NHL Trade Rumors
For the next little while at least every Monday I will be posting a trade rumors blog to give you some of the last info on the trade news that you need to hear.
Waivers
Nathan Bastian placed by Seattle: claimed by New Jersey
Adam Gaudette placed by Chicago: claimed by Ottawa
Matt Murray placed by Ottawa and cleared
Logan Shaw placed by Ottawa and cleared
Evander Kane placed by Sam Jose and cleared
#1) on the Canucks blockbuster trade rumors
The Canucks are currently free falling and they can’t sustain any continued good play and they really need lineup changes. Now I think the Canucks would contemplate a change ether at the head coach position or the GM position but if they were to make a switch at one of those positions soon then I could see a trade. I think they would wait until the last possible minute to trade a star but three names that have popped up in the rumour mill is Horvat, Miller and Boeser. Brock Boeser is a pending RFA and has already been discussed in trade before this year and in my opinion can be a consistent 30 goal scorer and if they were to get a top six forward and mid level pick or prospect for him I think they would do that. And then there is J.T Miller and Bo Horvat who will have a year left after this season before becoming UFA’s and even though there contracts could expire soon I would wait on trading them as Miller is almost a point per game player this season and Horvat is there NO# 1 Center and Captain.
#2) on Evander Kane
Evander Kane was filled against for many lawsuits in the offseason and eventual was suspended 21 games for falsifying a vaccine record and that suspension ends tomorrow. He was placed and has cleared waivers and will report to the Sam Jose Barracuda of the AHL. All words put out there by San Jose sounds like the Sharks are now done with Kane and he will never play for the NHL team again. Now his agent and him will try to facilitate a trade to get Kane out of San Jose, the Sharks according to reports have been willing to retain 50% of his contract to bring his cap down to $3.5 Million to make money work and he still has 3 years left on his contract and I think if they retained half his salary and a team was willing to deal with the off-ice issues because he is a good hockey player then I do think at some point ether in season or in the offseason he could get traded.
#3) on Matt Murray
Recently Matt Murray had cleared waivers which was a surprise to many as he carries a $6.25 Million dialler contract that’s in the second of four years. Now even though Matt Murray cleared waivers I still think they could trade him at a retained salary somewhere and I even thought this in the offseason that maybe Ottawa could try to get a different goalie and move on from Murray. I could see him going to five teams, 1 Buffalo the Sabres had a great start from a Craig Anderson but he will be out for awhile and a Tokarski-Dell Tandem is not doing it, 2 Arizona the Coyotes also have bad goaltending Hutton sucked in his starts and is currently out and while a Wedgewood-Vejmwlka tandem has been better they could definitely use a upgrade, 3 Edmonton now I think there are better options for the Oilers in terms of goalies but at a retained salary for Koskinen I could see the Oilers making a trade, 4 New York R the Rangers could try to swap backup goalies if Murray had retained salary for Georgiev who has also low value and has asked out of NYR and maybe Murray would work best as a backup, and lastly 5 Pittsburgh they have not had good goaltending from backup DeSmith and at a retained Salary they could try to trade back for him. I think at this point a trade return would look like a mid round pick or another underperforming goalie but it is possible Murray has played his last game for Ottawa.
#4) on Buffalo’s search for a goalie
The Sabres have fallen drastically since there hot start and most of that has to do with there goaltending. Craig Anderson was the starter at the beginning of the season but got injured and since he went down the Sabres have gone down. Now a Tokarski-Dell tandem has not worked out for the Sabres and they are in dire need of an upgrade to the goaltending. Now they have some prospects for the future like Ukko Pekka Luokkanen and Devon Levi but for the current team they could use a starting goalie. There are four goalies I think Buffalo could target #1 Alex Georgiev with New York R the Rangers are looking to move on from him as he hasn’t had the best season and he’s already requested a trade and could look for a starting job in Buffalo, #2 Matt Murray with Ottawa after the senators put him on waivers there were talks that he could be traded and had some retained salary and one of those teams mentioned was Buffalo so it might make sense for the Sabres to acquire him even though he hasn’t had the best season, #3 One of Dallas’s goalies whether it is Khudobin or Holtby the stars have too many goalies (currently three on their roster with Oettinger the starter) and maybe the Sabres could inquire on one of them, I would think Khudobin because he has more term left on his deal and could be a serviceable starter, and #4 Jonas Korpisalo with Columbus, Korpisalo has been the backup on the season after Merzlikins new deal andis currently a Pending UFA and will probably not stick around in Columbus any longer but there has been some talk of a possible inquiring by them and if they can sign him to a long-term deal who could be their future start so it makes sense if they were going to try to trade for him and in my eyes these are four possible options for the Sabres goalie position.
#5) on Kevin Fiala
There has been many talk of the past while since the contract dispute in the offseason that Fiala’s time in Minnesota is numbered. They have recently been speculation that he could be traded to Vancouver but I don’t think that’s true at least not for JT Miller but I think there are a couple teams out there who would like a guy like Fiala who is a great top nine forward but just a bit inconsistent but if he could be in the right spot where he could produce at a really good pace i think he would be traded. I think a fair value return would be either a first round pick and maybe a prospect or a second round pick and a top six forward for him as the Wild did give up Mikael Granlund to acquire him but I do think Fiala’s has days in Minnesota are numbered and I think a trade could come soon.
Two more things
#1) Montreal cleaned house yesterday by getting rid of most of the management group including GM Marc Bergevin and hiring Jeff Gorton as executive vice president of hockey operations now and I think this is a good move that was a long overdue move but they still have to find a GM and in my opinion before the trade deadline just in case the Canadiens want to blow it up and make big changes and shake it up with possible blockbuster trades with guys like Gallagher, Toffoli or Petry.
#2) the expert reporters are saying that trade chatter is picking up and we could see some trades happen before the December 19th trade freeze before the Christmas break.
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