke Schenn (Winnipeg Jets), McKenzie Weegar (Calgary Flames)
Clearing Space
When healthy, the Ducks will have 15 current NHL forwards on their roster and seven NHL defensemen. Frank Vatrano has yet to be activated from IR, and when he is, some type of move will have to be made, one way or another.
The Ducks also have young players in the AHL, with the San Diego Gulls, pushing for NHL ice time at every position: Nathan Gaucher, Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko, Tyson Hinds, and Tristan Luneau.
For whatever reason, this season has been unkind to Verbeek’s first two UFA signings from when he first took the Ducks’ GM job in 2022: Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano. With the emergence of young players, they’ve had a difficult time carving out depth roles for themselves, leaving them as fourth-line or healthy-scratch players. Combined, they make $9.6 million against the Ducks’ cap, so something will have to give at some point, especially with projected expensive contract extensions likely due to young core pieces in the summer.
Verbeek will have his work cut out for him shaping the Ducks’ roster, especially over the summer. However, it’s unclear how much business he’ll get done, if any, before Friday’s deadline.
The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 2. They have now made a roster move ahead of the contest.
The Flyers have announced that they have recalled defenseman Adam Ginning from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Ginning has appeared in five games this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded zero points, four hits, five blocks, and an even plus/minus rating. However, he has primarily played in the AHL with Lehigh Valley this season. The 6-foot-3 defenseman has one goal, four points, and a minus-7 rating in 31 games this season with the Phantoms.
Ginning was selected by the Flyers with the 50th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In 16 games over four seasons with the Flyers, he has recorded one goal, 17 blocks, 25 hits, and a minus-1 rating.
