Deals are going to get done ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Or at least that’s the plan.
Although, there is a shared sentiment by a number of NHL executives that many of them are in “wait and see” mode. But how? How is it that teams are either approaching or have reached the 60-game mark and are unsure of what they are going to do — if they do anything at all — at the trade deadline?
Let’s just say there are a number of different reasons. One Western Conference executive told ESPN that there is a greater importance when it comes to draft picks. The executive said that five or 10 years ago, there were teams that moved picks with ease. But the realities of the flat salary cap and the need to maximize young players on team-friendly contracts has changed the calculus.
Then there’s the actual performance of the team. As of Feb. 26, there were four teams in the Eastern Conference that were either tied or within two points of the Buffalo Sabres for the final wild-card spot. In the West, the Calgary Flames are four points out of the final wild-card spot while the Nashville Predators are within eight points. But the West is also a conference in which one of four teams have a chance at winning both the Central and the Pacific.
“Because of parity, there are a lot of ups and downs that the entire league has gone through with the expectation of the teams like Boston, Carolina, Toronto and Tampa Bay,” the executive said. “Everyone else has been hot or cold. You want to take your time if you are on the buyer’s market and you want to know what you have. March 3 for a lot of teams might not be the time when you know what you have but you have to make a decision anyway.”
Here’s a look at six teams and how they could plan to approach the deadline.
Chychrun has remained a healthy scratch for more than a week as the Coyotes look to find a deal. A number of teams have been linked with Chychrun, but it appears the biggest challenge for getting a deal done could be the asking price. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong was seeking two first-round picks or a pick and a player who is equivalent to a first-rounder in addition to other prospects as well.
So how does the calculus change if the Coyotes are willing to part with Schmaltz? For starters, it would have an impact on a center market that has already seen Bo Horvat and Ryan O’Reilly generate significant returns for their former clubs. Schmaltz would provide a potential team with a 27-year-old top-six center who has three years left on his contract worth $5.85 million annually, providing cost certainty, while possibly giving the Coyotes even more draft capital for the years to come.
What Bjugstad, a pending unrestricted free agent, presents to teams is a cost-effective option at center who could be used in a middle-six role. He leads all Coyotes forwards in short-handed minutes while also providing a 6-foot-6 presence with 48 percent of his shots coming from the interior and 56 percent of his 13 goals coming at the net front, per IcyData.
And with a number of teams seeking a top-four defenseman, it’s possible Gostisbehere could allow the Coyotes to gain significant capital. Gostisbehere is another pending UFA who leads all Coyotes defensemen in 5-on-5 minutes and power-play time. He’s on pace for a 41-point season in addition to averaging a career-high 22:35 in ice time.
The Coyotes are thinking about the future. They are one of the teams in the running to win the draft lottery and the chance to add presumed No. 1 pick Connor Bedard to an organization that is still building its prospect pool. As it stands, the Coyotes only have their original first-round picks over the next three years. But this deadline could give them the chance to add more. Plus, it could also bolster what they already have, which is eight picks in this year’s draft, 13 picks in 2024 and 10 picks in 2025.
Moving Alex Tuch to injured reserve means he will be out for two weeks while recovering from a lower-body injury whereas Rasmus Dahlin is day-to-day. And this is all taking place as the Sabres are in the last of the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.
They have what CapFriendly projects to be $18.256 million in available space while also having the sort of draft capital and prospects they could use to their advantage.
Yeah, about that. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams recently told ESPN that the team is going to stick with their long-term plan. Adams said he does not envision any changes to that plan because of where the Sabres are at ahead of the deadline.
“We’re always going to look to see if there’s ways to improve our team,” Adams said. “But as we evolve here, what we’re not going to do is compromise on the long-term outlook of our group for a short-term solution. It just doesn’t make sense for us.”
Adams spoke to reporters right after Dahlin and Tuch’s injuries were announced. He said the Sabres could be more open to making something happen compared to what it would have been just 48 hours earlier. Still, Adams reaffirmed that the Sabres’ long-term plans have not changed.
Does Adams believe the Sabres are right on schedule or could they even be a little bit further along than he imagined?
“The honest answer is it’s difficult to give you an exact answer,” Adams said. “The reason is because when you are talking about young players in this league, there are a lot of ups and downs and variables from night to night. It’s hard to say going into this season this is exactly where I thought we’d be and why because you’re talking about a lot of players that you’re projecting on. When you have a veteran team, you have a little bit more of a body work with the expectation of where players might be.”
Even before the injuries, there was still a chance the Sabres could have been a factor going into the deadline in another capacity. Adams said teams around the league are open to the fact the Sabres are willing to be a third-party broker and retain cap space.
The typical return for being a third-party broker results in acquiring a fifth-round pick or a pick in a later round. So far, the Sabres have eight picks for this year’s draft with four of them coming in the first two rounds.
“There are certain times when it works out and certain times when it doesn’t,” Adams said. “It comes down to if it makes sense with the financial part of it, what you’re adding and why. We are definitely open to that and have been in those conversations over the last year or so.”
The understanding is the Hurricanes were among the teams that reached out to the San Jose Sharks about Timo Meier before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils. And even though the Canes have typically not been in the rental market, there was also an understanding they were more than open to negotiating with the Chicago Blackhawks if Patrick Kane wanted to come to Carolina. But that no longer appears to be the case with Kane working toward a move that will see him join the New York Rangers.
Hurricanes GM Don Waddell declined to comment when asked about the possibility of trading for Kane or Meier. Waddell, however, did say the team is in the market when it comes to adding a top-nine forward. He also said the Canes are open to taking on players with term while noting they are “not desperate” to make a deal.
An example of trading for a player with term came in 2020 when the Hurricanes exchanged a first-round pick to the New York Rangers for Brady Skjei, who still had three years remaining on his contract at the time of the trade.
Waddell said the Canes would not want to move anyone from their current roster. But they would prefer to use draft picks rather than prospects to facilitate a trade. Waddell said they would also like to add a defenseman who could play on the second or third pairing, if possible. If not, Waddell said there are defenseman playing for their AHL affiliate they could use instead.
“We had 11 draft picks last year and 13 the year before. We have a lot of players in the pipeline and we get asked about prospects,” Waddell said. “You know they all can’t make it at the same time. But we feel we are pretty deep there and it is better for us to look at (trading) prospects than picks because those picks are something we can use in the future.”
A number of decisions are facing the defending Stanley Cup champions when it comes to how they can approach the deadline. That could start with the decision to place Erik Johnson and/or Gabriel Landeskog on long-term injured reserve. Landeskog has not played this season while Johnson has played in 51 games but is currently injured.
Moving one of them to LTIR would create cap space with the caveat that whomever is placed on LTIR would not return until the start of the playoffs. Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland told The Athletic there isn’t a timetable for when Landeskog would return to the lineup while Johnson is slated to be out for an extended period.
There is an option to create cap space. There are also options when it comes to how they would want to spend that cap space. Could they go after a top-six defenseman? Do they try to aim for a top-nine forward and strengthen what they have down the middle? So far, the Avalanche have reinforced their roster by reacquiring veteran two-way forward Matt Nieto while trading away former first-round Shane Bowers to the Boston Bruins in return for goaltender Keith Kinkaid. It continued Sunday when they reacquired veteran defenseman Jack Johnson, a member of last year’s Cup-winning team, to add more depth to their blueline.
Winning the Cup last season did come with a bit of a cost. It left the Avs’ farm system more bare when compared to other teams. It also places a greater premium for the organization to find success with young players on team-friendly contracts. Especially when they traded their first, second, third, fourth and fifth-round picks from 2022 while also trading their 2020 first-rounder in Justin Barron. They do have their first-round pick for this year but do not pick again until the fifth. And while they have their first-rounders for 2024 and 2025, they do not have their second, third and fifth-round picks for 2024.
Going into the final weekend before the deadline, the understanding was that the Stars wanted to evaluate how the team would perform before making a final decision. Then came the Sunday trade that saw them exchange Denis Gurianov for Evgenii Dadonov. At the time of the trade, the Stars were atop the Central Division standings and two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the Western Conference.
Before the Gurianov-Dadonov trade, there was a chance the Stars might not make a move at all. But if they did, it appeared they would have been in the market for a forward. Dadonov gives them that with the expectation he can aid a team that is currently 14th in goals per game, but has seen 66 percent of those scores come from six players.
One of the caveats the Stars seem to have is they are not interested in giving up one of their top prospects to get a rental. Here’s why. For one, they have prospects like defenseman Thomas Harley who could receive a potential callup from the AHL, which is why they may not need to trade for defensive reinforcements.
Harley also represents why the Stars are reluctant to give up prospects. It’s a front office that has used the draft to develop homegrown talents such as Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson. They’re seeing the next wave of players like Ty Dellandrea and Wyatt Johnston emerge in addition to Nils Lundkvist, who they received in a trade from the Rangers earlier this season. The expectation is Harley and Mavrik Bourque could be next.
Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk told ESPN on Feb. 15 that he had not yet spoken with the front office about his future and said he was unsure if those conversations would happen. He will be a pending UFA at the end of the season and does not have any trade protection.
So if van Riemsdyk had a choice, what would he want to do? Would he want to stay with the Flyers or would he want to leave?
“That’s a good question,” van Riemsdyk said with a smile.
The 33-year-old said this season has been “as enjoyable of a year as I’ve had being back in Philly,” when it comes to his teammates and how he has fit in with the coaching staff led by John Tortorella.
“Obviously, I’d like to be in the playoffs at this point but I think we’re making a lot of strides from where we left off last year,” van Riemsdyk said. “I don’t know if that answers the question or not but I’ve really enjoyed this year and how I’ve fit into things and with the job the coaching staff has done, it’s been fun to be a part of it. We’ve made a ton of strides and we’ll see where it goes.”
van Riemsdyk repeatedly stressed how he has seen a change in the Flyers and how he feels like the franchise is trending upward.
Let’s say van Riemsdyk doesn’t get moved. Is Philadelphia where he would want to be long-term?
“I try not to get too ahead of myself and I’ve not put enough thought into that to give you a good answer for that yet,” van Riemsdyk said. “But like I said, it has been super this year. It has been a big change as far as this past year. It’s been a good environment and it’s been about hockey and things like that. … I do enjoy playing and think I got a lot of good hockey left in me and those sorts of things I re-assess like everyone does in the summer when you don’t have a contract anymore. You kind of take it from there, and none of those discussions have been had yet. But we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Clearly, the Kraken have never experienced what it means to be in the hunt for a playoff spot since they are in just their second season of existence. But where they are at this year is a contrast compared to last season when they moved players in exchange for draft capital.
Now, as for Kraken GM Ron Francis? This is new. Until this season, Francis had always been in the role of the proverbial shopkeeper during his four-year stint as GM of the Hurricanes, rather than being the customer in search of a deal. The closest those teams came to the playoffs was in 2016-17 when they finished eight points out of the final wild-card spot. But there were also seasons when the Canes placed more than 10 points behind in the wild-card race.
“I think I said it last year. … I believe we were in 26 or 27 one-goal games and with some of them, they became two-goal games because of empty-net losses,” Francis said. “That is potentially 54 or 55 points you are in on. Frustrating as the year was, we felt we played better than our numbers or record indicated.”
So what are the Kraken’s plans ahead of the deadline? Days after Francis spoke with ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported there is a chance defenseman Carson Soucy could be made available. Soucy is a pending UFA whose future came into question once the team traded to acquire defenseman Jaycob Megna, who has one more year left on his contract, from the Sharks.
“We have a game plan. That’s the biggest thing we are trying to accomplish and that is making sure we are doing the right things,” Francis said. “Is there a piece that you think helps your team? Is it something that affects chemistry? Maybe in a negative way? There are a lot of things you factor in.”
Francis, who declined to discuss specifics, said the Kraken want to add depth while noting they are “not afraid” to make a move. But they also don’t want to make any decisions they feel could hinder them long term.
“I’ve always said the most dangerous days are trade deadline day and the start of free agency,” Francis said. “It is when you can make a big mistake and it needs to be about sticking with what you think is the right way to do things and making the best decisions.”
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
He had injured his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch June 23 against the New York Yankees.
An MRI revealed a partially torn labrum that will eventually require surgery. Fraley received a cortisone shot and will try to play through it for the rest of the season.