Metropolitan race gets shake-up at trade deadline

The Metropolitan Division was already the deepest and most competitive in the NHL.

Now the race to the finish is getting juiced up.

Nearly every Metro contender made a move ahead of Monday’s trade deadline to gear up for the playoff push. The first-place Capitals got it started by acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk, the Penguins answered by getting fellow veteran winger Patrick Marleau from the Sharks and the Islanders got a major reinforcement in the form of center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who they signed to a six-year, $30 million extension.

And those teams weren’t alone. The Hurricanes got immediate help by trading for forward Vincent Trocheck and defensemen Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen; the Flyers made two depth forward moves by getting Derek Grant and Nate Thompson; and the Blue Jackets traded oncepromising prospect Sonny Milano to the Ducks for forward Devin Shore.

Even the Rangers, whose recent hot streak put them within striking distance of a playoff position, kept forward Chris Kreider in the fold with a seven-year extension rather than dealing him away.

“Metro was pretty active,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said. “It is a tough division. Each team could beat the other team on any given night, you know, given good goaltending and I think every one of these teams thinks that they have a chance to come out of the Metro, which I believe they do.”

With seven teams in contention for four or five playoff spots, the arms race is on.

The Islanders traded conditional firstand third-round picks and a second to the Senators for Pageau, who could be an ideal fit by adding offense.

The Capitals and Penguins each spent only a third-round pick to get a veteran looking to win the Stanley Cup for the first time. Kovalchuk joins a potent attack led by fellow Russians Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Marleau will be a sentimental favorite with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

Leafs give Muzzin extension:

The Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jake Muzzin to a four-year extension worth an average of $5.625 million per year with more than $16 million of the deal in the form of a signing bonus, TSN reported.

Muzzin, 30, has five goals and 17 assists in 52 game this season.

Blue Jackets snap skid:

Emil Bemstrom scored 4:35 into OT, and the Blue Jackets snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the visiting Senators on Monday.

Nick Foligno scored twice for the Blue Jackets, who saw goaltender Elvis Merzlikins depart in the second period following a big collision at the net.

JOSIE LEPE/AP The Penguins acquired veteran winger Patrick Marleau from the Sharks.