NHL Trade Deadline Rumors: Atlantic Looking To Load Up

The Atlantic Division features three of the top six records in the National Hockey League, with the Boston Bruins well in front in the race for the President’s Trophy, the Toronto Maple Leafs tied with Carolina for second overall, and the reigning Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning close behind, but with the trio all limited in cap space and using long-term injured reserve, GM’s Don Sweeney, Kyle Dubas, and Julien Brisebois will be managing their salary cap and using some guile to add a player or two that may make the difference between advancing and an early exit.

Boston’s reemergence as a top echelon team under Jim Montgomery and with veterans Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci returning has been a big surprise, and Sweeney may be in a situation where he is willing to expend future assets to take one final crack at a Stanley Cup with this group.

Most of the rumors surrounding the Bruins have revolved around adding a top-six forward like Chicago’s Patrick Kane, Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver’s Bo Horvat, but Kane’s availability is in question until he agrees to waive his no-movement clause, and O’Reilly is currently on injured reserve with a broken foot and may not be available if the Blues stay in the wild card race.

Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic believes there is a scenario where Sweeney could put a package together similar to what he did last March in acquiring defenseman Hampus Lindholm from Anaheim, getting the Canucks to retain half of Horvat’s $5.5 million cap hit as the Ducks did with Lindholm, but a deal of nature would all but empty the Bruins prospect pool.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Leafs are looking to add both a forward and a defenseman before March 3^rd, but their lack of cap space may necessitate them clearing out a salary like Pierre Engvall or Alex Kerfoot to make that possible.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Leafs have an interest in Hawks defenseman Jake McCabe, who played the first eight years of his career inside the Atlantic with the Buffalo Sabres. Seravalli reports that McCabe has a limited seven-team no-trade clause (which may have blocked a possible trade earlier this season to Edmonton), but Toronto is not on that list.

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McCabe would potentially be a replacement for Jake Muzzin (who is not expected to return this season from a cervical spine injury), but the 29-year-old has a checkered injury history, including a serious shoulder injury in 2018, a torn ACL/MCL in 2020, and a cervical spine injury that required surgery in September. As with most deals over the next five weeks, salary retention may be the biggest factor in this deal being pulled off, as McCabe has two years remaining at a $4 million AAV.

If the Leafs can get Chicago to take back a salary or retain on McCabe’s deal, it would give Dubas the flexibility to add a top-six forward to play with John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

A variety of sources have mentioned that Toronto may be willing to part with top prospect Matthew Knies in a potential impact deal, but the likely Hobey Baker Award finalist’s name being circulated smacks of wishful thinking on the part of clubs looking to take advantage of the Leafs desperation for playoff success.

Tampa Bay is hampered not only by cap constraints but a lack of draft capital due to trading two first-rounders to Chicago for Brandon Hagel last March. Brisebois indicated to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he is not going to allow himself to get pulled into an arms race with the Bruins and Leafs if they make deals to significantly improve their clubs before the deadline, but the Lightning seem to always find a way to add a piece or two and that will likely be the case this time around.

The most intriguing team to possibly get into the trade market before March 3^rd is the Buffalo Sabres, who are within two points of a wild card spot and (more importantly) have the most available cap space (over $18 million). Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams has remained steadfast that he will not deviate from the club’s plan to develop from within, but the Sabres have not made the postseason since 2011, and helping his young squad to get into the playoffs would advance their maturation.