Which NHL teams must make trades and other roster and coaching staff decisions before their seasons are lost? — @MrEd315
The Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders need defensemen. The Islanders are playing without Adam Pelech (upper body, long-term injured reserve). New Jersey plays without Dougie Hamilton (surgery for a torn pectoral muscle, indefinitely). Toronto is without Timothy Liljegren (lower body), John Klingberg (hip) and Marc Giordano (broken finger). This is only part of the problem. The other part is how they play. The Islanders are too loose and prone to turnovers that fuel the opponent’s rushing game. The Devils are not tight enough in front of the net. The penalty kill has been a major problem for the Devils and Islanders. The Maple Leafs aren’t aggressive enough on the blue line and lack the old-fashioned grunt and bite in that area. They’re not in danger of their seasons being a failure if they don’t add or make changes soon, but I think ultimately, I think all three will have to improve their rear end to be dangerous this season.
The Seattle Kraken needs a scorer. They score an average of 2.65 goals per game, 29th in the League. They won with a scoring-by-committee approach last season that featured 13 players with at least 13 goals, six with at least 20. They won’t get that this season. Four players currently have five or more goals. Only the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks (three) have fewer players with at least five goals. The Kraken, allowing 3.42 goals per game, also need to defend better.
The Sabers need a boost for the reasons I mentioned above and many more, but they need to start playing better with who they have before they consider sacrificing their future assets, such as draft picks and prospects, to give them a boost this season. At this point, I can’t say the Sabers shouldn’t be a rental buyer before the 2024 NHL trade deadline on March 8. They are not in a growth window to trade assets for a player whose contract is expiring and who might give a raise in the short term but will have no impact on them in the long term. They are not ready for the Stanley Cup yet. However, if they start playing better and can climb the rankings, then maybe adding a player or two before the deadline would be the right thing to do to push them to the top. The Sabers haven’t made the playoffs since 2011. If they can turn things around, it will be worth it to make it this season to give their fans and players more hope for the post-season experience. -season they need.
At what point in the season, if you’re Jim Nill, are you considering doing another one-year extension to Joe Pavelski? — @nashman92
I have to think it depends more on Pavelski than the Dallas Stars or general manager Jim Nill. Pavelski is having another anti-aging season. He is 39 years old and he leads the Stars with 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists). He’s playing on a one-year contract worth $3.5 million that could potentially bring in another $2 million in performance bonuses. If Pavelski wants to play into his 40s (he turns 40 on July 11, 2024), the Stars should be able to lock him down for at least another season. I don’t see why he would want to leave Dallas. He is established there in his fifth season with the Stars. The team is good, a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. He fits in. He plays an important role in the room and in the culture they have built. He has a long history with coach Peter DeBoer. It works perfectly. Pavelski signed his current contract on January 1. His previous one-year contract for the 2022-23 season was signed on March 11, 2022. I could see him signing another one-year contract at some point in the middle of this season if he wants. to continue playing.
