With the trade deadline nearing, Cup hopefuls are making a flurry of moves
After a furious rush to beat the clock in 2022, NHL general managers are acting early and often to jockey for the top players available or stockpile future assets in advance of the trade deadline this year.
Following nearly a dozen trades getting done Tuesday, a handful more with playoff implications were completed Wednesday, with division-leading Carolina making another low-risk move to prepare for a tough road through the loaded Eastern Conference and Ottawa winning the sweepstakes for a player who has been on the block for more than a year.
“There’s been a lot of phone calls, not a lot of sleep and a lot of activity the last few days,” Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday after trading defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to Los Angeles. “I expect that to continue until Friday at 3 p.m.”
Columbus got two high draft picks from the Kings, along with veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick, the top candidate to be on the move again — flipped to a contender, and there are plenty in need of help in net. Vegas, with starter Logan Thompson on the shelf with a long-term injury, would fit the bill after Kekalainen said he’s “going to try to do the right thing” for Quick, a respected veteran who has won the Cup twice.
The Hurricanes made another under-the-radar pickup Wednesday by getting defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from Arizona for a 2026 third-round pick.
He was not the only Coyotes defenseman on the move. They finally traded 24-year-old Jakob Chychrun, with the Senators sending Arizona a conditional 2023 first-round pick, conditional 2024 second-rounder and a second-rounder in 2026.
Among moves looking ahead beyond this season, Buffalo acquired a 2023 third-round pick from Los Angeles for the rights to unsigned Swedish goaltending prospect Erik Portillo, who is wrapping up his junior season at the University of Michigan.
• RED WINGS: Detroit signed center Dylan Larkin to an eightyear, $69.6 million contract, banking on its captain being a key player in the next phase of its rebuilding plan.
Larkin’s new contract will pay him an average of $8.7 million per season. A three-time all-star, he leads the Red Wings with 22 goals and 57 points in 59 games this season. The 26-year-old has 169 goals and 415 points since he made his NHL debut in Detroit during the 201516 season.
Rangers nip Flyers in OT
Vladimir Tarasenko scored the winner 2:32 into overtime and had assists on goals by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider to lead the New York Rangers past the host Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2.
The Rangers won their final game before Patrick Kane, acquired Tuesday in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, makes his debut for the team Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
• OILERS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 2: Connor Mcdavid scored two goals and assisted on Zach Hyman’s score as host Edmonton raced to a 3-1 first-period lead and led 5-1 after two periods. David Kampf scored for Toronto.
• STARS 4, COYOTES 2: Defenseman Miro Heiskanen ended a 19-game goal drought early in the third period as host Dallas rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Arizona.
• DEVILS 7, AVALANCHE 5: In Denver, Dawson Mercer had one goal and three assists, and New Jersey raced to a 5-1 lead and won a shootout over Colorado.