THW Daily - Blue Jackets Fire GM Jarmo Kekäläinen & Flyers' Pros and Cons of Trading Scott Laughton
Also, two depth defensemen trade targets for the Hurricanes & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have a general manager move with Jarmo Kekäläinen out in Columbus, the pros and cons for the Flyers with a Scott Laughton trade, and much more.
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Check Out Some THW Premium Substack Content:
Washington Capitals: Capitals Bi-Weekly Audio Report: Trade Deadline Talk & Ovechkin Heating Up by Jesse Courville-Lynch
Prospects & Draft: A Tale of Two Prospects: Cole Eiserman vs. Carter Yakemchuk by Dayton Reimer
Detroit Red Wings: Red Wings Prospect Check-In: McIsaac Heads to Swiss League & Finnie's on Fire by Jordan Orth
Calgary Flames: Calgary Flames Dichotomy: Fast Road Starts Offset by Sluggish Saddledome Beginnings by Gary Pearson
Hockey History: NHL's Most Traveled Journeymen: Mike Sillinger by Matthew Zator
Carolina Hurricanes: Hurricanes Player Spotlight: Seth Jarvis by Zach Martin
Check Out THW’s Professional Women’s Hockey League Coverage
($$) Hilary Knight Earns "Player of the Rivalry Series" by Mariah E Stark
Yesterday’s Scores…
2 Depth Defensemen Trade Targets for Hurricanes
February 15, 2024 by Zach Martin
With roughly 30 games left in their regular season, it is pretty clear which teams will make the playoffs and which ones won’t. The Carolina Hurricanes should make the playoffs, but the forward group could use a boost before the March 8 trade deadline, or even their goaltending since they’re thin with injuries to Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta.
However, there is a case to be made for adding depth to their defense. While Carolina has Tony DeAnegelo as their seventh defenseman, he has been a healthy scratch for most of the season and is rumored to be on the trading block. Furthermore, it seems that the Hurricanes could benefit from having a pure defensive defenseman. Here are two players they should look to add for their playoff push.
Blue Jackets GM Kekalainen Relieved of Duties
February 15, 2024 by Mark Scheig
The Columbus Blue Jackets made a major change in their front office on Thursday morning, just weeks before the March 8 Trade Deadline. Jarmo Kekalainen, the team’s longest-tenured general manager, was relieved of his duties after the team started this season 16-26-10. Kekalainen was at the helm for 11 years and two days. He became Scott Howson’s replacement on Feb 13, 2013.
The club amassed a 410-362-97 record in 869 games during his tenure, which is the longest in franchise history. Columbus qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and posted its four winningest seasons based on points percentage during that span: 2016-17 (50-24-8, 108 pts., .659), 2018-19 (47-31-4, 98 pts., .598), 2017-18 (45-30-7, 97 pts., .591) and 2019-20 (33-22-15, 81 pts., .579).
Maple Leafs Should Think Twice About Proposed Mega-Trade
February 15, 2024 by Jim Parsons
As the NHL trade deadline looms, trade speculation is heating up, with insiders suggesting all sorts of interesting trade scenarios. Yesterday was particularly fun because it was Valentine’s Day and the idea of matchmaking two teams took center stage. However, not all trade scenarios have much weight to them. In fact, some should be approached with extreme caution.
A recently suggested blockbuster deal between the Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs proposed a trade that involved the Maple Leafs acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Andrew Mangiapane, with 50% of Mangiapane’s salary retained. In return, the Flames would receive a significant package, including Toronto’s 2024 1st Rd Pick, a 2024 3rd Rd Pick (from the New York Islanders), Calgary’s 2024 5th Rd Pick, along with players Ryan Reaves, Nick Robertson, and Topi Niemela. It’s an interesting deal in theory, but there are a few reasons it’s neither realistic nor the best move for the Maple Leafs as a franchise. At the very least, Toronto should think twice about pulling the trigger on this type of move.
3 Moves Canucks Should Make Before the 2024 Trade Deadline
February 15, 2024 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks got ahead of the game by adding Elias Lindholm over a month before the trade deadline, but apparently aren’t done making moves. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin are still in the market for a defenceman to bolster their depth and are closing in on signing Phil Kessel who is a free agent right now.
While it appears they are done with the blockbuster trades, the weeks leading up to the deadline could still be interesting to follow for Canucks fans. With that said, here are three moves (not necessarily trades) that they should make before March 8.
Flyers’ Pros and Cons of Trading Scott Laughton
February 15, 2024 by Andrew McGuinness
Often, it’s not the teams that make the biggest trades at the trade deadline, but the right ones. Third-line, two-way forwards like Antoine Vermette (Chicago Blackhawks, 2015), Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2021) and Artturi Lehkonen (Colorado Avalanche, 2022) were key cogs to Stanley Cup-winning teams, even though they weren’t the biggest names on the market. Perhaps Scott Laughton could be the next player to join that list. The 29-year-old has played all 573 games in his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, who drafted him 20th overall in 2012.
His Flyers career may be down to its final month, though. Laughton would undoubtedly be an intriguing piece for contending teams to acquire. But it takes two to tango, meaning general manager Daniel Briere may have to make arguably the toughest decision of his first year on the job. To help him out, let’s look at Laughton — and the context around him — to determine the pros and cons of trading him away.
Defining the Trade Deadline “Home Run” Being Teased for Oilers
February 15, 2024 by Jim Parsons
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, expressed during a discussion on Oilers Now, he believes that the Edmonton Oilers will make a significant push during the trade deadline. Specifically, he said, “I think you guys are trying to hit at least one home run and the question is: What do you decide that that home run is going to be?”
It’s a good question because the term “home run” can be defined in a variety of ways. The literal definition of the term from the dictionary is, “a fair hit that allows the batter to make a complete circuit of the bases without stopping and score a run.” In hockey terms and at the trade deadline, there are many ways GM Ken Holland can score for the Oilers. Circling the figurative bases doesn’t just mean landing a big-name player in one ballpark-clearing swing.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Edmonton Oilers - Jordan Eberle Oilers Reunion Unlikely with Proposed 3-Team Trade
Calgary Flames - 3 Reasons the Flames Should Trade Jacob Markstrom
New Jersey Devils - 3 Goalies the Devils Should Target Before the Trade Deadline
NHL News & Rumors - Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Penguins, Oilers
From TSN - Blackhawks' Bedard (jaw) to return vs. Penguins
From Sportsnet - 'It's a dumb league': Flyers' John Tortorella shares thoughts on young NHLers
From ESPN - Blue Jackets, worst in East, fire GM Jarmo Kekalainen
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