The NHL trade deadline is just two days away, and there are a lot of deals teams could still make. Below, we look at five people whose deadline-related decisions could cause a giant ripple effect around the league.
Note: Claude Giroux was traded to the Florida Panthers after this post was published.
Jim Rutherford
Rutherford is always capable of having tricks up his sleeve. The veteran executive is now the president of hockey operations with the Vancouver Canucks, and while he's done plenty of work filling out his front office - most notably, hiring Patrik Allvin as his general manager - he's yet to shake up the roster.
Minor moves, such as dealing away pending free agent Tyler Motte, are expected, but there's potential for a whole lot more.
The Canucks would shake up the entire deadline if they traded away one of the three key forwards reportedly available - J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Conor Garland - especially since Vancouver likely wants a young defenseman with some upside as part of a package for any of the three. Will any team be bold enough to meet Rutherford's demands?
Such a deal may be easier to make in the offseason, but nothing's ruled out when a gunslinger like Rutherford is at the helm.
Marc-Andre Fleury
Fleury is the best and most established netminder available ahead of the deadline, and there are more goalie-needy playoff teams than usual - most notably the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Capitals.
However, Fleury controls his own destiny. His contract only contains a 10-team no-trade list, but the Chicago Blackhawks apparently won't trade him anywhere he doesn't want to play.
Fleury may be 37 now, but he's only one year removed from winning the Vezina Trophy, and joining a club with Stanley Cup aspirations could conceivably energize him. Fleury holds all the cards, and his decision on where he wants to finish this season - and possibly his career - could have a drastic impact on the league's Stanley Cup odds.
David Poile
The longtime Nashville Predators GM has been quiet so far during this deadline season. Too quiet.
We know he wants to sign Filip Forsberg to an extension, and it would be a shock if that didn't get done at some point. Otherwise, there isn't much noise surrounding Nashville right now - odd for The Music City.
The Preds are in a strange spot. They prepared to be sellers at last year's trade deadline before getting hot, changing course, and eventually making the playoffs. Then they seemed to start re-tooling this offseason, trading away Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson, but Nashville's strong play of late has the team on track for its eighth straight postseason berth.
Could the Predators be sneaky buyers? The corps of Roman Josi (31), Mattias Ekholm (31), Matt Duchene (31), and Ryan Johansen (29) isn't getting any younger. Neither is the 72-year-old Poile - the only GM in club history. They have $10 million in cap space, a full draft pick cupboard, and a stud goalie in Juuse Saros that could steal any playoff series. Why not go all in?
The postseason isn't a guarantee, so chasing players with term over rentals would be more sensible. But if this isn't the time to be aggressive, when is? When the core is all past their primes? The time to strike is now.
More likely than not, Nashville will extend Forsberg and stand pat, but if there's one team that could shock everyone and make a big splash, it could be Poile's Preds.
Claude Giroux
Giroux's 1,000th career game will almost certainly turn out to be his last with the Philadelphia Flyers. Like Fleury, Giroux controls his own destiny, but his contract actually contains a full no-movement clause. Multiple reports suggest it'll be either the Florida Panthers or Colorado Avalanche who'll land the pending free-agent forward.
Florida already bolstered its blue line with the addition of Ben Chiarot, so signing Giroux would signal the Panthers are going all in. It makes sense, too, considering first-liners Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe are set to receive a combined $7.26 million in raises next year. After last year's six-game series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida knows it needs some extra juice if it's going to take down the two-time defending champs.
If the Panthers don't land Giroux, who will they pivot to? The organization has already dealt away this year's first- and second-round picks, as well as 2023's first-rounder. Would they stand pat? Or would they try to acquire a different forward?
The Avalanche are currently Stanley Cup favorites, and like the Panthers, they already shored up their back end with Josh Manson. Giroux would be an excellent fit for them, considering captain Gabriel Landeskog's absence. With Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri, and Darcy Kuemper set to become free agents, this is Colorado's year to go for it.
If the Avs miss out on Giroux, don't be surprised if GM Joe Sakic aggressively pursues the next best available forward, especially since he already cleared some cap space with the Tyson Jost-for-Nico Sturm swap.
Of course, there could always be a mystery team in the running for Giroux. Nonetheless, whoever is willing to pony up for the Flyers captain - or wherever he decides he wants to play - will have a major impact on the league's Stanley Cup picture.
Ron Francis
We know the Seattle Kraken are sellers, but how much are they willing to sell? Francis, the GM helming the NHL's new kids on the block, has already traded away Calle Jarnkrok, and fellow pending UFA Mark Giordano won't be far behind.
Seattle was likely expecting to contend for a playoff spot in its inaugural season, but it's instead closer to the league's basement. Would Francis be willing to pivot off his original plan, given the rough campaign? That move would mean entering a full-on rebuild and dangling his valuable veterans with term as trade bait - a list that could include Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Jordan Eberle, to name a few. As D-men, Larsson and Oleksiak would be in high demand.
Francis' conservative history as a GM suggests this path is unlikely, but given how poor the Kraken's first season has gone, he may want to shake things up.
