Will this be the Best or Worst NHL Trade Deadline Ever?
With next season's salary cap increase looming, and with more than half of the league in a position to make the playoffs, what will Friday's trade deadline look like?
Let me be the 400th internet hockey person to wish you a happy trade deadline week.
Let me be the first to ask this question: Are you just as scared as I am that Friday is going to be a giant dud?
Maybe I just let myself get more excited than usual, given the upcoming salary cap increase, the blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade that kicked things off super early, and the 4 Nations roster freeze that acted like a trade deadline appetizer.
But when I really sit down and think of these things, they could all set the stage for an anti-climatic trade deadline day. I mean, it’s likely the biggest deal was already done, and maybe the moves surrounding the 4 Nations were the encore. And the land between the current cap and the rising cap is a difficult place for an agent and a GM to negotiate in.
Then there’s the shitshow Eastern Conference playoff bubble of it all that will make this deadline fascinating no matter what. Around 75 percent of the league could make the playoffs right now. Which GMs will wave the white flag, and which GMs will lean into contention?
We’ll see what happens — or what doesn’t happen — leading up to Friday’s 3 pm deadline. Come hang out in the subscriber chat all day, and I’ll be going live on the Bleacher Report app starting at 1:30 pm EST!
My Biggest Questions
What will the Columbus Blue Jackets look like by Friday night? GM Don Waddell could take it in any direction. I’d like to see him give this group a fighting chance to not only make the playoffs — but to make a solid run at the Cup.
How will the Eastern Conference playoff bubble teams act? Will the Bruins actually sell? I’m on board. Will the Red Wings add some defense? I don’t see why not. Will anyone do something a little too drastic? I’m hoping for chaos, but it doesn’t seem likely after the Barry Trotz Fyre Festival of 2024.
Are the Oilers seriously not even going to attempt to glance at the goalie market?!
As much as I love any and all drama, am I wrong to think the Capitals are too vibey to make any even remotely significant moves? The three-year, $9 million Charlie Lindgren extension was perfect today, perhaps that’s enough.
If the Hurricanes trade Rantanen, and if it’s because he wouldn’t sign an extension by March 7, what were they thinking acquiring him to begin with? Or was this all just a little prank?
The Vibe Report
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5. New York Islanders (27-25-7, -11 goal differential, W2)
Look, the fall of the New York Islanders after that “encouraging” win streak would be more tragic if anyone genuinely believed the team was good.