Daily Faceoff Deadline Day 2023 Live Blog
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Happy Friday all! After the most chaotic week leading up to the trade deadline in recent memory, we’ve finally arrived at Deadline Day itself.
Most of the big names are gone. A few still exist. And we expect to see a lot of activity as the 3 p.m. ET deadline approaches and teams try to make their final adjustments before the home stretch.
It will be a busy day at the National Hockey League offices. Here at Daily Faceoff, we’ll do our best to keep up with all the action. Welcome to Deadline Day’s live blog!
Let’s start with our first update.
10:00 AM
Well, it’s early. The big news so far is that the Detroit Red Wings have traded Jakub Vrana to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for AHL body Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick. It’s a deal we all saw coming, but maybe not with Detroit retaining half Vrana’s $5.25 million cap for this year and next.
Vrana had a tough year, spending time in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and moving back and forth with Detroit’s roster upon his return to the team. It really seemed like both sides were ready to turn over a new leaf. Kudos to Blues general manager Doug Armstrong for choosing such an intriguing reclamation project for virtually no acquisition cost.
By the way, while you’re here, go ahead and check out Frank Seravalli’s brand new Trade Targets chart. Chances are some of the 35 players he mentions will be away today, so be sure to read it! You can also catch Frank on the Daily Faceoff Trade Deadline live show starting at noon ET on our YouTube channel.
More updates to come!
10:25 a.m.
Not much is happening, but it’s okay because BONINO BONINO BONINO BONINO BONINO! Looks like Nick Bonino is again a Pittsburgh Penguin, reportedly acquired from the San Jose Sharks late last night in exchange for fifth- and seventh-round draft picks. Neither team has confirmed the deal and it looks like a third-party broker may also be involved, so stay tuned.
To help you prepare before more news drops, here’s a helpful little primer from our friends at CapFriendly on some of the key things to keep in mind as we get closer to the deadline.
Before you go – Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly likely to miss the next one six weeks while dealing with an oblique injury, which could well end his season. Kuraly still has two years left on his contract after this one and probably wasn’t realistic on the trading block (not even for the selling Blue Jackets), but you never know.
Stay tuned!
10:30 a.m.
Chris Johnston says the Philadelphia Flyers are looking for a third-round pick in exchange for the services of pending UFA winger James van Riemsdyk, which seems like a pretty sweet deal for all parties involved (which could potentially include Vegas, Winnipeg and Seattle):
JVR has nine goals and 23 points in 41 games for the Flyers this season. It’s currently at a cap of $7 million, which means a third-party broker would almost certainly have to be involved in any trade.
Calgary Flames fans should find comfort in the last line of Johnston’s report. With the playoffs now looking like a distant dream in Cowtown, Johnston indicated that the Flames – once thought to be interested in van Riemsdyk – « don’t seem to be in a buying mindset anymore. » I wonder if they switch gears to sell some of their 2024 UFAs like Mikael Backlund, Tyler Toffoli and Chris Tanev…we’ll see!
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