{"id":419652,"date":"2026-01-20T23:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/419652\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T23:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:28:11","slug":"from-goalie-scraps-to-trade-maps-the-nhls-silly-season-has-arrived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/419652\/","title":{"rendered":"From goalie scraps to trade maps, the NHL\u2019s silly season has arrived"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red Light newsletter\u00a0\ud83c\udfd2\u00a0| This is\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0hockey\u00a0newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive Red Light directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning to everyone except for officials who break up goalie fights. Thanks for taking last night off!<\/p>\n

Before we get going, a quick request: We\u2019d like to hear about your reading habits. Answer this short survey<\/a>, and three lucky entries will win $100 worth of Amazon vouchers. Thanks for your support.<\/p>\n

Silly season<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll get to the trades. But first, while you were sleeping, you missed arguably the very best sight in hockey:<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Yes, we had a goalie fight, the NHL\u2019s first since 2020. It featured Florida\u2019s Sergei Bobrovsky and San Jose\u2019s Alex Nedeljkovic, who has now become one of the only goalies to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick for his career. You can watch the whole thing here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also had a few trades lately, with Kiefer Sherwood heading to San Jose yesterday<\/a>. That came one day after Rasmus Andersson headed to Vegas, because that\u2019s where every big name goes. Wait, is Andersson a big name? He\u2019s a 10-year veteran who\u2019s never received so much as a single Norris vote, so you might push back on the framing. On the other hand, it\u2019s the NHL, and these GMs have the most complicated jobs in the world<\/a>, so we take what we can get.<\/p>\n

And we may be getting plenty over the next few weeks. While there\u2019s certainly a \u201cLucy holding the football\u201d vibe anytime someone says this, some indicators point to the potential for some big moves between now and the deadline. For one, we get a bonus deadline before the Olympics, with a Feb. 4 trade freeze looming. Second, while that Olympic break won\u2019t feature any formal trades, it should give GMs a chance to do some in-depth evaluations and be ready to come out swinging when the freeze lifts on Feb. 23.<\/p>\n

And maybe most importantly, we\u2019re finally getting just a bit of separation in the standings<\/a>. The concern through most of the first half was that there wouldn\u2019t be enough sellers to feed the market, since everyone was close enough to the playoff bubble to talk themselves into staying the course. Now we\u2019re seeing teams throw in the towel, with the Flames moving one of their biggest pieces and the Rangers officially looking ahead to the future<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mix in our first coaching change<\/a>, and the message is clear: It\u2019s time for teams to pick a lane. At least some will pick the one that says \u201csell.\u201d<\/p>\n

So who\u2019s left? That\u2019s where it gets interesting \u2026<\/p>\n

\"Artemi<\/p>\n

\n (Demetrius Robinson \/ The Athletic, with photos by Brad Penner \/ Imagn Images, Cameron Bartlett \/ Getty Images and Eakin Howard \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Five trade targets to watch<\/p>\n

If you missed it, our latest edition of Chris Johnston\u2019s trade board<\/a> dropped yesterday, featuring 37 names. Here are the five that interest me the most:<\/p>\n

Artemi Panarin: The top name on the list, for obvious reasons. Now that the Rangers are tapping out, the pending unrestricted free agent instantly becomes the biggest star available. He has a no-move clause, but it wouldn\u2019t make sense to play out the season in New York rather than chase a playoff run somewhere else. Peter Baugh and Vincent Mercogliano have a list of 10 teams they think could be fits<\/a>, while our full roster of writers had some ideas of their own<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nazem Kadri: He still has three years left on his deal, so this is no rental. But Kadri has a ring, he plays center and he\u2019s still productive. There\u2019d be takers, no question. This feels like a canary in the coal mine of how serious the Flames are about rebuilding.<\/p>\n

Elias Pettersson: The Canucks could have moved him last year, before his trade protection kicked in. They waited, and it could cost them, because the absence of J.T. Miller hasn\u2019t transformed Pettersson back into the 100-point player he was three years ago. Would some team be willing to gamble that they could get that guy back? I wouldn\u2019t, but the Canucks need to find only one partner for this dance.<\/p>\n

Alex Tuch: He\u2019s been front and center in the rumor mill all year, with the assumption that he\u2019d either agree to a long-term extension in Buffalo or be the belle of the deadline ball. There\u2019s no extension yet, but two things have changed. First, fellow winger Panarin might steal some of the spotlight. And more importantly, the Sabres are making a playoff run. Let\u2019s just throw it out there: Even if Tuch won\u2019t re-sign, does Jarmo Kek\u00e4l\u00e4inen owe it to this team (and its fans) to hold onto his second-leading scorer and see how it plays out?<\/p>\n

Jordan Binnington: He\u2019s not the biggest name on the Blues\u2019 list, but I\u2019m just not buying the Robert Thomas\/Jordan Kyrou talk. But Binnington? I think that gets interesting if \u2014 and it\u2019s admittedly a big if \u2014 he looks good at the Olympics. Throw his awful stats this year out the window if he comes home with gold again; some GM out there will convince themselves that Binnington has that special winner\u2019s gene.<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions to Dougie Hamilton, Steven Stamkos and the Schenn brothers.<\/p>\n

OK, GMs, start working those phones.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udca1 Trivia Time<\/p>\n

Somebody posted this in the comment section of yesterday\u2019s power rankings, and it made me so sad that I had to share it with you.<\/p>\n

Which player who counts against the 2025-26 Vancouver Canucks salary cap has the most points so far this season?<\/p>\n

Hint: He\u2019s not cheap, coming in at a cap hit of almost $5 million.<\/p>\n

Answer below.<\/p>\n

Coast to Coast<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfd2 Ever heard someone talking about a hockey stick\u2019s \u201cflex?\u201d<\/a> Fluto Shinzawa explains what it means and how it\u2019s changing how top scorers play.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc76 Scott Wheeler has a new draft ranking, and Gavin McKenna has been bumped out of the top spot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc54 Pierre LeBrun caught up with Pete DeBoer, who sounds eager to get back behind a bench<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc8 OK, this is a football post, but hockey fans might get a familiar feeling from it: Hey, why is Terry Pegula being weird about his GM<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f On the latest edition of \u201cThe Athletic Hockey Show,\u201d Vince Mercogliano joined Max Bultman and Mark Lazerus to break down the Rangers\u2019 recently released \u201cretool\u201d letter, who could be dealt<\/a> and how the normally chill fan base is reacting to all of it.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd47 Over the weekend, Team Canada star Sarah Nurse scored in her PWHL return from a two-month injury absence. The Olympics start in about 2 1\/2 weeks<\/a>, just enough time for Nurse to round into form. At least she\u2019s used to this<\/a> kind of thing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Matt Marton \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd85 Toews\u2019 reception \u2708\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Last night marked the first time that Jonathan Toews has played in Chicago as a visitor. After 15 years in Chicago and two years out of the league recovering from health issues, Toews made his comeback this year with the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s gone \u2026 well, just OK, if we\u2019re being honest. The hope was that Toews and his leadership could be the final piece of a championship puzzle. Instead, he\u2019s struggled offensively and the Jets have been the league\u2019s biggest disappointment. There have been positive signs lately, including a four-game winning streak that corresponded with a four-game point streak from Toews. But if the player who\u2019s lifted the Cup three times as a captain is going to get back to the playoffs this year, it\u2019s going to take some doing.<\/p>\n

For one night, though, none of that mattered. Last night was about Toews being back in Chicago, the place where he\u2019s written many of his most memorable moments<\/a>. And for one night, at least, Blackhawks fans finally had the chance to say thank you.<\/p>\n

You can find a clip of the full ovation here<\/a>. The Jets lost 2-0, though that hardly mattered. This one was more about a long-awaited welcome home.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Ethan Miller \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u265e Vegas, baby \u265e<\/p>\n

And speaking of homecomings, Mitch Marner and the Golden Knights<\/a> are in Toronto on Friday. That one might be a bit less friendly. But between that and the Knights pulling off another big trade<\/a>, I figured it was a good time to tag in our old friend Jesse Granger<\/a> for an update on what\u2019s happening in Las Vegas these days.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago today, the Knights had lost five straight and eight of nine. They\u2019d just been beaten by the Blues and Blackhawks. Their record was 17-11-12, they had a negative goals differential, and they had their hands full holding off not just the Oilers but the Kraken, Ducks, Sharks and Kings in the Pacific. They then won seven straight before last night\u2019s loss to the Flyers. What changed, and will it stay that way?<\/p>\n

A big part of it is the puck simply started finding the back of the net. I haven\u2019t seen a major shift in the way they\u2019ve generated offense, and they\u2019ve been defending well throughout the season, but prior to this stretch Vegas was scoring 3.1 goals per game (19th in the NHL). During the stretch it has averaged 5.1 goals (most in the NHL).<\/p>\n

Determining whether it will stay that way is tough, because the answer is usually that a team will regress to what they\u2019ve shown over the larger sample size. However, with Vegas\u2019 weapons up front, it\u2019s not out of the question that the scoring will continue.<\/p>\n

How does Rasmus Andersson<\/a> fit in?<\/p>\n

One of Vegas\u2019 biggest weaknesses this season has been breaking pucks out of its own zone cleanly, and Andersson should help that almost immediately. It will be interesting to see how he handles a much different role, though, because he will likely see less ice time than he did in Calgary.<\/p>\n

He will certainly see less time on the power play, where it\u2019s unlikely he\u2019ll see the ice at all (barring injury). The Golden Knights\u2019 top unit uses five forwards, and Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin should both be ahead of Andersson in the pecking order for PP2.<\/p>\n

How is it that the Knights always seem to have the assets and the cap space to be at the front of the line for every big name that becomes available?<\/p>\n

I think being a destination where players actively want to play helps a ton. It allows Vegas to sign players for less than they could\u2019ve commanded on the open market (thanks to income tax breaks, warm weather and a team that\u2019s always competing for Cups). It also allows them to make trades like the one for Andersson (and Hanifin before that, and Mark Stone before that) without the guarantee of an extension. Other teams shy away from giving up a bundle of assets for what could be a rental, but Vegas is so confident that the player will sign an extension after they\u2019re in the building, there\u2019s no hesitation to offer more.<\/p>\n

Finally, we\u2019re a few days away from Mitch Marner\u2019s return to Toronto. How\u2019s he fitting in so far in Vegas? Has he lived up to the hype?<\/p>\n

Marner has been good, but I do think there\u2019s another level to his game that we\u2019ve yet to see in Vegas. Part of that is all of the changes he\u2019s adapting to. Not just playing for a new team in a new city for the first time in his NHL career, but he\u2019s also playing center for the first time as a pro.<\/p>\n

He has shown more ability to drive offense over this last stretch, and if he continues on that trajectory, Vegas\u2019 offense could be scary. The biggest test will always be the postseason, though.<\/p>\n

Oh interesting, does Marner struggle in the postseason? First I\u2019ve heard of it. Thanks Jesse.<\/p>\n

What to Watch<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Wild @ Canadiens
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ \/ TSN2 \/ RDS<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not often you get to watch arguably the single greatest defenseman of his generation, so it will be cool for Quinn Hughes to get to see Lane Hutson up close. The Wild have cooled off lately, while the Habs are in a battle for home ice in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Bruins @ Stars
7:30 p.m. ET on TNT \/ Sportsnet<\/p>\n

The Bruins are tough to figure out, but they\u2019re red-hot these days. The Stars are not, and have spent the last month coming back to the pack after spending most of the first half as the league\u2019s consensus second-best team. Also, this matchup is always a fun excuse to rewatch the infamous Tyler Seguin trade behind-the-scenes video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Sabres @ Predators
8 p.m. ET on ESPN+<\/p>\n

Imagine going back even a month and trying to tell an NHL fan that this game would feel important, and not because of its lottery implications. Both of these teams were counted out early, and both have fought back to rejoin the race.<\/p>\n

Full NHL schedule here<\/a>. Try streaming games like these for free on Fubo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Jamie Sabau \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Trivia Answer<\/p>\n

Of all the players who appear on the Canucks\u2019 cap sheet this year, the leading scorer is Oliver Ekman-Larsson.<\/p>\n

No, he doesn\u2019t play for Vancouver. No, he hasn\u2019t played for them in three years. Yes, he\u2019s switched teams twice since then.<\/p>\n

But when the Canucks bought him out in 2023, they incurred a cap charge that will last until 2031. This year, that cap hit is $4.76 million, making Ekman-Larsson their third-highest-paid blueliner. And he\u2019s apparently been worth every penny, I guess, racking up 31 points heading into last night\u2019s action, two points more than the Canucks\u2019 leading scorer, Elias Pettersson.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love Red Light?\u00a0Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Red Light newsletter\u00a0\ud83c\udfd2\u00a0| This is\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0hockey\u00a0newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here\u00a0to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-419652","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}