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NHL Trade Deadline Predictions | Habs Feature

Sam Gerber

Habs Feature | Trade Deadline, NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Sean Monahan, Joel Edmundson, Timo Meier, Jakob Chychrun, Ryan O’Reilly, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Tyler Bertuzzi

Joel Edmundson, Montreal Canadiens (Photo by David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports)

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | MONTREAL, QC. — The NHL trade deadline is March 3rd. The first few dominoes have fallen with relatively minor moves in the Avalanche acquiring forward Matt Nieto and defenceman Jaycob Megna traded to the Kraken. Two major trade assets are also off the board with Bo Horvat relocating to the New York Islanders and Vladimir Tarasenko making an immediate impact with the New York Rangers.

Trades may be imminent in Arizona and Columbus as Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov are being held out of the lineup for trade-related reasons.

Fans of the Montreal Canadiens are hopeful that Kent Hughes will be very busy over these next few weeks acquiring prospects and draft picks while rejuvenating the Habs roster and shaving the salary cap.

The top five players on the TSN trade board

    1. Timo Meier, SJS
    2. Jakob Chychrun, ARI
    3. Ryan O’Reilly, STL
    4. Vladislav Gavrikov, CBJ
    5. Ivan Barbashev, STL

The Buyers

There are several teams looking to make a long Cup run but some teams are more desperate than others. Here are likely the biggest buyers at this year’s deadline.

Edmonton Oilers

Deadline Cap Space: $1,125,000
Biggest Needs: Defence and Forward Depth
Trade Capital: 1st Round Pick, Jesse Puljujarvi, Prospects

What to Know

This is the deepest roster the Oilers have had a long time and they are only three points away from being the division leaders. The Oilers are a strong offensive team but still have defensive issues. Acquiring a strong stay-at-home defenseman such as Joel Edmundson or Luke Schenn and/or acquiring a depth forward that is a defensive specialist are moves that we can expect the Oilers to make before the deadline.

The Oilers could go off the board and acquire another big impact player such as Timo Meier which would make their roster even deeper and to prevent one of their opponents from acquiring him. The Oilers will have a hard time re-signing everyone this off-season and have failed to make a deep playoff run with Connor McDavid so far so there is no excuse not to go all in at the deadline.

Prediction

The Oilers are going to pay the price to help their blueline and I believe Joel Edmundson makes the perfect fit. Getting the veteran blueliner for the right price will be tricky as he is under contract for one more season. On the forward front there isn’t an Artturi Lehkonen type player available but there are several forwards from Chicago that could help the Oilers depth.

Colorado Avalanche

Deadline Cap Space: $7,200,833
Biggest Needs: Center Depth
Trade Capital: 1st Round Pick, Prospects, Large Cap Space

What to Know

The defending Stanley Cup champions are looking to repeat and have the cap space to do it. The Avalanche have been devastated with injuries this season but thanks to a weaker division and strong play from depth players, they have managed to stay in a playoff spot.

The benefit of the team being riddled with injuries has allowed the Avalanche to take advantage of long-term injured reserve giving them $7,200,833 in cap space at the deadline. This cap space will allow the Avalanche to take on a big contract player without forcing the trading team to retain salary.

Another benefit the cap space provides the Avalanche is to make multiple moves although the Avs are short draft picks they used at last season’s deadline but still have their first round picks. With multiple players set to become free agents and Nathan MacKinnon’s extension to start next season this could very well be another team that should go all in.

The loss of Nazem Kadri has been noticeable for the Avs this season and with Horvat already gone, the Avs will be looking elsewhere for center help. A return of Ryan O’Reilly to Colorado would be a perfect fit but will be interesting to see the asking price the Blues have.

Jonathan Toews and Sean Monahan are two cheaper options that could easily be impact players for the Avs. All three players are likely to be moved before the deadline and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them ends up with the Avalanche.

Prediction

The return of Ryan O’Reilly to the Avalanche makes a ton of sense if the Avs are willing to go all in. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun has also reported the Avs have interest in Sean Monahan as he wouldn’t cost near as much as O’Reilly. Depending on how the market goes, one of these players will be a member of the Avalanche by the deadline.

Boston Bruins

Deadline Cap Space: $3,250,000
Biggest Needs: Forward and Defense Depth
Trade Capital: 1st Round Pick, Prospects, Modest Cap Space

What to Know

The best team in the league has been the Boston Bruins, who have a seven point lead over the second place Carolina Hurricanes. Due to great cap management, the Bruins have some flexibility at the deadline and are only missing their second round pick this year and next year giving them plenty of ammunition to add to their team.

The Bruins have been linked to Jakob Chychrun and Patrick Kane which would take this already elite team over the top. The Bruins realistically have space to make one big move and a few depth moves.

The Bruins have all the reason in the world to go all in this season. They have seven unrestricted free agents this season, several veteran players including their best player in David Pastrnak. The Bruins are likely to have a big drop off next season as it will be impossible to keep this roster together making the Bruins 2024 first round pick highly valuable but will likely be protected if moved.

Prediction

The Bruins could do the unthinkable and pull off a trade for Patrick Kane but I don’t believe that’s the move they do. Jakob Chychrun would be a perfect fit in Boston but he won’t come cheap and it appears that he is headed to Los Angeles. If they aren’t willing to pay the price, trading for Luke Schenn who would easily become a fan favorite in Boston would allow the Bruins to add to their forward core and Tyler Bertuzzi would be another perfect fit for Bruins playoff style.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Deadline Cap Space: $1,130,833
Biggest Needs: Top 6 Winger, Defensive Defenceman, Goaltending Security
Trade Capital: 1st Round Pick, Prospects

What to Know

One of the most interesting teams before the deadline is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs first round matchup is predicted to be the Tampa Bay Lightning and is unlikely to change unless something drastic occurs. The Leafs have yet to make it out of the first round for years yet are one of the strongest offensive teams every season.

Defense and goaltending collapses have been a huge reason for the Leafs not getting past the first round while others believe its the lack of grit and the offense failing in the playoff style type game. The Leafs are similar to the Oilers as a number of depth players are free agents in the offseason but the key core remains together.

The Leafs have a big decision to make as Auston Matthews’ contract expires at the end of next season and the Leafs cap issues will only become worse. The big decision is if the Leafs go for it this season or next year. It would be a failure of a season if the Leafs fail to make it out of the first round once again which makes many believe they should not go all in this season while others believe if and once the Leafs make it past the first round they could go all the way.

In my opinion, the playoffs only get harder each round and staying healthy is key in the playoffs, something the Leafs have been unlucky with the last few seasons. In the end unless the Leafs are adding elite talent it will depend how their core performs if they are to make it past the first round.

Prediction

The Leafs are another team that have to make a splash. After acquiring Connor Timmins earlier in the season and extending him, the Leafs are more likely to add to their wingers making their forward corps much deeper. Max Domi grew up in Toronto watching his dad play for them for years. Domi is a very streaky forward that has an edge in his game that could thrive in Toronto and shouldn’t cost the Leafs a fortune.

Vegas Golden Knights

Deadline Cap Space: $1,129,166
Biggest Needs: Top 6 Forward, Goalie Security
Trade Capital: 1st Round Pick, Prospects

What to Know

The most wild and cutthroat team in the league is the Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights made it clear from the start that they will do whatever it takes to win and have been the most active team every year willing to move almost any roster player if it improves their team.

This year hasn’t been kind to the Knights and while they remain first in their division staying there could be very difficult. The Knights are losing games against far weaker opponents or suffering collapses. Add in losing their captain for what could be the remainder of the season and Jack Eichel playing good but not great hockey, Vegas could be an extremely desperate team. They will have to get creative as they have limited cap space to make a move. Adding a top six forward such as Patrick Kane is the type of move you would expect from the Knights but they will need help from a third team which would cost them dearly.

Prediction

The Golden Knights love to make a splash and adding Mark Stone to long-term injured reserve would allow them to do just that. How do you replace your captain and best winger? By adding two of the best players available in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

It sounds next to impossible but if there was a team able to do it, it would be the Golden Knights. By the March 3rd trade deadline both Kane and Toews would be paid a majority of their deal and for the Knights to get both players they would need their contracts to be retained by 50 percent twice by finding a third team and Chicago.

The cost after this would be a combined $1,702,702.5 against the cap which would easily be affordable with one or two players going back to the Blackhawks or the third team and that is before the Knights put Stone on LTIR making the Golden Knights a lot more flexible than you would expect. Yes it would cost the Knights a fortune and sounds absolutely crazy but how many times has Vegas done the unthinkable already.

New Jersey Devils

Deadline Cap Space: $2,042,500
Biggest Needs: Top 6 Winger
Trade Capital: 1st Round Pick, Prospects, Mild Cap Space

What to Know

One team flying under the radar are the New Jersey Devils who are second in their division and are few pieces away from being a very difficult team to play against. Add in two big divisional rivals that have made blockbuster trades the Devils have to make a move to stay competitive.

The biggest name on the trade block is Timo Meier and he is the perfect fit for the Devils. The Devils have two great young centers and several good pieces but adding a true power forward like Meier would take this team to a new level and if the Devils believe they can sign Meier long term he will be well worth the risk.

Prediction

As mentioned two big rivals have made big trades which will cause the Devils to pony up and make the biggest move at the trade deadline for Timo Meier and it will be a great fit, but the playoffs will still be a huge test for this young Devils team.

Honorable Mentions

It was hard to limit the buyers list to only six teams as there are always several competitive teams looking to improve their roster. The Jets, Stars, Wild and Hurricanes are all teams that could add key pieces to their roster and very well could have made the list. All four of these teams are teams expecting to make a deep playoff run and are likely going to compete with each other at the deadline creating a sellers market.

Final Thoughts

The NHL trade deadline is always one of the more exciting times of the season but always seems to disappoint. This year with several teams that could easily go all in it could be one of the busiest trade deadlines in a long time. Every year there are winners and losers but the teams that make the biggest splash never seem to win the Cup.

My team from the West to watch is the Edmonton Oilers, if they play the trade deadline smartly and believe in their team that has four 60 point players on the roster this is a team that could make a run.

My team from the East is a surprising team that made the first blockbuster of the season, the New York Islanders. The acquisition of Bo Horvat is next level that gives a very hard team to play against and a playoff style team a huge scoring boost that will make them even harder to play against.

I’m not predicting my Stanley Cup Final teams but it would be amazing to see the best offensive team against the best defensive team and get the answer to the age old question. What wins a championship, offense or defense?

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By Sam Gerber, Staff Writer
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