Joshua Ho-Sang Signs In Russia
Feb. 10: Ho-Sang was released from his contract today without ever playing a game for the club, the league announced.
Dec. 30: Former Islanders first-rounder Joshua Ho-Sang is attempting to restart his professional career. Salavat Yulaev Ufa of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League has signed him to a two-way deal through the end of the season, the league announced.
Ho-Sang, once viewed as New York’s top prospect following his selection at 28th overall in 2014, has appeared in just 18 regular-season games over the last three years. He suited up once for Salavat in 2022-23, recording an assist, before spending the last two years on and off duty with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. He racked up 19 points in 17 games with the Everblades and led the Kelly Cup Playoffs in assists in 2024, proving he can still be a top-flight contributor in a lower-tier pro league.
Now 29, Ho-Sang only ever got into 53 NHL games with the Isles, scoring seven goals and 24 points, with his final appearance coming in December 2018. He’s since spent time in the minors in the Maple Leafs’ system as well as stints in Sweden during the 2020-21 campaign.
Ho-Sang contemplated retirement following his short stint with Salavat last time around. They’re now bringing him in off another lengthy bout without a contract to suit up alongside Canadiens 2025 first-rounder Alexander Zharovsky, who leads the club in scoring with 28 points in 32 games.
Penguins In The Market For Defensive Depth
Entering the season, the Penguins had a logjam on defense. Despite a couple of in-season additions already in Brett Kulak and Ilya Solovyov, it’s largely cleared out.
Caleb Jones hasn’t been a factor all season due to injury and now a PED-related suspension. The Matt Dumba experiment is over, and he’ll play out the rest of the season buried in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. “Veteran” depth pickups Sebastian Aho and Alexander Alexeyev were waived to begin the season and haven’t seen any NHL ice. Top prospect Harrison Brunicke was returned to his junior team.
Then, in the days leading up to the Olympic break, injuries piled up. Jack St. Ivany, who’d emerged as a great bottom-pairing shutdown option over the last few months, fractured his hand and won’t be back until late March. Kris Letang is dealing with a fractured foot, too, although he’ll be back by the trade deadline.
Still, those surgeries (and apparently some nagging injury concerns with Erik Karlsson) have the Penguins in the market to add another defenseman before March 6, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports. That body would presumably be a righty with Pittsburgh’s top three on the right side, Letang, Karlsson, and St. Ivany, comprising their current injury concerns.
It’s likely one of the first places they’d go for depth is San Jose. The Sharks have plenty of rental names available that won’t be overly expensive, namely Timothy Liljegren. A reunion with Vincent Desharnais, who the Penguins had for a 10-game run last year before flipping him to the Sharks for a fifth-round pick at the deadline, is logical as well.
With Letang and Karlsson already in the picture, it stands to reason Pittsburgh won’t be looking for an offense-oriented defender as depth. A plug-and-play, more well-rounded option like Liljegren seems preferable. Among potential rental options across the league, there’s Ottawa’s Nick Jensen and Winnipeg’s Colin Miller out there as well.
Rangers Likely To Move Vincent Trocheck
When Rangers GM Chris Drury released a letter to the fans last month announcing a retool, he noted that this process could “mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.” We’ve already seen one of those players on the move with last week’s trade that saw Artemi Panarin get moved to Los Angeles.
But retools don’t often stop at one core player being on the move. Meanwhile, with the market having few defined sellers at this point and a lot of teams still being in the playoff picture, those who are willing to move out some talent appear to be poised to capitalize on a strong trade market.
To that end, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic recently noted on Edmonton Sports Talk (video link) that it seems likely that center Vincent Trocheck will be on the move before the March 6th trade deadline.
There aren’t many Rangers who have lived up to expectations offensively this season but Trocheck may very well be one of those who have. After a quieter performance in 2024-25 that saw him collect 26 goals and 33 assists in 82 games (compared to 77 points the year before), the 32-year-old has bounced back a bit this season, notching 36 points in 43 games (a 69-point pace over a full 82-game campaign).
On top of that, Trocheck remains one of the better players at the faceoff dot, winning 56.5% of his draws this season. He’s also logging more than two minutes per night on both the power play and penalty kill and close to 21 minutes per contest overall. Suffice it to say, he’s about as complete of a player as you’re going to find on the trade market.
His two-way skillset is what led the Rangers to sign him to a seven-year, $39.375MM contract back in 2022, a deal that still has three years remaining on it after that one. With a $5.625MM AAV that is already now below-average for a second center, Trocheck is an option that more teams should be able to afford, meaning that New York shouldn’t necessarily have to use one of its salary retention slots to get a deal done.
It’s worth noting that Trocheck does have some trade protection in his deal. Although he no longer has a full no-move clause, he can still block a trade to a dozen teams. That would give him a chance to affect his own trade talks, though nowhere close to the extent that Panarin ultimately did to ensure he landed with the Kings.
At this point, the list of potential suitors for Trocheck would probably be longer than the list of teams that wouldn’t show interest in him. Accordingly, if Drury decides to pull the trigger and move out a longer-term core piece, he will be in a much stronger position than he had with Panarin to elicit a top-end return that moves their retooling process along. Once the trade freeze ends (on February 22nd at 10:59 PM CT), the Rangers will have just 12 days before the trade deadline to try to find a suitable trade for Trocheck.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Ottawa Senators
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up are the Senators.
Ottawa Senators
Current Cap Hit: $92,446,600 (under the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None that are playing on a regular basis.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
F Nick Cousins ($825K, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Claude Giroux ($2MM, UFA)
D Nick Jensen ($4.05MM, UFA)
G Leevi Merilainen ($1.05MM, RFA)
F David Perron ($4MM, UFA)
G James Reimer ($850K, UFA)
D Jordan Spence ($1.5MM, RFA)
Potential Bonuses
Eller: $1MM
Giroux: $2.75MM
Total: $3.75MM
Perron has been hit or miss outside of St. Louis in his career but that didn’t stop the Sens from giving him a two-year deal. The first season didn’t go great due to injuries and while he has been healthier this season, the overall performance hasn’t been great. At this point, it’d be hard to see him beat this on the open market and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his next deal be a one-year, incentive-laden one that keeps the base cost down to allow for more flexibility. Doing that could push the maximum value at least within the vicinity of his current contract. Giroux is someone who signed the type of deal Perron might get. After his initial three-year deal expired, the two sides had a prolonged negotiation but eventually got this deal over the finish line. While $750K of his bonuses are achievable simply through games played (topping out at 60), the remainder have a playoff-related component to them with $1.75MM being tied to series wins. That’s a fair structure and one that will likely be repeated if he sticks around for another year.
Eller was a valuable third-line center for many years but has slowed down lately, resulting in him needing to take a structure like this as well although only half of his bonuses are playoff-related. He’ll be 37 next season and it stands to reason that he’ll be going year-to-year moving forward, likely with contracts structured like this. Cousins has hovered at or just above the league minimum for several seasons now. A 12-year veteran in what has largely been the same type of role, his next deal should once again land in that area.
While landing Jensen as the centerpiece of the return for Jakob Chychrun might feel underwhelming, the veteran was one of their better blueliners last season although he hasn’t fared quite as well this year. He’ll be 36 when the 2026-27 campaign begins but there might be enough market interest to land him a two-year pact (performance bonuses wouldn’t be an option with that term) at least close to his current price tag. Spence was brought over in a draft day trade with the Kings with the hopes that he could take on a bigger role. That hasn’t happened and instead, he has been scratched several times already. Owed a $1.7MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights this summer, Spence’s point production in recent years could give him a shot at doubling that required offer. If Ottawa doesn’t want to go that high, however, he becomes a potential trade or non-tender candidate.
Merilainen was a big bright spot when pressed into duty as the third-stringer last season and without his efforts, they may not have made the playoffs. That small sample size was enough to get him the full-time backup job this year where things haven’t gone as well and they’ve since shuffled him to the AHL to get him more playing time. He has arbitration eligibility this summer and given how this year has gone, the Sens could ultimately look to a different backup option that’s a little more proven. With his struggles, Ottawa recently turned to Reimer to try to help stabilize the backup position. Given how he has bounced around and had to wait half a season to get signed, it’s safe to say that his next deal will be at or near the minimum, if he gets one at all.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Michael Amadio ($2.6MM, UFA)
F Drake Batherson ($4.975MM, UFA)
D Tyler Kleven ($1.6MM, UFA)
F Kurtis MacDermid ($1.15MM, UFA)
D Nikolas Matinpalo ($875K, UFA)
D Artem Zub ($4.6MM, UFA)
Batherson has been one of Ottawa’s better bargains for quite some time now. He is making second-line money but has put up better than that level of production for the last four years. He was just shy of a point per game in 2021-22 and then followed that up with three straight years of more than 60 points. This season, he’s once again flirting with the point per game threshold. If he stays around that trajectory, pushing past the $9MM per season mark is a very realistic outcome, especially if he were to make it to the open market. The Sens have had several below-market contracts for their young core and his deal is arguably the best one of them all.
Amadio has been quite consistent with three straight seasons of 27 points and is around that mark again this year. That’s not a great return for their money but it’s not a bad one either as he’s consistently in their middle six. But unless he can find another gear offensively, he might not be able to beat this by much in 2027. MacDermid came over in a late preseason trade and has played rather sparingly since then. While there is still a role for the true ‘enforcer’, his limited usage could bring his price tag closer to the minimum salary moving forward.
Zub has had some challenges staying healthy over his time in Ottawa but when he’s healthy, he’s a capable top-four defender who logs some tough defensive minutes. He’ll be entering his age-32 season when his next deal begins, meaning another multi-year pact (three to five years, specifically), is more than reasonable. In a market where the price of top-four blueliners is going to rise, Zub should be able to push past the $6MM mark per season on his next contract.
Kleven’s first full NHL season in 2024-25 was a decent one as he was a regular on the third pairing but his limited track record didn’t give him much earnings upside. Somewhat surprisingly, though, Ottawa signed him to a deal that walked him right to UFA eligibility. He’s playing a bigger role this season and if he can get closer to the 17-18-minute mark, a jump past $3MM per season could be doable. Matinpalo is in his first year as a full-timer on the roster, though not a full-timer in the lineup as he remains more of a depth piece. That will need to change if he’s going to be able to push past the $1MM mark by any sort of meaningful amount.
Signed Through 2027-28
D Thomas Chabot ($8MM, UFA)
F Brady Tkachuk ($8.206MM, UFA)
F Fabian Zetterlund ($4.275MM, UFA)
It took quite a while for Tkachuk to sign coming off his entry-level contract but the deal has held up quite nicely. This season aside, he has been quite durable and produced largely at a top-line rate. Between that and his being a power forward, it’s fair to say he’s heading for a considerable jump; a contract in the $12MM range could very well be on the table. Zetterlund did well in San Jose but struggled following a late-season trade to Ottawa. He signed based on his production with the Sharks but his struggles have carried over into this year. As a result, this deal may be close to double what his value is based on his performance with the Sens.
Chabot was the first core Senator to sign a pricey deal coming off an entry-level pact, a well the team has gone to several times since then. While he’s no longer among the most-used defensemen in the league, he’s still a capable all-around defender who can still play at a 40-point pace or more. While his injury history could hurt his market a bit, with the rapid escalation of prices for top-pairing blueliners, he should be in line for a double-digit AAV on his next contract.
Victor Eklund Expected To Play In North America Next Season
It has been a solid post-draft season for Islanders prospect Victor Eklund. Making the jump to the SHL level for the first time, he has put up 16 points in 34 games with Djurgardens while averaging 14:38 of playing time.
However, even though he’s playing a regular role at home, it appears that the Islanders have other plans for him next season. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that Eklund is expected to play in North America next season, either with New York or the minors where their farm team is expected to relocate from Bridgeport to Hamilton for 2026-27.
The 19-year-old was the 16th overall pick back in June, the second of back-to-back selections that were acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade. Eklund spent last season in the second-tier Allsvenskan with Djurgardens, helping them earn a promotion to the top level this season. Heading into the draft, he was largely a consensus top-10 selection so the Isles certainly felt fortunate to get him where they did.
On top of his play in the SHL this season, Eklund served as an alternate captain for Sweden at the most recent World Juniors, a country that won their first gold medal in the event in 14 years. He finished tied for fourth on the team in scoring with two goals and six assists in seven games. That was a small improvement in points over his first time in the event in 2024-25 when he had four goals and two helpers in seven contests.
Eklund has already signed his entry-level contract, a three-year deal that technically began this season. However, since he isn’t playing in ten or more NHL games this season, the start of the deal will slide, meaning Eklund will still have three years left on his deal when he makes his debut in North America next season.
Poll: Which Team Will Win The Gold Medal At The Olympics?
The long wait is over. For the first time since 2014, NHL players will represent their respective countries at the Olympic Games.
In the last two meetings with NHL representatives, Team Canada has been dominant. They beat Team USA in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics on the back of an overtime winner by Sidney Crosby. During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Canada shutout Team Sweden in the Gold Medal game. Team Finland won the Bronze Medal in both of those years.
There will be a group of 12 countries in this year’s tournament, represented by Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, and France in Group A, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, and Italy in Group B, and the United States, Germany, Latvia, and Denmark in Group C. The action formally kicks off on Wednesday, February 11th, and will conclude with the Gold Medal contest on Sunday, February 22nd.
Barring injuries, Canada understandably remains the favorite to win. Still, the United States is a much closer second thanin years past, followed by Sweden, Finland, and Czechia. The rosters for Canada, USA, Finland, and Sweden are similar to last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, whereas the other high-performing countries will have much different iterations.
Regardless of outcome in the Round Robin, every nation will earn a tournament bid, seeded one through 12. The top four teams will earn an automatic bye into the quarterfinals, and the remaining eight teams will battle in a ‘playoff round’.
Unfortunately, since they are in different groups, there are no guarantees of a border matchup between Canada and the United States. Nonetheless, there will still be notable matchups in the round between Finland and Sweden, Canada and Czechia, and the United States and Germany.
Now the crystal ball passes to you — in a few weeks, which team will be donning the gold medal around their necks?
Mobile users click here to vote.
Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the Olympic break now upon us, the trade deadline is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We begin our look around the league with teams that have clear plans at the extremes of the standings, this time with the Hurricanes.
Last season, the Hurricanes seemingly landed their big fish, acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. Unfortunately, due to an initial lack of traction in extension negotiations and a flat-out denial to sign a new contract, Carolina shipped Rantanen to the Dallas Stars for Logan Stankoven and several draft picks. Furthermore, the Hurricanes attempted to swap Rantanen for Mitch Marner, then with the Toronto Maple Leafs, before being told that he, too, wouldn’t sign an extension. Regardless, Carolina has remained one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference during the regular season and has been connected to nearly every big-ticket trade candidate.
Record
36-15-6, 1st in the Metropolitan (99.8% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$40.52MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: DAL 1st, SJ 4th, TOR 6th, CAR 6th
2027: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, DAL 3rd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th, CAR 6th, CAR 7th
Trade Chips
Given that nearly every report indicates the Hurricanes are going big-game hunting, there wouldn’t be any surprise to see them move one, if not both, non-lottery first-round picks they have through next season (assuming they’re competitive again next year). Still, there are a few prospects and rostered players Carolina could dangle for a big addition.
Despite being on pace to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, the Hurricanes have one of the league’s better prospect pools. Highlighted by Kurban Limatov, Bradly Nadeau, Dominik Badinka, Felix Unger-Sörum, and Nikita Artamonov, Carolina could conceivably trade any of them for a big addition to the team. In an ideal scenario, since it is not always easy for the Hurricanes to attract big free agents, the team could retain Nadeau long-term for a future top-six role. He has scored 18 goals and 41 points in 34 games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves this season.
Still, Carolina may be able to land an upper-level player without parting with any prospects. The Hurricanes are known to be shopping Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and are reportedly open to moving defenseman Alexander Nikishin for the right price. Given that he’s signed through the 2029-30 season at a $4.82MM price tag, and he’s only scored two goals and nine points through 36 games this season, Kotkaniemi would be a complementary piece in any trade. However, a package of Nikishin, Kotkaniemi, and their two first-round picks through next season could land a more than meaningful addition.
Nikishin’s value is self-explanatory. He’s a formidable two-way defenseman, scoring seven goals and 22 points in 56 games while averaging 18:20 of ice time per game. Additionally, he’s third on the team in hits with 100, and has a 91.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength. It’s hard to imagine any team balking at adding a player like Nikishin to their defensive core for the next several years, if not more.
Team Needs
Star Forward: As described, the Hurricanes desperately need a star. There’s nothing wrong with Sebastian Aho leading the pack, but putting a star next to him would put Carolina into a different tier. Given the trade market this year, Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues appears to be the ideal candidate. Thomas, 26, has scored 58 goals and 200 points in his last 194 games and helped the Blues win their first Stanley Cup title in 2019. He doesn’t have the best possession metrics, but would seemingly fit effortlessly into Rod Brind’Amour‘s system. Given that they have an aging defensive core (outside of Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux), St. Louis, which has expectedly put a high price on Thomas, could be enticed by a package of Nikishin, Kotkaniemi, two first-round picks, and one of Carolina’s top-five prospects.
Goalie Depth: The best word to describe the Hurricanes’ goaltending tandem is weird. The team has relied heavily on rookie netminder Brandon Bussi, who’s managed a 23-3-1 record in his first 27 games with a .906 SV% and 2.16 GAA. Carolina, of all teams, isn’t a stranger to riding the hot hand in the playoffs (looking at you, Cam Ward), but it would be prudent to give him some better insurance. Frederik Andersen, 36, is having the worst season of his professional career, and there’s no guarantee that Pyotr Kochetkov will return this season. Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of options on the trade market, but the Hurricanes could look at some expiring assets, such as Alex Nedeljkovic of the San Jose Sharks or James Reimer of the Ottawa Senators.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Red Wings Are Poised To Take The Next Step
There’s no question it’ll remain an uphill battle after the Olympic break, but the Detroit Red Wings appear poised to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Detroit’s most recent playoff streak was the fourth-longest in NHL history, spanning from 1991 to 2016. During that stretch, the Red Wings won four Stanley Cup titles in six appearances. Ready to begin the next streak, captain Dylan Larkin explained to DJ Siddiqi of RG Media how his career has unfolded and what’s different about this year’s club.
Obviously, being from Waterford, MI, and playing his amateur hockey at the Belle Tire program, Larkin’s commitment to southeast Michigan runs deep. Playing his collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Larkin has never had a home game outside of his small pocket in Michigan.
Being on the last Red Wings to make the playoffs in 2016, Larkin had the opportunity to learn from a pair of the organization’s best: his first captain, Henrik Zetterberg, and his current General Manager, Steve Yzerman.
Opening up on some of the conversations he’s had with Yzerman, Larkin said, “I mean this respectfully, he’s a pretty private guy, and I believe most of the stuff we talk about should stay private. But he’s been a great role model for me. Henrik Zetteberg, who I got to play for my first three years, is probably the most significant person I’ve leaned on in my career. Steve is right up there with Henrik. I’m very fortunate to work with him, and he’s given me a lot of great, priceless advice.”
Zetterberg was one of the Red Wings’ most successful draft stories from the 1990s, and there were a few. Detroit selected him 210th overall in the 1999 NHL Draft, and he debuted for the team in the 2002-03 season.
Although he and fellow diamond-in-the-rough Pavel Datsyuk never tallied a 100-point campaign at the NHL level, they became two of the most complete forwards in the game, helping sustain Detroit’s success. Zetterberg finished his career with 337 goals and 960 points in 1,082 NHL games before having his career cut short by chronic back issues. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy during the Red Wings’ 11th Stanley Cup title in 2008 and was the team’s captain from 2012 to 2018.
Even by today’s standards, there would be few better players to learn from. Like his predecessors, Larkin doesn’t appear poised to crack the 100-point plateau, but he is making up for that with how he plays the game. He has shown flashes of being above a point-per-game player and has been consistent in his skill in the faceoff dot and possession metrics.
Lastly, Larkin opened up on what making the playoffs would mean for him and the team, saying, “It would be unbelievable to play a playoff game – the first playoff game at Little Caesars Arena in hockey history. It would mean a lot to our fans and mean a lot to me. It’s not all about me, but being here through some tough days and getting into the playoffs, I believe our team can do some damage. I hope our fans do as well.“
Canadiens In The Market For First-Line Winger
The Canadiens have begun to softly position themselves in the market for a right-winger to complement Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki on the top line ahead of the trade deadline, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said on Daily Faceoff’s “The Sheet with Jeff Marek” podcast last Friday. Pagnotta speculatively tied them to the Blues’ Jordan Kyrou, who the Habs were more firmly linked to last offseason, but didn’t have any other specific targets to offer.
For the past several seasons, the second-line center slot has been viewed as both a long-term and short-term position of need for Montreal as it transitioned from rebuilder to playoff contender. As Pagnotta mentioned, Oliver Kapanen‘s emergence this season has largely quieted that noise. The 22-year-old rookie is beginning to flourish between fellow youngsters Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky, on pace for 26 goals and 45 points. They’ll want more scoring out of him long-term, but it’s a promising first step for a second-round pick still at the midway point of his development curve.
Slafkovsky had spent his first couple of seasons up with Caufield and Suzuki. Moving him down the depth chart to give Montreal a formidable secondary scoring line hasn’t affected his production much and has been a net positive for the club this season, but they’ve yet to find a stable solution to replace him on the top unit.
Since Slafkovsky’s early-season “demotion,” it’s largely been an alternating mix of Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier riding shotgun on the right side. Together, they’ve averaged under half a point per game this season. They haven’t been a huge drag on the line’s possession impacts – in fact, they’ve controlled 61.6% of expected goals when Texier’s the third man – but it’s not the type of production they need from a top-line winger if they have serious aspirations of cutting through a crowded Eastern Conference field in the playoffs.
If Kyrou is amenable to a move, it could be a fit. He’s hit the 70-point mark three times in the last five years. A down year in 2025-26 means his $8.125MM cap hit through 2030-31 might be tough to swallow at first glance, and he has to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate it. There’s also the question of how the Habs would facilitate such a deal with just $1.5MM in projected cap space on deadline day. Moving out pending UFA Patrik Laine and his bloated $8.7MM cap hit is the clear path forward, but whether St. Louis would be open to taking it back in the deal or if they’d have to shed him in a separate transaction remains to be seen.
Montreal was tied to the Flames’ Blake Coleman last month. He would be a slightly longer-term solution as he’s signed through 2026-27. A respected all-around versatile winger, his offensive ceiling isn’t as tantalizing as other options, though. He’s only hit 50 points once in his career. Giving him premier minutes would obviously give him a better shot at being productive, though, and it would allow the Habs to throw out a more formidable bottom-six group as a result.
Of course, there’s also the option of not making any move at all. They still have some tantalizing names on the come-up, like 2025 second-rounder Alexander Zharovsky, a 6’1″ right winger who’s broken out for 36 points in 44 KHL games this season with a couple of weeks still to go before his 19th birthday. The hold-pat outcome is something Pagnotta relays general manager Kent Hughes remains comfortable with as the Habs carry a comfortable seven-point cushion on a playoff spot.
Trade Deadline Primer: Tampa Bay Lightning
With the Olympic break now upon us, the trade deadline is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We begin our look around the league with teams that have clear plans at the extremes of the standings, this time with the Lightning.
An aging core with extensive injury issues usually isn’t a recipe for success. No one’s told that to the Lightning, who’ve been one of the most consistent clubs in the league after starting the year on a 1-4-2 skid. They’ve lost nearly 70 man-games just from star players like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Victor Hedman, but still rank top-five in both goals for and goals against while allowing the seventh-fewest shots per game in the league. In a wide-open Eastern Conference, they have as good a chance as anyone to make their fourth Stanley Cup Final appearance in seven years.
Record
37-14-4, 1st in the Atlantic (99.92% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$3.84MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: TBL 2nd, TBL 3rd, SEA 5th, TBL 5th, TBL 6th, TBL 7th
2027: TBL 2nd, TBL 3rd, TBL 4th, TBL 6th, TBL 7th
Trade Chips
Unlike in years past, the Bolts’ arsenal of draft picks isn’t completely drained. They don’t have their firsts for the next two years, but they do still have one in 2028. With the Artemi Panarin trade potentially setting a precedent for a buyer’s market, that may not matter too much if the Bolts follow their usual M.O. of opting for depth over flash at the deadline. The firsts they’re missing, though, went to acquiring players who are still contributing this season – Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde.
General manager Julien BriseBois was seemingly interested in landing a big fish this time around in Panarin, though. However, with Tampa’s player acquisition approach usually centering around a hyper-specific approach, it’s unrealistic to expect that eagerness to apply to just anyone.
High-value, middle-six forwards with term will remain attractive. In doing so, they’ll need to put forth a package in which the most attractive asset is worth more than a mid-to-late second-round pick. If they were in anything close to legitimate talks to acquire Panarin, even as a rental, they had to at least breach the subject of flipping their new top prospect. Tampa acquired center Sam O’Reilly from the Oilers last summer in a swap of late first-round picks last offseason. The 32nd overall pick in the 2024 draft, O’Reilly is in his final junior season in the OHL and was recently traded by the London Knights to the Kitchener Rangers. He hasn’t shown overwhelming offensive development since his draft year, but he was always touted as a safe, two-way third-line agitator with good vision.
If, for example, Tampa were to pursue a reunion with Flames winger Blake Coleman, they’d likely need to leverage O’Reilly to get him. The retooling Flames are under no imminent pressure to move him, since his deal runs through next season at a $4.9MM cap hit, and their ask from Tampa would likely be higher anyway, since Calgary would need to retain money on Coleman if they’re not taking a roster player back. They gave up a first-round pick to get him from the Devils back in 2020 and, while they don’t have a close one to spare this time around, O’Reilly could hold similar value.
Any trade the Bolts make is unlikely to involve a roster player of any consequence going the other way. They’ve been hanging on by a thread due to injuries for most of the campaign anyway and, while some expert coaching from Jon Cooper has kept their underlying numbers on the up-and-up throughout, making any meaningful subtraction from their depth – unless they’re bringing in multiple pieces like last year’s Bjorkstrand/Gourde pickup from Seattle – is antithetical to the Bolts’ usual preferences. One name they could have more comfortably leveraged, center Jack Finley, was just claimed off waivers by the Blues.
Behind O’Reilly, Tampa’s prospect pool was regarded as one of the weakest in the league entering the season. Years of contention will do that. That notion has been somewhat salvaged by an incredible breakout from 2025 fourth-rounder Benjamin Rautianen, though. In his native Finland, the 20-year-old center has exploded for 17 goals and 61 points in 46 games with Tappara, leading the Liiga in scoring. Expecting the Bolts to be willing to lose both O’Reilly and Rautianen in one trade deadline might simply be too much risk for a team without much else in the pipeline, though.
Team Needs
Third-Line Piece: It just so happens that Tampa’s preferred deadline target continues to make too much sense this time around. A down year for Point and injuries to him and Cirelli make their depth chart look thin down the middle at the moment, but at full strength, that’s not a concern. Finding someone to bump a more offensively limited name like Gage Goncalves out of a top-nine role on the wing, though, would be a legitimately helpful addition to an offense that already ranks fourth in the league at the Olympic break. Coleman makes sense, as could pending UFA Michael Bunting out of Nashville.
Right-Shot Depth On Defense: Tampa doesn’t need a needle-mover on the blue line. Darren Raddysh‘s breakout this season has ensured that. Still, he and Erik Černák are the only two righties in the system capable of playing NHL minutes in the postseason on a regular basis. Maxwell Crozier is a fine depth option, but expecting him to step into the top four in case Černák or Raddysh gets hurt – or dealing with some chemistry issues by icing so many lefties – isn’t a great thought. An experienced rental 3RD option for a mid-round pick, like Connor Murphy or a reunion with Luke Schenn, might be a shrewd move.
Image courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.