The NHL trade deadline is two months from today.
That might seem like a long time from now, and in some ways it is. There are some teams that don’t even know whether they are buyers or sellers yet, and the next two months will go a long way toward answering those questions.
But this year is different than most. Trade activity could pick up a lot faster than usual—meaning the deadline two months from now will prompt deals, but some of the biggest moves could come in January or early February instead of the first week of March.
Why?
This year, an international tournament called the 4 Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12-20. The event will bring together the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden to determine which nation will be crowned champion.
Maybe you know a lot about this already, or maybe it’s new to you. The NHL organized the event, which will take place in host cities Montreal and Boston, as what it hopes will be a more exciting replacement for this year’s All-Star game.
Believe it or not, Gary Bettman might have gotten something right this time.
The All-Star Game generated about as much excitement as a cable TV rerun. The action was meaningless; the players coasted through the exhibition, and the game could not capture casual fans’ attention no matter how many times organizers changed the format.
Ultimately, the reason the All-Star Game was so boring was that the players didn’t care too much about whether they won or lost. Nobody was losing sleep over the outcome.
This year, the players will care. They will wear their country’s colors on their sweaters. They will all have a shot at the title, and they will do whatever it takes to win.
No more All-Star Game paddy-cakes shenanigans. This tournament will include a fair mix of blood and sweat—tears, to be determined.
So what does all of this have to do with the trade deadline?
Because players care about the 4 Nations Face-Off, and because they will be playing as hard as they can, there is a much better chance of injuries taking place.
Take New York Islanders center Brock Nelson, for example, who will be playing for Team USA.
Nelson could be one of the best players available on the trade market. The 33-year-old from Warroad, Minn., has 21 points (10 G, 11 A) in 40 games this season.
In 12 seasons, all with the Islanders, Nelson has tallied 285 goals and 267 assists for 552 points. He has never gone a season without double-digit goals. He also has 78 playoff games under his belt, and he has 50 points (27 G, 23 A) in those high-stakes contests.
This has been a brutal season for the Islanders, who sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Nelson is in the last season of his contract. All the ingredients are in place for New York to move him to a contender in exchange for prospects or draft picks.
However, come Feb. 12, Nelson will feel the rush of playing for Team USA. There is a more than zero chance of injury. Wouldn’t it be smarter for the Islanders to move him before the tournament instead of waiting until closer to the March 7 deadline.
Other teams could find themselves asking the same questions.
The New York Rangers could shop Chris Kreider, who will play for Team USA, and Mika Zibanejad, who is set to play for Team Sweden. Maybe the Nashville Predators look to move Gustav Nyquist (Team Sweden). Could the San Jose Sharks shop Mikael Granlund (Team Sweden).
There is still a lot to sort out in the standings. Every trade season is different, and we don’t know the full picture yet about which teams will be most aggressive and what types of players they will look to acquire.
We might start to get those answers soon. Not two months from now at the deadline, but within the next few weeks as the 4 Nations Face-Off approaches.
