With the NHL now in the stretch run toward the April playoffs, things are getting very interesting—for two reasons.
First, with less than 20 games to go, teams are either starting to gear up for the playoffs or are grinding to put a run together to make the postseason.
Second, many teams are taking to the ice with rosters that look quite different from what they did before March 7, the NHL trade deadline day.
As it turned out, it was a very strategic day.
While there weren’t a ton of trades (23 in all), the ones that happened had the potential to make a major impact (at least on paper) on a team’s chance to make a deep playoff run. For example, before the deadline, the path to the Stanley Cup was more or less wide open with no clear favorite to win the storied trophy. However, that all changed just under a week ago when a trio of teams – which were already considered strong favorites to win the Cup – separated themselves from the pack.
Of the three, the biggest favorite would now appear to be the Dallas Stars, who added all-world winger Mikko Rantanen at the deadline after adding veteran defenseman Codi Ceci and skilled Finnish winger Mikael Granlund several days earlier in a sharp trade.
Then there’s the ascending Colorado Avalanche, who added centers Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle on deadline day. Both are well-rounded players who will add skill and grit to an already deep Avalanche group.
Not to be outdone, the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers added Seth Jones, a talented right-handed defenseman, just before the deadline. They then followed up by adding center Nico Sturm and former Bruins captain Marchand, a proven playoff performer who's a pain to play against at any time of the year.
Honorable mentions include: the Tampa Bay Lightning, who added centers Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourd, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who snagged two-way center Scott Laughton from Philadelphia and big, rugged defenseman Brandon Carlo from the rebuilding Bruins.
Meanwhile, the NHL’s two top teams as of March 12 – the Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets – made only minor moves on deadline day. The Caps added just one player, much-traveled left winger Anthony Beauvillier, while the Jets added speedy winger Brandon Tanev and physical right-handed defenseman Luke Schenn.
Apparently, both the Caps and Jets are counting on team depth, chemistry, and great goaltending to generate a deep playoff run, which both teams have. The Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck is leading the league in all major categories, while Washington’s Logan Thompson is also having a banner season. If both goalies stay in form both teams could be in the mix for the Cup.
As things currently stand, both the Stars and Avalanche are the favorites in the West, while Florida, Toronto (provided their goaltending holds up), and Tampa Bay are the favorites in the East.
Teams now have under 20 games left to build chemistry and solidify their rosters.
The squads that gel the best – and avoid key injuries – will be the ones to beat once the playoffs get underway in early April, with Dallas and Florida looking like the current favorites to reach the finals and hoist the vaunted Stanley Cup trophy.
