The Boston Bruins and the second line right wing
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic: This is the sixth NHL Trade Deadline for Don Sweeney and feels like the sixth time he is looking for a top-nine forward. That fix is needed yet again because of the concussion to Ondrej Kase.
The Bruins suffer from their lowest rate of production from the right-wing at 5-on-5 (0.48 goals per game). Kyle Palmieri feels like an ideal plug-in. His 7.48% shooting percentage and four 5-on-5 goals feel like a blip. The New Jersey Devils’ forward trains with Chris Wagner and Charlie Coyle. Palmieri lives in Massachusettes during the offseason. Lots of things make sense here. Now, does a deal get done?
NHL Trade Buzz: Florida seeks defensemen, Nashville stands pat?
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: The injury to Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers is basically season-ending (12+ weeks). This has Florida looking for a stopgap on defense. There are some options. Florida could recall Anton Stralman. They might even trade for a Sami Vatanen (New Jersey) or Brandon Montour (Buffalo). Montour is a younger and arguably better fit on a faster Florida team. Even David Savard (Columbus) remains a possibility.
Nashville may just stand pat at the NHL Trade Deadline if they keep winning games. They stand in the playoffs currently as the Predators battle with Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. Nashville has won 10 out of 14 against their next five opponents and could get Ryan Ellis and Matt Duchene back around the deadline. This means players like Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund may just keep Nashville as their address.
Patrick Marleau looks to be open for a trade out of San Jose and then there is the Winnipeg Jets. They are last in points percentage from a defenseman at 17.6. Could they use an offensive defenseman or even a PMD (puck-moving defenseman)? Winnipeg says they do not but the numbers say otherwise.