NHL rumblings: The price for Provorov, Landeskog's timeline, the Sens' next move and Jumbo's night

Ivan Provorov figures to be one of the top rental defenseman targets if not the top one on the market at this seasons NHL trade deadline, and league sources this week said he is already generating several inquiries from teams.

However, what those teams are being told for now is that the Columbus Blue Jackets are not ready to go down that path.

They want to give their roster a bit more time before starting to sell off parts.

Advertisement But the Jackets are not making the playoffs, and eventually the business of the game will dictate the managing of assets ahead of the March 7 deadline.

They will most likely trade the pending UFA Provorov when the time is right, and the asking price will be a first-round pick.

And they may not necessarily wait for March 7 if a team steps up with that first-round pick earlier in the New Year as the Winnipeg Jets did last season, sending a first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for pending unrestricted free agent center Sean Monahan five weeks before the deadline.

The Habs, wisely, didnt think any better offer would be coming and moved him ahead of a potential injury for a player who has had a lot of injuries.

The balance is waiting long enough for the market to develop but not too long, especially with a top-four blueliner who plays big minutes like Provorov, who is second on the Jackets at nearly 24 minutes a game.

Will they get that first-round pick? Last year, pending UFA defensemen Sean Walker and Noah Hanifin did fetch first-round picks before the deadline, but the top blueliner dealt, Chris Tanev , did not.

The Calgary Flames were offered a first-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche for Tanev but only if they took on Ryan Johansen and his remaining contract.

The Flames opted instead for a package from the Dallas Stars they felt was more appealing: prospect Artem Grushnikov plus a second and a third.

I get that.

That same Avalanche package eventually went to Philadelphia in the Walker deal.

I would imagine if a contender in January or February offers up a first-round pick for Provorov, the Jackets wont wait to pull the trigger.

Also of note: while Provorovs average annual value is $6.75 million, the Kings retained 30 percent in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, so he counts $4.725 million against the cap, making him that much easier to move closer to March 7.

GO DEEPER NHL trade board 2024-25: The latest on all the top targets from Chris Johnston Still no Landeskog timeline The Avalanche did a pretty good job surviving massive injuries and absences up front to start the season.

(By the way, shoutout to head coach Jared Bednar, who never seems to get enough credit.) And now they have most of the band back together.

Forward Ross Colton should be back in three weeks or so, and then the Avs will be in pretty good shape, finally.

Advertisement But the absence that lingers is their captain.

Gabriel Landeskog hasnt played since raising the Cup on June 26, 2022, as he continues to recover from a type of knee surgery that no NHLer has come back from.

The initial recovery time announced by the club when he had the surgery was 12 to 16 months.

Its now been more than 18 months since the surgery was performed on May 10, 2023.

The Avs simply dont know when or if he will be back.

They do not have a timeline whatsoever.

They hope its sometime in the second half, but they cant guarantee it.

And even if he does return, what kind of player does he come back as? Can he be a star forward again? Does he reshape himself into a trusted third-liner and penalty-killer? Or, and lets hope this isnt the case, does he come back and its a Nicklas Backstrom situation where he realizes his body cant play at his own required NHL standard? One thing thats repeated often within the organization is how much they miss his leadership.

He set the tone in that dressing room.

All of which brings us back to the trade deadline.

It is a very sensitive discussion to have with a player the team cares so deeply about, but at some point in the New Year, the organization needs to know if Landeskog is going to give it a try before the end of the regular season or if its going to be a playoff comeback attempt.

His $7 million cap hit carries obvious salary-cap implications for deadline planning.

And lets be clear, before people start their conspiracy theories, the Avs would much rather have him come back in the regular season to get games under his belt before the playoffs given he hasnt played in two and a half years.

It will take a while to get back up to speed.

But again, the plain reality as of this week is that the organization still does not know when he will return.

Senators battling past scars I shared my thoughts Wednesday night on the Senators on TSNs Jay On SC , and I cant stress enough my belief that the Ottawa Senators are a team still trying to shed scars from seasons past in getting over the hump in the here and now.

The money quote from GM Steve Staios during his quarter-season media availability Wednesday was this: Whats been addressed with the group is that were still trying to figure out the mental resolve of the game and how to be better in certain situations in games and how to deal with adversity throughout games.

Each game is going to be a little bit different.

Fast.

Physical.

Officiating might not go your way, as evidenced a couple of games ago.

How do we deal with that? Thats the next challenge for this group.

Advertisement (You can read more on that Staios presser here from Sens beat writer Julian McKenzie.) To be clear, Staios didnt actually go in and address the players directly.

The situation is not that dire at all.

But that messaging is obviously being communicated by head coach Travis Green.

Whats so interesting in Ottawa is that you have a new approach and fresh eyes, from ownership to management to the coach, but theyre dealing with a player core and a fan base that both carry baggage from the failures of past seasons and a past regime.

The Senators, the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres are trying to get over the hump, finally, this season in the East.

(Montreal is earlier in its process).

The reality is that all three teams still show how fragile their psyche can be when adversity hits.

Thats what Staios is getting at when he talks about mental resolve.

Easier said than done, of course.

And I mean, sure, the most obvious thing to point out is that Ottawa needs more saves, and I have no doubt Linus Ullmark will get better.

The kneejerk reaction would be to make a trade to shake things up.

I dont believe thats what Staios is thinking.

Theres a danger in trying to trade your way out of frustration.

For example, and Im not trying to pick on them, but there are more than a few former Sabres players thriving elsewhere right now.

A trade is not always the answer.

The Senators made some moves in the offseason.

Its time to let their roster settle.

Its time for the players to figure it out from within.

Staios believes this team will get there.

I agree with him.

Jumbo Joe Oh, there wont be a lot of dry eyes in the building Saturday when No.

19 goes up into the rafters in San Jose.

One thing Joe Thornton always hated during his playing career was talking about himself.

He will have no choice Saturday.

Thornton was there for his pal Patrick Marleaus jersey retirement in February 2023.

Now the two close friends and longtime teammates swap roles.

Advertisement Im looking forward to celebrating Jumbo on Saturday, Marleau said via text.

There will no doubt be tears.

He is without a doubt one of the best to ever play the game, and Im lucky enough to call him one of my best friends.

Thornton had a pure joy for the game that stood out as much as his talent.

And immense humility.

He was an absolute rink rat who couldnt get enough of being on the ice every single day of his life.

And he was part of a Sharks team that knocked on the door for 15-plus years, even if it fell short of winning a Stanley Cup.

We had many special years here in San Jose, former Sharks star defenseman Dan Boyle said via text.

Never got to meet our ultimate goal, but when you go through the ups and downs of being a favorite to win year in and year out, you go through a lot.

As brothers.

As family.

And we went through a lot.

It will be nice to see a lot of old faces (Saturday).

Im sure there will be non-stop laughs.

And were all here to honor Joe and his accomplishments.

On the ice, hes a Hall of Famer, but hes also helped a lot of the young guys along the way find their way.

This is a special franchise.

Hopefully our loyal fans show up to cheer the Sharks they might have grown up with and for one night we can all be united and celebrate.

Thornton will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame as a first-ballot guy next year.

Thats a 100 percent guarantee.

Hes seventh all-time in assists (1,109), the first half of his career played in the Dead Puck Era.

Zero debate.

But the real Hall of Fame credentials are with the person.

You wont meet a lot of hockey players with a bigger heart.

He was an absolute beauty of a player.

(Top photo of Ivan Provorov: Jason Mowry / Getty Images).

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