Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Make Big Swing for Nelson; Rantanen to Dallas?! — Trade Deadline Day!

The Avalanche won again, but they also swung for the fences with their latest trade. That still wasn’t the biggest news of the night. Could a division rival be getting their hands on Mikko Rantanen before the deadline?

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — March 7.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche manhandled the Sharks to win their fourth straight game. With Alexanda Georgiev in goal, the gameplan was simple: Put everything you can on the net. The result: 32 shots and a 7-3 victory. Also, a massive performance from Cale Makar.

But that’s not all. The Avs swung big and acquired the best rental center on the market in Brock Nelson.

Several of the players and head coach Jared Bednar commented on the addition after the game. The consensus is that they’re getting a great piece.

The Dallas Stars might be one-upping the Avs. Remember how Mikko Rantanen was refusing to sign an extension before the trade deadline? That might not be the case anymore. Thursday reports have Rantanen getting dealt to Dallas, pending a contract extension.

What a night.

Before the game, it was reported that a Brad Marchand trade is likely on the way — and it appears that if Boston goes this route, it’ll be a deal with a Western Conference team. Should the Avs acquire Marchand even after bringing in Nelson?

Martin Necas spoke to local media following Thursday’s morning skate. With all the speculation around Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes, Necas chimed in on what he thinks about the entire thing. He was very candid and honest, I’ll give him that.

Around the NHL

San Jose Hockey Now: Already the worst team in the NHL, the Sharks were not set up for success at all against the high-flying Avs.

Just as they took the ice for morning skate, a veteran was plucked off their team and traded to Florida. Shortly after that, we learned that Luke Kunin, who is one of their alternate captains, was being held out of the game for trade-related reasons. And hours later, it was announced that Jake Walman was heading to the Edmonton Oilers, although the deal wasn’t announced officially until after the game. Walman — San Jose’s de facto No. 1 defenseman this season — was also suddenly unavailable to head coach Ryan Warsofsky because of this.

Also, Georgiev let in a couple of bad ones early, albeit by the time the second period was halfway through, it was evident that he had little support against his former team.

Boston Hockey Now: Read more about the chatter surrounding Brad Marchand.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Pittsburgh added Tommy Novak and Luke Schenn via trade on Wednesday. Will they still be on the team past the 1 p.m. deadline? Some NHL Insiders believe GM Kyle Dubas is gauging interest. Here are some predictions from Dan Kingerski on how it’ll all play out for the Pens on Friday.

NYI Hockey Now: More on the Nelson deal, from the Isles’ angle. Avs fans know all about him. But the Islanders are excited for Calum Ritchie.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils aren’t ready to throw in the white towel on their season, despite the season-ending injury for star center Jack Hughes. They acquired a two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman. There are also rumors that they’ve checked in on Ryan O’Reilly.

Detroit Hockey Now: In non-trade deadline related news, the Red Wings called up Carter Mazur and announced he would make his NHL debut on Thursday. The 22-year-old was born in Jackson, Mich., and grew up a hardcore Red Wings fan. His dream was to play for his childhood team.

He did. But it only lasted two months before he separated his elbow and left the game. Terrible way to end what was supposed to be an exciting day. Fun fact: Mazur wore No. 43 for the Red Wings because he grew up a fan of Darren Helm.

Carter Mazur drew it up as an 8-yo from Jackson, MI — and what would that 8-yo be thinking today?

“Man, he’s as proud as he can be. That photo is crazy. My mom sent it to me this morning, too. It’s just a lifelong dream, and it’s finally coming true.” pic.twitter.com/uDqEuJD6z1

— Will Burchfield (@burchie_kid) March 6, 2025