32 Thoughts: What will Jets, Capitals do at the NHL trade deadline?

• Where Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes stand
• Will Brock Boeser sign with the Canucks, or be traded by March 7?
• Could the NHL extend 3-on-3 overtime?

They are similar. Both start with “W,” both lead their conferences. They are the only teams above 80 points and a .700 points percentage. 

Washington and Winnipeg. Atop the league as the third month of our Gregorian Calendar arrives. 

There was another similarity at the end of last season: disrespect. 

The Capitals made the playoffs with the worst goal differential in the salary cap era (-37). Then-GM Brian MacLellan asked if we were going to bring that up every time we mentioned their name. Answer: yes.

They were swept out of the playoffs, completely overwhelmed by the Rangers. They led in that series for a total of 3:21. It wasn’t good enough. MacLellan and Chris Patrick, the new GM, made a series of bold moves that re-shaped the roster. They finally landed Jakob Chychrun after a pursuit dating back to Arizona. They gave Logan Thompson the opportunity he craved, won a bidding war for Matt Roy and took a chance with Pierre-Luc Dubois. So far, everything’s worked, rejuvenating Alexander Ovechkin in the process. 

Winnipeg didn’t back into the playoffs. They had 110 points, fourth in the NHL. Then, they fell apart in the playoffs under a literal Avalanche from Colorado. Connor Hellebuyck cracked under a relentless assault and the Jets panicked instead of sticking with what got them there. 

GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could’ve thrown out the baby with the bathwater, but, instead he “doubled-down” with his group, as Dylan DeMelo said. Their exit meetings were brutally honest; how to avoid a similar collapse. Sometimes your improvements come from within, learning from your mistakes, doing your best to ensure they don’t happen again. 

One thing is for sure: the Jets believe in Hellebuyck. They believe he gives them a chance to win. They see it as their duty not to fall apart in front of him. 

The West is brutal, much less wide-open than the east. All you can do is make sure your dress rehearsals go as great as possible, so it is habit when the curtain really rises. They won 16 of their first 17, and had an 11-gamer snapped Thursday in Nashville. You can’t ask for much better than that.

That brings us to the deadline. If the Jets and Capitals have something else in common, it’s a chemistry making them greater than the sum of their parts. I don’t believe Washington wants to tinker with that. Sonny Milano is due back from injury and Ryan Leonard lurks at the end of the NCAA season. A friend watched him last weekend in Vermont and said, “He is going to drive opponents nuts.” (Andrew Cristall — lighting it up at WHL Spokane — could see AHL playoff time with powerhouse Hershey depending on the Western League post-season. If he’s half as tough as his mother, Jodi, he’ll be a great pro.)

Maybe a third-line versatile forward. But you can see the Carburetor wanting to rev into the playoffs with this roster. 

Winnipeg is a slightly different story. Cheveldayoff’s taken big swings before, and you can feel the excitement among the fanbase at the possibility of another. He has to navigate what’s available to him, and will undoubtedly research the sexiest options. But what if those are impossible, due to trade protection or lack of true supply? 

I see another possible path. The most mobile, lengthy, physical, nasty defender he can find — fitting the profile of recent Stanley Cup champions who were loaded with them. One or two forwards to make your group a little deeper. Not the marquee names, but “perfect fits,” the sum of the parts making you whole.

32 THOUGHTS

1. Big Thursday night for Carolina. Win over Buffalo, multi-point night for Mikko Rantanen, everyone looked great in the Whalers unis.

Tuesday’s dreary loss in Montreal made me wonder if the situation hangs over the Hurricanes, but then I remembered they had two off-days in Montreal. You can’t even broadcast under those conditions. The biggest challenge for both player and team right now is that this is the hottest story in the NHL. It’s very hard to be patient, waiting for an answer when there’s so much noise; every day so much speculation on what might happen.

One of the reasons Colorado traded him is the Avalanche felt they lost all control if an unsigned Rantanen was still on the roster post-deadline. The first decision is the player’s. If he’s ready to sign — and I don’t know one way or the other — there’s no Amazon Season II, no cliffhanger, everything wrapped neatly in a bow. In addition to his shock at the trade, when the Hurricanes play Edmonton and Calgary back-to-back this weekend, it will be the first time since Rantanen was dealt they’ve played three-in-a-row at home. That’s not much time to get acquainted to your new surroundings. You don’t even have time for a good steak at Sullivan’s. Hard to make a life-altering decision in a whirlwind.

2. Remember: if Rantanen is on the Carolina roster post-deadline, they are the only team that can sign him to an eight-year deal. If I had a good team, I’d always go for the Cup and let free agency fall where it may. That could be the Hurricanes’ path if there’s no certainty by next Friday. The Stanley Cup is forever. I like bold, and that’s bold.

Carolina corrected one mistake from 2023-24: it wasn’t until days before free agency they got to where Jake Guentzel wanted to go salary-wise. This time, they put a titanic stake in the ground right away. Do the math. If you think the best Rantanen can do on the open market is 7x$14 million, that’s $98 million. I don’t believe the Hurricanes are at $14 million or close to it. My sense is slightly over $100 million, and we’ll see if there is any need to adjust.

They knew the landscape coming in. If Rantanen’s answer is “not right now,” or “no,” there’s a lot that could happen, which is why interested parties are making sure to be ready. I wouldn’t say this situation is holding up the market, but you’d regret it if you lost the opportunity to acquire him because you’d already dealt your best assets. Like a thousand-year-old Redwood, there are so many branches.

3. If Rantanen does get to the trade market, I wonder if a non-contender that wanted him for the future would get involved. There would have to be permission to talk, and the knowledge he’d sign. This is purely in my head, but a team like Anaheim, which wants to take another step and took big swings last summer (Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos). That might also improve Carolina’s return. But, again, this is all speculative. The goal is to keep Rantanen. 

4. As Andy Strickland reported Thursday, the Hurricanes will work to keep Taylor Hall.  

5. Vladislav Gavrikov is now being represented by CAA. Normally, a switch right before free agency is a major red flag for the current club (Los Angeles), but a couple sources indicate that’s not the case here. There’s optimism the Kings can keep him, and they won’t demand he sign before the deadline. With one more scorer, this team could be very, very good.

6. Evander Kane’s full no-trade expires Friday night. He and the Oilers are navigating his return, and whether or not he will play during the regular season. I think that’s very important to Kane — getting runway to prove he can be a factor in the playoffs. Remember, he missed the last five games of the Stanley Cup Final. 

7. There are four people/assets potential trade partners ask from Toronto: Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, Fraser Minten and their 2026 first-rounder. If they want to do anything significant, they’ll have to decide which of those they’d part with.

8. There are some similar centres: Nick Bjugstad, Jake Evans, Yanni Gourde, Luke Kunin, Scott Laughton, etc. Utah is trying to make the playoffs. Montreal and Evans had a gap, but the Canadiens are holding for the price they want (at least a second). Same with the Sharks and Kunin. There’s some question about what will happen with Gourde. He’ll be back soon, but, at times, Seattle has indicated they’d prefer to keep him. The Kraken have some decisions to make. Laughton, I’m told, wants to stay in Philadelphia and has made that clear, but if the Flyers get a first-rounder or a good prospect, they could say yes. With this group, teams know what it will cost. Maybe they wait to see what else unfolds, or if other targets are snared. 

9. On a higher level are Brock Nelson and Brayden Schenn. Schenn played his 1,000th game on Thursday, and Blues GM Doug Armstrong has made it clear it’s a high price or don’t bother. I do think Toronto is weighing it, among others. Nelson is under the Lou Lamoriello Shroud of Secrecy, with teams waiting for the opportunity to make their pitch.

10. The one team everyone believes will absolutely 100-per-cent trade for a centre? New Jersey. 

11. Buffalo has indicated it is trying to sign Jordan Greenway. 

12. Pavel Buchnevich’s full no-trade — negotiated into his extension that kicks in this summer — is already in effect. As part of the CBA (Section 11.8b), a player who is eligible for this clause can have it added to a current contract. Buchnevich qualifies. 

13. One thing about Vancouver: things go from 0-to-60 there in a hurry. J.T. Miller, no talks on an extension, got done in two days. Kevin Lankinen: one day. Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor: quickly after being acquired. What’s true today may not be true tomorrow.

The Canucks prefer five years for Brock Boeser, which makes me think six is not impossible. But will that be enough? Boeser is a good human and a loyal Canuck, but it’s very, very hard to see everyone rewarded around you and wonder if your time will come. Tough business. The one thing I don’t see is Vancouver allowing itself to get worse in the middle of a playoff fight. It’s so hard for them to score, and they can’t afford to move Boeser without a replacement. 

14. Another scratch for Matias Maccelli on Thursday night, has not played since Feb. 8. He hasn’t been up to his standard, for one, and the Utahns have one of the league’s smallest forward cores, which doesn’t help him, either. But he’s very talented, and could thrive with a move. 

15. Whenever the time comes for Seth Jones, the Blackhawks are not interested in a futures deal. They need youngish players ready to make an impact now.

16. Ville Husso’s Anaheim acquisition does not mean an automatic John Gibson deal. Inquiries about the goalie ebb and flow, but no guarantees. Stay healthy, John. 

17. Some fans who bought tickets to Washington road games were worried the Capitals might sit Alexander Ovechkin to ensure he breaks Wayne Gretzky’s goals record at home. That’s not happening. 

18. Last season, Jeremy Lauzon set a new NHL record with 383 hits. That might not last a year. Heading into Thursday’s game in Anaheim, former teammate Kiefer Sherwood is on-pace for 454 with Vancouver. That’s a crazy number. What a wrecking ball. 

19. Casey Cizikas was ejected for a hard hit to Lian Bichsel during Dallas’s 4-3 win over the Islanders last Sunday. (First and foremost, hope Bichsel, in concussion protocol, is okay.) The process is what’s newsworthy. Cizikas was called for Rule 48, illegal check to the head. The rulebook does not allow for a major or a game misconduct; only a minor or a match. The match is applied if the officials feel there was an “attempted or deliberate” injury. There certainly is a feeling this wasn’t, so we’re all watching to see if this means the standard will change. That would be big right before the playoffs. 

20. My biggest take-away from the 4 Nations is there can never be another All-Star Game under the current setup. It will be too much of a letdown and too much of a punching bag, sandwiched by the World Cup and the Olympics. But, the sponsors want it and cities wish to host it. Next season (Islanders hosting) provides a unique opportunity: the gateway to Milan. There should still be a skills competition — most players compete at that — but I’d like to see the other day be a massive, televised hockey convention, where fans and sponsors get their face-time for selfies and baby-kissing.

There are so many things you can do, from on-ice clinics to Q-and-A sessions to interviews to NHLers competing to see who can make the best chicken parm (judged by John Buccigross). I see it as an opportunity to create something where players don’t need to compete in a waste-of-game game, but can promote themselves and the game in other ways.

We talked about it on Monday’s podcast, and listeners came up with some good ideas as part of Friday’s Thought Line. Our only limit is our imagination. This is why I don’t understand criticism of Brady & Matthew Tkachuk making the Tonight Show/podcast rounds. We complain when NHLers are boring, then we complain when they step out of the comfort zone. (Plus, I suspect Matthew was in New York seeing doctors.) 

21. Here’s a post-4 Nations question for everyone: if Jaccob Slavin was an unrestricted free agent, what would his AAV be? I thought $10 million was high, but a few people in the game felt his performance could get him there. 

22. Before pre-taping a championship game interview with Kyle Bukauskas, Team Canada coach Jon Cooper noticed they were set up on opposite sides of where they’d stood during a similar conversation prior to the win over Finland. He made sure the two switched spots. Coaches are just as superstitious as the players. 

23. After Connor McDavid’s overtime winner, cameras caught a great shot of Cooper pulling Jordan Binnington out of the celebration to deliver a message. From what I understand, this gist of it was: “I knew you could do it. You’re our guy. We wouldn’t be standing here without you. This is your building.” Awesome stuff.

I was at the gym the other day (I know this story sounds far-fetched) and ran into Steven Leonoff, who played on the Michigan State Law School team with Cooper. “Looking back, I can tell that he knew he was going to be a pro coach. There is no doubt in my mind.” Did he ever give you any advice? “He once said to me, ‘You’re a decent practice player. Why can’t you replicate this in game situations?’ He was right. I was not thrilled at the time, but he was right.”

24. Talking to the Finns and Swedes after elimination, many had the same opinion as Aleksander Barkov, who said, “I wish this was longer.” That will be different with an eight-team event. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the footprint for such a tournament would be similar to the Olympics’. The Milan 2026 men’s hockey schedule lasts 12 days.

25. Other stuff from the 4 Nations: The roster size will increase. The players despised the longer TV timeouts. “Make sure you write that,” Patrik Laine said. Apparently, in the Canada/Sweden opener, one player went to the penalty box to tell the timekeepers to “drop the puck, already,” which is really funny. Longer three-on-three overtime looks like it becomes a discussion at next month’s GM meetings, but I’d be surprised if it went to 10 minutes. The longest game under those conditions lasted 6:06, so I can see them considering seven or eight minutes.

This is going to be met with a groan from some, but I also got real pushback on the 3-2-1-0 points system. There was a scenario last Monday where Sweden could have gone to the final with one win and two losses; while Canada would be erased with two wins and a loss. That was not popular. 

26. McDavid had an interesting line about not playing well, but I have a bit of a different theory: everyone in this tournament could skate and almost everyone was a two-way demon. There wasn’t the room he’s used to on a night-by-night basis in the NHL.

If you’re a young player, and you want to play in these kinds of events, you’ve got no chance if you are dogged on both ends of the ice. The US’s entire defensive structure was built around slowing McDavid down, and I thought he did a great job of battling, finding the opportunities he did get — culminating with the tournament winner.

I joked on the podcast that the referees wanted no part of calling penalties, but one reached out to challenge on how many were missed. He argued that everyone could skate, the teams were structured really well, they knew where they were supposed to be and had the ability to get there. They didn’t need to foul as much as you’d see in an NHL game. Also: 0 coaches’ challenges the whole tournament.

27. When Thomas Harley was added to Team Canada, one of his older brother’s friends texted “Free Bird, yeah!” to him, a fun taunt referencing the Americans’ goal song. Upon seeing Harley on the ice during the now-famous Saturday game, the friend apologized, saying, “I didn’t realize you’d be playing.”

28. A few GMs said Commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear at the November GM meeting that he’s not a big fan of the new decentralized draft. His quote last weekend in Los Angeles — “Remember, the clubs asked for this” — means this setup is not guaranteed to be permanent. 

29. Big defender Valtteri Pulli, who left San Jose for Finland in December, may get another NHL shot next season. A few teams scouting him.

30. In a recent pod, we mentioned Ottawa-born Luke Haymes, an NCAA free agent at Dartmouth. The Rangers, Tampa Bay and Toronto are among the teams pursuing him. Wanted to mention a couple of other names who will be watched as playoffs begin: Tom Chorske played 596 NHL games from 1989-2000. His son, Brett, is a late bloomer at Colgate. The Maple Leafs took a long look at Oregon-born Karsen Dorwart of Michigan State, but he returned for his junior season. Finally, there’s defending-champion Denver captain Carter King. Calgary-born, attended Flames development camp last summer. The success of the program means King will get seen by plenty. 

31. Kevin Shattenkirk was going to join Sportsnet’s trade deadline coverage, but bowed out to accept a role at the NHLPA. Their gain, our loss. Sadly, Bieksa survives another season.

32. Great to re-connect in Boston with Jake Thibeault, who was in attendance for two of the games. Jake presented Moritz Seider with the Calder Trophy at the 2022 NHL Awards show. He’s a junior at Babson College, taking business courses, a huge hockey fan who says the Bruins continue to treat him extremely well. (He was a guest of Bob Sweeney, the ex-centre who runs the team’s charity foundation.) Wanted to shout out the Thomas E Smith Foundation, which helps people living with spinal cord injuries. Thomas’s story itself is, quite frankly, incredible. More info, here.

More from Sportsnet

Things we think we know about the Oilers heading toward the trade deadline

NHL Power Rankings: A look at every team’s GM situation ahead of trade deadline