There is nothing more exciting during the NHL regular season than the trade deadline, and one reason is because there’s just so much speculation over who’s going where. Take the rumors surrounding players like J.T. Miller of the Vancouver Canucks, and you’ll see my point.
But, we’re not talking about the Canucks just yet, as all four divisions will see plenty of movement from now until the NHL trade deadline on March 7th. So, starting with the Atlantic Division, let’s break down three players who won’t end the year in the same uniform as the team they started the season with.
A couple of names listed below might now surprise you, but there’s always that one that will make you do a double take.
Dylan Cozens, Buffalo Sabres
Dylan Cozens is one of those players who’s been rumored to land in so many different places, with Vancouver and Detroit being the most popular. But with the Sabres potentially in on the Elias Pettersson sweepstakes, there’s a good chance Cozens could end up in British Columbia.
Yeah, it sounds farfetched that Buffalo would be anywhere near ‘buying in’ on a star player like Pettersson, but the NHL can be a strange place. Regardless of where he lands, it looks like Cozens, who’s underperformed since he signed that extension two seasons ago, won’t be a Buffalo Sabre much longer.
Josh Anderson, Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens also look like buyers at the trade deadline, but it doesn’t mean they won’t ‘sell’ a bad fit. This is a team that took a chance on Patrik Laine and struck gold, but you can’t say the same about Josh Anderson.
In 49 games this year, Anderson has only contributed eight goals and 18 points, and he ranks 10th on the team in the latter category. At this stage in his career, Anderson might be one of those forwards who will bounce around the league, filling in for bottom-feeder teams when needed.
And while the Habs may not get to the playoffs this season since they’re still a fringe wild card team at best, buying now and moving players around would signal another step in the right direction.
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
Yeah, this was the one name you might not have seen coming, but the Boston Bruins seem to be in a bit of a crisis. They’re a team in decline, but they’re not so bad that we need to see a fully-fledged rebuild or anything like that in Massachusetts.
Instead, the Bruins can get away with a retool, and it’s something they’d be wise to pursue. Look no further than the St. Louis Blues and general manager Doug Armstrong for inspiration here, as they’ve taken leaps over the past two seasons to become at least somewhat relevant again.
The bad news would be that when Boston inevitably trades Marchand and a few others, expect growing pains. But fans should be rest assured that they won’t have to sit through some crazy rebuilding project that may or may not work.