Evan’s Daily: Makar May Play Wednesday, NHL Trade Tracker

It was a quiet day for the Avalanche. It was not a quiet day around the NHL.

With the Avalanche, they had an optional practice. Key word being optional. Only a handful of players skated. One of them was Cale Makar, and after practice, we did find out there’s a chance he plays on Wednesday.

Around the NHL, things are just wild. Toronto simply cannot stop making moves. Late in the evening, Los Angeles made a trade for a defenseman and a goaltender. In the process, they sent a franchise legend to Columbus. Probably not going to make some of the veterans on the team happy. Our NHL Trade tracker will keep you updated on everything.

All that and more in a Wednesday edition of Evan’s Daily.

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At the optional practice, Makar did take (and initiate) contact, and there’s a chance he’s going to play on Wednesday. We’ll find out more at morning skate.

NHL Trades

If you want to keep up with the trades, our NHL Trade tracker is here for you. Here’s the link to check it out.

Patrick Kane is officially headed to New York. Everyone knew it was happening, but the Rangers had to wait for just enough cap space to clear up. The return for Chicago isn’t impressive, but they were backed into a corner, seeing as how Kane would only accept a trade to one team.

Toronto picked up Luke Schenn…again. He’s back in the spot where he was drafted almost 15 years ago. At the same time, they traded Pierre Engvall to the Islanders.

Here’s a breakdown from the Islanders perspective on the move.

Toronto also sent Rasmus Sandin to the Capitals. I like this move for Washington. Sandin is a good young defenseman, and they essentially flipped Orlov for him.

Edmonton acquired Mattias Ekholm from Nashville. It’s actually a move that makes sense for them. Trading Tyson Barrie to Nashville hurts. Barrie is a great guy, and to be moved from a playoff team to a team that won’t make it is tough.

At the end of the night, the Los Angeles Kings made a big move, but not sure it’s the best one. They picked up Vladislav Gavrikov, who is a solid top four defenseman. The trade also brought in Joonas Korpisalo. He’s having a strong season in Columbus, but his past few years have been rough. Goaltending will still be a question mark for them. Trading franchise legend Jonathan Quick to Columbus appears to have angered the veteran, and I’m sure guys like Kopitar and Doughty aren’t big fans of that part.