Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights Dominant; Trade Deadline Fallout

The Vegas Golden Knights are absolutely rolling. They crushed the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and did so with Reilly Smith back in the lineup for the first time since that glorious night on June 13th, 2023, when they won the Stanley Cup. Kelly McCrimmon had a quiet deadline by his standards, but sometimes, the best trades are the ones you didn’t make.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, Mikko Rantanen found himself a new home in Dallas. It’s the end of an era in Boston; general manager Don Sweeney shipped out long-time Bruin Brad Marchand for pennies. The Colorado Avalanche had a nice trade deadline and are somehow even more formidable than they were a few days ago.

Friday was the trade deadline. Things got intense, so waking up this morning felt like New Year’s Day after a wild night out. If you’re interested in a complete live blog of everything that went down, I’ve got you covered. If you just want the highlights, that’s fine; I’ve got those too.

Golden Knights News

Remember last month when the Golden Knights were in total free-fall? Yeah… I think they’re fine. They’ve won four games in a row and seven of their last eight, including a dominant 4-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

There was a significant period between Reilly Smith’s 399th regular season game as a Golden Knight and his 400th– 694 days, to be exact. But all’s forgiven now; on Friday, he became the first player in franchise history to debut with the Golden Knights for a second time.

The Golden Knights are running away with the Pacific Division. In the standings, they lead the Edmonton Oilers by six points and the Los Angeles Kings by eleven– although the Kings have two games in hand.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Goodbye, Mikko Rantanen; the Carolina Hurricanes hardly knew ye. The most significant trade of deadline day sent Rantanen to the Dallas Stars for Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks, and two third-round picks.

Boston Hockey Now: In the immortal words of Don Schlitz– and later Kenny Rogers– you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em; on Friday, the Bruins folded. It’s the dawn of a new day in Boston. They traded out most of the old guard and moved on from Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand. 

Florida Hockey Now: In 2022, the Panthers traded a haul for Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux. On Friday, the Panthers traded peanuts for Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand. What a world we live in.

Colorado Hockey Now: Two days ago, the Avalanche had a weakness at center. By the time the trade deadline passed on Friday, that was no longer the case; the day after they traded for Brock Nelson, they brought in Charlie Coyle.

Ottawa Hockey Now: A big trade came out of nowhere early on deadline day, and the Senators traded Josh Norris to the Buffalo Sabres for ‘The Workhorse from Whitehorse.’ Welcome to Ottawa, Dylan Cozens.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins sold at the deadline; the biggest deal sent Luke Schenn to the Winnipeg Jets.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks chose not to trade Ryan Donato, but they did move Petr Mrázek.