Snapshots: Schenn, Kerins, Gustafsson
Set for just his second game as a New York Islander, Brayden Schenn takes on his former squad tonight in St. Louis, where he’d served as captain as part of his nine years wearing the note. He offered some insight into the decision to waive his no-trade clause, despite New York being on his 16-team no-trade list.
Apparently it wasn’t the first time the Blues tried to move their captain. As shared by Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Schenn said “Well, when (the Blues) ask you two times two years in a row, that’s when it makes sense.” “At some point, the organization doesn’t see you as part of the picture, and other teams want you, and it’s good to be wanted. They’re going in a different direction, and that’s the reality of it.”
While the respected Schenn has taken it personally to a degree, it’s hard to argue with St. Louis’ decision to move on, as it netted them a first-round pick and other assets for a declining 34-year-old signed for two more years at $6.5MM. Curiously however, it appears the club attempted to move him at some point last year, despite St. Louis making the playoffs and pushing the Presidents’ Trophy Winnipeg Jets to the brink in the first round.
Few would have predicted the Islanders to become his fourth organization, but the team has a strong shot to return to the postseason where they’ll hope to win a round for the first time since 2021.
Tonight will be emotional for Schenn who was a constant presence in St. Louis, appearing in all 82 games four times as a Blue. The veteran is surely energized in his second line center role with the opportunity to help the upstart Islanders continue to surpass expectations.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Flames prospect Rory Kerins was injured playing in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers, and he’ll be week to week with a lower-body ailment, as noted by Ryan Pike of Flames Nation. The forward was a steal in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, but he’s still working toward an NHL role at age 23. Kerins has been highly productive in the AHL, leading the Wranglers in scoring over the past two seasons, but only appearing in seven NHL games so far, where he’s notched four helpers. It’s tough news considering that Calgary is 31st in the league, and Kerins could have gotten another look this spring, last playing with the big club in November. The Wranglers are hardly faring better this season, so GM Craig Conroy will have little hesitation to call up young players in the dog days of the season. Kerins will hopefully get healthy in time to be one such candidate.
- Nashville Predators defense prospect Viggo Gustafsson, who signed his ELC with the club last week, will join the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals next year and leave Sweden, as reported in a HockeySverige article by Simon Eld. Nashville, typically known for their knack to develop defensemen, hasn’t had overly noticeable figures come down the pipeline in several years. They’ll hope Gustafsson, their third-round selection in 2024, will have a seamless transition to the North American game and potentially pan out as a third-pairing blueliner. In 40 games with AIK of HockeyAllsvenskan, the 19-year-old lefty has just eight points, but he brings a physical game at 6’2”.
Poll: Which Deadline Day Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
The 2026 Trade Deadline was stalled before it had a chance to launch thanks to a rare December blockbuster that sent Quinn Hughes across the Western Conference. Hughes has since scored 39 points in 31 games with the Minnesota Wild, putting together an impact with his new team that no player in the league could hope to match. Through a quiet Deadline, a few moving pieces could bring enough of a boost to bolster their new team’s chances of making the playoffs or contending for the Stanley Cup.
The top candidate to make a big splash is center Nazem Kadri, who rejoins the Colorado Avalanche after averaging 27 goals and 64 points per 82 games played with the Calgary Flames, across four seasons. Kadri was a constant source of offense on a Flames deep who saw their supplies diminish as the years went on. Then again, he reached his career-high in scoring with an 87-point season in 2021-22, his final year in Colorado. Kadri earned his first Stanley Cup ring that year and now rejoins the Avalanche in the middle of their best season since. He will hold an important, middle-six role either in relief of Brock Nelson‘s second-line role or in bringing a power-punch to Colorado’s depth. Leaving behind a #1 role in Calgary could kneecap Kadri’s offense but joining a team like Colorado could be enough to bring it back up.
Another easy choice is Anaheim’s acquisition of career-Washington Capital defenseman John Carlson. The deal was finalized just after 1 AM ET on March 6th, when much of the hockey world, and Carlson himself, were asleep. In the quiet of the night, Anaheim pulled off a monumental move to bring in one of the league’s top offensive-defensemen. Even in his age-36 season, Carlson has racked up 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals. He has proven to still be an effective scorer even into his sunset seasons, though got bumped out of Washington’s top-defender role by the emergence of Jakob Chychrun. Instead, he will head to the West coast to challenge Jacob Trouba for the role of top-right defense on the Pacific Division’s top team. He is currently nursing a day-to-day, lower-body injury but Carlson could really click with Anaheim’s fast-moving, hard-working offense when he steps into the lineup.
A pair of St. Louis Blues will look to do enough to join this list as they head to the Eastern Conference. Defenseman Justin Faulk was acquired by the Detroit Red Wings for an expensive package. The Red Wings will need to pipe him into a key role to justify their pricey buy. Luckily, they’re in need of a high-motor, third-string defender who can bring oomph behind the top pair of Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. Faulk stood as St. Louis’ top defenseman, and main play-driver from the blue-line, even as his overall performances began to slip. In competition with Ben Chiarot and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it should be easy for Faulk to emerge as the caterer of offense away from Detroit’s top pair.
Meanwhile, Brayden Schenn will hope for improved minutes as he joins a playoff-contending New York Islanders club. Schenn’s role in St. Louis dwindled to a support presence in his final years, usually spent platooning the center role with one of the Blues’ young prospects. He hit an offensive wall this season as a result – just 28 points in 62 games – but is only one year removed from scoring 18 goals and 50 points, with a positive plus-minus. Schenn has slowed substantially in his mid-30s, but he remains a dangerous shooter and effective playmaker. If the Islanders can help him find some pseudo-tempo, he could be a candidate for a streak of shooting luck.
Who do you think will leave the biggest mark for his new club? Use the 2025-26 In-Season Trade Tracker to see the list of Trade Deadline day moves and vote below!
Which NHL Trade Deadline Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
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COL - Nazem Kadri, C 39% (338)
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ANA - John Carlson, D 25% (216)
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DET - Justin Faulk, D 17% (142)
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NYI - Brayden Schenn, C 12% (104)
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Other (Comment Below!) 7% (58)
Total votes: 858
Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports.
New York Islanders To Acquire Brayden Schenn
The New York Islanders are finalizing a trade to acquire veteran center Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Islanders have confirmed the deal. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has reported its full terms: the Islanders are getting Schenn for a first-round pick, third-round pick, veteran forward Jonathan Drouin, and goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof. Per Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network, the first-rounder going to St. Louis is Colorado’s 2026 first-round pick, the one New York acquired in the Brock Nelson trade from last season.
Per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the Islanders were on Schenn’s 16-team no-trade list, but Schenn has decided to allow the trade to go ahead. 
Schenn, the Blues captain, has been at the center of significant trade rumors over the last few months. His inclusion in a trade today, assuming it is completed and confirmed, is part of a wider effort by the Blues to re-organize their competitive efforts in a more future-oriented direction.
While the 34-year-old is under contract for an additional two seasons at a $6.5MM cap hit, the Blues may not believe they are in a position to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup within that time frame. As a result, they appear to have given Schenn the chance to chase the second Stanley Cup championship of his career on Long Island.
The Islanders sit third place in the Metropolitan Division and have one of the game’s most promising young players leading their resurgence: 2025 No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer. Today’s move confirms the Islanders’ seriousness about competing for a Stanley Cup in the immediate term, even while the future face of their franchise is still just 18 years old.
The addition of Schenn provides a jolt to New York’s depth at the all-too-important center position. The club has most recently been utilizing 21-year-old Cal Ritchie as its second-line center. While the 2023 first-rounder is a promising young player, he’s not an ideal fit for that role on a team that is looking to make a deep playoff run.
Schenn, on the other hand, is an almost perfect fit for that role. While his numbers are down somewhat this year (28 points in 61 games as the Blues have struggled overall) he did manage 50 points last season and has been a steady top-six forward for much of his career. With Schenn likely to be plugged in directly to the Islanders’ second line, the team instantly becomes one of the league’s deepest teams down the middle.
With Bo Horvat manning the first line, Schenn on the second, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas in the bottom-six, the Islanders not only have a strong group of four centers, they also have the flexibility to keep Mathew Barzal on the wing, where he has excelled.
While the Islanders are without question strengthened by this trade, the deal is not without some risk. Schenn turns 35 in August, and has two more years remaining on his deal. He hasn’t quite played up to the standard of a top-six center in St. Louis this season, but it’s still to be determined whether that says more about where Schenn’s game is at, or about the state of the Blues as a whole. In any case, if Schenn experiences age-related decline that impacts his playing abilities, the Islanders will have paid a hefty price for a player who isn’t what he once was.
With that said, there is also the possibility that the trade rejuvenates Schenn, and the chance to play for a playoff contender gives him something of a second wind. We’ve seen numerous veterans remain capable contributors as they progress deeper into their thirties, capably adjusting how they play to fit how they age. It’s also entirely possible Schenn goes down that path, making it so the Islanders have added a second-line center with more than two years of team control. Putting it that way, a first-rounder, third-rounder, and a prospect is hardly an unfair price to pay.
From the Blues’ perspective, the move falls in line with what has become their hockey operations department’s modus operandi: preparing for the future. With Alexander Steen set to assume lead decision-making authority, today’s trade adds at least one premium future asset to an already growing stockpile.
While they’ll surely miss Schenn both on and off the ice, the move clears the way for 2023 No. 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky to receive even greater on-ice opportunity. If this trade can spark additional growth from Dvorsky, while also adding key draft picks and prospects to the Blues’ system, they’re likely to count it as a win.
The addition of Drouin may have been made to help balance the money being taken on by the Islanders, but there is some rationale behind his addition from the Blues’ side. Set to turn 31 this month, the odds are against him playing a role on the next contending Blues team. But with St. Louis likely to strip away further veteran talents this summer, there is the chance Drouin receives an opportunity to play regularly in the top-six in Missouri. He’s a player who never quite fit on Long Island, but excelled playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps he finds similar chemistry with Blues star Robert Thomas down the stretch.
With another year left on his deal at a $4MM cap hit, it’s not totally out of the question that Drouin seizes the opportunity ahead of him with the Blues, and becomes a trade chip for next year’s trade season, which would mean Schenn’s trade could deliver further future value to St. Louis.
Also included in this deal is Gidlof, a big goalie prospect who was a 2024 fifth-round pick. He’s been a tandem goalie in the SHL over the last two years, playing in a total of 41 games for Leksands IF. This season, he has gone 9-15-0 with an .896 save percentage. A little over a year ago, Gidlof was considered one of New York’s better prospects. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked him the No. 3 prospect in the team’s system, writing that he “has legitimate NHL upside.”
With starter Jordan Binnington‘s time in St. Louis potentially set to come to an end at some point over the summer, the inclusion of Gidlof in this deal represents further investment by the team in the future of the goalie position, a position in which the Blues have a somewhat uncertain future.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Atlantic Notes: Schenn, Senators, Roest
In last week’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman alluded to the idea that St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Toronto Maple Leafs under one condition: that the team also acquire his brother, Luke Schenn.
Specifically, Friedman said, “I heard…Brayden Schenn wasn’t going to waive to Toronto unless the Leafs also got Luke; when all that was going on about teams uniting the Schenn brothers, that’s what I think Toronto was trying to do.” Since he used the past tense and suggested that the team was trying to unite the brothers, it seems likely that this was something the Maple Leafs attempted last year rather than at the present moment.
However, it’s certainly something Toronto could revisit this season. Brayden has less trade protection than he did last year, seeing his full no-trade clause drop to a 15-team no-trade list this season, while Luke is a pending unrestricted free agent playing on a disappointing Winnipeg Jets team. The Maple Leafs have decent depth on the right side of their defensive core, but could use additional insurance should Brandon Carlo go down with injury again.
Additional notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Recently, there has been significant discussion surrounding the Ottawa Senators, particularly regarding the team’s strong statement refuting rumors that circulated online about goaltender Linus Ullmark and the reasons for his personal leave. In a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, General Manager Steve Staios said he wouldn’t change his timing, saying, “So I felt strongly that we had to be there for him, (that) I had to make a statement. And whatever comes with that, I can live with. I’m not going to apologize for standing up for my players when they need it.”
- Jarmo Kekäläinen has made another significant addition to the Buffalo Sabres front office. Earlier today, the Sabres announced that they’ve hired Stacy Roest as a professional scout. It’s technically a step backward for Roest in his professional career, as he was the longtime Director of Player Development and Assistant General Manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2013-14 to 2024-25.
Blues Reportedly Have Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich On Trade Block
It’s not a foregone conclusion that the St. Louis Blues will be major sellers leading up to this year’s trade deadline, though it’s certainly shaping up that way. In two separate reports, Chris Johnston of The Athletic writes that center Brayden Schenn could be the first domino to fall, while TheFourthPeriod’s David Pagnotta suggested in Inside Sports with Brenden Escott that Pavel Buchnevich‘s name has popped up in trade chatter.
The updates come only a few days after General Manager Doug Armstrong declared that there were no untouchables on the Blues’ roster. Armstrong has the opportunity to collect multiple prospects, as well as draft capital, to set St. Louis up for its next generation as the front office transitions to Alexander Steen next season.
Schenn, 34, isn’t a stranger to seeing his name in trade conversations. The former 5th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft has already been traded twice in his career, though he’s spent the last nine years with the Blues. Schenn was included in trade negotiations last season, though the captain publicly expressed his desire to remain in St. Louis and may have used his no-trade clause to ensure that he did.
He’s become more movable as his full no-trade protection transitioned to a 15-team no-trade clause this year. Still, unless there’s a significant increase in offensive production, the Blues may have missed their best opportunity to maximize Schenn’s perceived trade value. Through his first 36 games this year, he’s on pace for 14 goals and 30 points, which would be his worst output since the 2012-13 season.
Furthermore, outside of his faceoff percentage, which is at an elite rate this season, Schenn’s possession metrics and defensive metrics have also declined this year. Still, because the premium put on the center position, and other team’s desperation, St. Louis has the opportunity to take advantage of a sellers market. Just last night, the Los Angeles Kings traded Phillip Danault, who’s signed through next season at a $5.5MM cap hit, for a second-round pick.
Additionally, the Blues could market Schenn’s playoff experience as another selling point. Especially for a young center-needy team like the Montreal Canadiens, Schenn’s postseason past, particularly helping St. Louis win the Stanley Cup in 2019, could be of great value both on and off the ice.
Meanwhile, the idea of moving Buchnevich may be mostly pie in the sky thinking, and the Blues simply doing their due dilligence. The 30-year-old forward is signed through the 2030-31 season at an $8MM cap hit and has full no-trade protection until the 2029-30 season.
Furthermore, like Schenn and multiple other players on the roster, Buchnevich’s trade value has fallen this season. Scoring five goals and 17 points in his first 36 contests, Buchnevich is one pace for his lowest goal-scoring totals since his rookie campaign in 2016-17.
Still, before this year, Buchnevich was a fairly consistent offensive presence for St. Louis. In 292 games from 2021 to 2025, Buchnevich scored 103 goals and 263 points with a +56 rating, averaging 19:09 of ice time. If team’s feel that Buchnevich can rebound to that level of play in a different environment, they may be willing to pay the cost for his services. Still, there’s likely too many hurdles to overcome to make a swap this season.
Maple Leafs Attempted To Acquire Rasmus Andersson, Brayden Schenn Last Season
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to already have a pulse on the asking price for two of the trade market’s top names. General manager Brad Treliving made a push to acquire Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson and St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn, through points of the 2024-25 season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast.
Toronto couldn’t put together a deal that enticed Calgary enough to move Andersson, while the asking price for Schenn ended up richer than Toronto’s other moves. Friedman added that he didn’t believe Schenn, who has a modified no-trade clause, would accept a trade to Toronto unless they also acquired his brother, Luke Schenn.
Instead of the top names, the Maple Leafs landed defender Brandon Carlo and center Scott Laughton at the Trade Deadline. The moves cost the Maple Leafs two first-round picks and two top prospects, with Fraser Minten headed to the Boston Bruins and Nikita Grebenkin headed to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The thought of paying even more for a pair of veterans was surely a reasonable deterrent, but it cost the Leafs a good bit of offensive oomph. Schenn finished last season with 50 points, marking the third season in the last four years that he’s crossed the half-century mark. He also led the Blues with a career-high 194 hits and posted a stout 52.3 faceoff percentage. His scoring has taken a massive hit on a struggling Blues squad this season – but Schenn is still on pace for 25 points and 173 hits, serviceable numbers from a 34-year-old.
Instead, Toronto landed Laughton, who has four points, 56 hits, and a 55.4 faceoff percentage in 22 games with the Maple Leafs. Health has proved a limitation for the 31-year-old. He is currently on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and carries a day-to-day designation. He’ll bring responsible two-way play back to the team’s bottom-six when he returns – though he lacks the offense to help turn the tide. Laughton’s career-high came in 2022-23, when he scored 43 points in 78 games with Philadelphia.
While Schenn and Laughton – former teammates – bring similar gritty styles, the difference between Andersson and Carlo is staggering. Andersson has been a linchpin in the Flames’ offense, routinely stepping up as the main driver of play from the blue line. He scored 11 goals, tying a career-high, and 31 points in 81 games last season. Those marks were backed by a team-leading 196 blocked shots and 36 hits. He continues to do much of the same this year, with seven points and 33 blocks in 20 games so far.
That’s far from the staunch, defensive style that Carlo brings to the table. The 29-year-old has five points, all assists, and 72 blocked shots across 38 games with Toronto. He’s been a welcome addition to head coach Craig Berube’s hard-nosed, old-school style – and even intermittently earned top-pair minutes. But in a struggling Leafs offense, Carlo’s setback style has failed to create any sparks from the blue line.
Toronto appeared to find a balance between value and costs with their deadline acquisitions – but it’s not clear how that will affect their presence in this year’s trade market. Both Andersson and Schenn remain available, and Toronto remains in need. But they could struggle to offer much more than they did last year, especially without a first-round pick until 2028.
With that standing in mind, Friedman emphasized that Toronto should remain patient and wait for a true difference-maker to hit the market. The Trade Deadline is a little under four months away, and the list of high-profile names on the block should only grow as teams sense their fates.
Blues Shifting Into Retool Mode, Willing To Move Brayden Schenn
For the second straight season, Blues captain Brayden Schenn finds himself in the rumor mill. This time, the discussion is being drummed up earlier on as St. Louis faltered out of the gate to a 5-8-2 start.
His name is just one that could be on the move as the Blues’ poor start has general manager Doug Armstrong shifting into retool mode. He has been traveling lately due to his duties with the Canadian national team for the upcoming Winter Olympics. While doing so, he’s been letting other front offices know he’s “open for business,” Frank Seravalli said on Amazon Prime Canada’s Coast to Coast.
That’s in conjunction with a report yesterday from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, which stated that Schenn is beginning to generate interest from hopeful contenders. It’s been a deceptively tough start for the 34-year-old, who’s now in his ninth season as a Blue. He’s off to a slow start offensively with two goals and six points in 15 games, but he’s been making headlines for his league-worst -13 rating. Combine that with his 16:49 average ice time, checking in as his lowest in a decade, and it seems as though his value won’t be as compelling to contenders as it was last year, when a reportedly sky-high asking price contributed to Schenn sticking around in St. Louis.
The boxcar stats don’t tell the whole story, though. The lack of point production is a legitimate concern, but aside from that, he’s played the reliable two-way physical game that he’s delivered for years. He’s winning 52.2% of his draws, and his poor even-strength results are far more attributable to the Blues’ poor goaltending than defensive regression on Schenn’s part. The Blues are still controlling a reasonable 48.2% of shot attempts with Schenn on the ice at 5-on-5, and his line with Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou has controlled 58.7% of expected goals.
Those promising underlying numbers, plus Schenn’s long track record as a top-six fixture, likely mean his value hasn’t dipped too much, especially with another year burned off his contract. Any team picking him up without retention would only have to contend with his $6.5MM cap hit for two full seasons after this one, instead of three. It’s also much easier for the Blues to facilitate a trade now than it was at last year’s deadline – he had a full no-trade clause last season that downgraded to a 15-team no-trade list on July 1.
The Maple Leafs and Devils were the two clubs most closely linked to him last season. Pagnotta expects both of them to be in the mix this time around if Armstrong continues down a retooling path. It’s his final season as general manager before transitioning to a president of hockey operations role for the 2026-27 season, overseeing incoming rookie GM Alexander Steen.
New Jersey Devils Expressing Interest In Brayden Schenn
As originally reported by Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, and later confirmed by James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, center Brayden Schenn has become a focus player for the New Jersey Devils today. Factoring in their reported interest in Nashville Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly, the Devils are aggressively pursuing a top-six center and are unafraid of any remaining term.
Schenn would check a lot of the same boxes that O’Reilly does. He’s a veteran two-way center who can play in New Jersey’s top six for the rest of the 2024-25 campaign before transferring to a third-line role once Jack Hughes returns next season.
He shouldn’t cost any more than O’Reilly, either. Schenn has three years at a $6.5MM cap hit remaining on his current deal with a full no-trade clause this season. That no-trade clause transitions to a 15-team no-trade clause for the last three years of his contract.
The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, may not fill the offensive gap left by Hughes, but his physicality and defensive skills are exceptional. This season, he has scored 12 goals and accumulated 38 points in 63 games with the Blues, showing a slight improvement in points per game compared to his previous season, during which he recorded 20 goals and 46 points.
Meanwhile, Schenn has already eclipsed 100 hits on the season for the 14th consecutive year and is averaging higher than a 50.0% success rate in the faceoff dot. New Jersey is already 11th in the league in hits given this year with 1401, but their faceoff rate could use some work as they rank 24th with a team success rate of 49.05%.
Given the trade chatter surrounding Schenn the last several weeks, the Devils would undoubtedly have to part with their 2026 first-round pick in the hypothetical trade. St. Louis is known to be seeking additional assets, but a first-round pick is an imperative part of the deal. New Jersey appears inclined to make that a part of any package for a promising center, but they’ll pursue all other options before pulling the trigger.
Trade Deadline Notes: Marchand, Leafs, Nelson, Devils
The Trade Deadline is mere hours away, and despite a quiet build up, multiple major headlines have started to boil to the surface – all captured by TSN’s latest Insider Trading. The deadline could be headlined by the Boston Bruins parting ways with team captain Brad Marchand, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic during the Insider Trading segment.
A Marchand trade would be era-defining for the Bruins. He has been in Boston for the entirety of his 16-year, 1,090-game NHL career. Cracking franchise record books is a tough feat on an Original Six club but Marchand nonetheless ranks fourth in Boston history in career goals (422), games played (1,090), and penalty minutes (1,113). He also ranks fifth on Boston’s all-time points leaderboard.
Nearly two decades after his first introduction to the team, Marchand now stands as Boston’s last connection to days past. Where Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, and David Krejci have retired – Marchand has continued on. He took on the Bruins captaincy last season and has continued strong production into his age-36 season. Marchand ranks second on the Bruins with 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season – only behind David Pastrnak‘s dazzling 32 goals and 77 points. Getting Boston to part ways with their captain, their rink rat, and their second-ranked scorer would take a monumental effort, but the right mix of future structure could convince the middling Bruins. Marchand has emphasized his preference to stay in Boston.
More from TSN’s Insider Trading:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs will continue to seek out centermen and defensemen on the trade market per TSN’s Darren Dreger. They’re exploring multiple options, including Philadelphia’s Rasmus Ristolainen and St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn. Both players are entering the golden years of their careers. Schenn is in his age-33 season. He’s captained the Blues since Ryan O’Reilly left in 2023. Like fellow captain Marchand, Schenn has held to his typical style in recent years. He has 12 goals and 38 points in 63 games this season, while offering stout two-way play and a 50.3 percent faceoff win-rate. Ristolainen, 30, has seen his scoring dwindle as he’s entered his 30s. He has just 19 points in 59 games this season, but does boast a plus-five – the first positive plus-minus of his 12-year NHL career. He’s rounded out his defense and offers a hardy physical presence. On a Leafs team looking for the additions to match big moves by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, either veteran could bring impactful depth.
- The New York Islanders will likely wait until the last minute before they make a decision on extending or trading veteran forward Brock Nelson, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Buzz around Nelson’s deadline availability has ebbed and flowed over the last few months, mixed between reports of total availability and looming extension. The 33-year-old Nelson has 20 goals and 43 points in 61 games this season. He’s one of three players, alongside Anders Lee and Bo Horvat, tied for New York’s lead in scoring. Nelson is set to enter unrestricted free agency this summer and carries a 16-team no-trade clause, which will limit the places the career-Islander is able to go. The New Jersey Devils are among interested teams as they look to bank on accrued cap space after Jack Hughes‘ season-ending injury.
Trade Deadline Notes: Boeser, Sharks, Schenn
Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser has reportedly turned down a five-year, $40MM contract extension per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, who adds that Boeser is looking for more term on his next deal. The $8MM cap hit on the rumored offer would be a $1.35MM bump from Boeser’s price tag this season.
Boeser is certainly due for a raise on his next deal, after posting the first 40-goal season of his career last year. His statement performance came after four straight seasons of failing to even reach 25 goals. It was largely helped along by a career-high 19.6 shooting percentage, over seven percent higher than his average of 12.7 percent in six seasons prior. And while Boeser has struggled to reach that same success rate this year, his 18 goals and 17.3 shooting percentage in 52 games suggest he may have really found a new gear to his scoring.
Boeser will be a top name leading into the Trade Deadline if Vancouver isn’t willing to commit to him for a longer term. His spike in scoring and inflated shooting percentage are certainly warning flags, but he could offer the experience of a 500-game pro for the cheap cost of a deadline rental. A short-sighted trade would leave Boeser open to pick his next team in unrestricted free agency, though if he’d get another $8MM offer could hinge on how well he scores through the end of the year.
Other Trade Deadline notes from out West:
- An NHL executive pointed out the potential chemistry between the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram to Sheng Peng of NBC Sports. The 23-year-old Byram has been loosely circulated around trade rumors and could be a perfect addition to San Jose’s rebuild. The Sharks also have plenty to give up for the top-pair defender. Peng shares that there’s a sense Buffalo could use more size and grit. That motivation could make Sharks prospects like Quentin Musty or Kasper Halttunen enticing options. Both top prospects are performing well in the OHL this season. Musty has 43 points in just 26 games and Halttunen has 29 points in 27 games and 13 in his last 10. With the right mix of draft capital, either name could be enough to swing Byram away from Buffalo – though Peng notes he still doesn’t sense San Jose would pay such a price. He shares that the team could instead try and leverage some of their first-round draft picks to land big additions.
- The St. Louis Blues could be asking for as much as two first-round draft picks for captain Brayden Schenn, per Seravalli in his latest trade board. That’s notably the same price St. Louis asked for Pavel Buchnevich, who has five more points than Schenn this season, at last year’s Trade Deadline. The Blues couldn’t find a suitor, and it’s hard to envision they’ll make a match for Schenn at this price either. With Schenn boasting a full no-trade clause, it may take a silver tongue to convince veteran Blues GM Doug Armstrong to trade his captain… once again.