DEADLINE WEEK: WILL THE RICH GET RICHER?

COLUMBUS, OH — Team No-Sleep, assemble! That’s right. It’s trade deadline week and many across the NHL will be glued to their cellphones waiting for the next shoe to drop and the next big move to go down.

As we approach Friday’s 3pm ET deadline, contenders are upping their efforts to bolster their rosters for a playoff push and Stanley Cup run this spring.

Last week was fairly quiet. Speaking with General Managers, team representatives and agents over this past week, the week before the deadline’s home stretch reverted back to a game of chicken, as everyone waited to see who makes the first move.

We saw a couple moves occur on Saturday, and that should get the ball rolling as we start a new week.

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell told me over the weekend he would like to add, but it must be the right fit both on the ice and in the room. While he wouldn’t confirm it, separate sources indicated the Blue Jackets were in on Gustav Nyquist before the Nashville Predators moved him to Minnesota, as I reported Saturday evening.

The Blue Jackets are within striking distance of second-place in the Metropolitan Division and Waddell would like to add secondary scoring up front.

They aren’t alone.

Several playoff contenders are looking for extra firepower up front, while some want to add depth on the backend.

The Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights are all looking to make impact additions to their rosters.

The Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes are exploring depth acquisitions, some greater than others, by Friday’s deadline.

The Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Utah Hockey Club and New York Rangers are all lurking in the weeds.

We know the Rangers are trying to move Reilly Smith, but dealing him after moving out Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey are strategic moves due to their contractual statuses, and doesn’t necessarily mean they’re giving up on the season. If they can add someone who fits their roster and has term, they’d do it.

The Stars and Panthers could have very interesting weeks. Dallas already made a bold move when they acquired Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from San Jose, while Florida brought in Seth Jones on Saturday and are banking on him reclaiming his game. Both teams have salary cap space to play with – as I reported last week, there is word Miro Heiskanen won’t be healthy until closer to the end of the first-round, while I reported during 4 Nations that Matthew Tkachuk won’t be ready until the playoffs, either.

If the New York Islanders move out Brock Nelson, the Stars will be right there. They’ve expressed interest – Colorado and Winnipeg are also hot for him – and Isles GM Lou Lamoriello should be able to maximize a return if he decides to sell.

Panthers GM Bill Zito will see what’s available up front and we all know he isn’t afraid to make a bold move. I suspect they’ll look at a depth goaltender, as well.

There are a lot of eyes on the St. Louis Blues and Seattle Kraken, as both clubs have multiple pieces in play, most of whom have term remaining on their respective contracts.

Brayden Schenn is at the forefront in St. Louis, but Blues GM Doug Armstrong – also unafraid of shaking things up – is willing to listen on almost anyone. Even as they sit within striking distance of a wildcard spot in the West, the Blues could make a significant move or two this week.

In Seattle, Brandon Tanev is expected to be shipped out, while fellow pending-UFA Yanni Gourde may be on the move, as well. Is a return to Tampa Bay in the cards, or will a club like Ottawa, Toronto or Winnipeg swoop in? Kraken GM Ron Francis is also listening on the likes of Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaden Schwartz.

Pittsburgh has a lot of people curious. What will the Penguins do? They are still willing to listen on their players, but President & GM Kyle Dubas is not about to sell off multiple pieces for future assets. The Penguins want to address the now and the then, which is a tough task set by ownership, but it is what it is.

It sounds like Dubas is still open to calls on Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Grzelcyk and others, but some will be harder to justify moving than others. If a team wants Rakell, they are going to have to pay a premium to get him. Same goes for Rust, who has a no-movement clause.

Karlsson, who also owns a NMC, is open to a move to a contender. One report I looked in to suggested the Stars could be a fit, but I’m told that is very unlikely. His performance during 4 Nations caught eyeballs, even though his play with the Penguins since has been questionable. Would Dubas retain part of his deal?

The next four and a half days should be entertaining – for all our sakes, I hope that holds true. It is the silly season, after all. Let’s see which teams get silly.

WHAT EXPANSION PROCESS?

As I’ve reported numerous times, the NHL is going to continue to grow. Speaking with owners across the League, the belief is the NHL will eventually climb to 36 franchises before putting a halt on things.

With the way the NHL has grown over the years, and with the trajectory pointing nowhere but up, the League has the opportunity to expand given the amount of interest there is in owning a franchise.

But as I’ve stated, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly have repeatedly relayed, the NHL is not going through a full-scale bidding process when the next round of expansion begins.

Why? They don’t have to.

The NHL does not need to go out and solicit interest. They’re generating it on a regular basis. Multiple groups have been vying for a team in Atlanta and the NHL met with another group last month about New Orleans. We know there is interest in bringing a team back to Phoenix and in markets like Houston, San Diego, Omaha, and others.

So, for that reason, when the League expands, it will be done their way, as Bettman explained to me on Saturday’s pregame edition of “The Hot Stove” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio in Columbus when I asked him for an update on the subject.

“We’re not envisioning, anytime soon, a formal expansion process. You want team, submit application by certain (deadline)... we’re not doing that,” Bettman said.

“There are really four things, at 10,000 feet, you look at, if you’re going to expand: ownership, market, arena and does it make the League stronger to be there. People come in, they ask us about it, they express interest and if somebody comes in and says ‘okay, we can check where four boxes, here we go,’ then we’ll take a look at it and see what, if anything, the Board wants to do. But there’s no mandate to expand anytime soon. We’ve got 32 franchises well located, our franchisees have probably never been in better shape; they’re all healthy, the game is good. So, you know, if it happens it’ll happen because somebody got it all together.”

Vernon Krause’s group seems to be the frontrunner in Atlanta. His proposed entertainment district, The Gathering at South Forsyth, is moving forward and the NHL will be reviewing plans this month. Could they be No.33?

The NHL isn’t overly concerned about symmetry, so long as the final number is achievable. With the amount of interest out there, it looks like they have an opportunity to hit that mark in the coming years.

HERE AND THERE

• If the New York Islanders enter the seller’s market later this week, we’ll hear noise about Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and J-G Pageau. Another name that may pop up: Anders Lee. The Isles captain has a 15-team no-trade list.

• On Saturday, during the pregame edition of “The Hot Stove” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Waddell told us he expects to get a contract extension ironed out with Mathieu Olivier “soon,” but he wasn’t as confident when discussing Ivan Provorov. My sense, though, is unless the Blue Jackets are blown away with a trade offer, they will keep him for their own playoff run and hope to sign him before July 1.

• The addition of Seth Jones makes Aaron Ekblad’s future in South Florida that much murkier. They tested the trade waters last June but held on to him. He wants to stay, that much is clear, but will he take a “hometown discount” to sign an extension? There is some talk he may have to if he wants to stick around beyond this season.

• I reported over the weekend that Buffalo is trying to trade defenceman Henri Jukuharju, who will become a UFA this summer. His stock went up after 4 Nations and while he hasn’t asked for a trade, he would welcome a change of scenery. The Sabres are trying to oblige.

• Edmonton says they aren’t in the goalie market, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to make a splash elsewhere. Oilers GM Stan Bowman is exploring options, including moving out Evander Kane and his contract, and is trying to make sure he has cap space to make an impact addition to the roster. There’s been chatter over Viktor Arvidsson, but he has a full NMC.

• The Los Angeles Kings have been looking for a scoring winger for some time. They aren’t exclusively fishing in the rental pond, either.

• Everyone keeps waiting for Vegas to do something big, again.

• If the Maple Leafs are willing to move out Fraser Minten, the Flyers are willing to take him for Scott Laughton.

• Les Canadiens are playing it coy, as they should. They do not necessarily need to move out guys like Jake Evans, Joel Armia and David Savard for draft picks, but the higher the pick offered by a potential buyer, the better the chances. Montreal has explored moves for players in their early-to-mid 20s, as well, and that could trickle into the summer.

• Luke Kunin and Mario Ferraro seem to be the Sharks most talked about heading into the week.

• Several teams would like to get their hands on Ryan Donato. The Chicago Blackhawks have contemplated signing him, as well. We’ll see what GM Kyle Davidson ends up doing, but there is no shortage of trade interest.