Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Trade Hits; Yzerplan, #Calderbrini

The Vegas Golden Knights are in a dogfight for the Pacific Division Title. They’re playing leapfrog with the Edmonton Oilers, and the Los Angeles Kings aren’t far behind. It seems that no one wants to face WC1 in the first round of the Playoffs– or, perhaps, they’re all colluding to get a fourth consecutive year of Kings-Oilers in the postseason. The Trade Deadline is a stone’s throw away, and the Golden Knights have made their fair share of successful Deadline deals.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, injuries ravage the Eastern Conference. Teams are coming to terms with their fate as sellers or are preparing to take the next step and make a few trade calls. The San Jose Sharks have long accepted their fate, and the team’s PR has hopped on the ‘Celebrini for Calder’ hype train– or, as they’ve dubbed it, #Calderbrini. Catchy.

Golden Knights News

The race for the Pacific Division grows tighter with every day. The Golden Knights lost to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, the Edmonton Oilers have lost four in a row, and the Kings fell to the Vancouver Canucks in overtime on Wednesday. None of these teams seem excited about the prospect of meeting the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. 

The Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away, and the Golden Knights haven’t made a move. But if history has taught us anything, the Golden Knights like to swing big. That usually works out pretty well for them; here’s a list of the best trades in team history.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

New York Islanders Hockey Now: This is my favorite time of the year. With the Trade Deadline a little over a week away, every game means something. They all play a part in determining which teams will waive the white flag, which will buy even though they shouldn’t, which will go big-game hunting, and which will stand pat. As for the New York Islanders, it’s time for them to sell.

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers are another team destined to sell. It’s hard not to look at the human aspect of trading players. But at the end of the day, it’s nothing personal; it’s just business.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils will be without Jonas Siegenthaler for at least the next few weeks. One silver lining is that two young defensemen will get a chance to prove themselves as NHL regulars.

Colorado Hockey Now: Speaking of the Devils… yeah. This is why the winner of the Pacific Division should be quaking in their boots. On Wednesday, the Avalanche were in top form and kicked the Devils up and down the ice for 60 minutes.

San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks aren’t in the playoff race, but rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini is certainly in contention for the Calder. But he’s got some stiff competition in Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson.

Detroit Hockey Now: The Golden Knights aren’t the only team that needs to address injury-created holes at the deadline. Red Wings center Andrew Copp is done for the season, and the Yzerplan might have to include one of these replacements.

NHL History: On February 27th, 1989, Guy Lafleur scored his 17th and final NHL hat trick.