We can name a slew of moves the Red Wings should make at the 2025 trade deadline, but we haven’t discussed what the strategies of their division rivals should look like. If there’s one certainty, it’s that none of those in the Atlantic Division should sit around and do nothing when the deadline rolls around, or even in the days leading up to it.
Some of these organizations are down and out while others are at a crossroads. The Red Wings are in a league of their own, as a team that was expected to be on the up-and-up and contend for a playoff berth.
Right now, they’re fringe, but in contention. And it’s why buying at the trade deadline would be in their best interests. But buying isn’t what should be in the cards for everyone, so let’s explore at least one move each team in the Atlantic, minus the Wings, must make before March 7th.
Boston Bruins - Trade Brad Marchand
Bruins fans won’t want to read about this, but if this team’s serious about undergoing a retooling project, it’s required that they pawn off Brad Marchand. Yeah, this would be a tough trade for Bruins fans and really, many of us who spent most of the 2010s finding Marchand’s role as a pest entertaining.
But Marchand can still play and he’d likely end up putting a lot of Bruins fans at ease simply because he’d still warrant a solid return. Boston isn’t the team it once was, so letting Marchand continue and likely finish his career elsewhere could help turn this into more of a Calgary Flames situation, a team that got rid of a few stars via trade or free agency, only to see a fast turnaround.
Buffalo Sabres - Admit defeat with Dylan Cozens
There are a few teams the Sabres could realistically pawn Dylan Cozens to, and the Red Wings are one of them. While Cozens may have fooled all of us that he's an adequate scorer, it doesn’t mean he’d be an underperformer should the Red Wings acquire him from Buffalo.
But it doesn’t mean the Sabres need to keep what’s becoming one of their bigger busts around, especially since he signed a long-term deal two years back worth an AAV of $7.1 million. That figure may scare some teams off, but others will look at how Cozens performed in 2022-23 when he scored 31 times and take a chance on the young center.
This means there’s a good chance the Sabres will get a sound deal for a player that’s put up just 27 points and 11 goals in 54 games. If there’s no resurgence, then whoever acquired Cozens got a physical player who can put up more goals than the average lower-liner should he resort to such a niche.
Florida Panthers - Grab a defenseman who can play in the top four
Few teams can afford to stand idle at the trade deadline, and the Florida Panthers are one of them. But if they can make their team better, why wouldn’t they? If there’s one spot the Panthers struggle in, it’s in goals allowed, where they’re currently 16th in the NHL with 165, so help on the blue line is a necessity.
Ideally, they’d acquire someone capable of playing top-four minutes, but it doesn’t mean this player needs to give the Panthers 18:30-plus per game. If they find someone who can block shots, land body checks, and shut down plays, you’ll see them threaten to climb into the top 10 in goals allowed.
If they left everything as is, that’s okay too, but if they want to put themselves in the best possible position to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup, standing idle isn’t a great idea.
Montreal Canadiens - Trade aging contributors
The Montreal Canadiens are a team that’s right there, rebuilding their dormant program the right way. Youngsters like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have already made names for themselves, while Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson are proving to be future NHL stars, or at least sound contributors.
But the Habs aren’t ready to contend for the playoffs yet, even if they’ll make things interesting down the stretch. Still, when this team starts winning regularly, a few of their current contributors won’t be around, so why keep them around?
If the Habs were a top-four team in the Atlantic, I’d say differently, but that’s not the reality. They’re so much better as a team, but right now, Montreal needs to keep focusing on the future, and that means making room for youngsters who deserve a trial run at the NHL level.
Ottawa Senators - Acquire a star scorer
I should’ve just said: Find a way to snag Elias Pettersson. Listen, while the Red Wings are enjoying a resurgence, nobody’s experiencing a dream season more than the Ottawa Senators, so it’d be a travesty if they don’t improve their outlook right now.
So far, Ottawa might be the most average team in the game, and it doesn’t need to be that way, considering how strong of a unit they are defensively. They’re a top 10 team in goals allowed, and right now, head coach Travis Green is proving everyone wrong, but the Sens are 20th in scoring, and that needs to change.
They have a decent Big Three in Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Tim Stutzle, but none of them are surefire stars. Someone like Pettersson is, and he would be the missing piece for this surprising Sens team.
Tampa Bay Lightning - Get a hard-hitting defensive forward
You’re going to see the next team on this list look for the same thing, but for the Lightning, the sense of urgency is even higher. Through 55 games, the Lightning have just 995 hits, which equates to 18.1 per game. Not what we need to see from a team that wants to make a deep playoff run, and has the scoring and defensive prowess to force their way into the Conference Finals.
From a skills standpoint, there’s not a scarier team in hockey, but that doesn’t mean they’re winning the intimidation battle. No team can afford to go into the postseason as an incomplete group, and for the Lightning, this would be a letdown, considering their resurgence in the post-Steven Stamkos era.
Toronto Maple Leafs - Acquire a bruiser
The Maple Leafs have a few hard-hitters, like Connor Dewar and Jani Hakanpaa. But the problem is that they’ve both been banged up, and their timetable to return isn’t certain. Even when the duo is back in action, what will they look like and how long will it be until they’re in hard-hitting form once again?
These are all valid questions, and it’s why the Leafs need at least one insurance policy. This team can score and they know how to prevent others from scoring. But they must find a way to keep the intimidation factor at a season-high during the most pivotal time of the year.