Western Conference contenders add talent, eye Stanley Cup

TORONTO -- All-Star Weekend is traditionally a chance to get away for the players involved, an opportunity to unwind, socialize and escape the unrelenting pressure that can build during the regular season.

Not so much this time around for the top players in the Western Conference.

While they gathered here to show off their skills and have some fun, the Western Conference landscape was irretrievably altered by two blockbuster trades during the weekend among hopefuls for the Stanley Cup.

The Vancouver Canucks (33-11-5) sit atop the Pacific Division and are tied for the League lead with the Boston Bruins (31-9-9) with 71 points, but they have four teams within seven points: Colorado Avalanche (67), Dallas Stars (66), Winnipeg Jets (65) and Vegas Golden Knights (64). And, oh yeah, the Edmonton Oilers are 12 points back but have won 16 straight games, one off the League record.

“The West is really tight,” Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon said. “I think it’s wide open. Hockey’s such an even sport right now with the parity. Teams are definitely making some moves. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I like our team for sure.”

The Avalanche (32-14-3), who won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago, made a minor move Jan. 26 when they signed veteran forward Zach Parise as a free agent for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

But the real fireworks started Wednesday, when the Canucks acquired All-Star forward Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, as well as a first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 Draft.

Not to be outdone, the Winnipeg Jets (30-12-5), who sit third in the Central Division, traded for Sean Monahan on Friday, sending a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to the Montreal Canadiens.

“Any time you get a quality center like that, you’ve got to get him,” Tocchet said of the Monahan trade. “So, it’s a great move by Winnipeg; a great move by Vancouver for getting our guy.”

In a 48-hour period, the top two rental centers were off the board, and the other contenders are left to scramble for answers to perceived flaws as the NHL Trade Deadline looms on March 8.

“There's a lot of good teams battling, and I'm just excited to come to Vancouver,” Lindholm said after the All-Star Game on Saturday. “Obviously, a lot of good players and a lot of skill and strength throughout the whole lineup. Winnipeg is a great team, too. So, it will be fun. Hopefully our team can go on and have a long season.”

Neither Winnipeg nor Vancouver may be done in the trade market, but each addressed its biggest need in the past three days.

Monahan is a three-zone center who is having a bounce-back season with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 49 games with Montreal. He could become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, he has 514 points (231 goals, 283 assists) in 730 regular-season games with the Flames and the Canadiens, and 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

“He's a very smart, intelligent hockey player,” said Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness. “He's got a good hockey sense. Again, he knows how to play 200 feet. He's had a good year offensively and he's just a very reliable player. I think, again, it's just as important to be bringing the right character into our locker room now. We've had a wonderful locker room, great chemistry, and we know he's going to fit right in with us.”

Lindholm, who could also become an unrestricted free agent July 1, can do all the things Monahan can do and has done them better at times.

Selected by the Hurricanes with the No. 5 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Lindholm has 545 points (212 goals, 333 assists) in 792 regular-season games with the Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes, and 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 27 playoff games.

“It shows that management sees a lot of confidence in us and they’re trying to make us a better team and they’re willing to do whatever to do that,” Canucks center J.T. Miller said. “We haven’t had that in the last few years, so it’s nice for them to make a move for a player like ‘Lindy.’ It makes us feel good about what we’ve done and just makes us a much better team, and I’m assuming it’s the same thing with Winnipeg.”

Now, each team will sit and wait months to see if the bravado of quick, bold moves by its management team will pay the ultimate dividend.

With the preponderance of top teams in the West, there is no time to rest on laurels. The Canucks have a 17-point lead on the ninth-place Nashville Predators with 33 games remaining, beginning against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, SNP).

“You can't think of the big picture,” Tocchet said. “We don't even like using the word playoffs, because we're not in the playoffs. You know, we just look at the game by game. It seems to work for me. I just think when you have short-term goals, players kind of can focus better.”