The Olympic break is looming, and around the league it’s being treated like an unofficial first trade deadline. With front offices weighing roster tweaks and contenders eyeing upgrades, the rumor mill has kicked into overdrive. Insiders are firing off reports at a rapid pace — and as is often the case this time of year, the chatter is plentiful, spirited, and occasionally contradictory.
Artemi Panarin
Elliotte Friedman on 32 thoughts: I think Artemi Panarin’s preference is to go with an extension. I think there are some teams he would potentially go as a rental to. One of the teams I’ve heard he might be interested as a rental potentially is Dallas.
Dave Pagnotta on The Sheet: It sounds like things are starting to progress a little bit more here. With a full no movement clause, he and his agent have a lot of say in this.
Frank Seravalli on Flames Talk: I believe the Hurricanes have been one of those teams, the Capitals, the Kings to a certain extent. I would probably include, although they don’t have the ability as it stands right now, the Panthers.
Kevin Weeks via X: Per sources, as of today, I’m told the following have expressed interest in Panarin; ANA, LA, SJ, VGK, DAL, UT, COL, MIN, SEA, TOR, CAR, WAS, TBL, NYI. More clubs will join, and importantly player has to approve any move first.
Pierre LeBrun on Sports Center: His agent Paul Theofanous has had the green light from the Rangers to contact teams directly. They’re trying to get an extension out of this. Maybe as many as 4 years. That AAV is not gonna be cheap.
Shane Wright
Seravalli on The Big Show: My understanding is that he doesn’t fall into the untouchable category, I don’t believe that they’re actually seeking to move him.
Darren Dreger on Barn Burner: They feel like they’ve got strength up the middle of the ice, that’s why there’s been speculation around Shane Wright. He’s not thrilled with his ice allocation. It’s a fixable relationship, but Botterill is at least listening.
Pagnotta on Sekeres and Price: From Seattle’s side of things, they want an upgrade. This isn’t them packaging him up for Artemi Panarin, this is Jordan Kyrou-esque, somebody in their mid 20s that is controllable.
Elias Pettersson
Seravalli on Kevin Karius: Significant interest, and the Canucks are weighing and managing all that. They have not had any discussions with Pettersson’s camp about potentially waiving that no-move clause, haven’t floated any scenarios.
Pagnotta on Inside Sports: Really the only guys that I get a sense really don’t have a shot at being moved right now: Kevin Lankinen, Brock Boeser, Marcus Pettersson, Filip Hronek; Tyler Myers; the guys they got from Minnesota.
Dreger on Sekeres and Price: I’d put him in a category of unlikely. You’ve gotta have a partner to make a trade like that with a contract like that, and it seems unlikely at this stage.
Columbus Blue Jackets
LeBrun on Oilers Now: The Jackets have not put up the white flag; they hope to put a bunch of wins up here. But if they were sellers, they’re already getting a lot of calls on Charlie Coyle. What that tells me is there just aren’t a lot of centers available.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Pagnotta on The Fourth Period: The red-hot Lightning are looking to add to their roster, and there is chatter they may be willing to dangle prospect Sam O’Reilly for some immediate help.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Dreger on Over Drive: We know that Treliving is still eyeing a defenseman, well if there was a piece that he could bring in he would have done that by now, there’s nobody available that moves the needle.
Dreger on Insider Trading: An important road trip. Treliving has to look at the scenario that could see Toronto kick into sell mode; McMann; Laughton; Stetcher; Jarnkrok, then balance that to what extending some of those pieces might look like.
Buffalo Sabres
Dreger on Early Trading: I think back to Jarmo Kekalainen with the Blue Jackets when he knew they were a playoff-worthy team. So, he didn’t trade away Panarin or Bobrovsky; he may have to steal a page from his old playbook specific to Alex Tuch.
Other Stuff
Pagnotta on Hello Hockey: I started hearing Cole Perfetti’s name out there a little bit, I don’t know how much of an appetite the Jets have in moving him, I don’t know if they want to give up on that just yet.
Pagnotta on Sekeres and Price: I’d be very surprised if Jason Robertson is moved this season. I’d be a little surprised if he’s moved at all.
Pagnotta on Sportsnet Today regarding the Hurricanes: If they bring in somebody who has term, I’ve gotta imagine they’re gonna want to have Jesperi Kotkaniemi as part of the package going bac. Is that a Vinny Trocheck? An Artemi Panarin? There’s interest in both.
Friedman on The FAN Hockey Show: I had a few people on the weekend tell me, watch Utah, that is the team no one’s talking about, and they’re gonna do something.
Pagnotta on Oilers Nation Everyday about Robert Thomas: St. Louis is willing to listen, but you’ve gotta blow them out of the water.
Your Boston Bruins
Friedman on the FAN Hockey Show regarding Matthew Poitras: I don’t know if I call it a showcase, but I do think that it wouldn’t be a shock if something happened there.
Chris Johnston on the Chris Johnston Show regarding Andrew Peake: He’s a pending UFA, very much could see a world where the Bruins are trading him.
This and That
The Bruins enter the final stretch before the Olympic break with two pivotal matchups on deck — an outdoor showdown against Tampa Bay followed by a trip to Florida to face the Panthers. Boston sits five points back of the Lightning and holds an eight‑point cushion over Florida, positioning these games as a meaningful barometer for the front office.
All indications are that Don Sweeney and his staff will use this mini‑window to assess where the team truly stands. Depending on how the next two outings unfold, the Bruins could very well take their decision‑making right up to trade‑deadline day.
Calling the situation “difficult” barely scratches the surface. Outside of the locker room, few expected this group to outperform projections the way they have. And when you break it down, the margin is razor‑thin — had they managed merely a .500 clip during their two longest skids of the season, they’d be sitting in first place right now. Still, these are the circumstances they’ve created, and this is the path they now have to navigate.
It would be wise for Sweeney to sit down with the leadership group and have an honest, open‑ended conversation about how the room views the season and what they believe lies ahead — and, more importantly, to listen. But there’s a clear line he can’t cross. While player input matters, letting the roster dictate the organization’s direction would be a mistake. In the end, Sweeney’s responsibility is to make the decisions that best serve the long‑term interests of the franchise.
Failing to engage the players in that conversation would be a misstep of its own. This group has poured everything into the season, and shutting them out of the dialogue — even if management ultimately disagrees with their perspective — would come off as dismissive. At the very least, they’ve earned the respect of being heard.
A large contingent of NHL general managers will be making the trip to Italy for the Olympics, and with ample downtime built into the schedule, it’s widely expected that much of the early trade‑deadline groundwork will be laid there. Until then, the landscape remains dominated by speculation, educated guesses, and a steady stream of conflicting reports as the rumor mill continues to churn.
If a move materializes before the break, all the better, but my expectations remain tempered. The real intrigue lies ahead, with what promises to be a compelling deadline day — and an equally fascinating buildup in the days leading into it.
The roster freeze is set to take place February 4 at 3:00 pm. Some roster moves will still be allowed. Thanks to PuckPedia, here’s a look at those allowed moves:
During the freeze:
No Trades are permitted
Players can be sent down if they are waiver exempt, except for players that played in 16 of the team’s 20 NHL games prior to the freeze, or have been on the NHL roster for 80 league days prior to Jan 21
Players can be placed on waivers during the freeze, but if the player was waived after their NHL team’s final game before the freeze, they do not have to report to their new team until February 17.
Dom - Hockey 