NHL Rumor Mill – February 24, 2026
Check out the latest on the Flames’ Nazem Kadri, the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck, the Predators’ Steven Stamkos, the Canucks’ Evander Kane, and more in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
A NAZEM KADRI TRADE SEEMS INEVITABLE
SPORTSNET: Eric Francis believes it’s not a question of if the Calgary Flames trade Nazem Kadri, but when.
Kadri remains focused on helping the Flames, insisting he doesn’t have one foot out the door. However, the 34-year-old center acknowledged that his future remains in the hands of the club’s management. He admitted having discussions about his future with general manager Craig Conroy, but declined to elaborate.
Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (NHL Images).
What complicates things is Kadri’s contract. He’s signed through 2028-29 with an average annual value of $7 million and a 13-team no-trade list. Francis believes plenty of contenders would love to have him as a second-line center, but the Flames would have to retain a healthy portion of his salary cap hit.
Francis pointed out that the Flames only have one salary retention spot left for this season. He speculated they could use that to maximize the return if they trade winger Blake Coleman. That would leave Conroy waiting until the summer to move Kadri, when two more retention spots open up.
TSN: Darren Dreger reported the Flames have received strong offers for Kadri, who has 10 goals and 39 points in 56 games this season. He believes they could hang onto the veteran center until other centers, such as Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers, come off the market, hoping that it will increase Kadri’s value.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If the Flames retain part of Kadri’s cap hit, they could insist on a sweetener in the deal. Hanging onto him to wait for other centers to be moved could be risky if those centers don’t move until the final hours before the trade deadline.
Nevertheless, Kadri being under contract beyond this season works to the Flames’ advantage. If they don’t receive suitable proposals from other clubs by the trade deadline, they can afford to wait for the offseason for better offers, especially from teams with plentiful cap room trying to improve their depth at center.
THE WILD AND RED WINGS ARE AMONG THE CLUBS INTERESTED IN VINCENT TROCHECK
RG.ORG: James Murphy reports sources believe Vincent Trocheck will be moved by the March 6 trade deadline if he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause. Like Kadri, the 32-year-old center is signed through 2028-29. He carries an AAV of $5.625 million and a 12-team no-trade list.
The Minnesota Wild are considered the front-runners for Trocheck. One source told Murphy that the Rangers’ asking price is prospect Charlie Stramel and maybe the Wild’s first or second-round pick in 2027.
Sources also said the Detroit Red Wings are interested in Trocheck. Murphy wondered if they’d be willing to part with rookie defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka and a prospect goaltender such as Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: As Murphy pointed out, the Rangers are seeking young players who can either immediately join their roster or those on the cusp.
The Wild traded three of their top prospects to the Vancouver Canucks in the Quinn Hughes trade. That’s why young goaltender Jesper Wallstedt has been frequently mentioned as a trade chip to bring in a center.
Comparing the respective prospect pools for the Wild and Red Wings, the latter has the advantage in tradeable assets. Whether the Wings will part with any of them for Trocheck remains to be seen. They might be willing to move Cossa or Augustine, but it seems unlikely that they’ll part with the promising Sandin-Pellikka.
STEVEN STAMKOS SHOOTS DOWN TRADE SPECULATION
THE ATHLETIC: Joe Smith reports Steven Stamkos isn’t sweating the upcoming NHL trade deadline. The 34-year-old Nashville Predators forward has been the subject of trade rumors this season.
Stamkos acknowledged that those rumors come with the territory for a playoff bubble team like the Predators. However, he said he’s not worried about it because he’s got a full no-movement clause on his contract, which runs through 2027-28. Stamkos said he hasn’t had any discussions about it with management.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos isn’t going anywhere unless he wants to move. By the sound of things, he’s happy in Nashville.
FLYERS DEFENSEMAN RASMUS RISTOLAINEN GARNERING INTEREST
DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco reports there’s been growing interest in Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen in recent weeks. He claimed five or six teams have checked in on the 31-year-old right-shot blueliner.
Ristolainen is signed through next season with an AAV of $5.1 million. He lacks no-trade protection. Di Marco claims the Flyers seek a return comparable to what the Boston Bruins received in last year’s Brandon Carlo trade or what the Montreal Canadiens got for Ben Chiarot four years ago.
Di Marco indicated that Ristolainen doesn’t seem particularly fond of the idea of getting traded. Nevertheless, the Flyers are believed to be willing to retain part of his cap hit to facilitate a deal for the right price. Di Marco claimed the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers are among the interested teams, but neither club has stepped up as a serious landing spot.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ristolainen has popped up often in the rumor mill near the past two trade deadlines. His value in this year’s trade market could be hampered by his injury history.
For those who might be wondering, the Bruins received forward Fraser Minten, a conditional first-round pick in 2026, and a 2025 fourth-rounder from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Carlo. The Canadiens received a prospect, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-rounder from the Florida Panthers for Chiarot.
THE LATEST CANUCKS SPECULATION
THE ATHLETIC: Thomas Drance reports the Vancouver Canucks are willing to listen to offers for just about everybody on the roster. However, they aren’t actively shopping their half-dozen expensive veterans with several years remaining on their contracts and some form of no-trade protection.
The Canucks are in the market for draft picks and prospects, but they’re also open to players with term left on their deals who can provide short and medium-term help.
Evander Kane is drawing some interest in the trade market. He’s eligible for unrestricted free-agent status and carries a $5.15 million cap hit this season. The Canucks are willing to retain half of it to facilitate a deal. Drance believes the 34-year-old winger could be a fallback option for the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, or Colorado Avalanche.
CANUCKS ARMY: TSN’s Darren Dreger believes there’s enough interest in Kane to make a trade plausible. He suggested a deal might likely get done sometime this week.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane’s recent postseason history will make him enticing as a depth addition for a contender, especially if the Canucks are willing to retain salary. He could cost at most a third-round pick.
THE PROVINCE: Ben Kuzma believes the Canucks will attempt to peddle their UFA-eligible players such as Kane, Teddy Blueger, and David Kampf.
Kuzma claims Canucks high-priced center Elias Pettersson is still drawing interest in the trade market. He said he was told to check out the Detroit Red Wings, who need a second-line center.
The Red Wings have the cap space to take on Pettersson’s $11.6 million AAV, but he does hold the hammer with his full no-movement clause. Kuzma wonders if they’ll part with center Marco Kasper and prospect Nate Danielson, plus a 2026 first-rounder and a conditional 2027 first-round pick.
Kuzma also wondered if wingers Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk could be trade candidates.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Never say never when it comes to an expensive, struggling player such as Pettersson getting traded. He could waive his NMC for an opportunity to join a rising young team in Detroit. However, I don’t think Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman would offer up that much to get him. Maybe Kasper or Danielson with one of those picks.
WILL THE OILERS FIND A TAKER FOR ANDREW MANGIAPANE?
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Jim Matheson reports Oilers GM Stan Bowman will have to work some salary-cap gymnastics to free up salary for his cap-strapped club to bolster their defense and add a third-line center.
Bowman has attempted to move little-used winger Andrew Mangiapane and his $3.6 million cap hit through next season, but hasn’t drummed up much interest. They’ll likely have to add a draft pick or prospect as a sweetener.
Meanwhile, Matheson’s colleague David Staples reports NHL insider Frank Seravalli has said he expects the Oilers will move Mangiapane within the next three or four days. Seravalli believes they’ll use the cap space freed up by moving him to bring in a winger with size who can score.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see if Mangiapane will be moved by the deadline. There are conflicting views here on what the Oilers are seeking, but the consensus among Edmonton pundits has them looking for a right-side top-four defenseman to play alongside Darnell Nurse.
Interesting that Postava and Gylander have better SA% than Cossa in Grand Rapids! I would think either one of them would garner quite a bit of interest a well!
Cossa .937 SA%, Postava .938 SA%, Gylander .943 SA%
Had a dream last night that Kadri went to a NYC club for 4 prospects………and one of them was named Modano………..
I don’t think either of the NYC teams would be vying for him, but Buffalo could have a fit. Kadri might nix Buffalo though.
Yeah Johnny I dont see Buffalo as a desired destination for Kadri. But I do see Conroy retaining $2.0 mill to alleviate the cap concerns. If Kadri were a pending UFA this summer he would easily get a 3 or 4 year deal in that $5.0 mill range.
Kadri’s dad is a staunch Hab fan, I still see the fit with them. A $2.0 mill retained Kadri for Xheja, 2026 1st & Laine (cap dump) isnt a big futures price to pay for a Centre that easily slots on 2nd line C & vet presence for that young playoff team. Flames need Xheja as they bring in the likes of their young smaller talented players like Parekh. Kadri would be a good placeholder as Hage gets NHL ready in the next few years.
Yes, but a $2.0 mill retained Kadri for Xheja, 2026 1st & Anderson (cap dump) would be more palatable for Calgary.
Yeah true Johnny. But I think Montreal may want to hang on to Anderson for the grind of the playoffs. Laine just isnt a fit with them period. If you are wanting more perhaps you can get a 2027 conditional 3rd that turns into a 2nd if they reach the Conference finals or something like that.
If Detroit trades away a goalie, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s Augustine. Cossa is finally showing himself to be the goalie they hoped he would become. He, along with the rest of the GR Griffins are having a stellar season. Augustine is still playing in the NCAA so Detroit isn’t sure what he can do yet.
Cossa is having a good season, but one thing to keep in mind is he has veteran NHL defensemen playing in front of him (Holl and Gustafson) playing against AHL talent. That is shading his numbers a bit.
Still agree overall, he’s the more stable prospect, but he’s still lagging a bit compared to his expectations. He will always be compared to Wallstedt who was rated as the better prospect, and Yzerman chose Cossa over him. Currently Wallstedt is in the NHL and putting up great numbers. Hopefully Cossa was worth the gamble. Yzerman took the same kind of gamble with Vasilylevsky.
Me personally, would love the Canucks start accumulating drsft picks for the 2027 draft class. People are sleeping as of now on that 27 class. It is a stacked class with 4 players that could change a franchise. It is also being dubbed a new golden generation of Russian superstars are en route.
Sergei Skvortsov will be the next NHL Superstar ( Bure/ Fedorov type ) alongside Nazar Privalov who already has Lindros Size and an Ovechkin shot at age 16. Then the kid in the Q Alexis Joseph who has Vincent Lecavalier comparisions. What a class.
Nav if your right, Boston should hold onto their 2 first round picks in 27
Oh yeah. Honestly they should move that Toronto pick to 2027 if that’s what you mean? Doesn’t it become an unprotected 1st.
It is interesting to see no leafs being moved!! Why the leafs should sit and wait
67Leafs Dreaming
I do think the Leafs will be moving out players.
McMann, Laughton, and Jarnkrok most likely, and hopefully Domi
Any possibility that Drury sends Trochek to MIN for Walsteadt then flips him for other assets? Possibly peddle him to a team that sends back an established back-up goalie?
Any thoughts of Binnington to EDM? I can’t see the Oilers going into the playoffs with two big question marks in net. Sending back Mangiapane + would help make the dollars work. EDM is up tight to the cap so they’ll need retention to make moves or will need to shed salary to fill holes at RD, 3rd line Forward, and possibly in net.
Going to be an interesting TDL
Habs have a new RD at practise today.
https://x.com/Cook_Marco/status/2026330348628378087
I don’t see NYR trading Trocheck to Minny or Detroit if the centerpiece coming back is built around a goalie.
Igor just started year 1 of an 8 year deal, so a goaltending need in the next 1/2 decade should not be their priority.
They need young speed across the forward and defensive pairings.
foley. Was thinking same. Whether it’s Costa or Wallstedt, why would Rangers take either? Shesterkin was injured but NY already gave up on this season.
Detroit needs to trade for a player with an edge. They have a talented but soft lineup. Need to remember what the playoffs are like with tough 7 game series that take a toll on their body. That s why guys like Evander Kane are drawing interest.
The Oilers seem to be managed by people with dubious judgment. They need a top 4 RD….how about Brett Kulak ? Or that kid in St.Louis ?
Dubious? That is putting it kindly.
Let’s get younger…but at the cost of some of our edgier players (Kane, Perry, brown)
Let’s improve (lateral at best) our goaltending (jarry) by losing depth on D (kulak)
Let’s keep fringe players on our roster (regula) while losing Stecher on waivers
Let’s hand out nmc clauses like candy to people coming off challenging seasons (mangiapane)
Let’s sign people to 8 year contracts after playing a dozen games for us (frederic)
Yes Dubious is putting it kindly. And I supported some of the moves, still do, but cripes when you lay it out it seems dubious doesnt it?
The Penguins acquired Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick from the Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Brett Kulak.
Avs had to give a sweetener to trade Sammy???????
A bigger move is coming.
Colorado’s GM Chris McFarland really put the thread through the needle with this deal in opening themselves to $10.82MM for the deadline. In addition, expanding their cap space this summer from $8MM to $13MM. Talk about a financial reconstruction domino effect, in putting yourself in a more flexible position moving forward on 2 counts. That’s a managerial win.
Johnny, I agree with you that a bigger move could be coming for the Avs. MacFarland cleared considerable cap space, and there’s already speculation that he’s going after another center, with some folks wondering if he’ll try and bring back Nazem Kadri, while others think he’s targeting Trocheck. We’ll see what unfolds soon, but yes, the Avalanche aren’t done making moves before the deadline.
The trade is a win on paper for pens…. But kulak was such a good partner to tanger. Hope this isn’t a nod to Crosby’s injury
Chrisms: It might be more of an acknowledgement about the decline in Letang’s performance.