In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Buffalo Sabres could have worked their way into becoming the front-runners for Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson. Elsewhere, Sean Monahan has suffered a significant setback in his recovery after a wrist injury. Finishing today off, the Edmonton Oilers are beginning to look at their trade deadline plans, and there are some ideas on what they are looking for.
Sabres Become Front-Runners for Pettersson
After Mikko Rantanen was traded, all eyes went right back to the Canucks and what they would opt to do with their two top centers. On Saturday Headlines, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Buffalo Sabres have become the front-runners for Pettersson, and while they have been a team that has made sense, there haven’t been many reports that they have been involved lately.
Back when the Pettersson and Miller rumors started, Friedman had suggested that Bowen Byram and Dylan Cozens are two players that would make sense to build a trade around for both sides, and it seems that those two still fit the bill. Friedman stated that while he believes that a deal like that would make sense, he isn’t sure that any trade talks have specifically involved them. The Canucks and Sabres have had trade talks, and they have been surrounding Pettersson, but the exact framework of a deal they could be working on is unknown.
After missing the playoffs for 13 seasons, and heading toward another playoff-less season, the Sabres should be looking at a change like this. Bringing in a true superstar center helps any team, but for one that has struggled as much as they have, it makes a ton of sense. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are, without a doubt, excellent players, but Pettersson has been at that level longer and has had more success. Moving out some of the plethora of young talent the Sabres have likely won’t hurt the future, and if it is Byram and Cozens that the Canucks want, they have the assets to be able to do that and still have young players in those roles.
Sean Monahan Suffers Setback with Wrist Injury
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that Monahan’s timeline for a return to the lineup has been pushed back for another six to eight weeks. After signing with the Blue Jackets in the offseason, Monahan was off to an excellent start and was one of the key pieces in supporting the team in their playoff hunt. They have overperformed based on general expectations in the offseason, but they have proven now that they belong there.
Monahan posted 14 goals and 41 points in 41 games so far this season, and this new injury timeline places him with a return date just near the trade deadline.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Boone Jenner Inching Closer to Return to Lineup
The Blue Jackets currently sit in the second wildcard spot and are keeping pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference race. With Boone Jenner, Erik Gudbranson, Yegor Chinakov, and now Monahan out, the fact that Columbus is still in the hunt has proven that the roster deserves to be rewarded with an addition. The Blue Jackets have struggled over the past few seasons, but with a ton of resilience shown this year, it makes a lot of sense for general manager Don Waddell to make an addition to the lineup ahead of the trade deadline.
Edmonton Oilers Deadline Plans
In a recent post by Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic, he dives into the trade deadline plans for the Oilers (from “What I’m hearing about the Oilers’ plans 6 weeks from trade deadline day”, The Athletic, Jan. 25, 2025). There is still a lot of uncertainty around Evander Kane and his knee operation, and whether or not he will return in the regular season, but Nugent-Bowman thinks the organization believes he will be out until the playoffs. His $5.125 million on the salary cap could be utilized if he isn’t going to return, but with over a month to go, the Oilers aren’t facing pressure on that quite yet.
Nugent-Bowman also looks at the goals for the Oilers at the deadline and notes that adding a defenseman is likely, and improving their center depth is probable.
On defense, there weren’t any names listed, but with the addition of John Klingberg already and claiming Alec Regula on waivers in December, the Oilers already have a logjam of defensemen. Nugent-Bowman expects that it will be hard to see Regula get into NHL action, and is likely to join Josh Brown and Troy Stecher as organizational depth. Klingberg is going to take some time to get into but the Oilers don’t see him as just a risk worth taking, but rather an impactful player for them.
For the forwards, Nugent-Bowman listed former Oiler Nick Bjugstad, and Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans as potential candidates for improving the center depth. He also mentions Jonathan Toews but says it is a long shot to sign him before the trade deadline as he hasn’t resumed skating yet and is more of a target for next season.
