There are 19 days until the 2024 NHL trade deadline.
It’s getting interesting.
Here are 10 storylines involving teams on the hunt and players who may start the chase before the deadline of March 8th at 3pm ET.
The flames that dominate the defenseman market
The Calgary Flames hold two of the biggest cards in the game of poker this NHL trade deadline season in defenseman Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin. Both are pending unrestricted free agents.
Calgary is fighting for a playoff berth, but has already traded center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks, and Hanifin and Tanev may be in a tough spot for the right price.
The Flames have reportedly offered the 27-year-old Hanifin an eight-year contract, but he hasn’t signed yet, making him more likely to be traded. Tanev, 34, is expected to be traded.
Teams in need of a defenseman will likely talk to the Flames to determine a price. Although not cheap, these two of his companies could be two of his most influential on the market.
Markstrom could also move from Calgary.
Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is under contract for two more seasons at an average annual salary of $6 million, but there have been numerous reports about whether he could be traded before the deadline.
The New Jersey Devils are interested.
The Athletic reported that trade talks between the Flames and Devils broke down over Calgary’s salary retention and New Jersey’s acquisition cost. The report also states that the Devils have not backed away from their interest in Markstrom, so that could continue to be the case.
It’s possible the Flames keep Markstrom until the deadline and reconsider a trade in the offseason. Unless Markstrom privately tells the Flames he wants to leave Calgary, the team is under no pressure to move him.
Goalkeeper market details
The Devils are clearly in the market for a No. 1 goalie. The Colorado Avalanche need a No. 2 goalie to play behind All-Star Alexander Georgiev. The Toronto Maple Leafs may be looking to solidify their goaltending depth.
Those teams and others who may be in the market for a goalie have options.
Marc-Andre Fleury is a pending UFA and the Minnesota Wild could be considering moving him if they fall out of the race. They are the second wild card spot in the Western Conference to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, four points behind the St. Louis Blues.
Jake Allen has one year left on his contract, but the Montreal Canadiens have used three goaltenders throughout the season: Allen, Sam Montembeau and Caden Primeau. If they get a strong enough offer, they’ll probably be willing to trade Allen.
The Detroit Red Wings have also operated with a three-goalie system throughout the season with Ville Husso, James Reimer, and Alex Lyon. Reimer is a pending UFA. Lyon and Husso have signed contracts until next season.
Will Elvis leave the building?
Elvis Merzlikins announced his trade request on January 15th. Since then, the Columbus Blue Jackets have not only kept him on the roster, but fired GM Jarmo Kekalainen on Thursday.
It’s unclear whether Merzlikins is leaving or his trade request is clear, but it won’t be easy to move him, especially with Markstrom also potentially available.
Merzlikins is under contract for three more seasons at an AAV of $5.4 million, but with a record of 10 wins, 11 losses, and 7 draws, an average of 3.21 points per game, and a save percentage of .904, he did not perform well as a No. 1 goalie.
The Blue Jackets may need to keep Merzlikins and continue working with him in hopes of improving next season. If possible, trading him now would be cheaply selling a player they thought was good enough to sign a five-year, $27 million contract on Sept. 21, 2021.
Injuries create a hole for Rangers.
The Rangers will lose center Filip Sitil and right wing Blake Wheeler for the rest of the season, leaving them in need of a third-line center and a top-nine right wing. They are number one in the metropolitan area division. Both Cityl and Wheeler are on long-term injured reserve.
The Rangers are using Johnny Brodzinski as their No. 3 center, and they have an effective line with him, Kaapo Kakko on the right side, and Will Quill on the left. But greater depth and the ability to move Brodzinski around would be beneficial.
New York moved up Jimmy Vesey to play first-line right wing in place of Wheeler for Sunday’s 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game. Matt Lempe replaced him on the fourth line and made his NHL debut on Sunday.
With Rempe and Adam Edstrom, the Rangers have two American Hockey League call-ups in their top 12 forward group. They probably aren’t satisfied with continuing on into the playoffs.
Pittsburgh’s Guentzel Dilemma
Jake Guentzel is a pending UFA. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward will also be out for up to four weeks with an upper-body injury.
However, Guentzel is the Penguins’ second leading scorer with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games. He plays on the top line with Sidney Crosby. The Penguins are in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of second place in the wild-card spot.
So what are the Penguins going to do with Guentzel?
Would you re-sign him? Would you trade him? Nothing for now?
It’s possible the Penguins will wait until closer to the deadline to figure this out. They’ll get to see what life is like without Guentzel for a while, and their position in the playoff race may become clearer while he’s gone.
You either sell flyers or you put up with it.
After all, despite losing 6-3 in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, the Philadelphia Flyers remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the fourth place New Jersey Devils. It may not be a problem to be. Saturday at MetLife Stadium.
The Flyers are not buyers. General manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones have made that abundantly clear. They are not going to let the results of this season, which has been as successful as they have been, distract them from their long-term vision of building lasting success.
Even if they remain in the playoffs, they could be sellers. The Flyers have defensemen Sean Walker and Nick Seeler, both of whom are UFA applicants, but are in a position to keep them for now and lose them to free agency in the offseason.
The option to re-sign Walker and potentially Sealer remains, but if the Flyers can’t make that happen, they may have no choice but to trade at the deadline. That move could end their playoff hopes this season, but it would align with their next goal. The long-term vision set forth by Mr. Briere and Mr. Jones.
Maple Leafs looking for defenseman
There was a lot of talk about Tanev being traded from the Flames to the Maple Leafs before the deadline. That makes sense. He’s exactly the type of big, physical, ferocious defenseman they could use. But are the Maple Leafs willing to pay anything to get him or someone like him?
The Flames are reportedly seeking or holding off on acquiring a first-round pick. The Maple Leafs have it, but they don’t have a second-round pick, so that could be the first cost if they want Tanev.
Toronto doesn’t have Tanev’s size or experience, but could pivot to Walker, Seeler, or perhaps both. But acquiring both and keeping them as a pair would be a huge move for Toronto.
Either way, the Maple Leafs have a need on the back end, but are they willing to pay the price to fill it?
Lightning needs to fill a hole the size of Sergachev
The Tampa Bay Lightning are another team in need of help on the blue line due to Mikhail Sergachev’s season-ending foot injury sustained against the Rangers on Feb. 8 at Madison Square Garden.
Sergachev is on long-term injured reserve, meaning the Lightning could exceed the NHL salary cap with a cap charge of $8.5 million. They would rather use it on Sergachev himself because of what he has done for them, but they may be able to fill multiple holes without him.
Tampa Bay could add depth on the back end and forwards at the deadline, but the problem is they may not have the pieces to send back in trades to get what they want. The Lightning have little prospects and do not have first-, second-, or fourth-round picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, or a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
However, don’t count the Lightning out before or after the trade deadline. General manager Julien BriseBois always seems to find a way to create some buzz in one way or another.
Other pending UFAs to watch
In addition to the players already mentioned, here are some pending UFAs who are likely to be moved before the March 8 deadline.
forward: Adam Henrique (Anaheim Ducks), Vladimir Tarasenko (Ottawa Senators), Anthony Mantha (Washington Capitals), Jordan Eberle (Seattle Kraken), Alexander Wennberg (Kraken), Tyler Johnson (Chicago)ć»Blackhawks)
Garrison: Alexander Carrier (Nashville Predators), Ilya Lyubushkin (Ducks), Joel Edmundson (Capitals), Eric Johnson (Buffalo Sabers)
Goalkeeper: Kaapo Kahkonen (Sharks), Eric Comrie (Sabres)