With the NHL trade deadline now over, the landscape of teams in the hunt for an Eastern wildcard spot has changed. Some teams sold, throwing in the towel for the season, and others bought, hoping that new additions will help push them over the cusp in their NHL playoff hopes.
To the average fan, the Blue Jackets made a meaningless move at the deadline. Adding Luke Kunin, who has 18 points this season, and will be a UFA this offseason. While this doesn’t seem like a big add, it gives the players an extra morale boost. It’s the front office letting the players know that they believe in them, and rewarding their great season with a solid depth guy. The Blue Jackets still have a great chance of defying the odds and sneaking into the NHL playoffs.
The Senators boldly traded Josh Norris for Dylan Cozens on the last day of the trade deadline. This move instantly improved Ottawa, and the hope is that a new team will help reignite Cozens once again. With this move, the Sens have positioned themselves perfectly to make the NHL playoffs. The only thing they can’t do is go on a losing streak to close out the season. For Ottawa, this may be easier said than done.
The Rangers had a perplexing trade deadline. It started on January 31, when they traded for J.T. Miller. While the Rags were struggling, the front office still seemingly hoped that they could salvage the season with this move. Unfortunately, New York continued to struggle, hovering around a wildcard spot since. This prompted the Rangers to trade Ryan Lindgren, who had his fair share of struggles this season, as well as Reilly Smith. Immediately after trading Smith, the Rangers acquire defenseman Carson Soucy from the Canucks. This back and forth with buying and selling makes it difficult to get a read on the Rangers’ short-term future.
The Red Wings had a disappointingly quiet trade deadline. The only player addition they made was reacquiring Petr Mrazek. This was infuriating for most Detroit fans, who expected Yzerman to address the horrendous defensive core. It has been by far the most glaring weakness on this Detroit team. Now, the Red Wings sit two spots behind a wild card spot, and with teams in a similar position buying at the deadline, it’s starting to look bleak in Detroit.
The Canadiens did nothing at the deadline. And that is perfectly okay, especially as a young team who wasn’t expected to make the NHL playoffs. It was reported that Montreal received inquiries about certain players, but with the team resigning Jake Evans, no deals were made. This will give the Canadiens a real chance at making the postseason, as they will finish out the season with their current roster. It seems that GM Kent Hughes decided to reward the team by staying put at the deadline, which could allow the team to sneak into that second wildcard spot.
The Bruins had one of the biggest fire sales at the trade deadline in recent memory. They traded key pieces like Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlos, and their captain, Brad Marchand. Although the B’s are still in the playoff orbit, their chances at making the postseason are slim to none. It looks like Don Sweeney has his sights on the future.
Somehow, over the past week the Eastern Conference wildcard orbit got even tighter. With some teams buying, and others selling, there is an assumption that a small gap will start to form this coming week. Who will be a part of the group that separates themselves is unknown. One thing is certain, the two teams to grab the wildcard spots will come right down to the wire. My picks this week are the Ottawa Senators and Blue Jackets.
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