Red Wings Weekly: The Playoff Race Continues

The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is just a little over a month away, and that means that every team across the league is taking stock of what they have, what they need, and how they can go about positioning themselves for success for the rest of this season and beyond. For some teams, this means making a small change or two to boost their depth with hopes of going on a long playoff run. For others, this means making big moves to add or subtract from their current roster in hopes of adding difference-makers either now or in the future.

The trade deadline is just about a month away, and all eyes are on the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks because of it. After announcing the start of their full-on rebuild last season, the Blackhawks currently have a 15-29-4 record and only the Columbus Blue Jackets have fewer points. As a result, they are going to be clear sellers at the deadline, and they have several players who could be dealt like Jonathan Toews, Max Domi, and Jake McCabe. Yet, they have no bigger trade target than franchise legend Patrick Kane.

There has been lots of talk about the Detroit Red Wings’ interest in Bo Horvat ever since Rick Dhaliwal listed Detroit as a team to watch in trade talks. Dhaliwal is one of the most well-connected insiders in Vancouver (if not the most connected), so I believed him, though it’s strange to hear industry rumors about the Red Wings because Steve Yzerman runs such a tight ship in Detroit that we rarely hear anything slip out. Fortunately for us, Vancouver has been experiencing some tumultuous waters lately, to continue the ship analogy, and it appears Detroit’s interest in Horvat leaked from the Vancouver end.

The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is one month away, and the rumor mill is starting to heat up immensely because of it. One goaltender who is starting to garner a lot of buzz is Anaheim Ducks star, John Gibson. The 29-year-old has struggled these last few seasons, and this trend has, unfortunately, continued in 2022-23. In 34 appearances on the year, he has a 10-20-4 record, 3.96 goals-against average (GAA), and .898 save percentage (SV%). Although this is certainly not impressive play, the primary reason for his struggles has been Anaheim’s significantly weak defensive group.

The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is right around the corner, so the rumor mill is naturally starting to heat up because of it. We recently saw the Vancouver Canucks trade Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, and now Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is the biggest rental candidate available because of it. Although he is having a down year by his standards (34 points in 45 games), Chicago’s weak roster can certainly be blamed for that. As a result, a move to a contender could help spark his offensive game again, and that’s why interest in his services is starting to skyrocket.

The cliche “it’s not how you start, but how you finish” might be fitting for the Windsor Spitfires this past weekend. On a season-long, five-game road trip, they found a way to battle through injuries and inconsistent hockey to finish strong. Now, they’re ready for some home cooking.

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Anaheim Ducks have a couple of pieces they are trying to move. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils have a potential backup plan for Timo Meier. Will the Toronto Maple Leafs be willing to pay the asking price to acquire Jake McCabe out of Chicago, and are teams willing to take on Anton Khudobin’s salary to have a viable backup goaltender?

The Boston Bruins are the best team in the NHL. The Bruins are also in the midst of their worst slump all season long. Both things can be true. What can also be true is that a slump, though not ideal, is far from the end of the world. The Bruins have given themselves enough breathing room in the standings that they can absorb a skid like this without it causing too much of an issue for them in the grand scheme of things. Still, the team will undoubtedly want to bounce back and get back to their winning ways sooner rather than later; this starts with getting the power play back on track.

The main focus for the Toronto Maple Leafs right now is the upcoming 2023 NHL Playoffs, and more precisely how to get past the first round. With general manager Kyle Dubas on an expiring contract, his job and the job of head coach Sheldon Keefe could depend on it. Having...

The Seattle Kraken had a January to remember going 11-3-1 in their 15 games. They set an NHL record by sweeping their seven-game road trip earlier in the month and finished January at the top of the Pacific Division. Here is a look at five stories from January 2023. Matty...

Despite excellent play from the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie defencemen Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnais, the team might still go out and upgrade their back end. With seven wins in eight games (for 15 points), the Oilers now sit amongst the leaders in their division and have a real shot at getting home-ice advantage in the playoffs. It should also make general manager Ken Holland’s life easier when it comes to upgrading his roster or not.

When it comes to the Chicago Blackhawks and the 2023 trade deadline, the first names that come up are Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and rightfully so. They are additions to a team looking for a deep postseason run that can be a difference-maker. There are, however, some other names that could be available at the March 3 deadline that could be depth pieces for teams.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the main teams mentioned over the past week when it comes to 2023 NHL Trade Deadline rumors and discussions. This is in large part due to the season-ending Achilles injury Max Pacioretty suffered on Jan. 19. Pacioretty joined the Hurricanes in the offseason while in the midst of recovering from an Achilles tear suffered last season. He appeared in five games for Carolina scoring three goals in his limited action before the injury. The Hurricanes haven’t missed a beat since the loss of the 34-year-old forward, winning five straight including a dominant 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Jan. 29 in a matchup of the top two teams in the NHL.

Of all the adjectives and phrases I’ve read on social media to describe the Winnipeg Jets’ play of late, a text I got from a good friend who is an avid fan was my favourite. “The Jets are playing like hot garbage lately” made me laugh out loud in an empty room. He’s not wrong. The Jets are currently not playing to the system head coach Rick Bowness has implemented but instead have reverted to the bad habits they fell into under former coach Paul Maurice.

There’s been more than enough trade speculation in recent weeks, not just with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with every team. And, with the news of the Vancouver Canucks trading Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders on Monday, it would appear the first domino has fallen. Now, it...

The biggest name at the 2023 NHL trade deadline came off the board on Jan. 30. Bo Horvat, who the Boston Bruins had a lot of interest in, was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders in exchange for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty and a conditional first-round draft pick in the 2023 Entry Draft. Islanders’ general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello made the move with his team struggling for offense and needing to make up ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, which they currently sit on the outside looking in.

Carl Voss was 26 years old when he kicked off the 1932-33 NHL season with the New York Rangers. Having played 14 games prior to that season with the Toronto St. Pats and the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1926 and 1929, Voss’s career hadn’t really taken off until the puck dropped on what would be considered his rookie season.

The Florida Panthers will host this year’s NHL All-Star weekend for the second time in franchise history with their first time being exactly 20 years ago in 2003. Even though their history is short, they have some notable faces that represented them as All-Star selections. In total, they’ve had 24 Panthers sent to play in the game.

After a 4-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 28, head coach Rick Bowness called out his top players in his post-game press conference. “The difference makers? You can’t even find them out there” is how he expressed his frustrations and called out his team for not handling the adversity well.

The Toronto Maple Leafs came back in the second period to beat the Washington Capitals by a score of 5-1 yesterday in a rare late afternoon start. The team now has one more game before the All-Star break and the bye week. They host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Then...