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We’re closing in on two weeks away from the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story each day leading up to Deadline Day.
Today, in the true spirit of Valentine’s Day, we’re going to play a little game.
2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 17 days
Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch.
Since love is in the air, we’re going to play the role of Trade Deadline Matchmaker, lining up a team with their hockey crush by using a combination of intelligence and intuition, with an emphasis on entertainment value. We’re not “reporting” these matches, merely connecting dots where there is the potential for more than a casual encounter.
Patrick Kane: Edmonton Oilers
- Who swipes left?
- To Edmonton: Patrick Kane
- To Chicago: Xavier Bourgault, Jesse Puljujarvi, 2023 2nd Round Pick, 2025 5th Round Pick (to 3rd party broker)
Imagine, for one second, the creativity and pure skill on display in Oil Country. Plug ‘Showtime’ onto the right side of either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, wind him up and watch him go. Many believe Edmonton is in the market for a defender on the back end. But if there is one area of need up front for the uber-talented Oilers, it is on the right wing. And Kane would allow them to push the envelope in the playoffs and try to blow away the competition on the scoreboard. It would flip the traditional playoff build of heavy, hard hockey on its head. Why not? McDavid and Draisaitl almost singlehandedly won them two rounds last year.
With New York out of the picture, Kane will be forced to consider new realities and destinations, and he can get the dirt from former teammate and Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith. When you begin to examine the possibility, it starts to make a whole lot of sense. There’s plenty of room for two Kanes in the Edmonton lineup.
Timo Meier: Carolina Hurricanes
- Who swipes left?
- To Carolina: Timo Meier
- To San Jose: 2023 1st Round Pick, 2024 2nd Round Pick, Scott Morrow, Jack Drury
The conventional wisdom has been that the Hurricanes need a second line center to fill the void that exists between Sebastian Aho and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. But they have arguably the best third line center in the league in Jordan Staal, who can take on the tough matchups in the Stanley Cup playoffs. We also know they wanted to improve on the wing because they acquired Max Pacioretty in the summer. Meier would give them what they’re missing in Pacioretty and then some – with an added element of heft as well. Typically, the Hurricanes do not like to dabble in the rental market. However, they’d be the one team that would value that optionality that Meier presents as an RFA. They have almost $18 million coming off the books. They could re-sign Meier to a long-term deal, qualify him at $10 million, or move his rights to another team this summer to recoup some of the assets lost. And in the meantime, they’d add a legitimate threat who could put them over the top in the playoffs.