The NHL has been flipped on its head lately, as there have been some blockbuster trades throughout the league. The trade deadline is just over a month away, and with the 4 Nations Face-Off just around the corner, look for teams to try and make a couple of moves before the break.
Blockbuster trades, historic goaltending performances, buyers and sellers, here’s the very latest from around the NHL:
Canucks’ Elias Pettersson welcomes added pressure after J.T Miller’s departure
The Vancouver Canucks traded J.T Miller to the New York Rangers, in hopes of clearing all the air in the team’s dressing room. With Miller off to greener pastures, now all the attention turns to Elias Pettersson, something the 26-year-old is ready to handle.
Pettersson spoke postgame last Friday after Miller was moved, and made it clear he’s well-equipped to handle the added pressure now. “Honestly, I want that pressure, it’s up to me to take it” he said Friday after the Canucks lost 5-3 to the Dallas Stars. “I think both of us made each other better.”
All indication points to the Canucks keeping Pettersson, despite all of the trade rumours over the last two weeks. The Columbus Blue Jackets became a prime landing spot for the Canucks’ centre, but those trade talks have fizzled out since the Miller deal to New York.
The Canucks have lost two straight since trading Miller, with Pettersson posting one assist, and a minus-2 rating. Meanwhile, the Rangers are 1-1-0 with Miller in the lineup, and the pesky forward has recorded two goals and two assists.
Rangers’ Quick becomes first US-born goalie to reach 400 wins
Speaking of the Rangers, goaltender Jonathan Quick made history on Sunday, becoming the first US-born goaltender in NHL history to reach 400 wins. Quick made 34 saves, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2.
400 career wins for #NYR Jonathan Quick!
The garden is loving it. pic.twitter.com/4lIhfBsVeY
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) February 3, 2025
Quick became the 15th goalie in league history to reach the 400-win mark, joining Florida Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who hit the milestone earlier in the season. The Milford, CT native trails former Detroit Red Wings backstop Chris Osgood by one victory for 14th all-time.
Quick has a 7-5-2 record on the year, a 3.04 goals-against average (GAA), and a .901 save percentage (SV%). In 797 career NHL appearances, he has a 400-288-88 record, a 2.48 GAA, a .911 SV%, and 62 shutouts.
NHL’s trade market taking shape
The NHL’s trade market is as hot as can be right now. The Canucks are the team to beat at the moment, making a couple of big moves to move Miller, and acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Dallas Stars went all-in for the first time in a long time, acquiring both Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks. The Stars gave up a first, and conditional fourth-round pick for both pending free agents, and the market has been set, if you want an impact rental, it’s going to cost at least a first-round pick.
Keep an eye on the Sharks, they’ll continue to sell, with Jake Walman and Luke Kunin being two potential trade candidates for the Maple Leafs. Walman’s two-way game and ability to play heavy minutes could be a blessing for the Leafs, meanwhile, Kunin is a defensive-minded right-handed centre, who loves to hit everything that moves and can also chip in with some secondary scoring.
Other sellers in the Western Conference are likely to include the Nashville Predators, who enter Monday’s action 16 points behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot. A position nobody saw coming in Nashville. The Preds have Gustav Nyquist as their lone pending unrestricted free agent, however, GM Barry Trotz will likely be receiving phone calls on defenceman Luke Schenn and forwards like Ryan O’Reilly and Tommy Novak.
The Seattle Kraken are in a tough spot entering the trade deadline. They are 10 points back of a playoff spot, and have 12 players on their NHL roster who have trade protection. The Kraken announced that forward Yanni Gourde underwent sports hernia surgery and is expected to miss 5-to-7 weeks. Despite the injury, teams will be lining up with offers for the veteran Gourde, who has been linked to the Leafs for parts of this season.
In the Eastern Conference, the sellers market will include the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres are dead last in the East and have Dylan Cozens as a prime candidate for a change of scenery. The 23-year-old Cozens is signed through the 2029-30 season at $7.1 million AAV and doesn’t have any trade protection until 2027. The Calgary Flames, who acquired Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Flyers a few days ago, have been linked to a move for Cozens this season.
The Flyers moved Farabee and Frost, and created some salary cap flexibility this summer, while also adding Andrei Kuzmenko to their forward group. Kuzmenko and Flyers’ rookie Matvei Michkov played together previously in the KHL. Philadelphia could continue to be active before the March 7 trade deadline, with Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen potential trade candidates.
The Penguins landed a first-round pick for Pettersson and O’Connor, and Kyle Dubas isn’t likely finished. While Sidney Crosby shut down any speculation of him being open to a trade, look for Dubas to entertain offers on veterans Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Erik Karlsson.
Quick hits from around the NHL
- Panthers’ head coach Paul Maurice became the fourth head coach in NHL history to reach 900 wins.
- Wild’s Ryan Hartman is facing a lengthy suspension after delivering a forearm to the back of Senators’ Tim Stutzle’s head over the weekend.
- The New York Islanders added Tony DeAngelo and then claimed defenceman Adam Boqvist from the Panthers. Both blueliners have been quick to hit the scoresheet with their new club.
- Avalanche netminder Mackenzie Blackwood recorded his second straight shutout Sunday, and since joining the Avs, has a 12-5-2 record, with an impressive 2.03 GAA, and .925 SV%.
- Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon is the first player this season to reach the 80-point mark.
- Canucks’ captain Quinn Hughes sat out Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury.
- As many expected, the Red Wings and Blue Jackets currently occupy the wild card positions in the East.
- Several reports have surfaced stating if the Boston Bruins fall out of the playoff picture, there’s rising potential that they’ll entertain trade offers on captain Brad Marchand.
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