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NHL Trade Buzz: Updates on Buyers (Stars, Penguins, Kings) and Sellers (Rangers, Predators, Blues)

It’s semifinal day for the men’s bracket at the Winter Olympics. However, as some players start arriving back on North America to report back to their NHL clubs after elimination, there are trade rumors waiting for them. And other guys are starting to work their way back into game shape for the stretch run with a team they might leave at some point in the next two weeks.

The NHL’s Trade Deadline is Friday, March 6 at 2 PM CT. Yes, that’s two weeks from today. With teams getting back on the ice over the last couple days, the rumor mill has defrosted and there’s some percolating buzz again. So let’s jump into some of the latest buzz from around the NHL.

As a reminder: the NHL’s Olympic trade freeze expires on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 10:59 PM CT.

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

NHL Buyers​

• David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was on “Daily Faceoff Live” this week and talked about the Dallas Stars maybe making a bigger move sooner than later — and focused on them potentially adding a center and right-handed defenseman.

“We haven’t seen anything out of Dallas yet. We obviously know about Quinn Hughes going to Minnesota and they’re still looking for a center, but Dallas hasn’t pulled the trigger on a deal yet. We saw them do it early last season, on February 1st they made that deal with San Jose, bringing in [Mikael] Granlund and [Cody] Ceci. That’s still something that Jim Nill would like to do.

“Now, obviously Nill’s with Dubas and Armstrong and everybody out there in Milan, but he’s still working the phones a little bit and that’s going to amplify once he gets back. And I think Jim Nill is certainly somebody that would like to pull the trigger and add both. They’ve got a lot of cap space to play with.”

• For reference, the Stars traded picks in the first and fourth rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft to San Jose for Granlund and Ceci last year before the deadline. Earlier in the Olympic break I wrote about the Blackhawks potentially having the right pieces — center Jason Dickinson and RHD Connor Murphy — to line up for a deal with the Stars. Something to keep an eye on in Chicago.

• On the same episode of “Daily Faceoff Live,” Pagnotta talked about the Kings reacting to losing forward Kevin Fiala for the rest of the season to an injury at the Olympics.

“Even if Fiala was healthy and if nothing went down. So I’ve got to imagine they’re going to amplify their search now. They’ve got cap space, they can add that much more if they throw Fiala on season ending LTIR. I don’t know if it’ll get to that point because I don’t think they’re going to make that huge of a splash or make that many acquisitions, but adding at least one more forward up front. … Yes, they need a center. They need a top two center at the very least by next season. I don’t know if they necessarily pull that off now.”

• Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote — before Sidney Crosby got hurt at the Olympics — that he believes Penguins GM Kyle Dubas could be a buyer before the NHL Trade Deadline in an effort to help bolster Pittsburgh’s playoff chances. Pagnotta recently reported the Pens are considering another extension for veteran forward Evgeni Malkin as well. The Penguins would likely look at dealing draft capital and not move anything off their NHL roster, according to Yohe.

• Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic wrote that the Bruins might be willing to listen on some of their pending free agents even though they’re in the playoff mix. Andrew Peeke and Viktor Arvidsson were mentioned, with Shinzawa saying the Bruins “would not be as quick to break up their second line if the return is for a mid- to late-round selection.” The Bruins’ pipeline leaves a lot to be desired. We’ll see how active they are with where they currently stand in the playoff picture — and owning Toronto’s first-round pick in 2026.

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

NHL Sellers​

• I’ve previously written about the market for right-handed defensemen seemingly being led by Justin Faulk of the Blues. An interesting comment this week from Frank Seravalli on the Blues, who are expected to potentially sell big before the deadline:

“I think the price for a lot of the Blues’ players has turned people off, so Doug Armstrong is going to have to soften on that or else they’re going to be hanging on to their guys.”

• The New York Rangers have placed For Sale signs in front of every locker in the room (except maybe JT Miller?). Mollie Walker of The New York Post reported the San Jose Sharks are believed to be interested in defenseman Braden Schneider.

• Staying on the blue line with the Blue Shirts, player-turned-analyst Mike Rupp has thrown out there that defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov wants out of New York. Yes, the same Vladislav Gavrikov who signed a seven-year, $49M deal with the Rangers… 234 days ago. The left-handed defenseman just turned 30 in late November and was one of the hottest names at last year’s deadline. If a team is looking for a solid defenseman with term, he’s intriguing. It’s those already-committed seasons on the other side of his 35th birthday that would give me pause, however.

• In the latest episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported there was buzz in Milan that Nashville’s ownership was at the Olympics but left before the medal round — and to keep an eye on the Predators being active before the deadline.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2026/02/20/nhl-trade-buzz-updates-feb-20/