Red Wings’ Hellberg Acquisition Starts Goalie Controversy

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 St. Louis Blues have hit their lowest point of the 2022-23 season. They aren’t winning games and can’t get away from injury issues. When one player comes back, another one hits the shelf. The vision for the rest of this season is becoming clearer – get a good draft pick.

On the plus side, if the Montreal Canadiens win all their remaining games, they’ll end up with well over 100 points. Seeing as the 100-point Washington Capitals just made the playoffs as the second Eastern Conference wild-card team in 2021-22 though, that still makes the vast majority of those remaining Habs games must-win affairs.

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.

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 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 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...

When you think of prospect development you may think of the American Hockey League (AHL), Ontario Hockey League, or maybe even the Swedish Hockey League. However, college hockey is also a great development step for players yearning for a professional career someday. I, for one, absolutely love college hockey. The atmosphere, the developing talent, and the excitement you see whenever a goal is scored is something special to watch.

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.

Following the trade of Bo Horvat out of Vancouver, fans, media, and insiders are wondering what might be next for the Vancouver Canucks. Could the Canucks be ready to sell anything and everything? Apparently, if the price is right, general manager Patrik Allvin is open to that idea. Speaking on...

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 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.

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 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.

Despite a blockbuster trade, in which the New York Islanders acquired Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a first-round draft pick, Aatu Raty, and Anthony Beauvillier, the team may not be done making moves ahead of the trade deadline. The Islanders have a 3-5-2 record over the course of their last ten games, which begs the question, is head coach Lane Lambert now on the hot seat? The doors have been swung open on the NHL coaching carousel as the Canucks became the first team to part ways with their head coach last week.

The 2023 Trade Deadline is one month away and the Edmonton Oilers are set to make some moves to upgrade their team. They don’t have cap space to work with and will have to trade one or more roster players to make any sort of deal. There are the known potential trade candidates at forward with any of Jesse Puljujarvi, Warren Foegele, and Derek Ryan potentially moving on, but then there is the discussion about the defence.

Heading into the NHL’s All-Star break, looking at a team’s standing can be a good determinant of where they lineup amongst the league’s 32 teams. For some, it’s a good time to rest, regroup and get back to 100 percent, while others will join stars from around the league in its annual so-called showcase of hockey’s best.

What seemed like an amazing response to losing the Calgary Flames’ top two scorers in one offseason has been looking more and more like a disaster in the making. To no fault of his own, Brad Treliving, the general manager (GM) of the Flames, wasn’t able to convince Johnny Gaudreau or Matthew Tkachuk to stick around long term. This led to a couple of big moves that set up the next half a decade for the franchise.