The 4 Nations Face-Off has captivated the hockey world and has been everything as advertised. The first 10 minutes of the Canada/USA game on Saturday night was arguably the fastest 10 minutes in hockey history, of course, after the first nine seconds when Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and J.T Miller decided to follow through with their group-chat promise to drop the gloves early.
Despite the 4 Nations being the only hockey on the schedule these two weeks, there’s been plenty of speculation brewing off the ice, as GMs can still make roster transactions with the trade deadline just a few weeks away. Here’s all the very latest from around the NHL:
Matthew Tkachuk likely to sit vs. Sweden, expected to play in final
According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Matthew Tkachuk isn’t expected to play against Sweden on Monday in Boston. The pesky winger hurt his leg during Saturday’s wild affair against Canada,
Sounds likely that Matthew Tkachuk will sit out Monday night’s game against Sweden 🇸🇪 to heal up for Team USA’s championship game on Thursday.
We’ll hear from Mike Sullivan this afternoon.
Tkachuk missed final 12:36 of Canada clash and left Bell Centre with noticeable limp.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 16, 2025
The Florida Panthers forward sat out the final 12:36 of the game and was caught on the broadcast telling the coaching staff that he couldn’t continue. Tkachuk stayed on the bench with his team, attempting to skate during media timeouts.
Tkachuk is tied for second in tournament scoring with three points in four games, and against Canada, decided he was going to follow in his Dad Keith’s footsteps. In 1996 at the World Cup of Hockey Keith Tkachuk played for USA against Canada and dropped the gloves with Claude Lemieux just 20 seconds into the game. Needless to say, Keith’s boys one-upped their dad.
Both Tkachuk brothers were mic’d up during their matchup against Canada, and in case you missed it, here’s an inside look on the ice during the mayhem:
Brady and Matthew Tkachuk mic’d up in the box after their fights.
They got each other’s approval.pic.twitter.com/UAf6ogCzG7
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) February 16, 2025
Islanders and Jets linked to Brock Nelson trade
Nelson is arguably the number-one pending free-agent centre on the trade market this season, and if the Islanders can’t get an extension done before the trade deadline on March 7, there’s a very good chance he would end up flying with the Jets in Winnipeg.
Seravalli recently published a trade matchmaker piece and had Nelson heading to Winnipeg in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and prospect Rasmus Kupari. Nelson, 33, is owed $6 million against the cap this season and holds a 16-team no-trade list. He’s scored 17 goals and 35 points in 55 games this season and will be one of the most coveted trade targets throughout the league, including some expected interest from Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs.
Nelson recently spoke with Luke Fox of Sportsnet and opened up about his future on Long Island. “I know there’s a lot of speculation from outside and different things, and people have already decided for me a couple of times what’s going to happen,” said Nelson.
“I want what’s best for me, family, team and everything. So, there’s a lot of factors that go into it.”
Besides the Jets, there’s been some speculation about the Minnesota Wild, as GM Bill Guerin is very familiar with Nelson’s game through USA hockey. With over $14 million of buyout money coming off the Wild’s books next season, the Wild are a team to watch as it will be interesting how Guerin handles the added financial flexibility.
Ducks listening to trade offers on Trevor Zegras
According to The Fourth Period, the Anaheim Ducks are listening to trade offers on forward Trevor Zegras. The 23-year-old talent is signed through the 2025-26 season at $5.75 million AAV and does not have any trade protection on his contract.
It’s been another up-and-down season for Zegras this year, recording just six goals and 15 points in 32 games. While the Ducks continue to rebuild, so you’d think having a young winger with untapped potential would be appealing to keep in Anaheim, GM Pat Verbeek’s patience may be wearing thin, and a change of scenery could be coming in the very near future for the former 2019 ninth overall pick.
Zegras has been linked to the New York Rangers in trade talks, which could be something to watch over the course of the next few weeks. Zegras isn’t the only one from the Ducks causing a stir on the trade market as according to Elliotte Friedman, goaltender John Gibson is open to finally being moved by the franchise, and reportedly has told management he prefers to get traded to either Carolina or Edmonton.
Gibson has posted a 9-9-2 record, with a .915 save percentage, and 2.65 goals against average. He owns a 10-team no-trade clause on his contract and is signed through the 2026-27 season at $6.4 million AAV. It feels like if Gibson were to get moved to either the Oilers or the Hurricanes, Carolina is a much likelier destination, considering Frederik Andersen is 35 years old and in the final season of his contract.
NHL Quick Hits including 4 Nations Face-Off
- Canada’s Cale Makar is going to do anything he can to play on Monday against Finland. Makar missed the dream matchup against the USA last weekend and it showed for Canada, and more specifically Nathan MacKinnon looked lost without his Avalanche teammate.
- Seravalli matched the Philadelphia Flyers trading Scott Laughton to the Washington Capitals for a 2026 first-round pick. If that’s the asking price, Treliving and the Maple Leafs may want to look elsewhere.
- Seravalli also linked the Flyers moving Rasmus Ristolainen to the Dallas Stars before the trade deadline.
- Friedman called the St. Louis Blues the ‘team to watch’ recently, stating they could potentially move captain Brayden Schenn. The Blues also have Justin Faulk, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jordan Kyrou, who have had their names circulating in trade rumours recently.
- Bruins’ Brad Marchand shrugged off trade rumours ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Marchand is in the final season of his contract, and with the Bruins fighting for a playoff spot, it will certainly be interesting how GM Don Sweeney handles his rentals. “When things aren’t going well with your group, or going the way that I think it was expected to go, that’s what happens, right?”
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