It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours as we close in on the March 8 trade deadline. Some teams know their roles of being a buyer or a seller. However, there are a number of teams in the proverbial “No Man’s Land” when it comes to their deadline fate. There are a few clubs that are on the borderline of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot. However, they’re currently on the outside, looking in on a post-season spot. Do these teams push all their chips in or do they retool? Today’s NHL rumours look at two such teams. We focus on the Washington Capitals and St Louis Blues in this round.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Washington Capitals
Rumour: Sammi Silber took a look at possible trade candidates for the Capitals at the upcoming deadline. We focus in on defenceman Joel Edmundson in this edition.
🚨NEW 17 THINGS🚨
The next two weeks are critical for the Capitals as big decisions loom, injuries mount as the team awaits word on T.J. Oshie, plus more on the team's trade deadline possibilities, call-ups and unsung heroes amid the playoff push:https://t.co/h27rcgFCtJ
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) February 26, 2024
Analysis: Playoff contenders need depth defencemen and the veteran fits the bill. Edmundson could be a fit for a team in need of a third-pairing defender. The 30-year-old is in the final year of a contract that sees him make $1.75 million. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season.
The Brandon, Manitoba native is reliable and experienced. Edmundson doesn’t fill up the scoresheet, but he can be useful to a contending team should general manager Brian MacLellan decide to continue to retool the Capitals roster.
Washington decided to retool on the fly last season after they fell out of contention for a playoff spot. New head coach Spencer Carbery has made some strides with this team. However, trading some pending UFAs like Edmundson, Anthony Mantha and Max Pacioretty could give the team some much-needed draft capital.
The Caps are four points off the second wild card spot as of Tuesday. Washington is not completely out of it, but a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later.
St Louis Blues
Rumour: The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford made a trade tier list of players on the Blues roster for the pending deadline.
Blues trade tiers: Who might be dealt? Who’s immovable? Who’s untouchable? #stlblues https://t.co/uHwXbYHrhg
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) February 26, 2024
Analysis: St Louis is in the same situation as Washington is being four points off the second Wild Card spot out West. The Nashville Predators currently hold the final spot in the Western Conference, but the Blues have two games in hand to try and catch up.
Rutherford listed his tiers from untouchable assets like Colton Parayko, Jordan Binnington, and Jake Neighbours. The next tier down was “Have to think about it,” which listed the oft-rumoured Pavel Buchnevich. However, a surprising name that was on the list was Jordan Kyrou.
The Toronto native has been a divisive figure amongst the Blues fan base. Kyrou is very talented and has a lengthy and expensive contract. He is signed through the 2030-31 season with an $8.125 million cap hit per year for the duration. That massive contract is likely to scare off a number of teams. However, some club could be adventurous and roll the dice.
The 25-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance, but there have been problems with consistency in his scoring. He’s still young enough to where he can put it together and be a consistent goal-scoring threat. However, other teams may stay away without the continued goal-scoring.
Kyrou netted a career-high 37 goals last season after inking that large contract in September 2022. He and Robert Thomas seemed to be the future cornerstones of the Blues franchise. However, doubt has seemingly crept into a portion of the Blues fanbase.
Time is still on Kyrou’s side with his age. However, he’s not the sure thing that he once was a couple of seasons ago.
Main photo by: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
