NHL Trade Buzz: McDonagh submits no-trade list to Rangers

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are 10 days remaining until the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET; Feb. 26). The New York Rangers already are planning to be sellers; could their captain, defenseman Ryan McDonagh, soon have a new address? And how could forward Nikita Soshnikov benefit after being traded to the St. Louis Blues? Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

New York Rangers

Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh may not be going anywhere before the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline.
But McDonagh and his representatives recently submitted a 10-team, no-trade list to the Rangers, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and TSN.

There is no shortage of interest in McDonagh, who has 26 points (two goals, 24 assists) in 49 games. He is 28, plays a team-leading 23:54 minutes per game and rarely do players of his caliber and pedigree become available. If the Rangers do opt to move their captain, he likely would attract a long line of suitors.
This includes most of the Eastern Conference playoff contenders. The New Jersey Devils and their young defense corps could benefit from McDonagh's experience and wisdom, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins could view him as a difference-maker for a run at the Stanley Cup.

The Rangers sent a letter to fans last week saying they were turning the page on this season and will likely be selling at the deadline. New York (27-26-5) entered Friday four points out of the second wild card from the Eastern Conference into the playoffs, and are last in the Metropolitan Division.
The Rangers have four pending unrestricted free agents: forwards Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and David Desharnais and defenseman Nick Holden.
New York plays at the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (2 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN5, MSG, NHL.TV).

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche won't know what they have until they get everyone back in the lineup. What the team looks like at that point will determine what it does before the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline.
Forward Nathan MacKinnon, out since Jan. 30 with an upper-body injury,
could return Sunday
against the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi Center. Blake Comeau, another top-six forward, returned Friday against the Winnipeg Jets after missing three games with a lower-body injury.
If MacKinnon returns Sunday, the Avalanche could have their full lineup dressed for the first time since Dec. 23, which was when defenseman Tyson Barrie fractured a bone in his right hand at the Arizona Coyotes and missed 13 games.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday that the Avalanche are looking at the return of the injured players as trade-deadline acquisitions. Captain Gabriel Landeskog said he believes a
healthy Avalanche are good enough
to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs without needing to make moves at the deadline.
Barrie returned Jan. 30 against the Vancouver Canucks, but the Avalanche didn't even get a full game with a healthy lineup before McKinnon sustained his injury at Vancouver in the second period.
The Avalanche are 4-3 with MacKinnon out of the lineup. MacKinnon was second in the League in points with 61 (24 goals, 37 assists), behind Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, when he was injured.
The Avalanche (31-21-4, 66 points) would be getting even more attention for their success in 2017-18 if it weren't for the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. Colorado is two points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the playoffs in the Western Conference.
Colorado's turnaround this season points to a remarkable about-face for the franchise, considering it had 48 points (22-56-4) in 2016-17.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Through his international hockey experience with Team Canada, Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has a strong working relationship with St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong.
Which is why Babcock believes a change of scenery could end up working wonders for forward Nikita Soshnikov, who
the Blues acquired in a trade with the Maple Leafs
for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on Thursday.
"This is a really good opportunity for [Soshnikov]," Babcock said Friday. "He got off track a little bit, but he's a good kid. He can be a good penalty killer, play with speed, play with some nastiness.
"I think he'll fit in good there. It's important for [him] too to get a new lease on life, and that he does something with it for his own mindset.
"We're happy for [him] that he got a good opportunity in a good organization. Doug Armstrong and those guys will look after him good."
This season, the 24-year-old forward had no points in three games with the Maple Leafs. He has 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 19 games with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Injuries have set Soshnikov back as well. On Nov. 24, he sustained a lower-body injury and was placed on injured reserve. He was assigned to the AHL for conditioning Feb. 1 and was recalled Feb. 12, but remained on injured reserve.
The Maple Leafs, in third place in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the Boston Bruins, play at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV).