PHR Mailbag: Pacioretty, Kane, Hurricanes, Krug, Young Stars

With the trade deadline now less than two months away, this edition of the PHR Mailbag focuses primarily on some trade scenarios, including Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty.

@dodgerskingsfan: Do the Los Angeles Kings seem like a fit for Max Pacioretty?

Connorsoxfan: Would Boston be able to assemble a good offer for Pacioretty, and is there any chance a trade of that magnitude could happen with BOS-MTL? Would Montreal take Krug and picks?

There are a lot of teams that would be a fit for Pacioretty and both teams have the parts to put together an intriguing package.  I suspect they would only consider dealing him to one of those teams though.

First, let’s look at the Kings.  Their offense has been strong this season (despite Jeff Carter missing most of the year) but Pacioretty would undoubtedly give them a boost.  Adding him and Carter back to the fold around the same time would be a huge boon.  I believe LA would have to build a futures-based package to get him though and I’m not sure Montreal is willing to do that just yet.  I know it was reported earlier in the season that they might consider dealing a defenseman as the season progressed but with their offense being where it is now, the need just isn’t there.  Los Angeles has the cap space to take on his $4.5MM contract without needing to offset any money either which would certainly come in handy.

I have no doubts that Boston has the pieces to put a strong offer together for Pacioretty.  However, I’m leery that the Canadiens would trade their captain to an archrival, especially since he has another year left on his contract.  Montreal’s reported preference is to get a young scorer back so I suspect they would have more interest in building a deal around one (or more) of Boston’s younger forwards than they might in Krug.  That said, there’s no doubt Krug would fill a big void with the Canadiens.

@CarolinaSki: Does Evander Kane have any interest in re-signing before the deadline? And if he is traded what kind of return do you foresee?

I believe Kane is certainly open to the idea of sticking around with the Sabres for the long-term.  He didn’t fit in well in Winnipeg but all indications are that he’s a fit with Buffalo’s other players and that certainly counts for something.  At the same time, it’s hard to say no to seeing what might be out there on the open market.  I don’t think he’d rule out signing an extension beforehand but I’d say the odds of him doing so are fairly low.

As for what they could expect to get for him, GM Jason Botterill has set an asking price that is higher than what teams received for the top rental players over the last couple of years.  While Kane is more of an impact player than Andrew Ladd or Martin Hanzal was at the time of their deals, there will likely be a couple of things working against Buffalo here.  For one, Kane’s reputation around the league isn’t the greatest which could scare off some buyers while the availability of Pacioretty as well as Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman – players signed beyond this season – could lessen the market as well.  I think they should be able to get a first-round pick at the very least plus a second piece (a decent prospect or comparable pick) but I don’t think they’ll be able to top the return that Winnipeg received for Ladd two years ago unless Pacioretty and Hoffman’s trades wait until the offseason.

mikedickinson: Watching Carolina lately, a huge problem is a lack of a big body who will do dirty work in front of an opposing goaltender. Rarely do the Canes screen the goaltender. Who is out there that may be available on the trade market who will help this problem?

Philadelphia winger Wayne Simmonds was involved in trade speculation earlier this season and with the Flyers on the outside looking in at the playoffs, he could possibly be moved if the team doesn’t think they’ll be able to get an extension done with him next offseason.  I think he’d be the perfect fit in Carolina and the Hurricanes have some young pieces that they could part with to meet what would be a high asking price on Philly’s end.  Of course, if the Flyers go on another long winning streak, they could pull him off the block.  Someone like Kane from the Sabres could fit the bill as well as he has a good touch around the net.

In terms of players that aren’t on the radar quite as much, pending UFA winger Patrick Maroon could be one to watch from Edmonton.  If they stay out of the playoff hunt, he is likely to be on the move and would give Carolina that crease presence and a bit of snarl up front as well.  In terms of someone that’s a bit more under the radar, I’d put Panthers winger Jamie McGinn out there.  He has been a deadline pickup with some success a couple of times already and while he’s not a major goal scorer, he can be a presence around the net.  With another year left on his deal at $3.33MM, I doubt the cost to acquire him would be too prohibitive either.

mcase7187: With Adam McQuaid coming back could the B’s look to trade a guy like Torey K with Matt G playing great with Miller and being younger and more controllable?

I wouldn’t be in a rush to trade Torey Krug even though he’d garner a lot of interest around the league as puck-moving top-four blueliners with strong offensive skills don’t become available too often.  For starters, there’s nothing wrong with having depth in case of injury.  If GM Don Sweeney was to turn around and deal Krug without getting a defender back and then someone else on the back end gets hurt, they’d be facing a situation where Paul Postma could be in line for regular minutes and they’d probably have to turn around and try to trade for another depth option without much leverage to work with.

I’d also be hesitant to trade Krug knowing that Zdeno Chara’s days with Boston are nearing an end.  Even if he sticks around for another season, it may not be ideal to move Krug and then lose Chara shortly after that.  That’s a big blow to the left side and even McQuaid’s deal is up a year from now so the depth would become a concern pretty quickly.  Krug and Charlie McAvoy are a pretty good one-two punch offensively from the back end and I wouldn’t be in a rush to break that up, especially just to accommodate McQuaid’s return.

Sox34: What would be your all 22-and-under team?

Boy, this was a tough one to put together.  This is a center-heavy group up front but several of these players have also spent time on the wing at some point in their NHL career.  I didn’t move right wingers to the left side or vice versa though.  I’ve also tried to balance out left and right-hand shots up front although I wasn’t quite able to do so on the back end where there are more prominent lefties than righties.  There is a bit of projection on the roster in terms of leaving off someone perhaps a bit more established in favor of someone who could be the better player over the long-term.  Here’s the roster, including one spare forward, defenseman, and goalie:

LW – Patrik Laine (WPG), Leon Draisaitl (EDM), Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG), Dylan Larkin (DET)
C – Connor McDavid (EDM), Auston Matthews (TOR), Jack Eichel (BUF), Aleksander Barkov (FLA), Mathew Barzal (NYI)
RW – Nathan MacKinnon (COL), David Pastrnak (BOS), Brock Boeser (VAN), Mikko Rantanen (COL)
D – Zach Werenski (CBJ), Aaron Ekblad (FLA), Ivan Provorov (PHI), Charlie McAvoy (BOS), Rasmus Dahlin (2018 Draft Eligible), Mikhail Sergachev (TB), Thomas Chabot (OTT)
G – Tristan Jarry (PIT), Igor Shesterkin (NYR), Ilya Samsonov (WSH)

Just missing the cut: D Jakob Chychrun (ARI), C Bo Horvat (VAN), RW William Nylander (TOR), C Brayden Point (TB), G Juuse Saros (NSH), D Shea Theodore (VGK)

Suffice it to say, there won’t be a shortage of top-end talent in the league anytime soon.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.