There are disputed reports about what the Edmonton Oilers are targeting as we get closer to the March 6th trade deadline. Defensive troubles are obvious. But are they or are they not focusing on adding a defenseman? Or will they simply bring back defense coach (and legendary Oilers D) Paul Coffey? If they do ultimately hit the trade market looking for a blueliner, a right-shot d-man is their most pressing need. Preferably one that can serve in the top four when necessary. Jac...
The Florida Panthers find themselves in an unfamiliar position. Sitting eight points back of a Wild Card berth, the team has only a 15.5% chance of making the playoffs , per MoneyPuck. Instead of buying a top-four defenseman and an iconic two-way forward and leader (Seth Jones and Brad Marchand) to help for a playoff push as they did last year, it sounds like the team will be willing to sell off a couple of pieces at this year's deadline, come March 6th. On the weekend, we heard ab...
The Calgary Flames should have a lot on the table in terms of players that are available to trade this season, and already started their trading early by moving Rasmus Andersson and acquiring a first-round pick, second-round pick, and Zach Whitecloud. In terms of the players that have had some noise around them, the list includes Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, and even Mackenzie Weegar dominantly, but nothing on Yegor Sharangovich, whether that means there's no interest or the Flames are interest...
The Toronto Maple Leafs sit six points out of a playoff spot in the East with four teams to jump to take a spot, but they had a win streak going into the break and they are close enough where a push and an appearance in the postseason is doable. Nothing drastic should necessarily be done just yet, but there are a handful of games prior to the trade deadline to determine exactly what the plan will be. The Maple Leafs are very likely a team that will wait until the day before the trade deadline ...
The Winnipeg Jets are going to have a lot of work to do before the trade deadline and in the summer because they can't stand pat and hope that their team is going to bounce back to where it was last season. There have been many players not playing up to expectations and this season was more than just the loss of Nikolaj Ehlers, though losing him was a significant part. The Jets need much more scoring to not only replace Ehlers' production, but go beyond that. In order to do that, it seems like...
The French Hockey Federation has announced that it has banned men's hockey team player Pierre Crinon from the rest of the Olympics for "provocative behaviour”. France’s Pierre Crinon has been banned for the rest of the Olympics by his OWN French Hockey Federation. Noted he violated the Olympic spirit with his “provocative behaviour” after ejection. pic.twitter.com/TmuJ0V86tu — Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 16, 2026 The combative, 6'4", 220-pound defenseman had one ...
The San Jose Sharks and forward Jeff Skinner have decided to part ways, as he has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutual contract termination. #sjsharks have placed F Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers for purposes of mutual contract termination. — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 16, 2026 Skinner signed a 1-year, $3M deal with the Sharks this past summer. He's now free to sign on with any team as an unrestricted free agent. The 33-year-old has...
All aboard the Bussi in Raleigh. The Carolina Hurricanes have signed breakthrough goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year extension with a $1.9 million AAV. Brandon Bussi is staying parked in Carolina for the foreseeable future as he’s signed a 3 year extension at a $1.9M AAV. 💰 🔥 The 27 year old was scooped off waivers this season from the Panthers and has a 23-3-1 record with Canes 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gMgydxW80z — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2026 The 27-year-old rookie has ...
The Calgary Flames are going through some changes, and this season it started with Rasmus Andersson, a pending UFA, heading to the Vegas Golden Knights . The Flames have a number of young players they'd like to get in the NHL or see take control of the team with better opportunities quickly, but can't really do that with certain players hanging around. Blake Coleman is one of the players I'm talking about and David Pagnotta said, "A lot of smoke. I would be surprised if he's not moved by the d...
The Winnipeg Jets ' season has not gone anywhere close to how they envisioned it ahead of the season. They finished with the best record in the NHL in 2024-25 and made it to the second round of the playoffs, but didn't have the same start and things only got much worse. Injuries and performances outside of the top line and a couple of defensemen have them where they are, tied for 28th in the NHL with a record of 22-26-8 and 11 points out of a playoff spot. With there only being a handful of ga...
The Calgary Flames appear to be somewhat open to going into a rebuild. They have some talented young pieces and plenty of players that they can move for more assets. They may not want to tear it completely down, but while sitting 29th in the NHL this season, there is interest coming their way for a number of their players. One name in particular that is intriguing and would be a big one is Mackenzie Weegar. David Pagnotta said, "They haven't approached him about his no-trade. There's already s...
The two-time Stanley Cup champions are finding themselves in an unfamiliar situation this season. The Florida Panthers could actually look to sell off a body or two as we approach the March 6th trade deadline. One pending unrestricted free agent that could become trade fodder is physical bottom-six forward AJ Greer, per analyst Jason Gregor on the DFO Rundown . An AJ Greer type player, I just wonder, what type of value he might have for a (rival) team? He has won some Cups... He's a very...
The New York Rangers are ready to pull the trigger on a retool. Several players will likely be heading out the door when NHL rosters are unfrozen and we get closer to the March 6th trade deadline. Depending on how much is torn down, it sounds like top-pairing defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov will start to ponder his own future in New York. Former Ranger and current NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said on the DFO Rundown that the Russian d-man might not want to stick around for a retool. I'm hearing...
The Los Angeles Kings chose to go for it when they executed the deal to acquire Artemi Panarin and ink him to a new contract. Unfortunately, now Kevin Fiala seems to have suffered an injury that will keep him out a while, but that shouldn't stop the Kings from continuing forward and trying to get into the playoffs and win some rounds. David Pagnotta reminded us, "(The Kings) still have that second-round pick they got from the Habs for Phillip Danault. They basically told everybody they're will...
The Winnipeg Jets have had a very underwhelming season up to the Olympic break. They are 11 points out of a playoff spot and some injuries and a lot of poor performances from players have caused them to be in this position. Josh Morrissey is one of the Jets who have had another strong season and was selected to Team Canada, where he got injured and missed the second game. It's yet to be determined whether the injury is bad or not, but it could impact the rest of the Jets' season. While many wo...
The Minnesota Wild are gearing up to finally make an impact in the playoffs after acquiring Quinn Hughes and looking to do more. By do more, there is a high chance that a center is brought in. They feel they need an upgrade to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche and actually make a deep run. The center depth is as follows: Ryan Hartman, Joel Eriksson Ek, Daniil Yurov, and Nico Sturm. Given the production and overall play, I only see one top-6 center, Eriksson ...
With a Stanley Cup pedigree, gritty two-way center Nazem Kadri will be in demand when rosters are unfrozen after the Olympics and trades can resume up to the March 6th deadline. There have been a number of playoff contenders commonly linked to the Calgary Flames ' tenacious pivot this season, including the Montreal Canadiens, and Central Division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. But when it comes to projecting a landing spot for Kadri, James Mirtle of The Athletic is goin...
The Minnesota Wild already pulled off one blockbuster trade this season, and it sounds like there's growing speculation that there's another one coming. Word is, GM Bill Guerin is using goaltender Jesper Wallstedt as a trade chip in talks, and one team that has aligned perfectly as a trade partner - the St. Louis Blues. Wallstedt is by far the Wild's best trade chip, and he could be landing multiple pieces from the Blues if this deal comes to fruition, projected by The Athletic's James Mirtle ...
The Nashville Predators are open for business ahead of the NHL's trade deadline, and one prime trade target for contending teams, is former Conn Smythe winner Ryan O'Reilly. 'The Factor' has turned back the clock this season and is having a stellar season on both sides of the puck. O'Reilly has scored 20 goals and 56 points in 57 games, to lead Nashville, and at just $4.5 million AAV, he's an easy target for several contending teams. While O'Reilly doesn't have trade protection on his contract...
The Colorado Avalanche have been dominating the NHL all season long, and word is, they will be aggressive ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. While there aren't many gaps in the roster, the Avs are looking to add a top-nine winger who can play up and down the lineup, and bring some more secondary scoring. The Avalanche entered the Olympic break with just $5 million in cap space, so GM Chris MacFarland will have to be creative in order to add multiple pieces ahead of the deadline. Up front, th...
The Los Angeles Kings are not a big fan of Olympic hockey. In Switzerland's matchup against Canada on Friday, Kings winger Kevin Fiala fell awkwardly with Tom Wilson landing on his leg, and Fiala's since had season-ending leg surgery in Italy. It's the worst news possible for the Kings, as they'll now have a giant hole in their top six once the Olympic break concludes. Three points out of a playoff spot, look for GM Ken Holland to make a significant deal ahead of the March 6 deadline. He...
The Montreal Canadiens are expected to be aggressive buyers ahead of this season's NHL trade deadline. The Habs have burst onto the scene this season and if they can put it all together, at the right time, there's a legit shot we see Montreal win a playoff round this spring. Ahead of the trade deadline Mar.6, general manager Kent Hughes is going to make a couple of moves, and word is, Hughes has been making calls, looking for a top-six right winger. There's speculation that the team is willing...
Dougie Hamilton's future with the New Jersey Devils is up in the air. That's putting it mildly. The team was actively trying to trade him earlier this season to open up some cap room. There have been many teams linked to a potential deal for Hamilton , including the Toronto Maple Leafs. But insider Chris Johnston in The Athletic projects a more familiar landing spot for the big, puck-moving offensive defenseman. He predicts Hamilton going back to the Carolina Hurricanes. ...
Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala had surgery on Saturday morning after suffering a serious knee injury in Switzerland's game on Friday against Canada . It's official: his NHL season is over. The incident occured in a collision with Canada's Tom Wilson, in which Fiala landed awkwardly. He had to be stretchered off the ice. Nothing dirty about this collision, freak accident, unfortunate outcome. If someone other than Tom Wilson landed on Fiala's leg, there would be no disc...
The LA Kings are still looking to upgrade and a center is at the top of their needs. Ideally, a center with term would fit nicely in the plans, but even just someone to help with a playoff push and deeper run this season would be of great help as well. According to David Pagnotta, "Charlie Coyle, that's a player that I believe (LA) has some interest in." Coyle is a strong third line center and is able to play as the second line center. He has been doing both his entire career and this season. ...