Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are three days remaining until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET on March 8). Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:
Arizona Coyotes
Jason Zucker was held out of the lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old forward, who signed a one-year contract with Arizona on July 1, can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 51 games this season.
Arizona (25-31-5) is 17 points behind the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators, who are tied for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, and is looking to move players on expiring contracts for pieces for the future.
General manager Bill Armstrong said Sunday that “there’s people calling on everything right now” and that he’s spoken with Zucker and defenseman Mathew Dumba, who also is a pending unrestricted free agent, about their situations.
“I think they know where they’re at,” Armstrong said. “I think there’s been some transparency and some openness all the way through not only with the players but also with their agents.”
New York Islanders
Lou Lamoriello said the Islanders would like to add players ahead of the Deadline, but he won’t take anyone off the NHL roster to do so.
“They’ve said that they’re playing the way they’re capable of playing right now. We’ll have to continue to do that,” the general manager said Tuesday. “As far as adding, if you can, you do. Are we thinking about subtracting? Absolutely not.”
The Islanders (26-20-14) enter their game against the St. Louis Blues at UBS Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+) six points out of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Lamoriello said he feels good about New York, which has won three in a row.
“When it comes to the Trade Deadline, and this time here, if you can do something to make you better… it sounds like everybody says that; it’s real,” Lamoriello said. “It's funny the way it comes down to the last minute when you've had two months to make the same transactions if you can, but the parity in the League is dictating a lot of the decisions and last-minute thought processes to see where everybody's at.
“So, if we can get better, we will. But right now, we feel good about where we are at. We’ve said that consistently, and it’s up to us to show that.”
Forward Mathew Barzal was pleased his GM feels that way.
"I like hearing that," Barzal said. "I mean, Lou obviously wants to win, and I think the last three games, especially, have proven to him and shown him and even proven in our locker room that we're a good squad in here. And there's been some ups and downs this year, but it's all about finding your grove at the right time and it seems like we’re playing our best hockey right now. So, yeah, I'm excited that he said that."
Buffalo Sabres
Kyle Okposo understands he could be traded by the Sabres before the Deadline, and the forward reflected a little on his eight seasons with Buffalo when he left the ice at the end of a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at KeyBank Center on Sunday in case it was his final home game with the team.
“You never know what’s going to happen here, but, yeah, it definitely went through my mind, took a little bit of extra time,” Okposo said Tuesday. “But, yeah, we’ll see what Friday brings. If that was the last time, then it is what it is.”
Okposo can become an unrestricted free agent after this season after signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract to stay with Buffalo on May 24, 2023. The 35-year-old has 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 59 games this season and could potentially help a contending team that needs an experienced depth forward.
Okposo has spoken with Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams about his future but did not divulge the details of that conversation, other than that they understand each other’s positions.
“Like I said last week, we’re on the same page,” Okposo said. “He knows where I stand, and I know where he stands. We’ll keep the rest of those talks private, but we’re on the same page.”
With Buffalo (29-29-4) 10 points behind the Red Wings and Lightning in the East wild card race, acquiring pieces for the future for players who can become unrestricted free agents after this season such as Okposo, forward Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Erik Johnson makes sense. But the possibility of being traded is something new for Okposo, who has played 17 seasons in the NHL with the Sabres and Islanders.
Okposo has been Buffalo captain the past two seasons.
“It’s something that’s a position I’ve never been in, in my entire career, basically,” he said. “But I’ve seen a lot of deadlines come and go and you see guys get moved, you see that it’s part of the business. I’m going to go about my day and be professional and be who I am. I’m not going to change who I am just because of a situation I’m in.
“I’m here today and just trying to do the best I can to lead the group.”
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are looking for players that will fit seamlessly into their lineup and locker room, not necessarily the most skilled ones, if they acquire anyone before the Deadline.
“I think it's really important to add that right type of player,” coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday. “Often, you look at the best player available doesn't usually work out the best. I think the conversations that I've had with [general manager Ken Holland] and Ken's had with numerous people within the organization on what's best for us, I think Ken's got a great handle on what we need. That being said, I like our team. We've got a lot of good players and I guess we'll see on Friday.”
Edmonton (37-20-2) is second in the Pacific Division, three points ahead of the third-place Vegas Golden Knights and has won four in a row heading into the opener of a four-game road trip against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NESN, SN, TVAS). The Oilers are 34-11-1 since Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft as coach Nov. 12, so they don’t want to do anything that could change their winning formula.
“You always have to be careful of making changes just for the fact of changing,” Knoblauch said. “You have to be careful of, yes, you may be adding a player that's a high-quality player, but you have to know the effect on what you're taking out of your lineup and maybe you're disrupting chemistry within the team.”
Edmonton placed forward Sam Gagner on waivers Tuesday, which could provide roster flexibility, if needed, to add a player before the Deadline.
NHL.com independent correspondents Stefen Rosner and Heather Engel contributed to this report
