This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The trade deadline has come and gone. Some teams were buyers. Some teams were sellers. Then, there are the teams who stood pat. Some tried to make moves, but couldn't quite pull it off. Take, for example, the St. Louis Blues, who have cap issues that sort of hindered them. They'll be fine as long as they're healthy when the playoffs roll around.
Then there are teams like the Detroit Red Wings. They stood pat, which makes sense, because they are good enough to make the playoffs, but aren't one move away from Cup contention. Their hope is that their young players will pull some weight. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar have both been slight disappointments, but if they play like they did last year, they will be like upgrades. Andreas Athanasiou is super fast, and speed kills. Teemu Pulkkinen has really struggled, but he can really let it rip.
On the other hand, a team like the New York Islanders probably should have made a move. Maybe not necessarily of the additive variety, either. Kyle Okposo and Travis Hamonic were considered to be on the market, but they weren't dealt. The Islanders aren't the Capitals or the Rangers. They aren't even the Penguins, frankly. Standing pat wasn't a bad idea, but it could hurt them next year. That's the nature of the NHL trade deadline. It's not all teams selling off parts and teams adding big names to try and put them over the top.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier) at Capitals (Philipp Grubauer), 7:00 PM
Blackhawks (Corey Crawford) at Red Wings (Petr Mrazek), 8:00 PM
Canadiens (Mike Condon) at Ducks (John Gibson), 10:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Maple Leafs
Tyler Bozak, C (head) – Out indefinitely
Byron Froese, C (hand) – Out indefinitely
Joffrey Lupul, LW (abdomen) – Out for season
Milan Michalek, LW (finger) – Nearing a return
P.A. Parenteau, RW (upper-body) – Day-to-day
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) – Out indefinitely
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) – Out for season
James van Riemsdyk, LW (foot) – Out for season
Capitals
John Carlson, D (lower-body) – On injured reserve
Blackhawks
Marian Hossa, RW (lower-body) – Week-to-week
Marcus Kruger, C (wrist) – On injured reserve
Red Wings
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – Out indefinitely
Drew Miller, LW (lower-body) – Out 4-6 months
Petr Mrazek, G (groin) – Expected to play
Canadiens
Nathan Beaulieu, D (lower-body) – On injured reserve
Daniel Carr, LW (knee) – Out three months
David Desharnais, C (foot) – On injured reserve
Brian Flynn, C (lower-body) – Out 6-8 weeks
Tom Gilbert, D (knee) – Out for season
Jeff Petry, D (lower-body) – Out for season
Carey Price, G (leg) – Out indefinitely, maybe out for season
Ducks
Shawn Horcoff, C (suspension) – Suspended 20 games
Brandon Pirri, C (ankle) – On injured reserve
Chris Stewart, RW (jaw) – Out 4-8 weeks
Hot
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, OTT – Pageau had a nice little run in the postseason a couple years ago, but, beyond that, hasn't done a ton at the NHL level before this year. He's also only 23, and this is his first year with over 50 games played. He's made the most of his first full season, especially recently. Pageau scored twice Tuesday against St. Louis, and this gives him a six-game point streak. He's just cracked the 30-point plateau, but he also had a four-game point streak early in February, so he can get streaky.
Vincent Trocheck, C, FLA – Trocheck tallied two helpers against Winnipeg on Tuesday. Reilly Smith's two goals, giving him over 20 on the season, may stick out more, but he hasn't been hot recently. Trocheck has four points in his last four games, and five in his last six. He has 40 points on the season, and Florida is heading to the playoffs with a boosted lineup. Trocheck can keep this up.
Cold
Paul Stastny, C, STL – One of the players the Blues would like to see get going down the stretch, and in the postseason, is Stastny, who never seemed to get over his early season injury. He has zero goals in his last 10 games, and one point in his last seven. He only has 30 points on the year. Sure, that's around the same number as Pageau, in less games, but perception means something. So does being hot versus being cold.
Sam Bennett, C, CGY – Bennett does have two points in his last three games. However, to look at that another way, he has two points in his last seven games, and three in his last 10 contests. Also, they are all assists. He has no goals in those games. Bennett is also a minus-8 in his last 10 games, and the Flames aren't likely to be better down the stretch after trading off a few pieces at the deadline. That could mean more chances for Bennett, but it could also mean a worse plus/minus.
Recommended Pickup
Nino Niederreiter, RW, MIN – It seems like people have been disappointed in Niederreiter for decades now, but he's only 23 and he had 24 goals last year, albeit with only 13 assists. Good news; he already has 19 assists. He had one on Tuesday, along with two goals, giving him 14 on the year. Niederreiter is a talented offensive player, and the Wild have come out of their funk since changing up the head coaching situation. Now is the time to buy into Minnesota players, and Niederreiter is a fine option.
