NHL Trade Deadline aftermath sees Bruins remain team to beat

The NHL made huge headlines in the days and weeks leading up to the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on Friday. Several big names switched teams, including Stanley Cup champions and major award winners.

As we head down the stretch to the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, here are some questions and answers:

OK, so now who's the favorite?

Easy. The Boston Bruins.
They're not only the best team in the NHL. They have a chance to be one of the best teams in NHL history.
On pace for 64 wins and 135 points, they could break the NHL records for wins (62, shared by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning) and points (132, held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens).
And they added defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Garnet Hathaway. Orlov already has eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games with Boston. Bertuzzi and Hathaway provide depth, especially important considering the injuries to forwards Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno.
The East is stacked after the arms race that led up to the deadline, but clearly the Bruins are the team to beat.

Who's going to be the most fun to watch?

The New York Rangers.
Come on. They added forward Vladimir Tarasenko, and then they added forward Patrick Kane? Each has an accomplished resume and a history with forward Artemi Panarin.
Tarasenko already has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 11 games with the Rangers.
Kane didn't have a point in his Rangers debut at Madison Square Garden, a 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Still, he was whipping passes across the offensive zone to Panarin. You could see glimpses of the chemistry the duo had with the Blackhawks from 2015-17.
If there is a concern, it's that the Rangers maybe did too much. They also added center Tyler Motte and defensemen Niko Mikkola.
It feels like boom or bust on the biggest stage, Broadway, and it'll be extra fun if we get the Battle of the Hudson in the playoffs. The New Jersey Devils made a huge addition up front too: Timo Meier.

Who's under the most pressure?

The Toronto Maple Leafs. By far.
They haven't won the Cup since 1967 or a playoff series since 2004, the longest droughts in the NHL. They have a star-studded roster, the highest expectations and likely will be stuck playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Oh, and general manager Kyle Dubas is in the last year of his contract.
The Maple Leafs are going for it. They added center Ryan O'Reilly, forwards Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty, and defensemen Erik Gustafsson, Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn.
That's a lot of experience, grit, depth and defense, the type of stuff you need for a playoff run. But two big questions: Did the Maple Leafs make too many changes? What about their goaltending?

Who made the best subtle moves?

The Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers made the Western Conference Final last season, and they have the top two scorers in the NHL: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid is on a different level than everybody else, but he needs help to get Edmonton to the next level.
Defenseman Mattias Ekholm and forward Nick Bjugstad give the Oilers elements they can use in the playoffs. Each adds size -- Ekholm is 6-foot-4, Bjugstad 6-6 -- and can kill penalties. Ekholm was a key part of the Nashville Predators' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, and he plays with an edge.
The West is wide open, and others made nice subtle moves too, though.
A prime example: the Dallas Stars, who entered Friday as the top team in the Western Conference. Outstanding defensively but average offensively, they added forwards Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov.
Another example: the Minnesota Wild, who entered Friday three points behind the Stars. They added defenseman John Klingberg and forwards Marcus Johansson, Gustav Nyquist and
Oskar Sundqvist
, while acting as a third party to help facilitate the Orlov and O'Reilly trades.

Who might look smart in the end?

The Carolina Hurricanes.
While other contenders in the East added big names, the Hurricanes added forward Jesse Puljujarvi and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, even though it seemed they could use a big-name scorer after losing forward Max Pacioretty to an Achilles injury.
Each was a value play -- low risk, lots of upside -- and the Hurricanes might have been wise not to mess with a good thing.
They entered Friday second in the NHL standings, on pace for the best regular season in their history. They ranked second in goals against per game (2.58) and were ninth in goals scored per game (3.34 goals per game), even though they didn't have one player in the top 50 in scoring.
Will the balance serve them well in the playoffs, or will they lack a difference-maker?

Who set themselves up best for the future?

The Predators.
When Barry Trotz takes over for David Poile as general manager July 1, he will have a lot of draft capital.
By trading Ekholm and forwards Mikael Granlund, Tanner Jeannot and Nino Niederreiter, the Predators acquired several draft picks. Over the next three drafts, they have five first-round picks, six second-rounders, five thirds and six fourths.
The Detroit Red Wings did much the same, unloading Filip Hronek on defense and Sundqvist, Tyler Bertuzzi and
Jakub Vrana
at forward. Over the next three drafts, they have five first-round picks, five second-rounders and five fourth-rounders.
The Ottawa Senators nabbed defenseman Jakob Chychrun. They have a shot to make the playoffs this season, but even if they fall short, adding Chychrun to their up-and-coming roster gives them something to be excited about.