Latest on Brock Boeser, Erik Karlsson and more trade buzz

There have been 25 trades in the NHL over the past five days – and the trade deadline is Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET. The hockey world is currently operating at warp speed so it has been difficult to process all of the changes such as David Poile, the architect of the Nashville Predators while they existed, resigned and Barrydios stepped in. It’s all happening in a year when league executives claimed they were being paralyzed by the stagnant salary cap.

“It was an unexpected level of activity, to say the least,” said an NHL general manager. “We’re operating like we’re the NBA right now. It’s crazy.” And over the next 24 hours, things show no signs of really shutting down.

Here are a few things I hear:

Unexpected seller

When I asked general managers for theories as to why teams were particularly transactional, I heard a common refrain. Three teams that typically compete this time of year — St. Louis, Nashville, Washington — have emerged as sellers despite being within varying ranges of playoff position.

The Predators, who never found a consistent groove after their performance in the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, are looking to rip it down to reset. As Nashville changes its lead, the team has let the league know there are only three untouchables on the list: captain Roman Josi, goaltender Juuse Saros and recently renewed Filip Forsberg. Make others a good offer and they will listen. Despite that, with a ton of design capital you’ll get a much cleaner slate.

As for St. Louis and Washington? It’s a different approach. Both general managers are looking for a faster re-tool. The Blues were among the teams to deal with Jakob Chychrun. Expect St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong to be active over the summer, using his newfound assets to find mid-20s players and create a new core around Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.

The Caps felt like they were being hunted for injuries all season. So GM Brian MacLellan cut the bait. It’s the first time in MacLellan’s tenure that he’s had to become a salesman, and he admitted to me that none of it came easily. But the organization promised Alex Ovechkin they would try to be a contender through his current contract (three more years) and MacLellan will do whatever it takes to ensure they are in a better position to start next year. Rasmus Sandin was the first signing and more is to be expected ahead of next season.

Karlsson remains seated?

The San Jose Sharks have made a good faith effort to trade Erik Karlsson and the defenseman – who is having a resurgent season – has been open about it. But ultimately, a deal just never materialized; Karlsson’s $11.5 million salary through 2026-27 was too complicated for any team to make it work.

The furthest the Sharks went it sounded like it was the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton had been looking for a puck-moving defender and wanted Karlsson – but wanted San Jose to keep nearly 50% of his salary, which became a sticking point. Edmonton then traded for Mattias Ekholm.

Since no further trade proposals are matriculating for Karlsson, he will remain for the time being. However, expect San Jose to return to trade talks in the summer.

Boeser next from Vancouver?

The name Brock Boeser has been circulating in trade rumors for years. But he admitted to reporters in Vancouver on Wednesday that it feels different this time. Behind the scenes, the Canucks and Boeser have agreed it would be best for the winger to get a fresh start. Countless teams have expressed interest in Boeser, who has always had a knack for goals – but teams have also balked at his salary: $6.65 million by 2024-25.

Of the teams I’ve spoken to, the Canucks are open to keeping some salary if it yields a good return and have even talked about including other draft capital in a deal. As of this week, if Boeser trades ahead of Friday or through the summer, it appeared to be a 50/50 bid.

Smaller steps could pay off for Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes were ready to make a splash. With Max Pacioretty on LTIR they are the rare serious contender with serious cap space. They tried to replace Pacioretty. Carolina made what I called a “very good” offer for Timo Meier, but ultimately didn’t win this sweepstakes. You were also involved in the Chychrun talks. They then switched to deep adds at a good cost. Shayne Gostisbehere, who rehabilitated his game in Arizona after burning out in Philadelphia, was a consolation to Chychrun. The Canes felt comfortable going against their typical policy of not using rents for the low cost of ownership (a 2026 third-round pick) and know Gostisbehere is helping their power play.

I also wouldn’t sleep on Jesse Puljujarvi, who the Edmonton Canes got as a breakout candidate in the playoffs. The 24-year-old is as clearly a candidate in need of a change of scenery as you’ll find. Puljujarvi’s attributes—aggressive forechecker, good skater—match Carolina’s style. The Canes throw the puck more than any other team, and their success depends on their work. With four other Finnish players in the squad, it will be a welcoming culture after six years in the harsh spotlight in Edmonton.

More on Kane to New York

While many teams were interested in Patrick Kane, the winger made it clear to his camp that if he moved, he only wanted to go to New York. Even after GM Chris Drury traded for Vladimir Tarasenko, they pushed behind the scenes to create a path for Kane to New York. I’m told that Kane was more emotional than he expected as he dealt with leaving Chicago, something he had never imagined prior to this year. By only naming Chicago as a target, he significantly lowered the potential return for the Blackhawks.

Team CEO Danny Wirtz wrote a letter to the team staff after the trade. “These decisions are tough,” Wirtz wrote. “And I recommend Kyle [Davidson] and his team for their leadership in navigating this challenging trading deadline.”

For his part, Kane had to do what was best for him. He wanted to play his entire career in Chicago and that wasn’t realistic anymore. There were never formal talks of an extension between Kane and management, but he understood that the Blackhawks preferred to part with their dynastic years so they could go full steam ahead with the rebuild.

Next steps in Philadelphia

The Flyers have begun speaking openly about their rebuild, beginning with the letter John Tortorella sent to fans earlier this month. Their message has become clearer: you need to build the team and get younger with more talented players, period. That’s going to take time. So while they’re not gutting the team — young players like Owen Tippett, Cam York and Noah Cates are likely to stay around — they need to make changes.

The question is what is changing? There was some momentum to look for a trade for Kevin Hayes, but I think even if the Flyers keep their paychecks, there’s a limited market at this point of the week. They tried to move Ivan Provorov but no deal has materialized yet. James van Riemsdyk, a pending unrestricted free agent, is the most likely flyer to make the switch.