The Montreal Canadiens continue their excellent start to the season, tied for the Atlantic Division lead at 8-3-0 and 16 points. But that doesn't mean they've given up on their search for a second-line center. This has been a focus of Kent Hughes & Co. going back to the offseason (and even before), and they are still assembling a list of potential additions. Habs analyst Shaun Starr and insider Marco D'Amico have posited their list of dream 2C targets for the Canadiens... some more dream...
3 months ago
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The New Jersey Devils might have a goalie crunch coming, and Nico Daws sits at the center of it. He looks NHL ready and just showed it with a sharp outing against the Minnesota Wild . But with Jacob Markstrom nearing a return and Jake Allen in the mix, Daws could soon head back to the AHL. That is where the calendar starts to matter. Once he is recalled and spends 30 days on the NHL roster or plays 10 NHL games, he will require waivers the next time he is sent down. Lose a young go...
3 months ago
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The Montreal Canadiens keep scanning for a true second line center, and insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic views a Pavel Zacha trade as the most realistic path among buzzed names like Matty Beniers and Bo Horvat. Johnston also cautions that the Boston Bruins are unlikely to send a useful piece to a long time rival, which means the fit is real but the route is complicated. League chatter mirrors that split verdict. Teams have been checking on Zacha’s availability while Bos...
3 months ago
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The St. Louis Blues have a few significant pending free agents coming next offseason, some of the RFA and some of the UFA variety. As the Blues are off to a disappointing start to the season (3-6-1, last place in the Central Division), it's expected that GM Doug Armstrong may start to shake things up sooner than later and start wading into the trade market. One of the pending UFAs is bottom-six forward Oskar Sundqvist. The 31-year-old veteran is on an expiring $1.5 million cap hit,...
3 months ago
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The Colorado Avalanche have locked up Martin Necas for the long term, agreeing on an eight year, $92 million deal at a whopping $11.5 million AAV. According to Elliotte Friedman , the contract is front-loaded with $60M in signing bonuses, and includes a full no-move clause for the first 7 years of the deal. It brings to an end, essentially, the long, drawn-out affair that began with the Avs’ sudden, shocking trade of superstar Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Necas la...
3 months ago
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The New Jersey Devils , despite a stumble against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, are off to a red-hot start to the season, at 8-2-0, leading the Metropolitan Division. So far, particularly with the sizzling performance of Jack Hughes, along with the rest of their top forwards, the preseason need of a top-six boost has fallen by the wayside at this point. But as noted by New Jersey Hockey Now's James Nichols , reinforcements will be needed at some point, and they're still looking for ...
3 months ago
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The Seattle Kraken have gotten off to a solid start to the season, anchored by Joey Daccord and a deeper lineup. But the 5-3-2 start might not be fooling management, or organizations around the league that could look at the roster the Kraken have and pick out some valuable pieces they'd like to acquire. Elliotte Friedman said, "I guarantee you there are teams out there looking at all the draft picks the Kraken have and they're saying this is a team that has what we want. Seattle's going to hav...
3 months ago
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When the Calgary Flames are ready to trade Nazem Kadri, there won't be a shortage of suitors to take a run at him. Plenty of teams are searching for a top-6 center and Kadri could absolutely fill the void. In Calgary, he is the go-to, but when he takes a little bit of a lesser role, his game elevates to an even higher level. Darren Dreger said, "There are other Canadian markets, namely the Canadiens, Canucks, maybe the Leafs, that could absolutely envision a #2 experienced center like Nazem Ka...
3 months ago
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The Colorado Avalanche have an important stretch of months, or potentially shorter, ahead of them. There is not only Martin Necas, whom the team acquired last season, to sign, but more to solidify the future and remain a Stanley Cup contender. Necas is in the last year of his deal and is a UFA after the season, but Cale Makar is more important in the Avalanche's mind than Necas. The team would like to get both signed long-term, as they have been integral parts of the success during their time ...
3 months ago
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The Erik Gustafsson trade chatter is real, but there is one big reason it may not happen right now. The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly receiving only lower-round draft-pick offers for the veteran defenseman, and that price is not moving the needle. With no urgency to clear cap space and a plausible need for injury insurance, Detroit can simply keep Gustafsson with the Grand Rapids Griffins and wait. Great defensive play by Erik Gustafsson and a nice save by Sebastian Cossa on this 2 on...
3 months ago
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The Nashville Predators need help for Steven Stamkos and they know it. As David Pagnotta told SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Nashville has been searching for the right complementary pieces to jump-start Stamkos after a sluggish start. Coach Andrew Brunette has already moved him back to center to increase touches, yet the team is still chasing the right mix on his wings and on the power play. At 35, Stamkos can still finish from his office, but he needs line mates who can win puc...
3 months ago
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San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro has been a popular name in the rumor mill early on this season. The left-shot blueliner is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), so he could be a very popular trade target around the NHL once we get closer to the trade deadline. Due to this, let's look at three teams who could look to acquire Ferraro this season. Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche could be a team to watch when it comes to Ferraro this season. When looking at their blueline,...
3 months ago
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Just when we thought Pavel Zacha's spot with the Boston Bruins was safe, two more teams have been floated as potentially interested parties in trying to convince the B's to trade the second-line center. We heard from insider Pierre LeBrun on Tuesday that the Bruins really have no intention of trading Zacha , but yet rumors continue to persist that they are listening when calls come in. Check out what this NHL source told James Murphy of rg.org: They’re definitely listening on Zacha, (Cas...
3 months ago
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The stalemate continues between the Los Angeles Kings and their top player, Adrian Kempe. He's playing out the final season of his four-year, $22 million deal ($5.5M AAV) and is a pending unrestricted free agent. He continues to rack up stats on the young season, now five goals and 14 points in 11 games. But the one big number that hasn't come yet is the double-digit AAV on a new contract. Insider David Pagnotta, speaking on the DFO Rundown , tells us about some bad news and some good ne...
3 months ago
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The Utah Mammoth got a huge extension done on Wednesday, signing young star center Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80 million deal. But there's another key Mammoth player, top line forward Nick Schmaltz, who is also due for an extension, as he plays out the final year of his deal. But his future in Salt Lake doesn't look quite so secure. In fact, insider David Pagnotta reported on the DFO Rundown on Wednesday that Schmaltz was nearly traded this past summer. They had (extension) talks in...
3 months ago
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The Calgary Flames have had a horrible start to the season after being inches from making the playoffs last season. It is a team that has to make a decision and rebuild, but is currently holding onto pieces that will stop them from doing it with maximum efficiency. One player that is almost definitely going to be gone this season is Rasmus Andersson. There are plenty of teams with interest around the league for a top-4 right-shot defenseman that can also produce offensively, but the herd appea...
3 months ago
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The New Jersey Devils are looking to remain competitive in net by looking to extend Jacob Markstrom. Initially, it was rumored that the Devils' starting goalie was looking for a long-term extension, but it looks like the two sides are going to go shorter in the term. Elliotte Friedman said, "Seems like they're pretty hopeful. They were looking maybe a couple of years, shorter-term, big number. They're going at it here, trying to close something." From New Jersey's standpoint, there should be s...
3 months ago
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The Utah Mammoth have signed one of their best young players long-term as Logan Cooley was inked to an eight-year, $10 million AAV deal. Utah Mammoth #TusksUp and Logan Cooley have agreed to terms on an extension: 8 years x $10 million = $80 million. — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 29, 2025 While the price may have been too high at the beginning of the season, Cooley has come out of the gates on fire and has eight goals and 12 points in 11 games. The 21-year-old is one of the leag...
3 months ago
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The Vancouver Canucks need center help, and Alex Wennberg sits in a realistic lane of targets. With Filip Chytil out and Teddy Blueger in and out, management has kicked the tires on the San Jose forward while keeping that 2026 first-round pick off the table. Wennberg can play center or wing, he wins enough draws to stabilize a line, and he fits a coach-friendly profile for defensive usage. The question is whether he is the right answer at the right cost. Frank Seravalli: Re Canucks...
3 months ago
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The Vancouver Canucks want a center, but not at the cost rivals keep asking for. Multiple teams have pushed for the 2026 first-round pick , and Vancouver is resisting. The next draft is a strong one; the club does not know where that pick will land, and recent history says to be patient. They kept the selection that became Braeden Cootes instead of flipping it, and early returns have validated that bet. Until an offer checks every box, that first stays put. The thing about the #Can...
3 months ago
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With all the extension talk around the NHL focusing on other big names, like Adrian Kempe, Alex Tuch and Martin Necas, one name that's perhaps flown under the radar is Dallas Stars elite blueliner Thomas Harley. He has now signed an eight-year deal worth $84.7 million ($10.59 million AAV). Now in his 5th NHL season, Harley logs well over 23 minutes a night for the Stars, and can be counted on to register in the neighborhood of 50 points while racking up blocked shots and posting tremendous plu...
3 months ago
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Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha's name has been front and... center on the rumor mill in the early stages of the season. That's undoubtedly due to a combination of the Bruins' slow start and the demand massively outweighing the supply on viable centers around the league these days. But insider Pierre LeBrun , speaking on TSN's Insider Trading, has dropped some significant intel on the chances of a Zacha trade this season (hint: it's slim to none). What I'm being told, in terms of ...
3 months ago
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It wouldn't be the splashiest of moves, but at this early point in the season, we'll take any trade at all to spice things up. The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for help on the left side of the blueline, and youth movement be damned, they've got their eye on a 33-year-old, nine-year veteran, according to Dan Kingerski in Pittsburgh Hockey Now : Sources say Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is “kicking tires” on spare left-handed defensemen... One defenseman that sources b...
3 months ago
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Burgeoning young forward Jake Neighbours has been off to a hot start for the St. Louis Blues , but that will come to a halt due to a lower-body injury. Neighbours has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least five weeks. The Blues have announced Jake Neighbours will be re-evaluated in 5 weeks after suffering a right leg injury pic.twitter.com/kL5SI41oQT — SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) October 28, 2025 Neighbours will be re-evaluated at that time to see how his right leg injury is progre...
3 months ago
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Keep an eye on the Carolina Hurricanes this season as GM Eric Tulsky will be going big-fish hunting at some point. The Hurricanes have been very aggressive on the trade market for the past few seasons and with over $9 million in cap space to work with, and a team on the ice that screams contender, Tulsky will be able to land a huge name this season. There's been plenty of players linked to the Hurricanes this season, however, the most recent trade watch in Carolina was put on by ho...
3 months ago
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