Page 44 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 147

44 Issue #147 April 2025 www.sportsenergynews.com

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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
With the recent passing of the NHL trade deadline, what team greatly improved their

Stanley Cup chances, and what team missed the boat?

Jake Lapierre -Conditioning Coach - This year, the NHL trade deadline dished out an unexpected shock to Bruins and
hockey fans everywhere with a stunning move that no one saw coming.
Just minutes before 3 p.m., Friday, March 7th, cell phones across the hockey world lit up with news that Boston Bruins captain
Brad Marchand was traded to the Florida Panthers.
Bruins fans posted “OH GOD NO,” “I’M SICK TO MY STOMACH,” “I COULDN’T POSSIBLY HATE THIS MORE, (MAYBE
IF IT WAS TORONTO).”
According to discussions on 32 Thoughts podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas, Marchand had been playing at a
discount salary for years based on the contract he initially signed. Brad honoured his agreement throughout the duration of his contract and
played the only way he knew how, with heart, grit, tenacity, and loyalty. Marchand outperformed many players earning much higher salaries.
After years of playing on team-friendly contracts, Marchand finally asked for what he believed he was worth, and asked for a three-year, $7.5
million-per-year, extension. When the Bruins franchise refused, the longtime dedicated captain found himself traded to the Florida Panthers.
Florida fans are optimistic with the Marchand acquisition, noting Tkachuk, Bennett, and Marchand on the same team will be a force to
reckon with.
As for the team missing the boat, Mark Lazurus column in the Athletic ( https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/mark-lazerus/ ) lists
the Carolina Hurricanes missing the boat. The Canes took a gamble on Mikko Rantanen, but the deal amounted to a faceplant, leaving the
Hurricanes even further out of contention.
I’m looking forward to watching Tkachuk, Bennett, and Marchand together wearing Panthers jerseys heading into the playoffs, so hang on
to the popcorn bowl folks; the playoffs are going to be chaotic.
Jim Riddell - Seaway Karate Club - The trade deadline was busy with twenty-four trades getting done, with contending teams
trying to increase their chances of winning the Stanley Cup. There is no guarantee that any of these trades will work out as we
saw with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that “missed the boat.” The Hurricanes traded for Mikko Rantanen well ahead of
the deadline, gambling on signing him to a long term extension. When that didn’t happen, they had the choice of either trading
him or losing him to free agency this summer. The return that Carolina got for Rantanen will help them in the future, but they
are presently not as good as before. Several teams made some strong deadline moves with Florida adding Brad Marchand,
Seth Jones, and Nico Storm, the Oilers picking up defenseman Jake Walman, and the Avalanche adding Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle.
The Dallas Stars could be the team that “won” the trade deadline by acquiring Mikko Rantanen and signing him to an eight year deal. With
Rantanen now in Dallas, the Stars have what could be the strongest forward group in the NHL and will be a very hard team to beat.

Peter Collins - Sports Enthusiast - When you trade for the best player, that should probably indicate that you had the best
result at the trade deadline. That’s the case with the Dallas Stars acquisition of Mikko Rantanen from Carolina on March 7th.
Rantanen brings his high impact skills and Stanley Cup winning history to the already stacked Stars team. He’s exactly what
the Stars need in their probable battles with Vegas, Colorado, and the Jets, in the upcoming playoffs. Don’t forget that the Stars
also added two important veterans on February 1st in Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci, to round out their stellar squad. Well,
the same team that gave up Rantanen might be considered this year’s biggest loser. The Carolina Hurricanes, a perennial Cup
contender, traded two important players, Martin Necas and Jack Drury, on January 24th, for Mikko Rantanen. Carolina thought that they
could sign the soon-to-be free agent, Rantanen, to a long-term deal, and at the same time upgrade their team for a Cup run. Because they
didn’t do their due diligence, they didn’t know that there was no chance that Mikko would sign with them. The Hurricanes then pivoted to
plan B, in which they sent Rantanen to the Stars for a couple of draft choices and a good young player. In the end, Carolina diminished their
playoff chances by not understanding the trade market. We’ll know for sure in June, when the Cup wraps up.