While we’re still a ways away from prime trading season in the NHL, it’s not too early to at least begin considering which teams might target which sorts of players to acquire. The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano did just that today with the New York Rangers, identifying a puck-moving defenseman with legitimate offensive ability as one of the Rangers’ top priorities in terms of who they might want to acquire in a deal.
While the Rangers are led by Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who is having another strong season, the top offensive blueliners behind him are Vladislav Gavrikov and Braden Schneider – neither of whom profiles as a real candidate to quarterback a power play. The Rangers acquired top prospect Scott Morrow, who carries that profile, in this offseason’s K’Andre Miller trade, but Mercogliano wrote that “the early whispers” from AHL Hartford regarding Morrow “haven’t been overly positive.” As a result, if the Rangers continue to hang around the playoff race and appear in need of external reinforcement, expect the club to target a blueliner who fills that specific offensively-oriented role.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten off to a poor start to their 2025-26 campaign, and currently sit 25th in the NHL with an 8-8-2 record. The team’s struggles have led those covering the team to consider the club’s various options to dig itself out of its slump. The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel wrote today that while “a lot of the Leafs’ struggles right now do appear to be systems-related,” it’s unclear whether a coaching change would be legitimately considered at this time. Head coach Craig Berube still has two seasons remaining on his contract beyond this one, and changing coaches so early in the season would not be a decision team ownership “will love,” per Siegel. But he did add that a coaching change “will have to become a serious consideration” if the team’s struggles persist. At the moment, the top veteran coaching free agent appears to be Peter DeBoer, the former Dallas Stars head coach whose teams have made a run to the Western Conference Final in five of the past six seasons.
- Earlier this week, we covered news that Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman was set to make his season debut very soon. Today, the Oilers confirmed that, barring something unforeseen, Hyman will make his season debut tonight in Raleigh when Edmonton takes on the Carolina Hurricanes. Hyman’s return is a major boost for the Oilers. The 33-year-old scored 54 goals in 2023-24 and ranked fifth on the team in scoring in 2024-25.
Hmm, whoda thunk that the Leafs replacing one of the top 10 or so offensive AND defensive forwards in the league with (checks notes) a bunch of guys who bounced between the big team and the Marlies the past couple seasons would have an effect on the team? It certainly must be the coach’s fault, you know, the same coach that actually got them to win a playoff round for the first time in an eternity and stretch the two-time Cup champs to seven games just a few months ago…
@poisoned. Marner is a head case. And he chokes when it matter, the playoffs. He’s softer than a wet kitten too. Their struggles have nothing to do with MM leaving. It’s a team without internal accountability nor any on the ice. Matthews got nailed and not one player did anything about it. It happens every game. They don’t stand up for each other, they are selfish, they don’t play as a team. Those are the problems.
The Leafs should’ve resigned Marner then did a reverse Vegas move with him. Let him play all season then LTIR him for the playoffs.
Playoffs or not. Special teams is atrocious. That’s directly tied to Marner leaving. Defensive accountability could be a combination of juggling lines (defense works best w chemistry), tuning out the coach or the fact that two of our better defensive forwards in Kampf and Marner no longer play for us.
Helps to have healthy goaltending. Should have made Stolarz play for a contract this year.