Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. Thursday is the penultimate day before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET on Friday). Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:
New Jersey Devils
Tyler Toffoli did not play in a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
"Trade deadline, precautionary," coach Travis Green said prior to the game.
The Devils (31-28-4) are six points behind the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, who are tied for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Toffoli, who leads the Devils with 26 goals in 61 games this season, is in the final season of a four-year, $17 million contract ($4.25 million average annual value) he signed with the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 13, 2020, and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald said on Tuesday that he would prefer not to trade Toffoli and continue to search for goaltending help before the trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.
“The reality is teams have called on him and what a return looks like," Fitzgerald said Tuesday. "I wouldn’t be giving away a player, my leading scorer, that’s for sure, just to gain future assets. But the reality is those future assets could help us down the road.”
Toffoli was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on June 27, 2023.
"It's a dilemma because of where we believe we’re at, [where] we want to go [and] messaging as well to the rest of team,” Fitzgerald said. “If you trade your leading (goal) scorer, you’re throwing in the towel. You can get on a run. No one knows what type of run you can get on.”
Toffoli was replaced in the lineup by Ondrej Palat, who returned after missing a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers because of a lower-body injury.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jake Guentzel is the biggest name on the trade market and he could be moved as soon as, oh, about right now, or shortly after right now. Or certainly before the deadline Friday.
Guentzel has been on long-term injured reserve because of an upper-body injury. He's been out since Feb. 14 and missed his 11th straight game on Thursday, a 6-0 loss for the Penguins to the Washington Capitals. However, he is skating and is eligible to come off LTIR on Sunday.
Guentzel has 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games this season and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported Thursday that a trade sending Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes had been agreed upon in principle but that a trade call likely wouldn't happen until after the teams played that night. Eariler Thursday, Kaplan wrote in her column that the Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers were in on Guentzel, with the Penguins sifting through offers for the 29-year-old forward.
The Vancouver Canucks might be a contender to land Guentzel, too, through a bold move that would involve center Elias Lindholm and the Boston Bruins. That initially was reported by Chris Johnston of The Athletic on Tuesday, and Kevin Weekes of NHL Network and ESPN reported Wednesday that Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk could be part of the equation too.
The Penguins reportedly want at least one roster player as part of the return package for Guentzel.
The Rangers are in the market for a right wing to play on their first line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Guentzel is a left wing, but if the price is right for them the Rangers are not going to balk at trying to acquire him. If they land him, either he or Kreider could move to the right side.
The Golden Knights still could include their first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft in any trade. They technically sent that pick to the Calgary Flames as part of the trade for defenseman Noah Hanifin on Wednesday, but with the condition that if they move the pick before March 10, the Flames would instead get Vegas' first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Panthers acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. He was on their top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart at the morning skate Thursday before making his debut against the Philadelphia Flyers. Reinhart, who had been at right wing, was on the left side with Tarasenko on the right.
If the Panthers nab Guentzel too, he'd likely replace Nick Cousins as the left wing on their second line and play with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Hurricanes have Andrei Svechnikov as their top left wing. Guentzel undoubtedly would find his way into their top-six forward group and onto their first power-play unit.
Carolina Hurricanes
Michael Bunting did not play for the Hurricanes in a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday for trade-related reasons.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported before the game that he had heard the forward will be traded to the Penguins as part of a deal for Guentzel.
The Hurricanes signed Bunting to a three-year, $13.5 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) on July 3. He has 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 60 games this season.
The word is that the Penguins want an NHL player as part of the return package in any trade involving Guentzel. Bunting is obviously a player the Penguins can insert right into their top-six forward group and is even a left wing, like Guentzel.
The Hurricanes have Andrei Svechnikov as their top left wing. But Guentzel would be a perfect fit as a shooter, goal-scorer and smart, two-way player.
New York Rangers
In addition to Guentzel, the Rangers also are interested in forward Frank Vatrano from the Anaheim Ducks. Vatrano is signed through next season. He is a right wing and played on New York's top line with Zibanejad and Kreider after being acquired in a trade with the Panthers before the 2022 trade deadline. He had 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 22 regular-season games and 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games in 2021-22.
Kaplan in her column reported that the Ducks offered the Rangers Vatrano and center Adam Henrique in exchange for a first-round pick and forward Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers said no, but that doesn't mean they're not still in on Vatrano.
Guentzel might be their first choice, but Vatrano is their second choice, according to Kaplan.
Vatrano has 49 points (29 goals, 20 assists) in 62 games with the Ducks this season.
Nashville Predators
The Predators have made two trades Thursday, acquiring forward Anthony Beauvillier from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and sending forward Yakov Trenin and defenseman prospect Graham Sward to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman prospect Jeremy Hanzel and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
There could be more coming, including the possibility of a trade sending defenseman Tyson Barrie elsewhere. But making that trade is likely proving to be difficult for the Predators, one of the rare teams that can say it wants to be a buyer and a seller ahead of the deadline.
Barrie is in the final season of a three-year contract that he signed with the Edmonton Oilers on July 28, 2021. He was a healthy scratch for the 10th straight game when the Predators played the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The Predators probably would prefer to trade him, but it's a difficult thing to do.
Barrie addressed that topic Thursday.
"We've been pretty transparent with each other through the whole thing," Barrie said of his conversations with general manager Barry Trotz, according to NHL.com independent correspondent Robby Stanley. "He's been honest and open and communicating. He's trying to find what's best for the Preds and at the same time be fair to me."
Barrie has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 35 games this season. He last played Feb. 15.
"I'm just trying to stick in there and be a good teammate and work hard and be ready for a chance wherever it comes, whether that's here or elsewhere," Barrie said. "We'll see what shakes out. There's no guarantees on anything. I know it's tough with salary and teams up against the cap and everything. We'll see how it shakes out."
The Predators also are trying to figure out what to do with defenseman Alexandre Carrier, who also is a pending UFA and drawing interest on the trade market.
All the while, Nashville is in position to be the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. They have a six-point cushion on the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Kraken.
