Trade Buzz: Lundqvist reaffirms commitment to Rangers

Welcome to the NHL Trade Buzz. There are 24 days remaining until the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET, Feb. 26) and the buzz is just starting, egged on by chatter at last weekend's 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Tampa. New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist says he's OK with whatever path the team takes. New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow won't trade star center John Tavares. Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall says he won't mortgage the future to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year.
Here's a look around the League at the latest deadline doings:

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New York Rangers

If the Rangers opt to become a seller before the deadline, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist won't want out, even though he's 35, is in the fourth season of a seven-year contract and has never won the Stanley Cup.
"The competitor in me wants us to have the best team possible right here and now," Lundqvist told the New York Post on Friday. "But at the same time, even though it's hard to say because it kind of goes against myself, I feel so much for this organization that whatever path they take, I'm in.
"I made a commitment to this organization a few years back. It was a big decision in my career. I hope they have the same commitment to me. I guess it would really be up to them if they have another idea, but I don't. I want to be here. I want to play for one organization -- this one. I love it here. I want to be here and battle through the ups and downs, the good and the bad. It's important to me."

The Rangers did nothing to quell the argument that they should sell before the deadline when they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Though they were playing their first game since the all-star break, it was no excuse.
"We should have been better than this," coach Alain Vigneault said.
The Rangers are one point behind the Flyers for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East. But with 55 points, they're battling the Flyers (56), Carolina Hurricanes (56) and Islanders (55) for that spot. They're trending in the wrong direction, 3-7-0 in their past 10. New York plays its next two games on the road, beginning Saturday at the Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, MSG, NHL.TV).
The Rangers are already shorthanded. Forward Chris Kreider (rib surgery) and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (knee surgery) won't return for weeks. The Rangers are also without forward Pavel Buchnevich, who did not practice Friday and is
out indefinitely with an upper-body injury
after taking a hit midway through the loss to Toronto.
Forwards Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and David Desharnais are pending unrestricted free agents, as are defenseman Nick Holden and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. But if the Rangers decide to sell, it would be because of the long-term structure of the team, not just the short-term situation. The selling could extend to players like forward Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Each is signed through next season.

New York Islanders

If any team had hopes of prying star center John Tavares away from the Islanders before the deadline, general manager Garth Snow made it clear Thursday that won't happen -- even if the Islanders fall out of contention for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I'm not trading John Tavares," Snow told Pierre Lebrun of the Athletic in a text message.

When asked Friday about Snow's statement, Tavares told Newsday, "Well, I don't want to be traded."

With the Islanders one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, it seemed highly unlikely that Snow would consider trading Tavares, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. If anything, Snow might be looking to upgrade his defense and goaltending to demonstrate to Tavares that the franchise is committed to winning and qualifying for the playoffs this season.
The Islanders lost their first two games after the All-Star break by a combined score of 9-1 -- a 4-1 home loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and a 5-0 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. They are allowing 3.62 goals per game, the most in the NHL, and are 30th in the 31-team League in shots allowed per game (35.1). They are 10-15-3 since Dec. 1 and have allowed at least four goals in 19 of those 28 games.
Tavares has stated repeatedly that his preference is to re-sign with the Islanders, but it appears increasingly likely that the 27-year-old center will wait at least until after the season before making a decision.

Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said he will not mortgage the future to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.
"If we can upgrade at the right price, we'll look at it," he said Friday. "But I'll say it: We're not giving up a really good young prospect for short-term, for a rental."
The Flyers have lost three straight games (0-3-0) and enter play Friday with the second wild card from the Eastern Conference into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but their 56 points are the same as the Carolina Hurricanes and one point ahead of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. They are three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
"Our approach is no different than any other year," he said. "You listen to what's out there. You listen to what's around, you listen to what people want or are willing to give up and you make those decisions as they come to you. You can't predict. We're not at a stage where we want one final piece. I don't want to trade for a guy that boxes out a young kid if the kid's ready. Again, we'll see what's available as we go along here both ways and make decisions if terms are appropriate."

Vancouver Canucks

Forwards Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin met Wednesday with Canucks general manager Jim Benning but didn't give any indication about what they'll do when their contracts expire July 1.
Benning wants the 37-year-old twins to return for their 18th season in Vancouver and said he had hoped they might know before the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26 whether they intend to play next season.
The Sedins are each in the final year of identical four-year contracts signed Nov. 1, 2013.
Having a clearer idea of their plans could affect what the Canucks decide to do before the deadline.
"But they're still undecided about what the future holds for them," Benning told Sportsnet on Friday. "We've all agreed let's just play out these final games and we'll see where we're at. At the end of the year, we'll sit down again and see what they're thinking. We'll tell them what we're thinking and we'll figure it out from there.

"I'm not disappointed. I just was trying to figure out where they're at. They want to play out the rest of this year, see how they feel at the end of the year, see where the team's at, and then we'll make a decision. I'm fine with that."
The Canucks (21-24-6) are seventh in the Pacific Division and 12 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Henrik, the No. 3 pick in the 1999 NHL Draft, has 34 points (two goals, 32 assists) in 51 games; Daniel, selected No. 2 in the 1999 draft, has 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 50 games. Henrik is averaging 15:20 of ice time; Daniel is averaging 15:07, each more than three minutes per game less than last season.

Detroit Red Wings

Coach Jeff Blashill said goaltender Petr Mrazek will start at Carolina on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, FS-D, NHL.TV), which could provide another opportunity to showcase the 25-year-old goaltender for a possible trade.
It will be the fourth start in five games for Mrazek, a pending restricted free agent who is looking like a valuable commodity again. After going 3-5-1 with an .885 save percentage in his first 12 games this season, he has gone 3-0-1 with a .965 save percentage in his past five games.
The Red Wings (20-21-8) are likely to be sellers. With 48 points, they are eight behind the Flyers for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East. They have four teams to leapfrog and are bunched with the Florida Panthers (48 points) and Montreal Canadiens (46).
Defenseman Mike Green is the most likely candidate to move; he's a pending unrestricted free agent who has 26 points (five goals, 21 assists) in 49 games and a coveted right-handed shot. He could fit on the third pair and the power play for a Stanley Cup contender.
But the Red Wings need to look at other opportunities to add assets for the future, and Mrazek might be able to fetch something, especially if he continues to play well.