NHL 2024-25 Recap Week 21 NHL trade deadline, top of the Atlantic heats up, Lightning are a darkhorse

Another NHL trade deadline has concluded with the usual head-scratching trades.

Brad Marchand was traded away from Boston, the only home he's ever known, after they couldn't negotiate a contract. That happens, but it's the destination that's eye-popping. The Bruins traded him to the Florida Panthers, a division rival who knocked them out two years in a row. They also traded away Charlie Coyle, one of their best centers. General Manager Don Sweeney said they couldn't just run it back, which is true. But you do not improve by trading away your two best players for minimal returns. The Bruins promptly crushed the Tampa Bay Lighting, but it's only one game. What's odd is that Marchand could return next season. But wouldn't that be running it back?

The Dallas Stars have been my favorite team to win it all the last two years, and I'm sticking with them. They clearly wanted to get over the hump as they added Mikko Rantanen. But I hate it. Only two trade deadline deals have delivered a Stanley Cup in the last twenty years. This one might also work, but they gave up wayyyyy too much. Logan Stankoven is a third-line center, but he's a quality one. They also gave up four picks, two first-rounders and two third-rounders. The Stars are excellent at drafting, especially with later picks, but you can't draft without picks. The Stars also lost two picks to acquire Mikael Granlund. I never would have made this deal, but I hope it works out. It's odd that the Stars could give Rantanen the contract he wanted, but the Avalanche couldn't. The Stars have way more key players to sign to big contracts.

The Carolina Hurricanes are the true winners. They gave up Jack Drury, Martin Nečas, and a second and fourth-round pick for Rantanen. Two months later, they flipped him for two better picks than what they gave up and two additional. Drury is irrelevant, and Necas is only slightly better than Stankoven. Not bad.

Things I like 

1. The top of the Atlantic Division is as close as the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Only five points separate the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. The teams that don't finish first have to play each other adding to the intrigue. The Lightning and Panthers have been hot lately, the Panthers have won six straight. The Panthers and Maple Leafs play each three times. The first meeting is this Thursday.

2. The Tampa Bay Lightning are my darkhorse Stanley Cup pick. They're an underdog now, but they have playoff experience. They'll have four 30-goal scorers and six with at least 20 by season's end. Before the Bruins' loss, they had scored 47 goals in their last eleven games, scoring five or more goals five times. They are in the top eleven in goals for, against, power play, and penalty kill. All I'm saying is watch out, and I was right about Steven Stamkos. They don't need him.

3. Faceoffs are such a key yet undervalued hockey play. Before the faceoff in the Dallas Stars versus the New Jersey Devils, the commentators brought up how the Stars acquired Mikael Granlund to win faceoffs. Odd because his career-winning percentage is 48.5. But it's improved to 64% as a Star. Anyway, he won the faceoff, and eventually, the puck made its way to Thomas Harley, who scored with five seconds left for the win. You gotta win those faceoffs.

Fights of the Week 

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Adam Lowry vs Anders Lee

It's not the best fight, but slim pickens this week.

Goats of the Week 

Nikita Zadorov - Boston Bruins

With twenty seconds left, Zadorov tries to clear the zone, but his stick breaks. It's hard to fault him, but I'm confident it would have still been a turnover regardless because Seth Jarvis occupied the passing lane.

J.T Miller - New York Rangers

Down 3-1, the Ottawa Senators fight back to force overtime. K'Andre Miller passes the puck, but he needs to go back due to the lane being clogged. Miller breaks away instead of realizing the pass needs to go backward. Tim Stützle picks up the errant pass and passes it to Brady Tkachuk, who scores in his 500th game.

Stat Line of the Week 

3/06/25 Tampa Bay 6 vs. Buffalo 5

Jake Guentzel has been an even bigger force since joining the Lightning. In the second period, he scored his seventh career hat trick, tying the game twice before Oliver Bjorkstrand gave the Lightning the lead for good in the third. Guentzel has a chance to surpass his career-high of 40 goals this season.

Numbers, Numbers 

  1600 – Career NHL points for Alex Ovechkin, the eleventh player to reach the mark

66 – Empty net goals for Alex Ovechkin, 10 more than Wayne Gretzky

259 – Assists for Zach Werenski, becoming the Columbus Blue Jackets franchise leader

1 – Team not in the top six with a positive goal differential, the Blue Jackets

1 – Player to hit the century mark this season, Nathan MacKinnon, the first of probably four

Rankings 

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. Tampa Bay
2. Florida
3. Colorado
4. Vegas
5. Dallas

Bottom 5

30. San Jose
31. Chicago
32. Buffalo
33. Pittsburgh
34. Boston