A handful of Stanley Cup hopefuls are inquiring about Ottawa Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko.
The Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Edmonton Oilers have kicked tires on the pending unrestricted free agent, reports the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch.
Ottawa is reportedly seeking a second-round pick and a prospect in return for Tarasenko's services.
The Russian has control over his situation due to his no-trade clause. He carries a cap hit of $5 million. The Panthers, in particular, are high up on Tarasenko's list of preferred destinations, a source told Garrioch.
The 32-year-old ranks fourth on the Senators with 17 goals this season and fifth with 41 points in 57 games. Tarasenko said in mid-February that he was enjoying his time in Ottawa and was looking "at all options."
The Senators are currently in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 25-31-3 record and own a ghastly 0.2% odds of making the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck.
Tarasenko was traded for the first time in his career last season when the St. Louis Blues sent him to the Rangers a month before the deadline. New York is in need of a top-six right winger following a leg injury to Blake Wheeler. Tarasenko put up eight goals and 21 points in 31 regular-season contests in the Big Apple.
The Golden Knights similarly have a hole in their forward group due to the absence of captain Mark Stone.
Tarasenko won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Blues in 2019. He's racked up 287 goals and 615 points in 732 career NHL games, as well as 64 points in 97 playoff contests.
The Vegas Golden Knights will have star center Jack Eichel back in the lineup for Monday's clash against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Eichel missed the last 19 games with a lower-body injury, for which he underwent surgery. The Golden Knights went 9-8-2 in his absence.
Vegas activated him from long-term injured reserve earlier on Monday.
Eichel, 27, last played Jan. 11 against the Boston Bruins. He departed the contest but was ultimately able to finish the game, capping off his night with one goal and one assist in just under 17 minutes of ice time.
Despite missing time, Eichel still ranks third on the Golden Knights in both goals (19) and points (44).
Vegas ranks third in the Pacific Division with a 33-21-7 record heading into Monday's action.
Blake returns and joins Matt in discussing which wingers work best for the Canucks before trade deadline. The guys talked about the 2-1 win in Anaheim, the needed performance from Casey DeSmith, the return of Vasily Podkolzin, the continued evolution of Nils Höglander, the loss of Tyler Myers to injury, how much the roster has changed since they last played in Anaheim, the struggles of the Hughes-Hronek defence pair over the last month, and the good health of the club throughout the season. They also look back on Elias Pettersson's contract extension and point forward to teams on the verge of joining the sellers.
Irf Gaffar joins to discuss how active the Canucks will be by trade deadline, the biggest needs, the targets, the competition (EDM, VGK). They discuss Jake Guentzel, Tyler Toffoli, Frank Vatrano & Jordan Greenway. Irf gives his wish list, talks about the surprise developments with Pettersson last week, provides his take on the Elias Lindholm acquisition, and predicts what's to happen with Phil Kessel.
Rink Wide: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson stops by to talk about the game in Anaheim including: DeSmith, Podkolzin, Höglander. The guys talk auditions -- or showcases? -- for Podkolzin and Arshdeep Bains, how the 4th line needs fixing, the defence minus Myers, Kessel and the week ahead, and Jeff's wish-list for the deadline. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
The Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers are among the clubs that have shown interest in Seattle Kraken center Alex Wennberg, reports TSN's Chris Johnston.
The Kraken are sitting Wennberg on Monday against the Calgary Flames for trade-related reasons.
Wennberg is a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $4.5 million. The 29-year-old has registered nine goals and 16 assists in 60 games this season. Over the last three years - all with Seattle - he's proven to be a decent five-on-five play-driver but a liability on the penalty kill.
Evolving-Hockey
Wennberg's best season came in 2016-17 with the Columbus Blue Jackets when he tallied 59 points as a 22-year-old. He's failed to surpass 40 points in any other campaign.
Colorado and New York could both use help down the middle. The Avalanche acquired Ross Colton and Ryan Johansen in the offseason to serve as their middle-six centers, but the latter, in particular, has failed to meet expectations. The Rangers, meanwhile, lost Filip Chytil for the season back in November.
While Wennberg is expected to be traded, the same can't be said for all of Seattle's pending UFAs. The Kraken and Jordan Eberle share mutual interest in a contract extension, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
The Nashville Predators inked forward Tommy Novak to a three-year contract extension at an average annual value of $3.5 million, the club announced Monday.
Novak was a pending unrestricted free agent whose current cap hit is $800,000, according to CapFriendly.
The center, who'll turn 27 on April 28, has notched 13 goals and 21 assists in 51 games this season. He posted 17 and 26, respectively, over 51 contests in 2022-23.
Novak has carved out a role as Nashville's third-line pivot in his third NHL campaign. He played 27 games with the Preds as a rookie in 2021-22, collecting a goal and six assists.
Despite averaging only 14:22 of ice time in his current role, Novak has been one of the NHL's top point producers at five-on-five since Jan. 1, 2023. He has 45 points in those situations over the 96 games he's played in that span. That total is better than that of Brad Marchand, Mika Zibanejad, Nick Suzuki, Bo Horvat, and others.
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We have a fun six-game slate on the docket to begin the week. Let's take a look at a few of my favorite props.
William Karlsson: Over 2.5 shots
The Golden Knights are dealing with key injuries up front, most notably to Mark Stone. As a result, Karlsson has a more important offensive role.
Karlsson has gone over his total in four of five games with his captain out of the lineup. And even as Jack Eichel returns, Karlsson should still have a prominent offensive role.
He's averaging 5.6 shot attempts per game without Stone, which is 1.3 attempts more per game than when Stone is in the lineup.
The Golden Knights face the Blue Jackets, who rank 28th in shots allowed over the last 10 games and 29th on the season. If you're into narratives, Karlsson may also have a little extra pep in his step facing his former team. Either way, this is a prime spot for him to make his mark offensively.
Odds: -125 (playable to -150)
Owen Tippett: Over 3.5 shots
Tippett is firing on all cylinders. The Flyers forward has gone over his total in seven of the past 10 games, recording at least five shots more times (five) than he's fallen short of his line (three).
All three of Tippett's failures came against teams that are currently playing strong defense, ranking top 12 in shot suppression over the past 10 games. He was a perfect 6-for-6 against teams outside the top 12, averaging a whopping 6.6 shots per game.
Tippett is set to face another such opponent in the visiting Blues, a defensively exploitable team that sits 27th in shot suppression over its last 10 games.
Since Tippett can pile up shots against weaker opponents, and the Blues don't have last change to send out their best personnel against him, this should be another big shooting night.
Odds: -134 (playable to -145)
Shea Theodore: Over 0.5 assists
Theodore is an assist machine. The Vegas defenseman recorded 14 assists over his last 10 games, picking up at least one in seven of those games.
He didn't get it done against the Stars, Penguins, and Sabres. The Stars are one of the best teams in the NHL, the Penguins (believe it or not) are top five in limiting goals against, and the Sabres have one of the league's hottest goaltenders in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Theodore has feasted on weaker defensive sides, picking up a point - nearly all assists - in 73% of his games against the bottom 15 teams in limiting goals.
The Blue Jackets certainly fit the criteria. They're allowing 3.67 goals per game this season, putting them ahead of only the Sharks. And they aren't showing any signs of progress, having conceded 3.60 goals per game over the last 10.
This is a spot where Vegas should be able to produce offense. With Eichel and Stone sidelined, the team relies even more heavily on Theodore to help create. Expect him to get involved.
Odds: +105 (playable to -130)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
Don't tell Sidney Crosby his struggling Pittsburgh Penguins should go into sell mode with the trade deadline approaching.
Following Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the future Hall of Famer gave a gruff response when asked if the bigger picture was starting to set in amid a three-game losing skid.
"The deadline date hasn't changed, and we still need to get points, so I don't know what picture you're talking about, but it's the same situation it was yesterday," Crosby said.
A late February report indicated the Penguins would listen to trade offers on all non-core players. A day later, club president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas left the door open when asked whether he'd deal two-time 40-goal scorer Jake Guentzel.
Pittsburgh was on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at the time and has fallen further out of the race since. The Pens entered Monday with an 18% chance of reaching the postseason, according to MoneyPuck.
They came into the week sitting second last in the Metropolitan Division and 10 points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with four games in hand on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who occupied that position.
The Penguins have several pending unrestricted free agents who could be trade candidates if the team waves the white flag on the season. That list includes veteran forward Jeff Carter and backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.
Guentzel, another pending UFA, is injured but expected back about a week after the March 8 trade deadline.
Those are some of the names that every hockey fan has heard many times over the past few weeks in the lead-up to the NHL's trade deadline March 8.
And while those players remain some of the biggest names available, there are always intriguing targets flying under the radar at this time of year.
Here are eight under-the-radar players who could move before the deadline and make an impact for a contender come the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tommy Novak
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
51
13
21
$800K
Pending UFA
Novak is a fascinating chip considering his scoring and contract.
His 45 points at five-on-five since Jan. 1, 2023, are more than the likes of Brad Marchand, Mika Zibanejad, Bo Horvat, and Nick Suzuki, among numerous others.
Novak has done so primarily as a third-liner, having played an average of 14:22 over the past two seasons. A player who can create up and down the lineup is an intriguing profile for many playoff teams in search of depth scoring.
What puts him at the top of this list is his $800,000 cap hit. Any contending team can fit him on its roster with relative ease. That's not the case for other scoring options such as Vladimir Tarasenko ($5 million) or Jordan Eberle ($5.5 million).
Novak is neither physical nor particularly adept at the faceoff dot. But if the Predators can't come to terms with the forward on a contract extension, many teams should be interested in his services.
Yakov Trenin
John Russell / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
59
10
4
$1.7M
Pending UFA
Sticking with the Predators, Trenin is more of the typical deadline target that general managers covet.
The 27-year-old is listed at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, and he knows how to use his frame. He ranks in the 95th percentile in forecheck involvement per All Three Zones, and his 135 hits are in the top 20 among forwards.
Trenin has also been one of the best penalty killers league-wide this season. He ranks seventh in shot attempts against per 60 among forwards with at least 75 shorthanded minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.
As a good defensive forward with some finishing ability, he's a player who should generate a fair bit of interest if Nashville takes calls on the pending free agent.
Oliver Kylington
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
13
2
1
$2.5M
Pending UFA
Kylington recently returned from an extended absence, so this is a case where the player will dictate if anything happens.
If Kylington is comfortable being traded, he's a smooth-skating defenseman who can win his minutes on a third pairing.
Kylington broke out during his last full season in 2021-22 while playing alongside Chris Tanev. The duo dominated its minutes to the tune of 55.8% Corsi for and 57.5% expected goals for, outscoring the opposition 56-35 in the process.
Kylington has proven he can be an effective NHL defender, particularly moving the puck up the ice. At the very least, a team in need of a defender should gauge the player's and the team's interest in a deadline trade.
Max Pacioretty
Dave Reginek / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
25
3
12
$2M
Pending UFA (NMC)
Pacioretty is a curious case as he'll make $4 million this season, but his cap hit will be just $2 million for any potential suitor. That's because of a $2-million performance bonus for 20 games played that would remain on the Capitals' books as he's already reached the total.
Pacioretty doesn't need much of an introduction. His resume as an offensive weapon speaks for itself, as does his significant injury woes since 2022. He's been moderately productive while consistently appearing in Washington's lineup since January. The goal-scoring hasn't quite been there yet, but he's also fired 56 shots on goal and converted at only a 5.4% rate.
Pacioretty controls his future with a full no-movement clause, but one would have to guess the 35-year-old would welcome a move to a true Cup contender.
Johnny Kovacevic
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
51
6
3
$767K
Signed through 2024-25
The Canadiens have too many defensemen. Eight blue-liners have played over 25 games this season for Montreal, and that's before Lane Hutson's likely arrival at season's end.
Some are veterans with notable cap hits, while others are developing players who project to be on the team for years to come. Kovacevic doesn't quite fit into either group, making him a candidate whom a team could shake loose from the Habs.
Signed through next season at a cap hit under the $775,000 league minimum, Kovacevic makes a lot of sense for teams right at the cap ceiling as a depth option on the backend. He's a right shot with size, listed at 6-foot-5 and 218 pounds, and he's produced good on-ice results relative to his team.
His 12.7 expected goals above replacement since the start of the 2022-23 campaign rank second only to Nick Suzuki among Habs players, per Evolving Hockey.
Kovacevic isn't the flashiest, but a lot of teams would love to add a defender of his profile and cap hit for a pair of playoff runs.
Mathieu Joseph
Kirk Irwin / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
49
10
20
$2.95M
Signed through 2025-26
Joseph was a prime candidate to be shipped out of Ottawa after a tough 2022-23 campaign to fit Shane Pinto onto the team at the start of the season.
Then came Pinto's suspension and a second chance for Joseph. He's made good on it, finding his form from late in the 2021-22 season to feature in the team's top six.
Joseph is a speedy winger who creates off the rush as more of a playmaker than a finisher. He's good defensively and is adept at exiting the zone and turning it into entries with his skating ability. Joseph is also a regular penalty killer.
As Ottawa looks to shake things up with a new regime in control, Joseph could again be a player on the move - this time as an asset.
Justin Danforth
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
60
9
10
$975K
Signed through 2024-25 at $1.1M
Danforth signed a contract extension back in October, garnering a slight raise from $975,000 to $1.1 million. But that was when GM Jarmo Kekalainen was still in town. As a 30-year-old winger who plays in the bottom six, there's no reason the Blue Jackets should be opposed to moving Danforth.
He's a remarkable story of perseverance. Danforth played college hockey at Sacred Heart, then had stints in the ECHL, Finland, and Russia before signing an NHL contract. That shows in the way he plays.
Danforth is a water bug, flying around the ice as one of the league's fastest skaters. He's an aggressive forechecker and doesn't shy away physically, either, despite a 5-foot-9 frame. His 100 hits rank second on the Blue Jackets.
Playoff teams are always looking to add speed and tenacity to their lineup. Danforth fits the bill and is inked through next season at a very reasonable cap hit.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel
GP
G
A
Cap Hit
Contract Status
45
6
10
$1.225M
Pending UFA
Aube-Kubel is physical, he's already played at the bottom of the lineup for a Cup-winning team, and he flies around the ice. That's a lot to like for buying teams.
Aube-Kubel has chipped in a moderate amount offensively while being a strong defensive presence since being claimed off waivers by the Capitals in 2022. He's not going to play up the lineup, but you can do a lot worse when looking for a fourth-line upgrade.
