The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly going to move on from Bobby McMann as he'll fetch a good return and they may feel like he's going to be too costly to re-sign. Whether anyone other than the organization thinks it's a good idea to trade him instead of bringing him back, the Maple Leafs are going to do what they think is best to retool the team again before next season and get back to being contenders. James Mirtle said, "The talk out there is people think he's worth what Kiefer Sherwood g...
The Vancouver Canucks appear to be willing to trade many of their players. Two key ones have already been traded away earlier this season. One of the next to go is Evander Kane, who the Canucks brought in from the Edmonton Oilers prior to the season. As the season hasn't gone as planned, Kane is now being used as trade bait to get them a mid-round pick. If no team is willing to go as high as they're asking, I'm sure Vancouver will drop the price. Chris Johnston said, "The Canucks are willing t...
It was an ugly situation in Milan today, as late in Canada's 5-1 victory over Switzerland, Swiss (and LA Kings) forward Kevin Fiala was seriously injured when he went down awkwardly in a collision with Tom Wilson. He had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher. Kevin Fiala leaves the game after Tom Wilson and Kevin Fiala get tangled (not country locked) pic.twitter.com/ZaWUeyelcS — bnpeki 🇨🇦 Matthew Knies Enjoyer (@bnpeki) February 13, 2026 It was Fiala's lower left leg that took the brun...
As the longest-serving Toronto Maple Leaf, no player has seen more of the drama and playoff failures surrounding this team in the Auston Matthews Era than Morgan Rielly. Now in his 13th year in the Blue & White, the 31-year-old defenseman still has four years to run after this one on his $7.5 million cap hit. But he is simply not the same player that the Leafs handed that eight-year, $60 million deal to back in 2021. The team would like to turn the page and move on from Rielly, but his f...
Shane Wright had a nice little burst heading into the Olympic break for the Seattle Kraken. He had only seven goals and 18 points in the first 52 games, before a run of four goals in the team's final four games going into the recess. Overall, however, the former 4th overall pick (2022 NHL Draft) has been a big disappointment in Seattle, and word started to spread last month that the Kraken were willing to move on from Wright in the right deal (i.e. for some real scoring punch). Wit...
The Los Angeles Kings sit three points out of a playoff spot in the West, but just acquired Artemi Panarin with a contract extension. Their plan is to get in this season and compete while being a better overall team next season as well. They also aren't planning on doing nothing from here until the trade deadline as they need center help. The Kings have some cap space to work with, but are still looking to move out a contract up front before the deadline too. David Pagnotta said, "I don't thin...
Whether the Los Angeles Kings acquired Artemi Panarin or not, they are still searching for center help as they try to keep their window open. Anze Kopitar is retiring after the season and Philipp Danault fell off, so the Kings traded him. All they have as top-6 center options moving forward is Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferierre. David Pagnotta said the Kings are "going to look at the dot. They're going to...see if they can bring somebody in up the middle to give them a nice 1, 2, 3 punch. The...
The St. Louis Blues could end up trading Jordan Kyrou, whether that be before the trade deadline or in the offseason. He has strong trade value and is a good scorer for any top-6, but he is looking to win and has control over the destination he goes to if the Blues were to move him. Kyrou has scored 30+ goals and recorded 70+ points in three of the past four seasons. His ice time has dropped from previous seasons and I doubt he gets to either mark this season because of injury that has kept hi...
The Montreal Canadiens can make a Patrik Laine trade work, but it is going to take a realistic blueprint. Insider Chris Johnston’s view is that at an $8.7 million cap hit, Montreal likely has to retain money, attach value, or do a bit of both to get a deal over the line. The good news for Kent Hughes is the timing helps, because once the Olympic freeze lifts and teams start thinking in cap accrual terms, Laine becomes easier to fit than his full-season number suggests.
How Montre...
The Toronto Maple Leafs keep circling the same deadline question with Bobby McMann. If he is really pushing for a number near $5 million per season on an extension, is this the moment to sell high, and can they actually squeeze a first-round pick out of a contender? On the JD Bunkis Podcast , Sportsnet’s James Mirtle left the door open, but made it clear the market is a lot messier than fans want it to be.
Can Toronto really get a first for Bobby McMann?
Mirtle’s read is that M...
If 26-year-old Robert Thomas is to be had at the upcoming trade deadline, it will take a very high price to do it. One recent report from Elliotte Friedman indicated that a team will have to make the St. Louis Blues say to themselves, 'there’s no way we can say no'. Which team is ready to try to bowl over the Blues with a Thomas offer? According to insider James Mirtle of The Athletic, we should not count out the Carolina Hurricanes making Thomas their next 'big swing.' Some...
At this point, nearly half the teams in the NHL have been linked to top New York Rangers trade candidate Vincent Trocheck. We looked at 10 of his best fits earlier this week. But insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic has made a specific projection for the Rangers center's next destination. With the serious three-team battle going on in the Central Division—and for Trocheck's services—Johnston predicts the Minnesota Wild will win the sweepstakes for the two-way center. There’s no m...
Wasn't this supposed to be an all-out tank year for the Pittsburgh Penguins? Not so much, as it turns out. The team is unexpectedly having a sensational season, sitting in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division at 29-15-12 for 70 points. Yes, building for the future is still squarely in focus for GM Kyle Dubas. Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now tells us that " Multiple reports and confirmations to Pittsburgh Hockey Now indicate Dubas has been working the phones to uncove...
The Philadelphia Flyers are a team in a position that organizations don't want to be in. They're not good enough for playoffs right now as they sit eight points back of a playoff spot and have won three of their last 10 games, they're not bad enough for a top-5 draft pick to have a good chance at winning the lottery or getting a game-changer, and they don't have players to sell for any value. So they have to either dig deep and trade players with term to get something out of the season or stan...
The Edmonton Oilers are one of the teams linked to Bobby McMann of the Toronto Maple Leafs and that's a move that makes a lot of sense considering he's a pending UFA and Toronto is sitting six points out of a playoff spot. But there appears to be another that the Oilers may have interest in as well. David Pagnotta said, "The Leafs aren't trading (Ekman-Larsson) for Mangiapane and a pick. So, sorry, that's not going to happen. You're probably looking at something like an Isaac Howard in a deal ...
Changes have to be made to the St. Louis Blues , and some definitely will, but the right players have to be swapped out. This is a team with some solid young talent, but there are still some younger players that may not be part of the future. Jordan Kyrou may be one of them. Nick Kypreos said, "Jordan Kyrou's been out there for the last little while. I also believe that he's open to looking at different scenarios on trying to win a Stanley Cup." At this point, the Blues may not be rebuilding, ...
The Boston Bruins hit the Olympic break right on the playoff edge, and they look primed to buy this trade deadline. With the New York Rangers already moving Artemi Panarin and leaning into a retool, multiple reports have Boston on the watch list for Vincent Trocheck.
Why Trocheck keeps popping up for Boston
Since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci left the picture, the Bruins have been chasing a true top-of-the-line option down the middle, and Trocheck fits the type coach Marco Sturm ...
The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the Olympic break playing their best hockey of the season, and that heater has flipped their trade deadline story from “sell what you can” to “how far can this go?” The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported that general manager Don Waddell wants to help the room, but the next few weeks will decide whether this is a real playoff push or just a hot stretch that forces a hard pivot.
Blue Jackets trade deadline: buy now or protect assets
Portzline’s read is th...
With all the talk about the Edmonton Oilers' defensive struggles, and the team potentially looking for a top-4, 'Mattias Ekholm (circa 2023) type' addition to their blueline at the deadline, at least one insider feels that's just not going to happen. Frank Seravalli insisted in a recent appearance on the Kevin Karius Show ( h/t David Staples, Edmonton Journal), that the defense is not the front office's focus right now. Honestly, I don’t see it. And I believe, just in the conversations t...
The pressure is on in New Jersey, as Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald is taking a lot of heat for how the team is playing this season. The Devils entered the Olympic break with a 28-27-2 record, and since Fitzgerald is committed to head coach Sheldon Keefe, he'll be turning to his roster to re-tool ahead of the Mar. 6 trade deadline. The Devils have already added Nick Bjugstad recently, and ever since they lost out on Quinn Hughes joining his brothers, it's become paramount for the team t...
The Columbus Blue Jackets' 2025-26 campaign wasn't going according to plan through the first half of the season. However, a seven-game winning streak that they carried into the Olympic Break has changed the course for the front office. Now, during this two-week break, instead of planning on which pending unrestricted free agents they'll be selling, the latest intel is that Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell and his staff will be keeping busy doing their best to re-sign ...
The New Jersey Devils were busy on Wednesday, as the team announced they've waived forward Marc McLaughlin. The 26-year-old was put on waivers with the purpose to send him down to the American Hockey League's Utica Comets. We'll see if he clears by 2pm Thursday, as McLaughlin is now available to all 31 teams to claim, with the worst team in the league, Vancouver Canucks, getting first crack at making a claim. McLaughlin hasn't suited up for the Devils this season, after he suffered an injury d...
The NHL's trade deadline is set for March 6, and once the Olympic roster freeze is over in less than two weeks, don't be surprised to see the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs complete a trade together. Multiple reports have surfaced recently stating the Oilers and Maple Leafs are active in trade discussions, and have discussed multiple different scenarios. Their talks include one of Bobby McMann, Nic Roy, Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Scott Laughton heading to Edmonton. The Oilers are in the ...
The Utah Mammoth are expected to be aggressive at the trade deadline. They're lurking in the weeds, waiting to pounce . The team holds down the first Wild Card berth in the Western Conference, but ownership wants more. There's no doubt they will be buyers by March 6th. The Mammoth could use an additional difference maker for their top nine, according to Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal in The Athletic . Over the past month or so, Utah has been utilizing both K...
The Montreal Canadiens have played well all season and were playing well heading into the Olympic break, but they are still expected to make at least one upgrade before the trade deadline that approaches quickly after the NHL games start back up. With limited cap space, someone is going to have to be moved out if the Canadiens want to get a larger deal done. The most likely candidate is Patrik Laine for a few reasons. Pierre LeBrun said, "I think there's a chance that his contract gets moved i...