NHL Metropolitan

The New Jersey Devils have emerged as one of the NHL's surprise teams this season. After four straight years of missing the playoffs, New Jersey has already acquired 58 wins and is in a great position for the playoff push.

There's a chance that the Devils add even more talent to the roster before the March 3 trade deadline—and general manager Tom Fitzgerald may be going big-name hunting. New Jersey has been among the teams linked to San Jose Sharks standout winger Timo Meier.

The problem is that New Jersey is far from the only interested team. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old. The St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets could be as well, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun:

"We're told the Blues have inquired with San Jose on Meier. Remember, the Blues now have three first-round picks, and my understanding is the Blues would be ready to part with two first-round picks in a package for Meier. ...The Winnipeg Jets are also among the teams that have inquired. The Vegas Golden Knights too, and of course, the two teams that we've pointed out for a while now – New Jersey and Carolina. I still think they're the frontrunners."

It's not hard to see why many teams are interested in Meier, who has logged 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games this season. It's also not difficult to see why New Jersey would be willing to make a strong push to come away with his services.

Meier has the scoring prowess needed to help the Devils make a deep playoff push—he has more goals than anyone on the team aside from center Jack Hughes. Landing Meier would also keep him away from the rival Hurricanes, who are three points ahead in the Metro standings.

However, Meier is not going to come at a bargain-basement price. If the Blues are willing to part with two first-round picks, that should be San Jose's reasonable expectation. Any deal with New Jersey would likely include at least one first-round pick and a comparable prospect or two.

According to Robert Aitken Jr. of Record Sports and NorthJersey.com, San Jose is eying 21-year-old center Dawson Mercer.

A source familiar with the situation tells me that the #NJDevils continue to be in talks to acquire Timo Meier from San Jose before the March 3 deadline.

A big sticking point, I'm told, is that the Sharks continue to ask for Dawson Mercer as part of a return.

— Robert Aitken Jr. (@RobertAitkenJr) February 22, 2023

Given the heavy interest from multiple teams, Meier may command more than a couple of picks or a pick and a prospect or two.

Because of this, Fitzgerald and the Devils must approach negotiations with a defined goal: If they acquire Meier, they must immediately sign him to a long-term extension.

The Devils are a relatively young team, and players like Mercer, the 18th overall pick in the 2020 draft, figure to be a piece of the long-term puzzle. Meier could be too, if he's more than just a one-year-plus rental.

Meier is set to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. New Jersey has the foundation upon which to build something special long-term, and it cannot afford to give away multiple young pieces and/or picks for a player who isn't committed to the big picture.

Getting Meier to agree to an extension was reportedly part of the conversation between New Jersey and the Sharks earlier this month, according to LeBrun. For the Hurricanes, though, it was less of a sticking point:

"There have been more talks in the last 48 hours between the Devils and the Sharks - they would want an extension to be part of this trade, they want to sign Meier as part of this. The Carolina Hurricanes, another team that has had talks with the Sharks in the last couple of days, they're a bit more open-minded I'm told, and they could make this trade without even talking to [agent Claude Lemieux] or without even worrying about an extension at this point."

With the deadline inching closer and even more teams reportedly interested in Meier, Fitzgerald could be tempted to make a deal without an extension agreement in order to put pen to paper.

This would be a mistake. It might be a good deal for Meier, who would get to chase a Stanley Cup for this year and next and then test the open market. It wouldn't be good for the Devils, who could lose Meier or overpay to keep him at the end of next season.

Fitzgerald should focus on selling Meier on the idea that if he comes to New Jersey and commits long-term, he can be part of a perennial contender while being fairly compensated.

If Meier won't buy in, then the Devils should shift their focus to other deadline trade targets. Meier is a fantastic player and in his playing prime. However, New Jersey is just getting started and shouldn't trade in a chance at a dynasty for what might only amount to a year-and-a-quarter with a new star player.

The New York Rangers already made a splash ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, but it appears they still haven't ruled out bringing "Showtime" to Broadway.

The Blueshirts "have signaled they will try to make" a deal for Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane work if he is willing to waive his no-movement clause to head to New York, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

"We are told interest has not waned in the least since the acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis on Feb. 10," Brooks wrote.

Kane, who is in the final season of an eight-year, $84 million contract, still hasn't informed the Blackhawks whether he would like to be traded or not.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner has been viewed as a trade candidate since the offseason when Chicago indicated it would be entering a rebuild following the deals that sent Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat to the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, respectively, for draft picks.

Kane admitted earlier this month following the Tarasenko deal that he was disappointed by the move, adding that the Rangers were "definitely" a team he was paying attention to and was "intrigued by" should he decide to waive his no-move clause.

"If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at," Kane said of the Rangers. "It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal, so it is what it is."

It's somewhat of a surprise that the Rangers are still in on Kane, especially after ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported earlier this month that the franchise went after Tarasenko over the Blackhawks star and San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier because it felt the asking prices for both players were too high.

Kaplan also reported the Rangers expressed concerns over Kane's hip injury.

However, the star winger told reporters earlier this month that he believes his hip aliment has been overblown.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure what the story is to be honest with you, but I feel better than I did last year," he said. "It's just one of those things that maybe the story leaks out and it piles up a little bit."

There's no denying the impact Kane would have on Broadway alongside the likes of Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox.

If the 34-year-old is dealing with a hip ailment, it hasn't slowed him much as he's notched 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points in 54 games. He's been particularly potent following the All-Star break, tallying seven goals and four assists for 11 points in nine games.

If the Rangers swing a deal for Kane, they'll become one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference once the playoffs begin this spring. The team currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division with a 33-15-9 record and are just four points back of the second-place New Jersey Devils.

Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin has returned from Russia and is back on the ice with his teammates for an optional practice following the death of his father, Mikhail Ovechkin, on Feb. 15.

Ovechkin, who had been on a leave of absence since Feb. 14, has missed Washington's last four games. His status for Thursday's game against the Anaheim Ducks is unclear.

Alex Ovechkin back on the ice for Capitals practice today pic.twitter.com/KSg0VtKGUl

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 22, 2023

Ovechkin announced the death of his father on Instagram last week. The 71-year-old had a huge influence on his hockey career, though he wasn't able to travel to the United States over the last several years due to health issues.

Alex Ovechkin announcing on Instagram that his father, Mikhail, has died.

Ovi wrote, “Today I lost my father. I thank everyone for the support, but please be understanding and do not disturb my family in this difficult time for us. Thank you.”

Sending prayers to his family. pic.twitter.com/9DW7tQT3s0

— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) February 15, 2023

Last week, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said Ovechkin would have as much time as he needed before returning to the ice.

"It's just really sad," he told reporters. "You feel for him and pray for him and his family and obviously tough news. … He's got our full support. He's dealing with his family right now and he has our support to be there."

Ovechkin's absence in the Washington lineup over the last four games has been glaring. The Capitals have gone 0-4 without their captain and have been outscored 16-7. They now sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 28-25-6 record.

Ovechkin, a nine-time Rocket Richard winner as the NHL's leading goalscorer, leads the Capitals with 32 goals and 54 points in 54 games this season. His impending return will be a significant boost to Washington's offense.

The Capitals have some ground to make up in the standings, too, as they currently sit out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture with 62 points.

While it's unlikely Washington earns one of the three Metropolitan Division playoff spots as the third-place New York Rangers have 75 points, the team is within striking distance of a wild card berth.

The Florida Panthers currently occupy the East's second wild card spot with 64 points and the New York Islanders have the top wild card spot with 65 points. Washington has a game in hand on both teams.

The Capitals are entering a critical stretch with games against the Ducks, Rangers and Buffalo Sabres coming up.

The Ducks and Sabres are out of the playoff picture, and Washington must capitalize on the opportunity to build up some points. If Ovechkin returns, doing so will be much easier.

The Eastern Conference has been trending toward being more competitive than the West for years.

That doesn't necessarily mean the top teams in the East are better—the most recent Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, would like a word. But it does make punching a ticket to the playoffs more challenging.

Just take a look at the Atlantic Division. After the historically dominant Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Lightning are separated by one point in the standings. Then the Panthers (62 points), Red Wings (60 points), Sabres (58 points) and Senators (56 points) are all descending in two-point increments.

Then you've got the Metropolitan Division. Behind the No. 1 Hurricanes, the Devils and Rangers are separated by one point. Then the next tier is the Penguins (63 points), Islanders (63 points) and Capitals (62 points).

This means two things. No. 1, the once-relatively accurate playoff picture at American Thanksgiving might be gone. And No. 2, teams are looking over their shoulders at their peers' trade-deadline moves more than ever. Gone are the days of "we're worrying about ourselves" cliches, and you're seeing that with so much buzz starting weeks before the actual March 3 trade deadline.

The Islanders surprised most of us when they kicked things off, acquiring Bo Horvat in a move that very much helped them back into the playoff conversation. The Rangers were next up, winning the Vladimir Tarasenko sweepstakes last week, and he also immediately made an impact on his new team.

Of course, the St. Louis Blues weren't trading Tarasenko and putting one foot in and one foot out—you knew a Ryan O'Reilly swap was coming to complete their teardown.

On Friday, the Maple Leafs acquired O'Reilly and Noel Acciari for Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, their first-round pick in 2023 and second-round pick in 2024, and Ottawa's third-round pick in 2023. This was a three-way trade that saw Minnesota jumping in to receive Toronto's fourth-round pick in 2025, and the Leafs got Josh Pillar from Minnesota.

The gigantic kicker? St. Louis will retain 50 percent of O'Reilly's $7.5 million cap hit, while Minnesota will retain 25 percent.

O'Reilly, a Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's best defensive forward in 2019, is a great fit for the Leafs as a third-line center behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares. He brings veteran Stanley Cup experience, center depth, the ability to chip in on offense when required and a much-needed calming defensive presence (if we forgive his part in Blues' poor defensive play as a whole this year—which we should if we're assessing O'Reilly's potential impact on this far superior Leafs team).

Arguably the biggest trade of general manager Kyle Dubas' career landed the Leafs O'Reilly for only $1.875 million, with the added kicker of playoff role-player Acciari. The latter is a little pricey for a fourth liner at $1.25 million, but both of those salaries combined are still considerably cheaper than O'Reilly's actual salary.

The Leafs gave up four draft picks including a first-rounder, sure, but can anyone blame them? Folks have criticized Dubas for being too patient, but now he and the rest of the team seem to be in sync: If not now, when?

The Leafs can't let desperation get the best of them, but the urgency is real as they have been searching for a playoff series win since 2004. It's smart of them to go all-in at this deadline, especially with a probable first-round matchup with the battle-tested Lightning.

And it brings us to our larger point. If the Leafs didn't pick up O'Reilly, it's likely a division rival would've. The Leafs are giving their competitors one fewer option in a conference that keeps seeking reinforcements from the West.

So where are we now?

Patrick Kane, who said he wasn't thrilled when the Rangers traded for Tarasenko, therefore taking the team away as an option for him, is still on the table. But the Rangers were wary for a good reason: Kane's documented hip troubles and his unproductive start to the season.

Besides, TSN's Carlo Colaiacovo reported that Kane, who has a full no-movement clause, would likely only waive that clause for the Rangers or the Leafs. Looks like he might end up staying in Chicago after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9xqQNbhYPk

Timo Meier in all his 30-plus-goal glory and potential $10 million qualifying offer is probably the most coveted winger available, and he's been linked to the Devils and Hurricanes, per SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman. I know the Bruins have their eye on defensemen Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov. We could go on and on with trade rumors, and we will.

But the moral of the story is the competitiveness of the East is no rumor, and with every trade, the stakes are only getting higher for every team in the conference. The Islanders, Rangers and Leafs have come calling, and you wonder how the rest of the conference will respond.

The trade deadline has already delivered more than usual this year, and it should only get more intense over the next two weeks.

Mikhail Ovechkin, the father of Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin, has died, the franchise announced Wednesday.

The news comes after the Capitals announced Tuesday that Ovechkin would be stepping away from the team "to attend to a family matter and the health of a loved one."

At the time, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters he was expecting to be without the captain for the "foreseeable future." It's unclear when he might return.

pic.twitter.com/fy0UMCGOc8

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 15, 2023

Alex Ovechkin announcing on Instagram that his father, Mikhail, has died.

Ovi wrote, “Today I lost my father. I thank everyone for the support, but please be understanding and do not disturb my family in this difficult time for us. Thank you.”

Sending prayers to his family. pic.twitter.com/9DW7tQT3s0

— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) February 15, 2023

Capitals forward T.J. Oshie also told reporters Ovechkin addressed the team before he left Tuesday morning.

"He came and talked to the boys," Oshie said. "Definitely it's nice to get to see him and give him a hug and let him know that we're here for him in person rather than over text."

Nicklas Backstrom, his longtime center, added: "We're here supporting him. We're on his side and hope everything goes well."

Ovechkin has been a significant part of Washington's success since being selected first overall in the 2004 NHL draft. The nine-time winner of the Rocket Richard Award as the league's leading goal scorer has tallied 32 goals and 22 assists for 54 points in 54 games this season for the Capitals, who occupy the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 28-21-6 record.

The 37-year-old Russian's absence comes at an unfortunate time for the Capitals, who are 7-8-1 in 2023 and begin a tough stretch of games with matchups against the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers coming up.

With Ovechkin out of the lineup, the Capitals are going to have to find a way to maintain a playoff berth. Players like Oshie, Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dylan Strome are going to have to carry the offense.

The NHL's March 3 trade deadline is also coming up, which means the Caps could look to make some additions before then to help weather the storm. However, it's unclear if the franchise has any intention of making acquisitions this winter.

Patrick Kane still hasn't made a decision regarding his future with the Chicago Blackhawks, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't have his eyes on the New York Rangers before they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko on Thursday.

"It's not like the happiest I've been to hear about a trade," Kane told reporters when asked about the Tarasenko deal. "I think the Rangers are a team that you definitely pay attention to and definitely are intrigued by, for obvious reasons."

Kane also admitted that the Rangers were one of the teams on his radar if he were to request a trade from the Blackhawks. However, the Tarasenko deal essentially eliminates New York as a possible landing spot for the veteran winger.

"If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at," Kane said. "It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal, so it is what it is."

The St. Louis Blues traded Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the Rangers on Thursday in exchange for Sammy Blais, prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick.

Tarasenko, who spent the first 11 seasons of his career in St. Louis, requested a trade from the franchise in July 2021. He was reportedly upset with how the Blues handled his multiple shoulder surgeries, which fractured his relationship with the team.

The Blues went on to leave Tarasenko unprotected in the Seattle expansion draft that same month, though he went unclaimed by the Kraken, which instead selected defenseman Vince Dunn.

With Tarasenko in the final year of an eight-year, $60 million contract, there was always a possibility for him to be moved ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline.

Like Tarasenko, Kane is also in the final year of an eight-year, $84 million contract and is a candidate to be moved ahead of the deadline with the Blackhawks gearing up to enter a full-scale rebuild.

Chicago indicated it would be entering a rebuilding period during the 2022 NHL draft when it traded Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators and Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens for draft picks.

Kane had long been linked to the Rangers. However, New York opted to acquire Tarasenko over Kane and San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier because it felt the asking prices for both players were too high, per ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

The Rangers also weren't keen on waiting for Kane to make a decision about his future, and they expressed concerns over his hip injury, Kaplan added.

The Athletic's Arthur Staple also wrote in January that it "seems like the whole league knows now that Kane needs hip surgery" and that "if he doesn't shut down the season and get the surgery soon to be ready for free agency and 2023-24, he's going to be damaged goods."

Before the start of the 2021-22 season, Kane confirmed he had been dealing with a nagging, undisclosed injury since before the start of the 2020 playoffs in the Edmonton bubble. He added that he was hoping to get the issue fixed before the 2021-22 campaign began, but that didn't happen.

Kane went on to play 78 games last season and only missed time because of the NHL's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. This season, his injury appeared to resurface in a January matchup against the Sharks, and he later found himself on injured reserve.

Since returning to the Chicago lineup on Jan. 14, Kane hasn't missed any time, but it's clear that his injury is still an issue. That said, he thinks his hip ailment has been overblown.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure what the story is to be honest with you, but I feel better than I did last year," Kane told reporters Thursday. "It's just one of those things that maybe the story leaks out and it piles up a little bit."

If Kane decides he wants a trade before the March 3 deadline, he'll more than likely have numerous suitors despite the ailment. However, he has a full no-trade clause, which means he'll have a say in where he ends up.

Kane would be a valuable addition to any contending team, especially considering he's a three-time Stanley Cup winner. Through 46 games this season, he has notched nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points.

The 34-year-old's situation is going to continue to be a hot topic as we get closer to the deadline, but it's safe to say we can cross the Rangers off the list of possible landing spots.

There were two near-certainties for the New York Rangers prior to the arrival of the March 3 NHL trade deadline: They were going to add a top-six right-wing, and they were going to add a third-pairing left defenseman.

General manager Chris Drury wasted no time getting both with one stroke.

On Thursday, the Rangers acquired star winger Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round pick, depth winger Sammy Blais, minor league fodder Hunter Skinner and a 2024 fourth-round pick that will become a third if the Rangers make the playoffs.

It's a big move for a team that hopes to make a deep postseason run for the second consecutive season. Inarguably, they will forge ahead with a significantly better roster than the one with which they returned from the All-Star break.

Let's break down what this trade means for the Rangers.

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Tarasenko

The Rangers entered the season with questions at right wing. At the halfway point, none had been answered. Prospect Vitali Kravtsov has not found his game, Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey belong in the bottom six.

Kaapo Kakko has been excellent in driving possession and providing offense, but the Rangers weren't going to win a Stanley Cup with a 40-point type of winger alone at the top of the depth chart.

In Tarasenko, the Rangers are getting a top-six scoring wing. Following two seasons torpedoed by shoulder injuries, the Russian returned to form last year, potting 34 goals and adding 48 assists over 75 games.

He hasn't quite matched that this season, with 10 goals in 38 games, but a 63-point pace over 82 games is still first-line quality.

There is plenty of reason to believe the best is yet to come. His 9.7 percent shooting percentage is well below his prior career average of 12.7. More importantly, the Blues are a mess. Per Evolving Hockey, the team ranks 26th in the league by expected goals for.

There is a reason the Blues began the liquidation process this soon.

The Rangers are a superior offensive team and whatever deficiencies existed will be mitigated with his presence. If Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox are feeding him in shooting positions? Chances are he's going to collect goals.

More to that point, the Rangers' power play—the team's biggest reason for success last season aside from goaltender Igor Shesterkin—has taken a step back. This is for a number of reasons, but a big one is that other teams have seen enough to know how to best defend the Blueshirts' top unit.

The go-to has been setting up Zibanejad for the one-timer above the left circle. It still works, but opposing teams are countering by shading toward Zibanejad's side.

Teams pre-scouting the Rangers have figured out they should shade to Zibanejad's side because Panarin won't take the space and shoot. You have to throw a few change-ups to keep the batter honest on your fastball. pic.twitter.com/szWtj3M1IJ

— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) March 25, 2022

Fox and Panarin are hardly slouches when it comes to shooting the puck, but they both display a level of discomfort at being the one to put the puck on net. Certainly, neither has elite shooting ability from distance. The opposition sees giving them space in order to close down on Zibanejad as the lesser of evils.

It particularly gives room to Panarin, who plays above the right circle, and his right-handed shot is not an effective threat. As Zibanejad shows, an off-handed player is best above each circle because it allows him (or her) to receive passes across the body for a quick release.

Tarasenko, a left-handed shot, seamlessly fits that role.

Head coach Gerard Gallant has to figure out the new power-play alignment, but if he moves Tarasenko to that right circle, then he'll be installing the credible shooting threat the Rangers need on that side. Opposing penalty kills will no longer be able to cheat toward Zibanejad.

Panarin and Tarasenko are close friends, and there is good reason to believe they'll be a great match on the ice. Panarin prefers to be the playmaker, and Tarasenko loves to shoot. Aside from joining a better team, the four-time All-Star could be reinvigorated by a new environment.

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Mikkola

Tarasenko will deservedly get all of the headlines, but with Mikkola, Drury filled, pound-for-pound, the team's biggest deficiency.

Ryan Lindgren and K'Andre Miller form a robust left side of the Rangers' top pairings. Finding someone to round out the defense has been a disaster. Prospect Zac Jones started the season with the job but struggled and was sent down in early December.

Libor Hájek, acquired as a prospect from Tampa Bay in 2018, continued to prove he is not an NHL defenseman in his 16 games. The Rangers finally waived him Thursday after five seasons in which he failed to lock down a roster spot. Veteran Ben Harpur cannot handle the puck or skate well enough. He is not NHL-caliber.

Braden Schneider, 21, has done a remarkable job on the right side given the incompetence he has had to deal with all season.

Mikkola won't stand out on a night-by-night basis, as his game is vanilla. The 6'4" defenseman is a non-factor offensively. What he does bring, though, is a solid shutdown skill set. He rubs players out of possession along the walls. He throws big hits but doesn't run out of position to do so.

In fact, he needs little momentum to toss puck-carriers to the ice. The Finn snuffs out puck-carriers along the perimeter and breaks play to a halt so a teammate can retrieve the now loose puck.

Mikkola has struggled this season, but, as noted, the Blues are in disarray. Even by this year's subpar standards, Mikkola has played like a conventional NHL sixth defenseman, and in years past his defensive-minded game was well above the NHL average.

If he can return to that form, then he'll be a tremendous asset on the third pairing. At the bare minimum, he's not going to be the guy who blows it for the team. That's really all that Gallant needs on that third-pairing spot next to Schneider.

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Analyzing the Cost

The Rangers had both their own and Dallas' first-round pick in 2023. St. Louis will receive whichever one is later in the draft, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen. Based on the trajectories of both teams, the pick should fall somewhere in the range of No. 25 to No. 32. The Rangers also included a 2024 third-round pick.

The Rangers acquired Blais from the Blues in 2021 as part of a return for Pavel Buchnevich. It was a horrible trade at the time, and it looks even worse in hindsight.

Blais did not score a single goal in 54 games with the team. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Hunter Skinner is an ECHL defenseman who was included presumably because the Rangers wished to remain at 49 contracts and safely under the 50-contract limit that teams are beholden to.

For the sake of simplicity, let's isolate the trade into components. Mikkola for the 2024 third-round pick is fair value.

That leaves the first-round pick for Tarasenko. Among recent trade-deadline rentals who cost a first-round pick plus more are Ben Chiarot (2022), Nick Foligno (2021), David Savard (2021), Brandon Montour (2019), and Tomas Tatar (2018). None of these players measure up to Tarasenko.

To acquire a player of his caliber, the Rangers would have usually needed to part with a first-rounder plus a prospect or another early pick. For certain, Tarasenko's full no-trade clause hamstrung Blues GM Doug Armstrong, but that's not Drury's problem. The Rangers landed Tarasenko at a measurably lower cost than what a player of his caliber is typically worth at the trade deadline.

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Grading the Trade

Both Tarasenko and Mikkola fit the Rangers' needs like gloves.

Tarasenko was the Rangers' best option. San Jose's Timo Meier is the best player on the market, but the bidding war for him will be fierce. He would have also forced some tough salary-cap decisions beyond this season. Patrick Kane has not played well this season and is dealing with a hip injury.

Beyond those two, the market for wingers is putrid. Barring a surprise player on the market, the remaining options at right wing would have been a rehabilitation project in Brock Boeser, who also has a $6.65 million cap hit through 2025. After them, it's Jesse Puljujärvi and Ivan Barbashev, who are checking third-liners.

The Rangers also made intangible acquisitions via this trade: time and comfort. The days leading up to the deadline are pure chaos. The market can move at any moment. GMs who make decisions under immense pressure will often overpay for a player or lose out on their targets. Some team is going to end up empty-handed.

That team won't be the Rangers. Management can now approach March 3 knowing that most of its major business is done.

What's more, the Rangers will play 11 games between the time of the trade and the deadline. That's 11 games in which Tarasenko and Mikkola can help them win. It's also extra time for the duo to become acclimated and for the coaching staff to toy around and find the right combinations.

The Rangers found the best player on the market for their needs by a measure of cost-benefit analysis; Tarasenko is certain to make the team a lot better without the necessity of sacrificing heavy assets. A third-round pick for Mikkola is standard value, and far worse defensemen will go for a similar price in the next few weeks.

Both Tarasenko and Mikkola are rentals. If the Rangers exit the playoffs early, then it will be all for nothing. But the only way to avoid risk at the trade deadline is by doing nothing at all; something the Rangers could not afford given the makeup of the roster and short-term aspirations.

This is some smooth business by Drury.

Rangers Grade: A

The New York Islanders announced Sunday they agreed to an eight-year extension with Bo Horvat.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the contract will average $8.5 million annually.

The Islanders acquired Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, sending Anthony Beauvillier, center Aatu Raty and a 2023 conditional first-round pick to Vancouver in the swap.

Prior to hammering out a new contract with New York, the 27-year-old was set to be a free agent in the offseason.

Horvat has 31 goals and 23 assists through 49 appearances in 2022-23. His 1.10 points per game are on pace to be a career high, well above his previous best of 0.77, per Hockey Reference.

Given what they traded away for a player on an expiring contract, an extension was the likeliest outcome for the Islanders. Getting the business done now precludes a bidding war in the offseason.

"You make this type of a transaction because you can improve your team today and tomorrow," general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters of the trade. "And in my opinion, he makes us a better team and gives us a better opportunity to [do] what we want to do."

Horvat's $5.5 million average salary also provided a rough barometer for where a new contract might land as he's enjoying such a productive year. Whatever team he signed with would have to add a few million to that figure to secure his services.

The Islanders have the flexibility to pay Horvat his market value while maintaining some wiggle room. CapFriendly projects them to be $6.9 million under the salary cap with his contract factored in

New York is two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Horvat could be the difference in the franchise reaching the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

Now, the dynamic forward has plenty of time to make his presence truly felt for the Islanders.