Soaring Blue Jackets, sliding Oilers, and the biggest NHL storylines to watch in March

Anthony Trudeau
Anthony Trudeau(atrud00)
Soaring Blue Jackets, sliding Oilers, and the biggest NHL storylines to watch in March
Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

In February, pro hockey got its most meaningful exposure in years when the NHL’s best (don’t mention the Russians!) convened for the one-off 4 Nations Face-Off. The tournament was a smash hit that will doubtlessly buoy ratings throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 season, which has resumed at a furious pace.

In the 80+ NHL games since Canada’s championship victory over the United States on Feb. 20, plenty of storylines have emerged. 

In Western Canada, Connor McDavid and Elias Petterson have struggled to recover from their respective forays into international hockey (though for very different reasons), and their respective clubs are suffering for it. 

In the American Sunbelt, meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes are scrambling to integrate their newest star as the Tampa Bay Lightning gear up for another deep run.

Add in the fast-approaching trade deadline, and March should be full of drama and intrigue. Read on for more on the topics that could define the month’s action.

Connor McDavid’s 4 Nations hangover has exposed cracks in the Oilers’ armor

If the best argument against a second Hart Trophy win for Leon Draisaitl is that the German is only the second most valuable Edmonton Oiler, Neon Leon’s detractors must have enjoyed the club’s recent losing streak. Despite Draisaitl’s continued heroics (9 G, 16 P during 11-game point streak) and 11-goal lead in the Rocket Richard standings, the Oilers have scuffled since returning from the break, and Connor McDavid’s struggles are a big reason. 

McDavid has been uncharacteristically listless since the 4 Nations Face-Off, posting a lone even-strength point and a -7 rating over his past five games. The best player in the world looks drained, and it’s showing in the score column. The Oil never got into the action against the middling Flyers (6-3 loss), the East-leading Capitals (7-3 loss), or the star-studded Lightning (4-1 loss) before they finally halted their five-game skid against the equally shaky Hurricanes.

Not all the blame for Edmonton’s frosty February belongs to their fatigued captain. The crease remains an issue, and Saturday’s victory was the first time the team got a quality start in goal since Feb. 5. On the blueline, Darnell Nurse’s resurgent season has been interrupted by a day-to-day injury. At even strength, head coach Kris Knoblauch can’t find anyone to flank Draisaitl on the second line. It’s an ill-timed wobble for a roster that could struggle to fit any additional trade reinforcements under the salary cap, having used a third-party broker to acquire Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins. They’ll want to capitalize on a cushy March schedule (ANA, BUF, SEA 2X) to get back on track.

What’s going on with Mikko Rantanen in Carolina?

The Hurricanes were reminded why they traded for Finnish superstar Mikko Rantanen in the first place during their contest with the Buffalo Sabres last Thursday. Just after recording the primary assist on a Sebastian Aho goal, Rantanen, clad in the colors of the defunct Hartford Whalers, showed off his effortless release with an inch-perfect wrister that extended Carolina’s lead to 3-0. It was Rantanen at his best: decisive, powerful, and lethal. More importantly, it was a potential turning point after a frustrating start to life in Raleigh.

Rantanen’s ill-timed cold snap (2 G, 6 P in 11 GP for CAR) and the success of his replacement Martin Necas in Colorado (13 P in 12 GP) have led to questions about Rantanen’s effectiveness sans Nathan MacKinnon. Premature and reactionary questions, but questions nonetheless. The Finn hasn’t done much wrong (his line is dominating more than 70% of scoring chances at 5-on-5), but he’s snakebitten (5.7 shooting% for CAR) just in time to negotiate what will likely be the largest contract for a winger in NHL history. 

Bizarrely, Rantanen’s name has re-entered the rumor mill in the month since his initial trade to Carolina. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has said the team isn’t actively seeking to move the big man on, and quitting on a player of his caliber so soon would be a major misstep. It will soothe the nerves of everyone involved if Rantanen, a money playoff performer and the fifth-most prolific goal scorer of the 2020s, can rediscover his scoring touch ahead of the March 7 deadline. If he brings the Cup back to Raleigh, maybe GM Eric Tulsky should hand him a giant, Bobby Hull-esque check.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have a chance to make noise in the playoffs

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings have been in sizzling form since the turn of the year. Both teams have posted top-five points percentages in that span to pull ahead of the injury-hit Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Wildcard race. Splitting a momentous home-and-home, the second of which would be played in front of 95,000 fans at Ohio Stadium, would have been an acceptable result for either team.

The Blue Jackets didn’t get the memo. They ran the Wings out of their own barn on Thursday night in a 5-2 trouncing before stealing an outdoor game during which they were outshot 46-20 on Saturday; excellent performances by goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and bottom-six center Justin Danforth carried the day during one of the most memorable evenings in club history. 

For all the chatter about what a great story the Blue Jackets are, we shouldn’t forget that they’re a darn good hockey team, too. Columbus ran its winning percentage up to .500 with its mini sweep of Detroit, and its 93-point pace would have been enough to make the dance in both of the past two postseasons. Zach Werenski (64 P in 59 GP, league-leading 26:53 ATOI) has a legit Norris case, Kirill Marchenko (60 P, league-best +35 in 57 GP) should get end-of-year All-Star consideration, and captain Boone Jenner (7 A, +7 in 4 GP) has returned from shoulder surgery better than ever. If the Jackets can survive a cruel and unusual two-week stretch (TBL, FLA 2X, NJD 2X, NYR 2X) with their playoff hopes intact, they’ll have the potential to become a classic trap team this spring. Remember 2019? Tampa sure does.

It’s time for the Vancouver Canucks to make their decision on Elias Pettersson

Last season, it seemed the Vancouver Canucks had finally turned the corner. Norris winner Quinn Hughes and a supporting cast of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko led the ‘Nucks to their first division title since 2013. What a difference a year makes. Hughes is still dominant, but Miller is gone, Boeser seems unlikely to land another contract in BC, and the organization has ostensibly quit on the oft-injured Demko. 

The executive brain trust of Jim Rutherford and Patrick Allvin isn’t sold on Pettersson, either. Rutherford and Allvin have tried everything to get ‘EP40’ right. He was distracted by his expiring contract last year, so they made him the highest-paid player in team history. Petterson then recorded 17 points in Vancouver’s final 32 games and had a dreadful postseason. He couldn’t coexist with Miller, so they traded the American. Pettersson notched a single point in the four games between the Miller trade and the 4 Nations, a tournament where he was embarrassingly ineffective.

Pettersson’s Calder Trophy and brilliant 2022-23 season (109 P, 7th in Selke voting) don’t change the fact that he has just 55 points in his last 82 regular season games. Rutherford and Allvin, who owe him $11.6 million per season until 2032, must be running out of patience. They already cut bait on Miller, and Boeser and Demko will likely follow him out the door. Why should they be any more forgiving of Pettersson? The trade deadline might be their last chance to punt that contract before it becomes fully trade-protected in the summer. 

Is this the year the Tampa Bay Lightning take back the Eastern Conference?

It’s not easy keeping a championship team together. Stars get older. Lucrative extensions take effect. Role players are stolen away in free agency. So it surprised few when, after three straight Eastern Conference titles and a pair of Stanley Cups, the Tampa Bay Lightning struggled to return to the summit without Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, etc. The real surprise has been the resurgence they’ve enjoyed in 2024-25.

Their cold-blooded dismissal of Steve Stamkos has worked like a charm on the top unit, where Jake Guentzel (league-leading 13 PPG) is excelling alongside Brayden Point and Art Ross hopeful Nikita Kucherov. Ryan McDonagh (who previously played for Tampa from 2018-22) and J.J. Moser have taken some pressure off new captain Victor Hedman on the blueline. Forechecking dynamos Brandon Hagel (30 G, 68 P in 60 GP) and Anthony Cirelli (20 G, 45 P in 58 GP) are scoring at career-best clips. Perhaps most importantly, Andrei Vasilevskiy has fully recovered from the back issues that plagued him last year. The ‘Big Cat’ is working long hours (league-leading 48 starts, 1334 shots faced) and posting his best regular season numbers (2.18 GAA, .923 SV%) since he won the Vezina in 2019. 

The Lightning won eight games on the hop before dropping a 2-1 nailbiter to the rival the Florida Panthers on Monday, and they’ve held their opponents under two goals in five straight. There’s a glaring hole on Cirelli’s off-wing, but GM Julien Brisebois has never shied away from adding at the deadline. If he finds another top-nine forward for Jon Cooper’s lineup, it’s difficult to envision anyone keeping this Tampa team down for four games in the playoffs.

_____

POST SPONSORED BY bet365

_____

Recently by Anthony Trudeau

Keep scrolling for more content!
19+ | Please play responsibly! | Terms and Conditions apply