NHL Trade Talk Recap: Matthews to Utah? Crosby Hurt, and Bouchard for Norris

With trade speculation surrounding Auston Matthews reaching a fever pitch, a potential dark-horse contender has emerged as a possible landing spot for the Toronto Maple Leafs captain. Meanwhile, following Sidney Crosby’s injury on Thursday, there’s a mix of encouraging and concerning updates regarding the Pittsburgh Penguins star. As for Evan Bouchard, the Edmonton Oilers defenceman continues to divide opinion—but one insider believes he’s not only underappreciated, but worthy of Norris Trophy consideration.

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Also in our Friday reports, we suggest a different star might be moved out of Toronto, the Detroit Red Wings are falling apart, and Steve Yzerman‘s job is on the hot seat, plus Radko Gudas makes the news again.

Eyes on Utah for Matthews

Podcaster and former NHLer Jordan Schmaltz was on Leafs Morning Take, where he floated the idea of the Utah Mammoth as a dark-horse landing spot for Maple Leaf Auston Matthews. There have been many teams out there, including Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Los Angleas. But this most recent one from Schmaltz, who is also the brother of current Utah player Nick Schmaltz, is interesting.

He notes that Utah Mammoth could be an ideal fit, particularly given its pool of young talent and ability to assemble a package for a deal of that magnitude. At the same time, he adds that many insiders believe Auston Matthews has yet to decide whether he even wants to leave the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matthews, 28, is expected to take a measured approach—likely waiting to see how the organization navigates the upcoming offseason before making any major decisions. He is currently entering the third year of the four-year extension he signed in 2023.

Utah remains an intriguing option thanks to its cap flexibility, emerging core, and the presence of Matthews’ close friend and U.S. teammate, Clayton Keller. Of course, Toronto could still stabilize things, rendering the speculation moot—but if a deal does materialize, Utah is a team worth watching.

Dark-Horse Team Floated as Landing Spot for Auston Matthews

Crosby, Should We Start with the Good or the Bad News

Pittsburgh Penguins fans were holding their collective breath when Sidney Crosby left Thursday night’s game against Ottawa. Fans were waiting to hear whether there would be good or bad news regarding the franchise players’ injury status. It’s actually both.

Let’s start with the Good. Penguins writer Josh Yohe said after the game that “He appeared to be walking with no limp following the game. Didn’t appear to be wearing a brace of any kind.” Another piece of good news is that it seemed to be his left leg that was in discomfort, which is not the one he injured in the Olympics. This was only Crosby’s fifth game since returning from his Grade 2 MCL injury to his left knee, sustained during the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

Penguins Coach Dan Muse said they are still waiting for updates and that the only information they have is that it was a lower-body injury. Now for the bad news, though it doesn’t seem to be a long-term injury, asking this Penguins team to keep winning without Crosby will be a task. The Penguins are one point clear of a playoff spot, and with Evgeni Malkin being out as well. The Playoffs are in the balance, and losing your best player at the worst time will certainly pose a challenge for the rest of the Penguins. From here on out, every game matters more and more, so let’s hope Crosby misses minimal time.

Good News, Bad News Regarding Crosby’s Latest Injury

Bouchard for the Norris?

Evan Bouchard is either a top-five defenceman or the most overrated player in the league; it all depends on who you ask. Many feel that his defensive issues overshadow his obvious offensive prowess. But on the other side of that coin, it feels that Bouchard has been getting more hate than is warranted, argued analyst Mike Kelly.

On the most recent Prime Coast to Coast on Thursday, it reinforced the view that the skepticism about his turnaround issues and his defensive play is quite overblown. Kelly reaffirmed his belief that the Edmonton defenceman should be among the favourites for this year’s Norris Trophy. He points out that Bouchard gets a lot of flak for his turnover numbers and agrees that he turns it over a lot. “As do all the other star players in the league who have the puck on their stick a lot,” he noted. He has actually gotten better in that department over his career and never actually been that bad. “He’s turned the puck over on just over 11% of his puck possessions this season, which is top 15 among defencemen in the NHL.”

The 26-year-old has been electric on the offensive side of the ice this year with 84 points (20 goals, 64 assists) through 73 games played so far. Both Werenski and Makar are having great seasons, but with Bouchard nearing the illustrious 100-point plateau, he definitely has to be in the Norris conversation.

Evan Bouchard for Norris? Analyst Pushes Back on His Critics

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