Avalanche, Jets and Stars raise stakes in NHL’ s Central Division with big trades at the deadline
Avalanche, Jets and Stars raise stakes in NHL’ s Central Division with big trades at the deadline
Just before midnight on the eve of NHL trade deadline day, Chris MacFarland bolstered the Colorado Avalanche for a long playoff run by getting center Brock Nelson. His rival general managers in the Central Division slept on it, then responded big time.
Jim Nill’s Dallas Stars acquired the top player available, Mikko Rantanen, without having to give up more than one of his blossoming young stars, while Kevin Cheveldayoff’s league-leading Winnipeg Jets got tougher and deeper with forward Brandon Tanev and rugged defenseman Luke Schenn. Oh, and MacFarland wasn’t done, shoring up Colorado’s lineup down the middle with Charlie Coyle and deepening the blue line by bringing back Erik Johnson.
The arms race heated up in the Central — and the Atlantic, where defending Stanley Cup champion Florida looks even more formidable with Brad Marchand, first-place Toronto added help up front in Scott Laughton and on the back end in Brandon Carlo, and Tampa Bay traded multiple first-round picks for Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
“Wow, what a first-round matchup it’s going to be in our division, what a first-round matchup it’s going to be between Florida, Toronto or Tampa (and) Colorado, Winnipeg, Dallas,” St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “It’s going to be great hockey. The league is going to be the massive benefactor of it. But someone’s going to be really unhappy 14 days after the season ends.”
Even if there weren’t a lot of sellers making players available, the moves made shifted the balance of power in the Eastern and Western conferences. The Stars and Panthers are now co-favorites to hoist the Cup, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Central Division
As long as Miro Heiskanen can return from knee surgery in time for the playoffs, the Stars made the most of losing their Norris Trophy-caliber No. 1 defenseman for much of the second half of the season. Putting him on long-term injured reserve along with center Tyler Seguin cleared the salary cap space necessary to get Rantanen, who had 101 points in 81 postseason games with Colorado and was a key part of the 2022 Cup run.
The Avalanche sure weren’t expecting to have Rantanen back on their side of the bracket after trading him to Carolina in January. Now he’s squarely in their path to another title for the better part of the next decade thanks to an eight-year, $96 million extension Colorado was worried about affording.
“We made a really hard decision, and it was a hockey decision,” MacFarland said. “We got some really good hockey players. Mikko is a great hockey player and a great person, and I’ll always wish him the best. But no, we don’t spend much time on seeing what other teams may or may not do. I think the Dallas Stars got a great hockey player and a great person.”
It is Winnipeg that is atop the standings and the front-runner for home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs behind goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. And the Jets filled two important areas of need with Schenn and Tanev.
So did the Avalanche. It was clear to MacFarland that a couple of big centers were needed.
“Those two guys have been in deep runs, and they’ve been around a long time,” reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon said of Nelson and Coyle. “Two huge bodies down the middle. I think both can play wing or whatever. Versatility’s great, and I’m really excited.”
Atlantic Division
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois stole the show earlier in the week. Florida counterpart Bill Zito got the last laugh by sending a draft pick to Boston for Bruins captain Brad Marchand.
Adding Marchand to a group that already includes Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett makes the Panthers even tougher and harder to play against than they were before — and increases the odds of the final including a team from the Sunshine State for a sixth consecutive season.
Toronto has a Cup-winning coach in Craig Berube, and Laughton and Carlo give them a better chance of hanging with the Panthers or Lightning. But Florida not only got Marchand but in previous days added top-four defenseman Seth Jones and depth center Nico Sturm to remain the team to beat in the East.
Metropolitan Division
The Hurricanes’ midseason gamble for Rantanen — sending leading scorer Martin Necas and young forward Jack Drury to Colorado while adding winger Taylor Hall — did not work out the way they had hoped. Carolina added an intriguing talent in getting 22-year-old Logan Stankoven and plenty of high draft picks from the Stars but fell short in adding elite talent to help this season.
East-leading Washington made only one move, sending a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for winger Anthony Beauvillier. Third-place New Jersey added some players but won’t have No. 1 center and leading scorer Jack Hughes for the rest of the season and playoffs, while the New York Rangers traded away pending free agents Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick was happy to see so many players go West, but he doesn’t think the Metro is easy to get through.
“You’re going to have to be ready to play at a high level and relatively mistake-free hockey, so that’s what we’re expecting,” Patrick said. “It doesn’t matter who’s in or who’s out for these teams. These are the top teams in the East, and we have to be ready to match their play.”
Pacific Division
Vegas reacquired Smith, who was part of the 2023 Cup team, Edmonton added offensive-minded defenseman Jake Walman and rough-and-tumble forward Trent Frederic, and Los Angeles boosted its scoring potential by getting Andrei Kuzmenko.
Those seem like minor moves compared to the colossal activity in the Central. But the Oilers got to Game 7 of the final last year, still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and could still get Evander Kane back in the playoffs. The Golden Knights are stacked for another deep run.
“We liked our team,” Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon said. “We like our centers, we like our defense — I think they’re among the very best in the NHL.”
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AP Sports Writers Pat Graham and Alanis Thames and freelance writers W.G. Ramirez and Denis Gorman contributed.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
