Foreword: A Little Bit About Me, And Why I Love The Game

First things first, let me introduce myself. My name is Damon Horton, and I have been a lifelong fan of hockey. I grew up a Dallas Stars fan, playing pee-wee hockey as a young kid. Growing up in North Texas, I have witnessed the sport blossom into what it is today.  That is a sport that is flourishing in southern markets.  It’s catapulted itself into the public consciousness in the last decade. I have had the privilege of seeing my hometown team go from a sideline attraction to selling out the arena on a Tuesday against the Flyers. Hockey is a sport that speaks to the character and grit of the blue-collar sports fan.

The game features moments of incredible skill and feats of athleticism alongside acts of barbarism.  It displays a bloodthirst that just makes sense to people. There aren’t a ton of fancy statistics taking over the game.  It is fast-paced with few stoppages.  There are successful leagues to watch all over the globe, regardless of nationality, gender, and now, sexuality. The PWHL and shows like Netflix’s massive hit Heated Rivalry have expanded the horizons of the beautiful game that I love.  They show the awesomeness to young people far beyond what other major sports have been able to reach. Hockey is a party, and it feels like everyone keeps accepting the invite.

This game has taught me so much about life. All sports are metaphors.  All of the tired clichés, such as “Sometimes you can do everything right and still lose,” ring in my head.  However, hockey has taught me something much more valuable. Mutual hatred of an opposing team and its players is perhaps the strongest uniting force in the universe. We, as fans, love our teams, but perhaps even moreso, we love our rivalries. The recent Gold Medal games between the USA and Canada’s Men’s and Women’s teams felt bound by fate to happen and be witnessed by the world.

Playoff matchups between Dallas and Colorado, as well as Tampa Bay and Florida, have proven time and time again that hockey is perhaps the most riveting, explosive, and exciting sport on Earth. I have recently decided to join NBS Media as a hockey writer to share this love and hatred with you all.  It is an outlet for my overflowing affection and romanticism for hockey. My goal here is to help you, the fan, grow your knowledge and love of the game as well.  Come with me as we spark debates and healthy discourse, growing the coolest sport on Earth together. With that being said, let’s get right into it.

What Defines The 2025-2026 NHL Season

This NHL season has been one not defined by the usual highs and lows of the season and standings. It is not defined by the perennial Toronto Maple Leafs collapse or Macklin Celebrini’s impending dominance. This season can, up to this point, be defined by the biggest international celebration of sports and hockey in the World.  It is one that NHL fans have been looking in from outside the glass for the last 12 years. In this year’s Winter Olympics, we saw hockey as the rightful crown jewel of the games.  It was the tournament that finally featured NHL stars such as Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, and Mikko Rantanen.

The games have catapulted hockey back into the American public’s psyche.  There was a meteoric rise to power for Team USA hockey.  We saw the Men’s team secure their first Olympic Gold since February of 1980.  Additionally, the women dominate at an unprecedented level that we will likely never see again. The NHL and PWHL, amid the off-field chaos and drama of the NFL and NBA, are shifting to the forefront of the American sports fan’s mind, and for good reason. The Milan-Cortina games proved one thing to casual sports viewers: hockey is awesome.

The intrigue and drama of the Olympics almost makes the NHL pale in comparison, I mean, imagine watching the Semi-Finals in the Men’s tournament as well as the medal games, and then turning on your local broadcast and witnessing the LA Kings play the Golden Knights. Probably a tough watch compared to seeing the Hughes and Tkachuk brothers face off against Celebrini-McDavid-MacKinnon. No shade against the Pacific Division (maybe some shade), but they are no best-on-best tournament.

What Does The Market Look Like?

That said, we are at a pivotal point in the season. The NHL trade deadline is just a couple of days away, and the schedule is tightly condensed.  We find ourselves in the middle of a mad scramble to the playoffs. The market is heating up by the second. We are all refreshing our teams’ social media pages, overvaluing our favorite players, and proposing terrible trade deals online.

Teams like the Sharks, Kings, Flyers, and Senators are a short burst away from making the playoffs. There’s a strong market this season, as we are seeing depth forwards go for 2nd-rounders, and at this point, about 75% of the teams in the league see themselves as playoff contenders. Teams like the Sharks, Kings, and Flyers and Senators are a short burst away from making the playoffs. The main issue for these bubble teams, however, is that the league is very top-heavy.

There is an interesting stew of factors that determine whether a team is a buyer or a seller, most notably the standings, and perhaps right after, the fact that the average lifespan of a GM is about 2-3 years. This means that teams like the Kraken are facing pressure to make the playoffs even though it may be wiser to trade some pieces, such as Jaden Schwartz or Jamie Oleksiak, for draft capital. Most GMs will likely forego future gains for instant gratification, like selling a few games’ worth of playoff tickets to get rolled by one of the Avs, Stars, or Wild in 5 games. It is sad, but it is true.  It contributes to the current state of the trade market.

If I am grouping teams into sellers/buyers, the only bona-fide sellers would be the Canucks, Blues, Predators, Flames, Blackhawks, Rangers, Devils, Flyers, and Senators. Every other team has reason to believe they could go on a run either this year or next year. That means that less than 1/3 of teams will be looking to move assets ahead of the deadline this Friday.

I am no economist, but the supply is nowhere near meeting the demand in the NHL trade market. Everyone wants a Right-Handed Defenseman, and goalie depth is at an absolute premium. Stanley Cup contenders like the Avs, Hurricanes, Wild, Lightning, and Stars will all be looking to make moves to put their respective squads over the top.  Teams that are consolidating and/or are on the fringe will have a lot to figure out in the next couple of days. Let’s take a look at where I see each team heading into March 6th.

All-In Buyers:

Avalanche, Stars, Wild, Lightning, Hurricanes

Buy, But Don’t Sell The Farm:

Knights, Sabres, Red Wings, Ducks, Oilers, Canadiens, Mammoth

Buy If The Price Is Right:

Bruins, Islanders, Penguins, Blue Jackets

Stay The Course:

Sharks, Panthers, Senators

Sell While The Market Is Good:

Capitals, Kraken, Maple Leafs, Kings, Jets, Blackhawks

Sell Anything Not Nailed Down:

Canucks, Blues, Predators, Flames, Rangers, Devils, Flyers

Players that I see on the move in the next 48 hours:

• F Nazem Kadri- Calgary Flames
  • The Flames Forward still has plenty in the tank.  He has links to many competing squads as of late. He is a productive player who still has a bit of term left on his contract. Calgary has expressed that they do not intend to retain any salary.  It lessens the buying price for a hungry team like the Stars
• F Michael Bunting- Nashville Predators
  • Michael Bunting is an intriguing piece because he is not a superstar player.  Still, he adds a definitive grit and edge that is imperative to a deep playoff run. His goal-scoring ability draws a ton of penalties.  It comes with a low price tag as an impending free agent
• F Kiefer Sherwood- San Jose Sharks
  • The Sharks forward was traded from Vancouver earlier this season.  However, he has yet to find his footing with San Jose. The expectation of a grinder LW to hop in and immediately produce as a top-6 forward has backfired.  I could see the cheap rental going to a contender as a 3rd-round pick.
• F Brady Tkachuk- Ottawa Senators
  • This is a player with recent links to trade rumors, as reported by podcasters and blue-check Twitter accounts. The Senators’ Captain and Gold Medalist absolutely will not go without an insane price tag.  Some suggest Jason Robertson for Brady straight-up. I don’t foresee this happening at all. In fact, Brady is highly unlikely to move for any reason; however, if I am the GM of a contender, I am absolutely kicking the tires on this one
• F Jason Robertson- Dallas Stars
  • Jason Robertson has had trade rumors swirling around him for what seems like 2 seasons now. As a Dallas Stars journalist, I can say with reasonable confidence that Jason Robertson will remain a Star and sign with the team this summer. Jason and his brother Nick recently changed agents, moving on to Andy Scott, who currently represents notable Dallas Stars such as Mikko Rantanen, Thomas Harley, and Wyatt Johnson, who have all recently inked significant long-term deals with Dallas. Needless to say, the price will have to be staggering to nab the impending RFA, who is currently under contract for only $7m and remains under team control until the end of next season.
• D Zach Whitecloud- Calgary Flames
  • The 29-year-old RHD is sure to garner some interest from pursuing teams. He is a big, experienced player who shores up the 2nd D-pair on a multitude of contending teams.
• F Blake Coleman- Calgary Flames
  • Blake Coleman has had rumors swirling around about him potentially going to Dallas for a few reasons. One, he adds valuable forward depth and grit to a team that, despite its current 10-game win streak, could really use it, and two, he is from North Texas and recently moved his family back to Plano, Texas. A hometown kid with his name etched on the Stanley Cup is definitely something Dallas fans would be happy with.
• D Roman Josi- Nashville Predators
  • The long-time Predator, who is nearing the end of his NHL career, absolutely has some left in the tank. Add to that the fact that he can play either side, allowing him to slot in at RHD, his wealth of experience, and I could absolutely see him leaving for a contender this trade deadline.

We will all see what happens during this much-anticipated trade deadline.  It will be very fun to see how the Olympic roster freeze has heated up the stove for hungry GMs and their respective fanbases league-wide. Be sure to keep an eye out for players who sit out as healthy scratches, as that likely means they are on the move soon.

Thank you for reading. I will be back this weekend to recap the trade deadline and hand out my report cards to grade how your teams have handled themselves. Until then, enjoy the drama and the sprint to this spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.