More trade rumours as here are 3 things that I want to discuss as we start to get the offseason wheels turning.
#1) After the Lottery does it make sense for Jersey to trade their 1RD pick.Earlier in the week the Devils GM said that he might consider moving his first round pick to a team if he can get a very impactful player, but since then the draft lottery has past and the Devils moved up in the lottery from 5th all the way to 2nd, so now that they have the 2nd overall pick would it make any sense at all for them to move that pick or would it make more sense for them to draft someone instead of moving that pick. It was a little more different when they had the 5th overall pick but I think it is more likely they keep the pick but I still wouldn’t be surprised if they do wind up trading the pick. At the 2nd spot in the draft I believe that Wright will be gone to Montreal already and they would have the choice of selecting whoever else they want.
If they are selecting with the 2nd overall pick then the 3 players they could select in my opinion would be Cooley, Slafkovsky or Nemec. Now they already have Hischier and Hughes up the middle and Mercer can also play Center so I don’t see them drafting Cooley, and then they would have to make a decision if they want a future top 4 Defensemen with offensive potential in Nemec or a player who can be a top 6 power forward to maybe play with Hischier or Hughes in Slafkovsky, and while I’ll give my opinion on who I think they will select in my mock draft on Friday, I believe that either of the players would be better then any offer they got. But if New Jersey was blown away with a massive offer that includes either a top 6 forward or a starting goalie then I could definitely see them considering trading the pick but for now I think that keeping the pick and drafting a good forward is the smart choice here.
#2) Five teams I see being most interested in Chychrun and what return could they expect.The Coyotes started a major tear down last offseason by using their cap space to acquire bad contracts and get them picks and prospects and they had the worst record in the West and 2nd worst in the NHL and will continue making moves for the future. but with the direction they are going right now it seems as though star D-Men Jacob Chychrun doesnt want to be in a rebuild and seems like he want out of Arizona, and while a trade never materialized before the deadline I strongly believe one will happen in the offseason and here are 5 fits where I could see him being moved to next year.
Now in a Chychrun trade the Coyotes were reportedly looking for 3 pieces that could be equivalent to 1RD caliber talent and I think that these teams will give them what they want, so without further ado here are the five teams that I feel will be at the forefront of the Chychrun trade talk.
#1) Los Angeles, Reason: I have always felt that ever so nice the Chychrun rumours arose that LA was the best fit for him and I still believe that. The Kings lack a solid, proven left shot defensemen and Chychrun would fit right in playing 2nd line minutes on the pairing behind Doughty’s. A return would have to include the Kings 1RD pick either in 22 or 23, Gabriel Vilardi who the Coyotes have been heavily interested in, and Sean Durzi who has proven he can be a really good goal scorer this year. So to get a top 4 Left shot defensemen who can play on the 2nd pairing, the Kings give up Vilardi, Durzi and a 1RD pick and I think the Coyotes would do this deal.
#2) New York R, Reason: the Rangers have had some defensive troubles in the playoffs this year and will need a defensive upgrade I believe, and Chychrun would make a excellent 2nd pair defensemen behind the Lindgren-Fox pairing and would give that Defence a well needed boost. A return would have to include the 1RD pick in either 22 or 23, I would say that Lundkvist would be the young prospect that was traded, the Rangers don’t have the Cap space to sign Georgiev and he could get a big role in Arizona being the starter that he wants to be, and then the Coyotes also take to contract of Nemeth as the Rangers can’t afford a $2.5 Million dollar 3rd pair defensemen. So to get a top 4 Left shot defensemen who can play on the 2nd pairing, the Rangers give up a 1RD pick, Nils Lundkvist, Alex Georgiev, and Patric Nemeth and that would be a great deal for Arizona.
#3) Winnipeg, Reasons: the Jets are going to again have to retool their defence after what they did last year and I think having Chychrun paired with Pionk behind the Morrissey line would dearly help a defence that is not doing the best right now and could use a upgrade. The Jets would have to give up either the 14th overall pick in the 2022 draft or their 1RD pick in the 2023 draft, with the young defensemen the Jets already have I think they would be willing to trade Heinola to Arizona, also they would in my opinion give up Vesalainen who hasn’t really worked with the Jets, and also move Brendan Dillon as they would need at least a little bit of cap space. So to get a top 4 Left shot defensemen who can play on the 2nd pairing, the Jets give up a 1RD pick, Heinola, Vesalainen and Dillon and i think this would be a good deal for Arizona.
#4) St.Louis, Reasons: the Blues have a need for a top pairing left shot defensemen to go with Parayko and I think Chychrun would be a great fit, in the short term they acquired Nick Leddy which helped for their playoff run this year but I can’t see him resigning with St.Louis so a new younger pair for Parayko should be in the cards and Chychrun makes a lot of sense. A return from St.Louis would have to include their 1RD pick in either 2022 or 23, and two top end prospects and while I think Arizona would push for Jake Neighbours, I think the Coyotes might have to be okay with a duo of winger Klim Kostin who hasn’t been able to crack St.Louis lineup, and young defensemen Scott Perunovich who is probably St.Louis best defensive prospect, and to even out the cap space they Coyotes would also have to take on the Marco Scandella contract. So to get a top 4 Left shot defensemen who can play on the 1st pairing, the Blues would have to give up a 1RD pick, Klim Kostin, Scott Perunovich and Marco Scandella and of St.Louis offered this I would think that Arizona would be happy with this trade.
#5) New York I, Reasons: the Islanders missed the playoffs this year and a big reason the Islanders lost was because they couldn’t overcome the absence of Nick Leddy who traded in the offseason and was a really big part of NYI’s previous playoff runs and a lot feel like they will add a top 4 defensemen in the offseason and I think Chychrun would fit great on the 2nd pair with Dobson or maybe even the top pair with Pulock. A return would have to include either the 13th overall pick in 2022 or their 2023 1RD pick, I think also Beauvillier would be included as he is a former 1st round pick and could be valuable to Arizona but would also be a cap move so the cap straightens out, and the Coyotes would ask for Dobson and the Islanders would say no so I’m thinking maybe the Coyotes would take Wahlstrom instead. So to get a top 4 Left shot defensemen who can play on the 1st or 2nd pairing, they would have to give Arizona a 1RD pick, Anthony Beauvillier and Oliver Wahlstrom with maybe another mid round pick or mid level prospect, and for Arizona it would be intriguing to say the least.
And these are the top 5 teams I could see trading for Chychrun and I would like to here you’re thoughts on who would be the best fit for Chychrun and will he be traded.
#3) Islanders to go all in and acquire a top 6 winger.The Islanders missed the playoffs this year and while a bad start and some untimely covid issues all lead to their demise, another factor was that their offense dried up and now it seems as though the Islanders are going to pull all the strings to get a top 6 winger who can play with Matthew Barzal. The Islanders need a winger who can bring out the best in Barzal who hasn’t had the best few seasons recently and that will not be guys like Bailey or Lee who have been on Barzal’s wing in recent years. So to get that big time forward, it sounds like they will go to free agency to get a top end forward and they will go after Forsberg or Gaudreau to play on the wing with Barzal and if one or both hit free agency then I have no doubt that New York I will be a favourite to land them but if they can’t get one of those two players signed then I think that they will use the 13th overall pick and maybe some other picks and prospects to trade for a top six forward and whether it is via trade or free agency I have no doubt that the Islanders will get a top 6 forward before next year.
And here is a list of all signings for the NHL from APR 12th to APR 23rd.
Pacific
Los Angeles
Centre Francesco Pinelli who was a 2RD pick of Los Angeles in 2021 signed his 3 year entry level contract with the Kings with a AAV of $.868 Thousand dollars per year and the deal will start in the 22-23 season.
San Jose
Center Thomas Bordeleau who was the Sharks 2RD pick in 2020 signed his 3 year entry level contract with the Sharks with a AAV of $.917 Thousand dollars per year and the deal kicked in this year and he played in some NHL games putting up 5 assists in 8 games and looks like a future top 6 forward in the NHL.
Right Winger Max Veronneau signes a new deal with the San Jose Sharks for a 1 year deal that will kick in next year at a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars per year after playing a couple years in the SHL.
Left Side Defender Nick Cicek who was a undrafted free agent signed his 2 year entry level contract with the San Jose Sharks with a AAV of $.835 Thousand dollars per year and the deal will start in the 22-23 season.
Goaltender Strauss Mann who was a undrafted free agent signed his 1 year entry level contract with the San Jose Sharks with a AAV of $.843 Thousand dollars per year and the deal will begin in the 22-23 season.
Seattle
Left Side Defender Ryker Evans who was a 2RD pick of the Kraken in 2021 signed his 3 year entry level contract with Seattle with a AAV of $.898 Thousand dollars per year and the contract will start in the 22-23 season.
Central
Chicago
Right Winger, Center Reese Johnson and the Blackhawks have come to terms on a 2 year extension with a AAV of $.800 Thousand dollars per year. Johnson got his first real NHL chance this season as he played in 37 games and had 6 points and with the Blackhawks going through a rebuild right now I think he will be a everyday bottom 6 forward next year for Chicago.
Left Side Defender Ethan Del Mastro who was a 4RD pick of the Blackhawks in 2021 signed a 3 year entry level contract with Chicago that has a AAV of $.878 Thousand dollars per year and the deal will start in the 22-23 season.
Colorado
Left Winger, Center Ben Myers who was a undrafted free agent signed a 2 year entry level contract with the Avalanche that caries a AAV of $.913 Thousand dollars per year and the deal began this season and Meyers played in 5 regular season games with Colorado putting up 1 goal in those games and could be a bottom 6 forward for them next year.
Left Side Defender Wyatt Aamodt who was a undrafted free agent signed a entry level contract with the Avalanche for 1 year and it caries a $.925 Thousand dollar AAV and the contract will begin in the 22-23 season.
Nashville
Left Side Defender Adam Wilsby who was a 4RD pick in the 2020 draft by the Nashville Predators signes his 2 year entry level contract with Nashville that caries a AAV of $.843 Thousand dollars per year and will begin in the 22-23 season.
Winnipeg
Center Wyatt Bongiovanni who was a undrafted free agent signed a 2 year entry level contract with the Winnipeg Jets that caries a $.803 Thousand dollar AAV and the deal will kick in the 22-23 season.
Atlantic
Buffalo
Left Winger Josh Bloom who was a 3RD pick in 2021 of the Sabres signed his 3 year entry level contract with Buffalo with a AAV of $.859 Thousand dollars per year and the contract will start in the 22-23 season.
Detroit
Goaltender Magnus Hellberg signed a new contract with the Red Wings on a 1 year deal with a AAV of $.800 Thousand dollars per year and was only for this year and he played in 1 NHL games this year having a 3.00 GAA and a .870 SV% for the Red Wings.
Tampa Bay
Goaltender Brian Elliott signed a extension with the Lightning as he signed for 1 year with a AAV of $.900 Thousand dollars per year and should continue to play backup to Vasilevskiy and be a great backup in Tampa.
Metro
New York I
Right Winger William Dufour who was a 5RD pick of the Islanders in 2020 signed a 3 year entry level contract with the Islanders that caries a $.859 Thousand dollars AAV and the deal will start in the 22-23 season.
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