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THW Daily - Canucks' Untouchable Prospects at 2024 Trade Deadline & Canadiens' Armia Makes Most of Latest Chance
Also, a few trade destinations for Blues' Parayko, why Maple Leafs backed out of the Corey Perry race & more
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In today’s edition, we have a few untouchable prospects for the Canucks at the 2024 trade deadline, how Joel Armia is making the most of his latest chance with the Canadiens, and much more.
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3 Potential Trade Destinations for Blues’ Colton Parayko
January 23, 2024 by Ethan Carter
The St. Louis Blues are likely to be active as sellers when the 2024 trade deadline rolls around. They probably won’t go into full-on firesale mode, but it’s clear that there are contracts and players to be moved from the current roster.
While it might not be likely at the moment, Blues defenseman Colton Parayko could be on the move before the deadline. The club took calls and discussed trading him last season before the deadline and in the offseason, but no deal was made. With all of that being said, here are three teams that make sense as a destination for Parayko as the deadline gets closer.
Canucks’ Untouchable Prospects for 2024 Trade Deadline
January 23, 2024 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks are likely going to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline and that means assets out the door for immediate help. With an abundance of unrestricted free agents in the offseason, president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrick Allvin might feel the need to go “all in” and try for a championship this season rather than down the line.
Well, that would be a mistake, especially if it requires giving up one or more blue-chip prospects to acquire someone like Jake Guentzel, Elias Lindholm or Joel Eriksson Ek. With that said, here are two that should not be on the table at the deadline.
Oilers Could Benefit From Adam Henrique Trade With Ducks
January 23, 2024 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
With the Edmonton Oilers working with a 13-game winning streak at the time of writing this article, they are in a really strong spot and seem lined up to make the playoffs as they continue to climb up the Pacific Division standings. As we inch closer to the trade deadline, they will need to consider who they’ll be acquiring and analyze who the best fit for their team will be as they look to make a solid run into the postseason.
After many changes earlier in the season which included changing their goaltending tandem and switching out the coaching staff, the Oilers have found themselves in a good spot and can safely consider themselves buyers heading into the trade deadline. One player that the Oilers could pursue if they were hoping to add some depth scoring is Anaheim Ducks’ forward Adam Henrique. The Ducks are a rebuilding team and haven’t found any type of growth in the standings this season.
Maple Leafs Explored Perry Add, Opted Out With Good Reason
January 23, 2024 by Jim Parsons
In a recent episode of the Kyper & Bourne Show on Sportsnet, Nick Kypreos shared insights into Corey Perry‘s signing with the Edmonton Oilers, shedding light on the lack of widespread interest in the veteran forward. Among the teams who showed early interest prior to the signing was the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was also confirmed by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
While Perry did reveal in his media conference with the Oilers that he had options, Kypreos suggested those options were limited. As for the Maple Leafs level of interest, there was little enthusiasm for signing Perry. In fact, he contends, from the sources he spoke with, the Oilers were one of the few teams that demonstrated immediate interest. Toronto bowed out rather quickly.
Canadiens Forward Armia Makes Most of Latest Chance with Habs
January 23, 2024 by Ryan Szporer
Ironically, the reason the Montreal Canadiens may want to keep Joel Armia around the most is also the reason it makes sense for them to cut ties as soon as possible. Placed on a line with Joshua Roy, Armia has not just shown chemistry with the former as the rookie acclimates to NHL life. He’s also made inroads to reestablishing himself as an NHL player after initially having been cut out of training camp.
That 2019-20 season, Armia scored at over a half-point-per-game clip, perhaps influencing then-general manager Marc Bergevin to re-sign him to his current four-year, $13.6 million contract. Combined with his penalty-killing prowess, his scoring potential made the contract a good idea in principle, not practice. Unfortunately, Armia’s production has since dipped, to the point it’s become clear the now-30-year-old will never develop into a legitimate top-six forward despite his draft pedigree (16th overall in 2011), despite having been tried out there on occasion by the Canadiens.
Why Did the Rangers Pass Over Alex Belzile for NHL Lineup Spot?
January 23, 2024 by Sam Henes
The 2021-22 and 2022-23 iterations of the New York Rangers had good injury luck, with fourth-fewest and fewest man-games lost, respectively. However, this season, following the departure of esteemed trainer Jim Ramsey, there has been a noticeable shift. The team ranks 16th in fewest man-games lost.
This has necessitated a greater reliance on the Hartford Wolfpack, the Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate, to supplement the roster more frequently than in previous seasons.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
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NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Sabres, Bruins, Kings
From TSN - Hart granted indefinite leave of absence from Flyers
From Sportsnet - Scout's Analysis: How the Canucks should approach the trade deadline
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