In today’s NHL rumours rundown, the trade deadline moves have begun as Seth Jones, Ryan Lindgren, and Gustav Nyquist were all dealt. The holdup for some teams looking to make moves has to do with the decision between the Carolina Hurricanes and Mikko Rantanen. Elsewhere, three Canadian teams are looking to make additions to their roster, and have decisions to make on what they are willing to do. Finally, Scott Laughton acknowledged that he has been in trade rumours for a number of years, and decided to poke fun at the media and fans in return.
Deadline Action Begins With 6 Days to Go
On March 1, three big trades took place, and it is safe to say that the NHL is officially in trade deadline mode. The first deal of the day saw the New York Rangers trade Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche for Juuso Parsinen, Calvin de Haan, and some draft picks. Shortly after, the Minnesota Wild acquired Gustav Nyquist from the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick. Late in the night, the Florida Panthers acquired Seth Jones for Spencer Knight and a first-round pick.
There haven’t been many trades leading into the trade deadline up until this point, and part of the holdup on that has been the potential of having Rantanen back on the trade market. Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines that teams are waiting to see what the Hurricanes are going to do about Rantanen, and if he becomes available.
While the teams involved in trades yesterday weren’t necessarily front-runners in the potential Rantanen sweepstakes, the fact that he could be dealt with a cap hit of under $2.4 million, any team can make that work, it is just a matter of the fit and whether or not they have the assets.
Rantanen Decision Unlikely to Come Before Deadline
Further in the report from Friedman, Rantanen may not have a concrete decision for the Hurricanes regarding his future. The belief is that money isn’t the issue when it comes to deciding whether he will stay or go. Since arriving in Carolina, Rantanen has dealt with a big sickness, went to the 4 Nations Face-Off, and went on a road trip with the team. He hasn’t spent very much time in the city, and hasn’t had a perfect acclimation to the team thus far.
There is no reason to believe that Rantanen wants to leave just yet, he just hasn’t had the time to make his decision. Spending eight years with a new team and a new city isn’t an easy thing to commit to. The Hurricanes have to decide whether or not they are okay with losing Rantanen in free agency if he is not looking to sign with them. Without a concrete answer, they may opt to trade him.
Almost every buyer across the league is looking at the Hurricanes and Rantanen to see what happens before switching gears and going for another player. It could make for a few teams waiting until the dying minutes to make a big splash.
Friedman Gives Rundown on Maple Leafs, Canucks, Oilers
During his Saturday Headlines segment, Friedman gave a quick rundown on what three Canadian teams are looking to do at the deadline.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly looking at bringing in Brayden Schenn, and while they are deemed the front-runners right now, they are still looking to put together the right package to bring him in, and could also look for the St. Louis Blues to retain salary on his contract, which extends past this season.
The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly looking to make an addition to their forward group, and with decisions to make between the team and Brock Boeser, their exact plan is still up in the air.
As for the Edmonton Oilers, Evander Kane is still progressing toward a return, but his full no-move clause has expired, and now has a limited no-trade clause. The Oilers could move Kane and look to make more deadline space to make an addition to the team.
Laughton Becomes Internet Troll?
There have been no shortages of Laughton trade rumours over the past three seasons, and this season more than ever, it looks like a deal could get done. Plenty of teams have had reported interest, but Laughton took to X and shared a post that got many people thinking a trade was imminent.
With 1.9 million impressions, the post of Laughton at a dinner table with his teammates was called “the last supper” by many users, and many looked at it as a goodbye to his team.
Laughton spoke to the media after a March 1 game, and said “”When you’re in the rumors for five years straight, it’s nice to get some people back with a little bit of trolling.”. He added “It was a little bit of fun and probably went a little more viral than I thought it would be.”.
Having humour at this time of year is a hard thing when you are constantly being in trade talks, having to pack bags and potentially move across the continent. Laughton figured he would have fun with it, and made for a good laugh for everybody.
