With the trade deadline now less than a month away, the focus around the league is starting to shift more towards the trade talk and the same can be said for our original content here at PHR over the past week.
Our Trade Candidates series kicked off with a look at five players that could potentially be on the move in the weeks to come. Four of them are rental players while one has three years remaining but still could be of use on the back end of a contending team.
Tomas Plekanec – Montreal (link)
Derek Ryan – Carolina (link)
Mike Green – Detroit (link)
James Neal – Vegas (link)
Jason Demers – Arizona (link)
One rental player that many expect to be on the move is Edmonton’s Mark Letestu. Zach took a closer look at his situation, noting that the Oilers may have already missed out on their best chance to move him for maximum value.
William Karlsson has been one of the biggest surprises for the Golden Knights this season as he leads Vegas in goals while sitting tied for second overall league-wide. He certainly has positioned himself well for a new contract this summer as a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility. Gavin examined how his shooting percentage could be a significant discussion point on his next deal as a rate of 26.7% will be very difficult to maintain.
We also had a poll for who the best available trade chip is. Montreal’s Max Pacioretty currently leads the way but there’s still time to cast your vote.