NHL Notebook: Trade deadline intrigue builds

Let’s recap some of the major NHL headlines from on and off the ice over the last week.

Trade target Chychrun out 2-4 weeks

Teams looking to upgrade their defense at the deadline may have to change course, as top trade target Jakob Chychrun suffered a lower-body injury during his Arizona Coyotes’ loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. He’s expected to miss 2-4 weeks, which is likely to impact his trade stock.

“He’s a No. 1 [defenseman] that’s 23 years old with a team-friendly contract and someone that generated 18 goals the year before, so he has a lot of impact on your team,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong told NHL.com last week. “You’d be crazy to move him unless it moved your team forward.”

Panthers shore up blueline with Chiarot

The Montreal Canadiens were expected to move defenseman Ben Chiarot before the deadline, and they pulled the trigger on a deal with the Florida Panthers on Monday.

The Panthers seemingly overpaid by sending both a first-round pick and forward prospect Tyler Smilanic to Montreal, but the Habs are eating some of Chiarot’s cap hit in the deal. Chairot has struggled this season after a brilliant 2020-21 playoff run, but a change of scenery may get his year turned around.

Florida is a co-second choice at +800 to win the Stanley Cup.

Golden Knights continue to tumble

One of the preseason favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup this year was the Vegas Golden Knights, but their ship appears to be sinking as the playoffs draw ever closer.

Vegas was as low as +700 to win the championship before the All-Star break, but their odds have doubled since then, and they’ve been passed by the Panthers, Hurricanes, Lightning, Maple Leafs, and Flames.

The Golden Knights are fresh off a disastrous road trip in which they lost all five games and failed to tally a single point.

Hertl inks eight-year extension with Sharks

The San Jose Sharks agreed to an eight-year, $65 million contract extension with veteran center Tomas Hertl on Wednesday, locking up one of the organization’s heart-and-soul skaters.

“Tomas has evolved into a premier top-line centerman in the league, competing against the NHL’s best players every single night and delivering significant results,” Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will said in a statement. “There are few centermen in the NHL with his combination of physical and dynamic play and he is a player that you build a franchise around.”

Hertl, 28, was drafted 17th overall by San Jose in 2012. He has since climbed to seventh in points (371) in franchise history.