TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss which teams are in ‘listening mode’ as trade talks resume, breaking news Auston Matthews‘ recovery, Cole CaufieldChances of playing in the 4 Nations showdown and a worry next season over limited training days and injury risks.

The Sabres, Predators and Penguins could be the first emerging sellers in the NHL trade landscape

Reda: They are Insiders, Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger.

Gentlemen, the trade deadline is still almost four months away and that’s right, Tuesday’s Lars Eller Pittsburgh’s Washington deal isn’t exactly a success, but are you hearing more trade talk than usual right now?

Drège: Yeah, that’s right, and on an annual basis, you can pretty much put it on your calendar, right?

NHL clubs are reaching the 20-game mark in the regular season, Thanksgiving in the United States is fast approaching and they are coming out of a general managers meeting on Hall of Fame weekend.

Obviously, discussions among general managers are going to intensify, and that’s where we are right now.

I look at three general managers who seem more willing to listen and pursue potential dialogue for an exchange. I’m looking at Kevyn Adams from Buffalo swordsBarry Trotz of Nashville Predators and I look at Kyle Dubas from Pittsburgh Penguinswho already made this exchange earlier.

If we go back to Buffalo: Yes, Adams is ready to consider something bigger, but he doesn’t want to trade any of his top young NHL talent.

Trotz has several first-round picks, seconds left, so the draft capital is there – he wants to add long-term solutions in Nashville.

Dubas knows what he’s dealing with, there’s the Hall of Fame, but he also recognizes that, given his contract status, the length of his contract, it will be a complex project to accomplish. He wants young NHL players and draft picks to build a better future.

Reda: Even if some hockey fans worry about the future, e.g. Toronto Maple Leafs fans, the future is now. They want to know now what the situation is Auston Matthews; when will he come back?

Johnston: We are still unable, at this stage, to determine exactly which match he will return for. This remains an everyday situation for Matthews, but there is some optimism here.

Not only is his recovery progressing in a positive direction, but there is a sense upon his return that he will have completely overcome this problem.

This rest period will virtually eliminate the problem for Matthews. The schedule is also in the Maple Leafs’ favor right now: they’ve already played five straight games this year, and they have three games in 13 days coming up, which gives Matthews a nice window to develop. of practice.

Thoughts on the 4 Nations showdown

Reda: Whenever he returns, Matthews is sure to be a centerpiece of Team USA in the 4 Nations showdown in February. Despite 12 goals in 16 games, the same cannot be said of Cole CaufieldRock ?

Le Brun: No final decision has been made, but my understanding is that despite a very strong start to the season offensively for Caufield, he is on the outside looking in on this 23-man squad.

This speaks to the ridiculous depth of Team USA, perhaps the best depth of best-on-best hockey we’ve ever seen.

He could still make it, I was told today that it really depends on what happens in the last two weeks here. The U.S. team only has four or five final decisions left here as it narrows down to a 23-man roster.

Reda: With so many players in the bubble, it is said that some teams asked for a little more room to maneuver on their squads?

Le Brun: Two of the four teams – Canada and the United States – recently contacted the NHL and asked to expand their rosters from 23 to 25.

Of course, these two teams have the deepest talent pools in the NHL, and the answer was no, jointly from the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association.

Everyone was on board – the four nations, the league and the NHLPA on a 23-man roster last year when they announced the 4-nation showdown. No one was in the mood to change this rule.

You understand it from the point of view of the United States and Canada: they are going to leave some big names on this list. But then they’re going to go to these big names and say “please don’t book a trip to the Bahamas in February because we might have injuries and we might still need you.” This is why these nations were hoping to expand their lists, but they were roundly rejected.

Reda: We all love the idea of ​​best-on-best international hockey, but it comes at a cost when games take place in the middle of the NHL season.

Drège: It’s a density of games. They’ve condensed the NHL’s regular season schedule, and general managers, coaches and teams around the league are feeling it right now.

You hear complaints about lack of training time, you worry about recovery as teams continue to play matches and then you have the travel on top of that – next year it will get worse, with the Olympic break and the All-Star break.

There are two examples this year where there will be five games in a seven-day period for a few clubs, but only two in the league.

Next year you will see a lot more. Teams traditionally want to bunch their games into March and April, so they’re obviously trying to prepare for the playoffs. Next year you will see a lot more matches in October. 14 days removed from the matrix to allow planners to work, so there is really no other option but to play more with less.