Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are 10 days remaining until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET on March 8). Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are approaching the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline with their worst stretch of the season, having gone 1-0-3 on a four-game road trip that ended with a 4-3 shootout loss at the Seattle Kraken on Monday. They have played six straight overtime games, a franchise record.
Asked by The Athletic what is on his wish list ahead of the Trade Deadline, Bruins president Cam Neely joked, “That’s a big list. That’s a big wish list, that one, based on where we’re at. But we’ll try to figure something out that’s going to give us opportunities to improve upon, for sure.”
Neely mentioned another “stiff defender” and help on offense as potential targets for a team that has performed better than expected this season, but is currently in a slump. The Bruins (34-12-14) remain the top team in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of the Florida Panthers.
Boston went all-in last season, acquiring Tyler Bertuzzi, Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov in the midst of a record-breaking season that ended in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round.
Neely acknowledged the Bruins have slipped on special teams and have struggled to close out games, especially on the road trip. He also acknowledged they have little in the way of flexibility, both being tight to the salary cap ($83.5 million) and because they have traded away several draft picks; they do not have a selection in the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Calgary Flames
Which goalies will get moved before the Trade Deadline?
In talking about two of the top trade targets on ESPN’s “The Drop” podcast, Jacob Markstrom (Calgary Flames) and Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators), Kevin Weekes called it “50-50” that each of them would be moved before the Deadline, though he said he would have put it at 60-40 or even 70-30 as recently as a few weeks ago.
Weekes mentioned that the Flames (28-25-5) may be less interested in trading Markstrom given their recent uptick in play. They have won three in a row and seven of 10 and are five points behind the Predators (32-25-2) for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
“New Jersey would absolutely be the perfect place for Markstrom,” Weekes said. “But the Calgary Flames are making a bit of a push. I’m not sure they want to part with Markstrom at this point; it doesn’t appear like they’re really fully eager. I know that the talks had gone down the line with the Devils; it seemed relatively close. I confirmed that in speaking to some people within the organization at the Stadium Series game a couple of weeks ago. So right now, this is a 50-50 proposition if Calgary will choose to move him or not. But I know one thing: the Devils need him.”
Weekes put Saros in the same category, given Nashville’s surge to the second wild card in the West. The Predators have won five straight games.
Markstrom has two more years on his contract; Saros has one.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers took a hit Tuesday when they learned that defenseman Jamie Drysdale is week to week with an upper-body injury. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Drysdale was hit on the left shoulder Sunday in a 7-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s the same shoulder he injured last season, with the surgery ending his season after eight games.
The Flyers (30-22-7) have exceeded expectations and are third in the Metropolitan Division, seven points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and four ahead of the Washington Capitals.
Between the injuries to Drysdale and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, the Flyers are in a strange position ahead of the Trade Deadline. They’re in a good spot to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs but are also focused more on the long term, not just the immediate future, something general manager Daniel Briere has been emphatic about.
So now that they have some clarity around Drysdale, does that make them more or less willing to deal two pending unrestricted free agent defensemen in Sean Walker and Nick Seeler?
There’s no question both players will draw a lot of interest. And, with the short-term chances of the team impacted further by the injury to Drysdale, it may be time to deal. Of course, that also may be a tough pill to swallow for a team that has performed so well this season. It’s a sticky situation for the Flyers.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Mark Giordano is set to return for the Maple Leafs against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, SCRIPPS), after the defenseman has been out since Feb. 15 after the death of his father. He will replace Timothy Liljegren, who was injured Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.
That means Toronto will have six left-shot defensemen against Vegas, perhaps underscoring its potential need to acquire a right-shot defenseman ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Maple Leafs are leading the NHL in goals for per game (3.68) but are 18th in goals-against (3.12).
So, do they need to bulk up on defense?
Toronto (33-16-8) has won seven straight games and sits third in the Atlantic Division. It hasn’t allowed more than three goals since its last loss, 5-3 to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 10.
The Maple Leafs have had some bad luck on their blue line, with John Klingberg (hip surgery) out for the season and Connor Timmins (mononucleosis) out since Jan. 24
