It wasn’t just social media that was abuzz in the wake of a couple of blockbuster trades in the National Hockey League on Friday.
The Maple Leafs got caught up in the swaps as well.
Their opponent on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers, had new goalie Tristan Jarry slated to start at Scotiabank Arena after he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Minnesota Wild stunned the hockey world in getting superstar defenceman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for a package that included young defenceman Zeev Buium and a first-round draft pick in 2026.
“A player like Quinn getting moved is really major, especially at this time of the year,” Leafs centre John Tavares said. “It’s definitely fascinating.
“I find through the last few years, trends have been that guys getting moved a little bit earlier. The 30-game mark, you’re getting a little closer to halfway (through the regular season).
“Things start taking shape a little bit. There’s a strong sample size of things and where clubs stand, where players stand.”
The Leafs didn’t have anything comparable to send to Vancouver and were not thought to be involved in serious trade talks regarding Hughes.
Veteran defenceman Jake McCabe, acquired by the Leafs in a trade with Chicago in February 2023, took a wider view.
“I think (the kinds of trades we saw on Friday) are always good for the game,” McCabe said. “It gets eyeballs on the NHL. Any time big players are on the move, it draws interest around the league, no matter what team you’re a fan of.”
Central Division gets better
With the Wild, Hughes becomes part of the Central Division rivalries that includes Cale Makar with the Colorado Avalanche and Miro Heiskanen with the Dallas Stars. Makar, in 2025, and Hughes, in 2024, are the past two winners of the Norris Trophy. Heiskanen often puts himself into the Norris conversation.
“Having Makar, Hughes and Heiskanen in one division, (bleep), that’s pretty crazy,” McCabe said.
Down the hall, the Oilers were starting to get accustomed to a new No. 1 netminder. It didn’t work and wasn’t going to work with Stuart Skinner, who couldn’t help the Oilers get past the final obstacle in each of the past two years in losing to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final.
Skinner went to the Penguins in the trade along with defenceman Brett Kulak.
Jarry has rebounded this season after he was put on waivers last January by the Penguins.
“Any time you have a new player come in, you have a new identity or a new chapter, whatever you want to call it,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.
“No matter if you’re a Stanley Cup champion or a runner-up or a team that missed the playoffs, you always need some element of change. We feel we’ve made some improvements.”
Also on Friday, the Oilers acquired defenceman Spencer Stastney from the Nashville Predators.
X: @koshtorontosun