Now that the NHL trade deadline has passed, we know what we’ll be getting from this team for the rest of the year. There is no longer any need to change plans or time to solve problems. The stretch begins and the playoff race is set to get fierce and exciting.
Regular check-ins for these races begin today and there are a few questions posed as a result of the rather quiet deadline.
Can the Oilers and Golden Knights hold on for a playoff spot, or will they face a challenge from outside? Should the Atlantic challenger have been more aggressive?
More on this in today’s playoff push.
Should Buffalo, Detroit or Montreal be bolder at the deadline?
The Eastern region is seeing strong sales, especially the Atlantic region. Back-to-back champion Florida was eliminated and the Maple Leafs are looking to break their record nine-season playoff streak. Meanwhile, Detroit is looking to bounce back for the first time in nearly a decade, while Buffalo leads the division and is on track to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Montreal, which broke through last year to reach the postseason and move out of the first phase of its rebuild, is close behind heading into the game.
All of these teams have been rumored to be linked to some of the deadline’s biggest names: Robert Thomas, Jordan Binnington and Elias Pettersson. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes admitted they were working on a “significant” deal that never materialized but could be revisited in the offseason.
The Red Wings have been more active as buyers than they have been in years under Steve Yzerman. Justin Faulk is certainly a notable upgrade on the back end and has been one of the best right-handed defenders around. Buffalo played for Colton Parayko, but switched to Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley after the Blue rejected the deal. Montreal was quiet at the deadline after signing Philip Dano earlier this season.
This season’s Eastern Conference appears to be wide open, with Tampa Bay considered the strongest candidate. And of course, on paper, better days should lie ahead for each of the Red Wings, Sabres and Canadiens, but you can’t expect a steady trajectory. If Florida comes back healthy and hungry next season and the Leafs can get back on track, the path through the first 82 games next year will become more complicated.
So was this the year to go bigger and bolder and put in more chips to make a run for a conference or Stanley Cup championship?
Can Carolina survive the playoffs after a quiet deadline?
After adding Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen via trades in back-to-back seasons but being unable to retain either of them, the Hurricanes were much quieter at this trade deadline. Nic Deslauriers was the only pickup.
And maybe it will succeed. At 5-on-5, the Hurricanes rank first in the league in shooting percentage and second in expected goals percentage. They have a top 8 offense and defense.
Of course, regular season success and solid underlying numbers have followed the Canes for years. They have won three division titles in the last five years and their fourth in six years. And despite winning multiple playoff rounds under Rod Brind’Amour, they tended to make quiet exits. They have reached three conference finals with this coach, but have won only one game in that round.
With an eight-point lead in the division, home ice advantage appears likely for the first two rounds. They are slightly ahead of Buffalo in the conference, which will guarantee them home ice through the East playoffs.
Can we stand and move forward with this team and make it to the finals? A center was recognized as something they needed, which is why there were rumors of them surrounding Vincent Trocheck, who is much stronger on the faceoff dot and penalty kill than their current second-leading pivot, Logan Stankoven. Will this lineup be able to survive until the 3rd round of the East?
Do the penguins have enough runway and enough clearance to stay?
GM Kyle Dubas didn’t expect Pittsburgh to be overly aggressive at the deadline this year, as he still walks a fine line between managing a team that’s exceeding expectations and competing for the playoffs while also having to replenish the cupboard and prepare for the next era. Dubas did quite well on the trade market prior to this deadline. They acquired Arturs Silovs last summer, traded in Tristan Jarry for a goalie upgrade and acquired Egor Chinakov, the team’s fourth-leading scorer since becoming a Penguin in December.
Their challenge now is to get through several games without Sidney Crosby. Although his original recovery period was at least four weeks due to an injury at the Olympics, he recently skated with the Penguins and joined them on a five-game road trip that included stops through Carolina, Utah, Vegas and Colorado twice.
The Penguins have also been absent for the last two games as Evgeni Malkin is serving a five-game suspension, giving them three of their four points. It would be a huge boost to the team if we could get them both back for this trip.
Consider that the NY Islanders, who are one point behind Pittsburgh in the division, have a Vezina contender and made a move to bring in center Brayden Schenn at the deadline. Columbus, four points behind, was one of the hottest teams in the league before the Olympic break and is 3-1-3 since the return. They added Conor Garland at the deadline.
According to Tankathon.com, the Penguins have the toughest remaining schedule in the NHL, with 19 games remaining just ahead of the Blue Jackets. The Islanders are in the middle of the pack. Pittsburgh has been a great, surprising story this season. How awesome would it be for Crosby to return to the postseason for the first time in four years? They haven’t won a series since 2018, but they could certainly be in a position to do so in 2026. Especially if they can maintain a 2-3 seed in the Metropolitan Division and avoid drafting Carolina (or possibly Tampa Bay) in the first round.
Can Nazem Kadri put Colorado back on top?
The Avalanche swooped up Nazem Kadri later that day, preventing the trade deadline from being a complete dud. After acquiring Nicolas Roy for a first-round pick last Thursday when the Kadri trade appeared to fall through, the Avalanche addressed their need for a center and formed a very strong pivot trio with Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson and Roy, ready to go from there.
But when a Kadri trade became available again, the Avs were still in a position to make it, heeded caution and also gave up their 2028 first-rounder, leaving the team without a top pick and just a second and a third in the next three drafts.
Kadri will probably end up playing centrally when Gabriel Landeskog returns from injury, but he has started on the wing in the top unit alongside MacKinnon and Martin Necas. In his first game, Kadri recorded the primary assist on a MacKinnon goal and had five shots on goal against Minnesota.
Kadri won a Stanley Cup in his last appearance with the Avalanche in 2022 and had 15 points in 16 games as the team’s second-line center. He left as a free agent that summer because of the way the flat cap tied Colorado’s hands, but the Avs have been looking for his replacement ever since. Nelson’s great season has filled Colorado’s 2C need, Roy has established himself as a defensive third liner, and gives the Avs flexibility on where to use Kadri.
Whether as a center or a top-line winger, Kadri is positioned to be a real difference-maker again for the Avalanche as they sit a seven-point lead in the overall NHL standings and are poised to enter the postseason as Stanley Cup winners.
Will the Ducks regret not upgrading the team’s defense?
Anaheim is one of the most entertaining teams this season, but “fun” doesn’t usually translate into post-season success.
The Ducks currently lead the Pacific Division, the weakest in the NHL by far, with Vegas and Edmonton struggling to find stability. Interestingly, Anaheim is in this position despite having a goal differential of minus-10. How often does it happen that a team wins a regular season division title with negative goal differential? According to Sportsnet Stats, this hasn’t happened in 14 years.
According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, the Ducks rank 31st in high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes and fourth in expected goals, but they still have higher expected goals.
So you might think this is a team looking to improve their defense at the trade deadline by moving meaningful pieces. But the move they made was John Carlson. Carlson, a veteran defenseman who anchors the right side of the blue line alongside Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas, can still bring it, but he is a much more aggressive player who can overpower opponents and change Anaheim’s play on his own.
This team’s best years are still ahead, and just giving the younger players some postseason experience will help them greatly in the long run. Will leaning on their offensive strengths lift the Ducks, or will making it harder to score leave the Ducks exposed?
Should Vegas or Edmonton have done something about their goaltending?
Earlier this season, Vegas made a big trade to bring in Rasmus Andersson, but was uncharacteristically quiet at the deadline. Edmonton also made big moves for positions of need, including acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh in December, bringing in a top-four defensive blueliner in Connor Murphy during deadline week and bolstering its center depth with Jason Dickinson.
But goaltending is currently a sore spot for both teams. Edmonton and Vegas rank 31st and 32nd in 5-on-5 team save percentage. In all situations, they are 29th and 30th.
If the playoffs were today, the Oilers wouldn’t even be starting the goalie they traded for this season. Jarry has a save percentage of .862 in 13 games with the team, 30 percentage points worse than offseason wild card recipient Connor Ingram.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Adin Hill missed several months with injury this season and has posted an .849 save percentage since returning in January. At that time, he was overwhelmed by Akira Schmid.
Both teams were rumored to be around Jordan Binnington (though he wasn’t willing to give up on going to Edmonton), Sergei Bobrovsky, or a goalie in discussions around the deadline. But the Oilers have already made one goalie trade this season and have other needs to address, while Vegas is hoping to elevate Hill in the postseason. Among 19 goalies with at least 10 playoff games over the past three years, Hill’s .917 save percentage ranks fifth. Schmid is third, by the way.
Will Vegas’ patience and faith pay off? Can Edmonton fix its problems with Jarry? Or can Ingram improve on what Stuart Skinner gave the team back-to-back runs to the finals?
Both teams are open to victory, but other organizations are also starting to challenge from behind in their own divisions. Winning the Cup is impossible without solid goaltending, and I wonder if either Vegas or Edmonton will regret not ironing out more of their wrinkles before the deadline.
