In today’s NHL News and Rumors rundown, the Calgary Flames sold high on Elias Lindholm and held onto Chris Tanev. What is the Flames’ next move? The first Inside The Rink trade bait board is available, who do you think will be moved next? Are the Winnipeg Jets looking to make another big addition ahead of the trade deadline? This wouldn’t be surprising as the Jets gear up for a lengthy playoff run. Will Nikita Zadorov be moved a second time this season? It is unlikely that he will find a new home before the trade deadline. Jesse Puljujarvi has found himself another chance in the NHL, could this be his last chance? Finally, Evgeny Kuznetsov has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Flames Sell High on Lindholm, Hold Onto Tanev, What’s The Next Step?
Without any hesitation, the Calgary Flames and general manager Craig Conroy did tidy work to acquire multiple assets for Elias Lindholm. While there were rumblings that Chris Tanev was going to be a part of the deal, Conroy continued his stubbornness and demanded another first-round pick be added by Vancouver for Tanev.
The Flames likely have another few pieces they could move before the 2024 NHL Trade deadline on March 8th. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin could be the next few players shipped by the deadline. While the Flames will most likely not receive the same return for these three other players, they can likely fetch another couple of first-round picks.
Inside The Rink Trade Bait Board
The first edition of the Inside The Rink trade bait board is now available. However, a slight adjustment needed to be made with Vancouver’s acquisition of Elias Lindholm. Three out of the 30 players on the list have been traded, who do you think moves next?
Some of the names on this list might not be currently with the team they are listed. At the time of the boards creation, Sean Monahan was traded to the Winnipeg Jets.
This trade bait board will be updated for the next news and rumors column once trades have been initiated and completed.
Keep up to date with all the latest NHL trades ahead of the March 8th trade deadline:
Elias Lindholm traded to the Vancouver Canucks (Jan. 31, 2024)
Sean Monahan traded to the Winnipeg Jets (Feb. 02, 2024)
Are The Winnipeg Jets Setting Up For Another Trade?
With the Winnipeg Jets’ recent acquisition of Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens, one has to wonder if the team needs to acquire a top-four defenseman or another center. With the Jets needing to send two players down to the minors to open roster spots to activate Mark Scheifele and David Gustafsson off of injured reserve, a trade might also be in the works to bolster the roster.
The Jets might look at moving Alex Iafallo and Logan Stanley in a trade to acquire another top-six forward or a defenseman. The Chisholm waivers move allowed Kevin Cheveldayoff to open a roster spot for the Monahan acquisition. Cheveldayoff and Rick Bowness will look at what they need to add to help this team make a deep playoff run this year.
To have a successful playoff run, you need to have a bit of insurance in every position in case the top player goes down. This is what burned the Winnipeg Jets in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and it is likely at the top of the discussion list as the trade deadline approaches.
Zadorov On The Move Again?
What is a twist in the Vancouver Canucks quest for a Stanley Cup is the trade rumors surrounding recently acquired defenseman Nikita Zadorov. The Canucks spent a third and a fifth-round pick earlier in the season to bring in the defenseman, so why would they move him? Defenseman with the size and physicality of Nikita Zadorov is hard to come by, he is geared for the playoffs.
Unless the Canucks are getting a haul for the 6-foot-6 defenseman, it is unlikely they move Zadorov before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Zadorov’s agent, Dan Milstein, confirmed that he does not believe that Zadorov will be on the move per Rick Dhaliwal.
Is This Puljujarvi’s Last Chance?
The Pittsburgh Penguins recently announced that they have signed Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $800,000. You can read more on the signing from Inside The Rink writer Stephen Vani’s article ‘Ex-Oiler Jesse Puljujarvi Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins‘.
The 25-year-old signed a professional tryout with Pittsburgh on December 10th and has played 13 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League this season. Puljujarvi’s four goals and five assists for nine points and a plus-eight was enough to earn him an NHL contract with Pittsburgh.
With Puljujarvi being unable to live up to the expectations of a fourth-overall pick, one has to wonder if Puljujarvi is running out of chances. This is likely the Finnish forward’s last chance to be an NHL regular, the Penguins certainly hope with this signing that he can get his NHL career back on track.
Capitals Kuznetzov Enters NHL Player Assistance Program
Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program today February 5th, 2024. Kuznetsov will be unavailable to the Capitals for an indefinite period of time while he receives care from the Player Assistance Program. He will be eligible to return to the Capitals once he meets the terms of the program and is cleared for on-ice competition.
Kuznetzov, 31, has played 43 games this season, tallying six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. In his tenure with the Capitals, Kuznetsov has played 723 career NHL games for Washington and scored 171 goals and 397 assists for 568 career points.
