One Trade Each Metropolitan Team Should Look to Make by the Deadline
Photo by Jay LaPrete / AP News
The NHL trade deadline is one of the more interesting parts of the hockey season. Star players leave their original homes, disappointing organizations dump half their lineup, and good teams become even better. Although the official deadline is not until Friday, Mar. 8, teams are already looking to make a lot of noise ahead of that time.
The Metropolitan Division is maybe the most competitive in the league at the moment, so the teams within it are going to want to make moves to get whatever advantage they can over the others. This is one player that each team in the Metro should look to get by the deadline.
Carolina Hurricanes—Elias Lindholm, Center, Calgary Flames
Most people think that a goalie would serve the Hurricanes better, but Carolina should look beyond that. Right now, Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta are the two goalies getting starts in net. This has been the case ever since Frederik Andersen stepped away from the team in November to address a medical issue. Kochetkov recently went into concussion protocol, leaving Raanta to play in the majority of the games. While Raanta’s save percentage and goals against average (GAA) do not look the best, he has come up huge in a lot of games for the team. Many Hurricanes fans would even argue that the defense is more of a cause for concern. The bottom line is that Kochetkov is a young stud who will return to the team in the next few weeks if all goes well. Carolina should not be wasting a trade on a goalie, when that position is only a sliver of the real issue.
Elias Lindholm, however, is a real star in the NHL. This season he is sitting at 29 points in 44 games, and has gone over the 50 point mark four times in his career. Not to say that the Hurricanes don’t have any stars on their team, but another great player in the lineup is not going to hurt them whatsoever. Carolina has great center depth, but this is a player that every team would want to trade for. Assuming that the team is going to be pushing for the number one seed in the division, this would be the guy that could give them the upper hand. Imagine Aho, Svechnikov, and Lindholm on the same power play? Scary.
Columbus Blue Jackets—Tyson Barrie, Defenseman, Nashville Predators
Image Credit: The Canadian Press
The Blue Jackets have the second most goals scored against them by other teams this season. There’s really nothing else to say besides that. The team has some great scorers in guys like Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Fantilli, but their team lacks a lot of defense. Columbus is last in the Metro and is probably not looking towards a playoff spot anytime soon. With this, it is highly doubtful that they will be acquiring a big-name player, especially at the forward positions.
Tyson Barrie is 32-years-old and has 11 points in the 30 games that he has played with Nashville this year. Barrie is dealing with an injury at the moment, while also being a healthy scratch for the team at times. After being scratched in the beginning of December, he made it clear to the media that he wanted to be traded from the Predators. The Predators then decided to give him permission to talk to other teams. This all gives the Blue Jackets the perfect opportunity to pick up a veteran player that they so desperately need. Columbus has plenty of young guys, as they are currently in a rebuild, but another veteran on the team only helps grow the other players. In a very disappointing season, Barrie could be the fuel that this team needs for the future of their organization.
New Jersey Devils—Elvis Merzlikins, Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets
Speaking of the Columbus Blue Jackets, here is Elvis Merzlikins, who is not happy with being in Ohio. He is having a decent year, with a .906 save percentage, and is a big reason why Columbus has a few more wins than they probably should have. However, eight regular time losses and 6 overtime losses in 24 games, would make most goalies frustrated with their situation at hand. Merzlikins was the buzz around the NHL this week after he said the following in a postgame interview.
“I’m really happy for the boys. After my last interview, everybody knows I requested a trade.””
This one statement by Merzlikins, could open the floodgates for many trade packages coming Columbus’ way. The Devils should be at the top of the list for potential suitors, especially with their own goalie issues. Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid are both having a down year for New Jersey. The team has also been plagued with injuries all season long, but Merzlikins would make this team what they were supposed to be this year; a playoff team. With a great player between the pipes and the starting lineup getting back to normal, the Devils could be a dangerous team to face in the near future if they end up acquiring Merzlikins.
New York Islanders—Vladimir Tarasenko, Winger, Ottawa Senators
Tarasenko is no stranger to New York as he played with the Rangers during the back-half of last season. He is off to a great start in Ottawa where he has 28 points in 37 games (10 goals and 18 assists). The Senators are playing very poorly, as the team only has 30 points and are in last place in the Atlantic Division. With this, big changes could happen soon.
While the New York Islanders are technically ‘out of the playoff picture’, the team is not far off from being back in it. Part of getting back into the playoff mix, could mean trading for a star veteran, and that is exactly what Tarasenko is. He is a Stanley Cup winner and still one of the best wingers in the game. Tarasenko proved that he can help out any team that trades for him, as last year, he proved this by being one of the best players for the Rangers in their closing months and the playoffs.
The top players for the Islanders including Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and Bo Horvat are all carrying the bulk of the scoring for the team at the moment, and that has to change if they want postseason success. This new addition can provide different line changes and an added effect to an already decent power play.
New York Rangers—Frank Vatrano, Winger, Anaheim Ducks
Vatrano is a very familiar face for Rangers fans as he was part of their Eastern Conference Final run in 2022. Unfortunately, the Rangers did not sign him back during that offseason, and he ended up going to Anaheim on a three-year deal. With 21 goals so far this season for the Ducks, Vatrano provides plenty of top line scoring for a team who needs it. That’s where the Rangers come in.
The top line for New York is currently Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Kaapo Kakko. This does seem good in writing, but it is a line that is not performing on a level that it should be. Kakko has recently come back from a lower body injury, that kept him off the ice for almost two months. This should worry the team, especially if another injury were to arise or if his offensive scoring is not tallying up.
Image Credit: Danny Wild / USA Today
Acquiring Frank Vatrano, would mean solidifying the first line for the Rangers. Kakko would be moved down into a third line role, which suits him defensively and could create more scoring opportunities for him. Bottom six scoring is beyond crucial to the Rangers Stanley Cup chances and one way it can be fixed is with a big-named player trade like this one. What really helps is the fact that Kreider, Zibanejad, and Vatrano have played half a season on the same line, so the team knows what they’re getting. The fans, for one, want him back and it seems like the team needs him back. Rangers General Manager, Chris Drury, just has to decide if this is a player he thinks can help win a title or if he is just another fan favorite in the Big Apple.
Philadelphia Flyers—Sean Monahan, Center, Montreal Canadiens
The Flyers have exceeded all expectations this season, as they currently sit at the second seed in the Metropolitan Division. One large reason as to why the team is off to a strong start, would be Philadelphia’s incredible defense. As of now, they have given up the sixth fewest goals in the NHL and their penalty kill is ranked second. The Flyers were just the center of attention this month, when they traded Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks, and got Jamie Drysdale in return. Drysdale is a great offensive defenseman, which adds more skill to an already phenomenal unit.
The chatter around the Flyers is that they have ‘no real weapons’, which seems like a lazy analysis on the team. Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and Owen Tippett are all players who account for most of the scoring on a nightly basis. However, Philadelphia should look into evening up some of the lines, as many of their bottom line players are normally healthy scratches for the team. Sean Monahan is the perfect player to add to this lineup, as he is able to perform well both offensively and defensively. Everyone knows that Flyers head coach, John Tortorella, loves players who give “a little extra”, and that is what he can do for this team.
Plugging Monahan into a bottom six role would provide critical scoring that this team needs if they are serious about going on a playoff run. Although he is having a down year in the goal scoring category, the 11th year player can add a spark to an already electric team
Pittsburgh Penguins—Michael Bunting, Winger, Carolina Hurricanes
The Penguins will forever be a solid team, or as long as they have Sidney Crosby playing for them. One very underrated player in the league and someone who compliments Crosby perfectly, is Jake Guentzel. So why mention him? His name is being thrown around in multiple trade rumors, as many think he will be going to a cup contender come March. It is hard to see Pittsburgh shipping off one of the best players in the division, but it is certainly possible.
Whether this happens or not, the team will be looking for another forward, as they are still competing for a wildcard spot in this years playoffs. The lineup they have now, to put it into very simple terms, is old. Statistically speaking, they are the oldest team in the NHL with the average age being 31.9. This isn’t a bad thing as Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are great players for the franchise; but it is always good to add new guys to the team. While Bunting is 28-years-old, he is still a very effective player with the Hurricanes, as he has 27 points in 42 games this year.
He was an absolute star with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2021-22 season, where he put up 23 goals and 40 assists. Bunting has regressed a little bit since that period, but he is a player that most teams who need a winger, will be looking at. He would fit in perfectly to a power play that needs scoring, where he would most likely take over Bryan Rust’s spot. This should be a guy that the Penguins do everything in their power to get, as he is very effective in the offensive zone; something that the team needs to add.
Washington Capitals—Jakob Chychrun, Defenseman, Ottawa Senators
The Capitals are, yet again, another Metropolitan team that is looking to make the playoffs this season. They are tied for fourth place in the Metro and have been pretty good defensively. This is big for a team in a division that has high scoring opponents. One big problem is that they have little to no offense, especially since they are missing Alex Ovechkin as of late. The team has scored the third fewest goals in the league, and their power play is ranked third worst with a 13.27 percentage.
Image Credit: Ian Mendes / The Athletic
While offense is an issue, a defenseman like Jakob Chychrun would serve the team best, since he can protect the net and provide scoring. He is already up to seven goals and 18 assists at the halfway point in the season, and is one of the main bright spots on a bad Ottawa team.
Chychrun might be the player that Washington is looking, especially considering the fact that they need another defenseman and guys who can score points. He proved that he was a super effective player, both with Ottawa and Arizona, so it seems like there’s a trend here. Chychrun is an elite defenseman, and the team that gets him is going to get instant scoring right off the bat.
These are all predictions, but each move has a chance to happen if the teams want to look into them. Soon, tons of players will be moved around the league and breaking news is going to happen on the daily. The weeks leading up to Mar. 8 are, for sure, going to be both exciting and hectic.