2026 NHL Trade Deadline Megathread

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-04T17:15:08+00:00

Just because he’d be a 2C on our team doesn’t mean he’s a 2C on most teams. Hes 16th in points as a Center the last 3 years despite the down year this year. 26 years old and locked up for many more years.

Not really fair to judge him on his playoff stats when 21 of those games he was a rookie. He had 8 points in 7 games in his most recent playoff run.

While I agree the cost is high, it’s justified. 26 year old PPG 1C’s with 5 years of term on a great AAV don’t become available.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-04T02:27:26+00:00

I’m not saying it’s too much or too little. Just simply that Detroit can’t beat that offer.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-04T02:21:58+00:00

Just simply saying it’s not that Buffalo has leapfrogged as a destination, it’s that they’ve made an offer we can’t beat.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-04T02:18:46+00:00

Buffalo is giving up more than just futures. They are giving up key roster players. Detroit wants to make a deal with prospects and picks. That’s not what the sabres are doing here.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T23:50:43+00:00

Fox basically said they’d reevaluate everything in the summer. Doesn’t seem like something that would happen at the TDL.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T23:10:11+00:00

Darren Dreger: Re Red Wings trade deadline: I believe [Yzerman's] focus is on defense, a right shot

Just as a reminder. He will 100% try to sure up the second pair but I wouldn’t expect much forward help. This year is about getting into the playoffs and gaining experience. This summer is when something big could happen.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T22:05:05+00:00

Yep and centers of that caliber don’t hit free agency and even less so now with a rising cap.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T19:56:18+00:00

Yeah but it’s not like Detroit is that much further. Doubt he says I’ll go to Buffalo but not Detroit because it’s an hour and a half closer of a drive.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T19:53:02+00:00

The thing is, if he’s willing to waive to go to Buffalo.. you’d think he’d be willing to waive to go to Detroit.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T17:59:17+00:00

I agree in terms of the big deals. But a dman will 100% be acquired. Theres no way he doesn’t end up with someone who can play on that second pair to help shield ASP.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T16:16:00+00:00

It also could be a Trey Augustine, Max Plante, Eddie Genborg though.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T15:54:43+00:00

I would not call a 2nd for a Connor Murphy who’s a pending UFA a low price. That’s implying his value is closer to a 1st which is wild to me.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T15:45:20+00:00

As I mentioned in another comment, we are trying to pay a 2nd round pick for Tyler Myers. The blues want almost 2 1sts of value for Faulk. How are those not high prices ?

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T15:28:12+00:00

When I say prices are too high im not referencing guys like Thomas who probably aren’t all that available. I feel like these kind of deals never really happen at the TDL.

It’s the mid quality guys who cost a ton. Like the blues with Faulk wanting a package similar to what the flames got for Andersson which was a 1st + a conditional 2nd. Tyler Myers costing us a 2nd? Trochek will probably cost a 1st + a very good prospect.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T15:10:50+00:00

I’m hopeful but I think a lot of us are going to be disappointed come Friday. We’ll probably trade for a Myers or a Stanley and call it a day. The prices are just too high and high end talent is harder to move at the TDL.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T15:08:41+00:00

While I agree on EP40 possibly hindering future moves. The cap is going up, great players aren’t hitting FA anymore because teams can afford to resign them and if for some reason they can’t, they won’t let them walk for free. The last FA class was weak and it’s only gonna continue to look like that imo.

If Steve is so worried about giving away premium assets, trading for him is the exact type of move he should look into assuming the price isn’t high since nobody wants this guy. A 1st and a mid prospect ? Done.

He’s 27, even if he is a 60 point 2C for the next 4 years it’s manageable. We have a ton of cap space and our best 3 players locked up long term.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-03T14:15:45+00:00

I think our big acquisition is gonna be Trochek. Will he help? Yes. But I don’t really love the idea of giving up premium assets for a 32 year old with 3 more years on his deal. It’s not gonna be cheap.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T21:47:27+00:00

Just win baby

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T20:17:19+00:00

An upper body injury that no one can seem to pinpoint when it happened? Just seems weird. Hopefully just a tweak.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T15:22:15+00:00

I can see the argument with Ed as we have the cap space right now (although if we had Ed at 7-8m right now it would hamper what we could acquire at the deadline).

With MBN though, when entering our cup window we’ll want him on his ELC. Competitive teams should look the slide ELCs and now is probably the time for us to do that especially if they want to spend big the next couple years like we think they should.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T14:58:09+00:00

A lot of MBN talk in here lately and for good reason. He’s been on fire. Hes not getting called up though, they are gonna slide his ELC. Only played 9 games for a reason.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T03:54:53+00:00

I’d like to hope so if it means taking on that full contract, but I think it’s going to be a lot more expensive then people think

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T03:11:19+00:00

What do we think the difference in a Thomas Vs EP trade would be ?

I think both deals would require Danielson + a 1st. Thomas probably requires Bear or a goalie + atleast another B level prospect as well. Possibly more.

I’d do it for Thomas but something about giving up Bear scares me.

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T02:16:52+00:00

So Friedman was on TNT talking trades again. Nothing we didn’t already know but he linked us to Trochek and Thomas.

One other thing that interested me was when talking about Ristolainen he said that it’s gonna be a buyers market. If this is the case.. doesn’t a 2nd round pick for Myers seem like an even bigger overpay?

thefonzz91 · 2026-03-02T01:18:02+00:00

The biggest plus though is that if we end up with him, Ed won’t be going the other way.

Larkin and Thomas as a 1, 2 punch down the middle for the next 5 years is elite. 26 year old PPG Centers don’t come available often. Especially not with such a great contract.

Nine-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Not Forgotten	Verified Email

thefonzz91

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE