NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doesn't sound worried about the Winnipeg Jets' decline in attendance.
"I believe that this is a strong NHL market," he told reporters before the Jets' clash against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. "I believe that ownership has made extraordinary commitments to the Jets ... involving hundreds of millions of dollars. I'm not sure why people are now speculating that somehow they're not going to be here. At the end of the day, we can go through a litany of reasons ... as to how the attendance situation got to where it is.
"It kind of doesn't really matter because teams go through different ups and downs. I believe that the season ticket base and the attendance will evolve back to where it was."
The club confirmed to The Athletic on Friday that its season ticket base had dwindled from approximately 13,000 to around 9,500 over the last three years. Jets chairman Mark Chipman expressed concern over the future of the franchise in Winnipeg, saying those numbers wouldn't "work over the long haul."
Bettman offered his interpretation of Chipman's comments on Tuesday.
"What I believe Mark means by that ... (is) he didn't want to just be a member of the NHL; he wants a team that has the foundation for success," he said. "He wants to be competitive every year. He'd like to bring the Stanley Cup to Winnipeg.
"If the team is going to have the resources and the ability to compete at the highest level and spend to the cap as they have, it'd be important for the building to be full."
The Jets entered Tuesday's action in second place in the Central Division. They've performed excellently following a turbulent offseason in which former captain Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois left the team. Winnipeg was also at risk of losing franchise cornerstones Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck, but both players signed matching seven-year, $59.5-million extensions in October.
"I'm mystified at the tension that seems to have developed here," Bettman said. "And by the way, this is a team, if they make the playoffs this year ... it'll be six of the last seven years. They're a cap team. The star players who had an opportunity to go elsewhere decided to stay here. Those are the substantive things that deliver the message that everybody seems to be focused on."
Bettman himself appears to be confident in the Jets' future in Winnipeg, and he had a simple message for fans who might be feeling apprehensive.
"Get over your anxiety and come to games," he said. "No better way to deal with anxiety than rooting for your hometown team."
The Philadelphia Flyers are maintaining a long-term outlook despite Jamie Drysdale's injury ahead of the trade deadline.
"The reality is (Drysdale's injury) won't affect ultimately what they decide at the deadline with Sean Walker and Nick Seeler, the two pending UFA D that continue to garner interest on the trade market," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."
Drysdale is out and considered week-to-week after sustaining a shoulder injury on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 21-year-old defenseman is set to be re-evaluated in two weeks.
LeBrun added: "Just because their blue line is depleted now with Drysdale out ... it won't deter the Flyers from the bigger picture or the long-term vision, which is if a team steps up on Walker in particular, I believe they will deal him."
Walker is No. 4 on theScore's list of candidates to be traded before the deadline, while Seeler comes in at No. 12.
The duo have formed an impressive pairing on the surprisingly competitive Flyers, who hold the third spot in the Metropolitan Division. They have played over 580 minutes together this season, outscoring the opposition 30-25 in that time with a 56.8% expected goals share, per Evolving Hockey.
Walker, 29, was acquired by the Flyers last summer in the Ivan Provorov three-team trade. The right-shot defender boasts 21 points in 56 games while playing 19:29 per contest. He has a $2.65-million cap hit.
Seeler, 30, has 10 points and 76 penalty minutes in 59 games. The rugged defenseman leads the Flyers with 172 blocked shots and is fourth on the team with 105 hits. His cap hit of $775,000 is the league minimum.
The NHL's trade deadline is Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m. ET.
Matt and guest co-host Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver muse over Elias Pettersson trades, and whether it's time to start wondering what those could look like this summer. They discuss Elias Lindholm's mediocre start as a Canuck, where he fits best in the lineup. Thatcher Demko's workload is a topic, as is new power play formations at morning skate and whether Phil Kessel is the tonic for that struggling unit. Other topics include: the game against the Penguins, interest in Brandon Duhaime or players like him and whether they need one for the playoffs; the Dallas Star gaining cap space as a team to watch before the deadline, and the Boston Bruins' scratching a veteran defenceman and on the lookout for a blue-liner before next week's deadline.
John Shannon joins to discuss the Pettersson impasse. He says he doesn't believe the Canucks are considering a trade -- even this summer. John talks about his Canucks' team MVP, Chris Tanev and the available Flames, the Blues' and Predators' deadline plans, and Sidney Crosby memories from 2010. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
The Predators sat outside the playoff picture for much of this season, but they're now riding a five-game win streak that's vaulted them into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They're four points ahead of the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, with one more game played than the former and two more than the latter.
Nashville's early mediocrity led to speculation that they might trade Saros. In January, it was reported that the Predators' preference was to sign the netminder to a contract extension, but they would listen to serious offers.
Saros has struggled this season compared to the standard he set in previous campaigns. The Finnish puck-stopper, who'll turn 29 in April, entered Tuesday with a .904 save percentage and a 23-21-2 record. He finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting last season, third in 2021-22, and sixth in the abbreviated 2021 campaign.
The goalie is signed through 2024-25 with a $5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Nashville came into Tuesday's action with a 58.4% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck.
The Predators' goaltender of the future, Yaroslav Askarov, is thriving in the AHL this season with a .920 save percentage over 29 games. Nashville selected him 11th overall in 2020.
Saros has spent his entire nine-year career with the Predators, who drafted him 99th overall in 2013.
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We split our sides and totals on Monday. The Senators were sunk by horrendous goaltending - Anton Forsberg allowed four goals on 10 shots - but the under of 6.5 cashed in Edmonton.
Let's look at a couple of sides that pop off the page on Tuesday as we aim for a mini-sweep.
Thus, the team will likely to without two of their best offensive players, as well as a stabilizing defender in Anderson, while playing in the latter half of a road back-to-back situation. That's less than ideal.
Making matters worse, it'll be Cam Talbot between the pipes. His last couple of games were better, but his play this calendar year leaves a lot to be desired.
He is conceding 4.18 goals above expected, the fourth-worst output among all goaltenders with double-digit starts in 2024.
For perspective, Jacob Markstrom has saved 15.75 goals above expected over the same period. He should continue to excel against a fatigued Kings team missing weaponry.
The Flames are more than capable of giving the Kings a run for their money. They just beat the Jets, Bruins, andOilers and continue to chug along despite all the trade rumors surrounding key players on the team.
Look for the Flames to extend their winning streak to four against the Kings.
The Avalanche have cooled off recently, dropping two in a row and seven of the past 10 overall.
But I don't think they're playing as poorly as the results indicate. The Avs are generating quality chances at an efficient clip and rank sixth in high-danger chances per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.
They are, however, struggling to score. Only four teams are finding the back of the net at five-on-five at a lower rate.
The Avalanche aren't a super deep team, but they have as much firepower as anybody in the NHL. It's only a matter of time before they start to convert on the many chances they're creating.
I expect that to begin against the Stars. The Avalanche torched them in recent head-to-head meetings, scoring 19 goals over four games in the past 11 months.
It's also worth noting Jake Oettinger has not been his usual self this season. He owns a very mediocre .903 save percentage and has given up nearly three goals per game while playing behind an excellent lineup.
Playing behind a tired team at altitude, Oettinger is likely to be tested early and often in this one.
I think the Avalanche will break through offensively en route to a much-needed win over direct competition for a Central Division title.
Bet: Avalanche (-135)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.
We swept the board with our player props Monday night, cashing a pair of overs and a fade of John Carlson.
We'll look to keep the ball rolling with three more shot props for Tuesday's massive slate of games.
Sean Couturier: Over 2.5 shots
The Flyers have been a surprisingly strong shot-generation team this season, particularly on home ice. Their new captain, Sean Couturier, is the perfect example.
He registered at least three shots in 18 of 28 home dates this season (64% success rate), averaging a very healthy 3.6 shots per game.
Couturier's home outputs are drastically better than on the road: He owns a 33% success rate away from Philadelphia and averages 1.2 fewer shots on goal per game.
The good news for Couturier is he is at home against a Lightning team the Flyers might be fighting for a wild-card spot (the No. 3 slot in the Metropolitan is far from secured).
Couturier will be tasked with slowing down Hart Trophy candidate Nikita Kucherov. Given the importance of the game, and the fact the Flyers are off until Friday after this one, Couturier will no doubt get a full workload and then some.
He had six shots on eight attempts when the two sides met back in January. I don't expectthat level of volume again, but Couturier should have ample opportunity to get a few pucks on net.
Odds: -125 (playable to -140)
Gabe Vilardi: Over 2.5 shots
Vilardi has gone over his total in five consecutive games, four of which have come against weaker Jets opponents on the outside of the playoff picture.
He's facing another team that fits the bill in the Blues. They've conceded shots at a high clip all season long, giving up a lot of volume even when the wins are there.
The matchup at five-on-five doesn't get much better for Vilardi, as the Blues rank bottom five in shot suppression on the season and over the last 10 games.
Vilardi has also taken on a larger role on the power play. The Jets have run things through Vilardi more of late, allowing him to operate with the puck below the dots. As a result, he leads the team in power-play shots and attempts over the past 10 games, which raises his shooting floor and ceiling.
Vilardi recorded at least three shots in six of his last eight games versus bottom-10 shot-suppression teams. With another favorable matchup and a more significant role on the man advantage, I expect Vilardi to get the job done once again.
Odds: -110 (playable to -130)
Nathan MacKinnon: Over 4.5 shots
MacKinnon is starting to kick things into high gear. His shot volume has spiked lately, with the superstar center recording at least eight attempts in eight of his past 10 games.
That is something of a sweet spot for MacKinnon, who has averaged 5.8 shots per game while posting a 62% success rate in games with at least eight attempts.
There's plenty of reason to expect another high-volume effort in this one. The Avalanche and Stars are among three teams duking it out for top spot in the Central Division. MacKinnon will see a heavy workload in this extremely important game for the Avalanche.
He should have 23-plus minutes against a team he has feasted on in recent years. MacKinnon recorded at least five shots in six of his last seven against the Stars, attempting more than 10 shots per game on average.
With two big points on the line and the Stars on the latter half of a back-to-back, MacKinnon is primed to continue shooting the lights out.
Odds: -130 (playable to -145)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
We hear plenty about pending unrestricted free agents - so-called "rentals" - at this time of year. The NHL trade-deadline hoopla revolves around that group of players.
Every season, though, a handful of players under team control also change teams midseason. Usually, these younger players have fallen out of favor with their organizations by failing to meet expectations. A change of scenery, the thinking goes, could serve them well.
theScore's Kyle Cushman recently wrote about prospects who could be on the move ahead of the March 8 deadline. Below are five more established players in the same boat.
Alexander Holtz, Devils
Rich Graessle / Getty Images
Holtz was put on this earth to zip hockey pucks past goalies.
OK, that's a tad dramatic. Still, the 22-year-old right-shot winger is very good at finding unoccupied areas of the offensive zone and deploying his absolute rocket of a shot once the puck finds him.
On the flip side, Holtz is perceived as a liability defensively, and his usage this year has suffered because of it. "If you want to play more, don't get scored against," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said earlier this season when asked about Holtz's ice time, which through 58 games is only 11:39 per night.
Holtz, the seventh pick in the 2020 draft, has 13 goals and added 11 assists in his first full NHL season while largely skating on the Devils' fourth line and second power-play unit. Among New Jersey forwards, he ranks 11th in five-on-five usage (10:06) and eighth in power-play usage (1:21).
Elsa / Getty Images
It's hard to decipher from afar whether Ruff is simply offering tough love or the organization truly feels Holtz is a poor long-term fit. Regardless, if Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald wants to acquire a decent goalie ahead of the trade deadline, putting Holtz on the trade block would spice up talks with rival executives. There's no doubt several teams would take a flier on the Swede.
Holtz's counting stats through 86 career games are nothing special - 16 goals and 14 assists. So, unless he breaks out in a major way, the cap hit on Holtz's second contract, which would start in 2025-26, won't be terribly high.
Arthur Kaliyev of the Kings is another young, shoot-first winger who could use a change of scenery. Like Holtz, Kaliyev's overall skill set has gaping holes that'll drive pretty much any NHL coach bananas. However, he also boasts a bomb of a shot. It takes just one enamoured club to jumpstart trade talks.
Spencer Knight, Panthers
An NHL franchise can never have too many good goalies.
That said, it was strange to see the Panthers use the 13th pick in 2019 on Knight, then sign Sergei Bobrovsky to an eight-year, $80-million deal 10 days later. Selecting a netminder in the top half of the first round is one thing; immediately blocking that hyped prospect's path to the starter's net for the foreseeable future is another. The sequence of events didn't quite add up.
Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images
It's fair to say that signing Bobrovsky panned out. The Panthers competed in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and with Bobrovsky and backup Anthony Stolarz playing at an elite level this year, Florida's primed for another deep playoff run.
Which brings us back to Knight: If GM Bill Zito wants to bolster his lineup before the deadline, the 22-year-old goalie would be one of his top trade chips. Remember, Florida doesn't have a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025, and it doesn't have many high-end prospects. (The Athletic's Scott Wheeler recently ranked its prospect pool 24th in the NHL.)
While Knight's stock isn't what it used to be (he owns an .894 save percentage through 34 AHL games this year), he could be flipped for forward depth. Once billed as a future franchise pillar, Knight is still incredibly young by goalie standards and thus worth pursuing. He's back on track after spending a chunk of 2023 in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
The biggest hurdle for Zito would be finding another GM to take on Knight's contract: $4.5 million per year through 2025-26.
Adam Boqvist, Blue Jackets
Chicago drafted Boqvist with the eighth pick in 2018, and he arrived in Columbus in the 2021 Seth Jones trade. He's since been unable to stay healthy enough to play a full season, with this year bringing a shoulder strain, and then a facial injury (thanks to an errant puck). Making matters worse, Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent has occasionally scratched a healthy Boqvist.
Boqvist's a distressed asset. The 23-year-old could use a blank slate elsewhere.
Jason Mowry / Getty Images
The smooth-skating right-handed defenseman moves the puck well and could provide value in a sheltered role at a $2.6-million cap hit through next season.
Interestingly, Columbus appears to be showcasing No. 27 of late. Boqvist is skating alongside Zach Werenski on the first pairing at even strength and manning the point on the first-unit power play. This is all happening while defense prospects Denton Mateychuk and David Jiricek continue to excel in lower leagues. Both could see full-time NHL duty as early as this fall.
Boqvist could draw interest from rebuilding or retooling teams that, when they squint hard enough, see untapped potential and (maybe?) an eventual top-four blue-liner. A heavy investment in player development would be key.
Jake Bean, another Columbus defenseman, finds himself in a similar situation on the depth chart. The 25-year-old is headed toward restricted free agency.
Pavel Buchnevich, Blues
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Buchnevich is the outlier in this group of change-of-scenery guys.
He doesn't check the usual boxes of underperformance or low usage. Currently thriving, he may end up spending the rest of his career in St. Louis.
But moving Buchnevich would arguably be the best outcome for both player and team. His current contract - a bargain $5.8 million a year through 2024-25 - doesn't align with the Blues' competitive timeline. He's chasing his first Cup ring, yet St. Louis isn't tracking for a deep run this year or next. Even if the Russian winger loves the franchise and city, he theoretically could be traded and then return as a 30-year-old UFA in 2025.
The motivating factor for Blues GM Doug Armstrong would be the demand for Buchnevich. He could reel in a hefty package of picks and/or prospects.
It's easy to picture rival execs salivating over Buchnevich's playoff-tailored skill set. The 6-foot-1, 196-pounder is fantastic along the boards, in transition, and in front of the net. He's averaged a point per game over almost three seasons with the Blues (St. Louis acquired him from the Rangers in 2021). Buchnevich could be an ace third wheel for a top-six scoring line on a contender.
This isn't an easy situation for Armstrong to navigate, and Buchnevich has some power of his own - his contract includes a 12-team no-trade list.
Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets
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Merzlikins' chances of playing out the remainder of his five-year, $27-million contract in a Blue Jackets uniform are slim. If his cap hit was a bit lower than $5.4 million, or his term was a bit shorter than three years beyond this season, he'd probably already be stopping pucks for another team.
The 29-year-old's career statistics hint that he's an average or slightly below-average NHL starter prone to stretches of poor play. He's talked openly about seeking "a new scenario" where he's the No. 1 option, not a backup. Yet the situation is complicated.
Blue Jackets president John Davidson is searching for a new GM after firing Jarmo Kekalainen. How do Davidson and this new GM view Merzlikins? Do they give the fiery Latvian a fresh start internally and double down on a Merzlikins-Daniil Tarasov tandem? Trade him? Buy him out?
As for the market, goalie-starved New Jersey reportedly expressed interest in Merzlikins, who's holding down a decent .902 save percentage through 33 starts in front of a porous skater group. Clubs that have abundant cap space and runway to work with him - the Blackhawks, for instance - could be fits as well.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
The 21-year-old sustained a season-ending injury to the same shoulder eight games into the 2022-23 campaign.
The 2020 sixth overall pick missed 21 contests earlier this season with a lower-body injury.
The Flyers acquired Drysdale on Jan. 8 in a shocking deal that sent forward Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks. Drysdale has four points in 17 games with the Flyers and nine points in 27 total contests in 2023-24.
The Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with a 30-22-7 record.
