The NHL frontrunner didn’t shop until just before the trade deadline.
League-leading Boston just got bigger and tougher with the addition of Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway. Toronto bolstered its defense with a trade for Ryan O’Reilly. The Rangers responded to New York rivals Islanders’ move to Bo He Hobatt by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko.
There have already been some big moves across the league, including a couple on Sunday, and more are expected before the trade deadline on Friday at 3pm ET. Patrick Kane’s move from Chicago to the Rangers is the most predictable deal on the docket, but there remains a lot of uncertainty about what else will happen.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said last week after making what could be his first big deal, or his only big deal, “I’m certainly not sure where the market will go next. “It’s for all the teams, all 32 teams, to continue their discussions, and those discussions will continue.”
As a result of the discussion, St. Louis will trade Ivan Barbashev to Vegas, according to a person familiar with the deal, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was not announced. Other negotiations culminated in a forward swap between Dallas and Montreal, with the central division’s leading star acquiring four-time 20-goal scorer Evgeny Dadonov.
Kane, San Jose’s Timo Meyer and Eric Carlson, Arizona’s Jakob Chiklun, Philadelphia’s James van Riemsdyk and Washington’s pending free agency after the Capitals went from buyer to seller. Much more is in the works.
Prices for many players are high, especially Meyer and Chiklung, the top players expected to change positions before the deadline.
“You can see the market sorting out some teams for the weekend,” said Hart Levine of Packpedia, a website that tracks salary caps and player movements.
what has already happened
The Islanders made a breakthrough in late January, acquiring 30-goal scorer Horvat from Vancouver and signing an eight-year extension. The Rangers acquired Tarasenko and big his defenseman Nico Mikkola from St. Louis after his All-Star break in early February, and the Eastern stowed to repeat or improve his trip to the Conference Finals. It was started.
“I want to win and be part of a good hockey team that can win,” Mikkola said. “The whole team is good, so we can dig deeper. We all know that.”
The Maple Leafs want to dig deeper, but haven’t won a playoff series since 2004, before the NHL introduced a salary cap. With O’Reilly, the 2019 playoff MVP that the Blues won the Stanley Cup, and tough depth forward Noel Acciari, if their goaltending holds up, they’re better off for the pursuit. Set up.
what happens
The worst-kept secret in sports is Kane’s connection to the Rangers.
After New York acquired Tarasenko, the price was too high for Meyer and Kane, Kane said.
Not very poker-faced, but Kane has a complete no-move clause. That means his three-time cup champion, who was league MVP in 2015-16, can choose where he wants to go. His Rangers GM Chris Drury handled the end of his financial side Saturday by trading Vitali Kravtsov to Vancouver and waiving Jake Leschyshyn.
And while Kane’s name hasn’t been uttered around the Rangers, there’s unrest all around them as the commotion seeps into the locker room.
“It’s always been this time of year,” said coach Gerald Gallant. “It’s tough for some players. But at the end of the day, you’re trying to make the team better every day, and that’s management’s job.”
The 26-year-old big wing has ties to the New Jersey Devils, captained by Swiss native Nico Hisiel, as well as other players in the Western Conference. Chychrun has been on the trade block since last season, and the 24-year-old defense has two seasons left in him, and this one number of him is finally being traded.
what happens and what doesn’t
Sellers also buy while selling — mass hysteria. Well, not so hysterical, but not as simple as the haves and have-nots on this deadline.
St. Louis could still be in the market for Meyer, Chiklung, or any other player signed this season or later, even after trading Tarasenko, Mikkola, O’Reilly, Achchari and Barbashev. The same can be said for Washington, who won the Cup in 2018 and has made the playoffs every year since 2014, but has been plagued with injuries and other events that could end their winning streak.
Capitals sent Orlov and Hathaway to Bruins but could trade forward Lars Eller, Conor Sheary, Marcus Johansson, defenseman Nick Jensen, Trevor Van Liemsdyk and Eric Gustafsson be.
“A little emotional, not funny,” said Eller, who scored the Cup winning goal five years ago. “Try to stay in the present, like staying in the present moment.”
Washington’s GM Brian MacLellan certainly does. With Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goalscoring record, the Capitals won’t rebuild anytime soon, and McClellan will take the acquired picks and turn them around to win again soon next year. has already been foretold.
“While this season has been plagued by injuries to key players, we are in a position to use some of our current assets to reorganize the club and move forward with a competitive team,” he said. rice field.
You can even start before the deadline.
AP Sports writers Jimmy Goren of Boston and Jay Cohen of Chicago contributed to this report.
Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter. https://twitter.com/SWhyno
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
