Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Montreal Canadiens Demanding Second-Round Pick For Kovalchuk

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens look like they struck gold in January when they signed recently released Ilya Kovalchuk to a minimum-salary, two-way deal on Jan. 3. The former NHL and then KHL star looked like his days of making an impact at the NHL level were gone, but the team took the chance and brought him aboard.

Now it seems with their playoff chances waning, general manager Marc Bergevin might be getting ready to move the veteran winger with plenty of capped-out playoff teams likely to get into line to bring the veteran star aboard for a playoff run. However, the price is likely to be high as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that several teams have reported that Bergevin’s asking price is no less than a second-round pick to rent him for the remainder of the season.

The cost could make sense despite the fact that Kovalchuk’s NHL career looked to be over after the Kings placed him on unconditional waivers to get rid of him. The 36-year-old has posted five goals and nine points in 11 games for Montreal and showed the team great leadership, which has been invaluable to many of the team’s younger players. That is another reason why Bergevin is also considering signing Kovalchuk to an extension before the deadline as well. Of course, any thoughts that L.A. could be garnering that pick forget that the Kings are still on the hook next season for $6.25MM when they terminated his contract. The key to Montreal’s jackpot is that Kovachuk’s new deal is worth just $700K.

It’s likely that a decision on the veteran isn’t going to be made until the final days before the trade deadline. Much will depend on whether the Canadiens feel they could get a second-rounder (or possibly even more) for Kovalchuk or the direction the team is heading down as we get into late February, although a playoff run still seems unlikely. Regardless, Kovalchuk has been a steal for the Canadiens who risked little to bring him aboard and will get rewarded for it one way or another.

Trade Deadline Primer: San Jose Sharks

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the San Jose Sharks.

It couldn’t have been a worse season for the Sharks, who were expecting to be near the top of the Pacific Division, only to find themselves looking old and depthless and sitting near the bottom. The team tried to fix things by firing coach Peter DeBoer, who one month later took a job with the rival Vegas Golden Knights. To make matters worse, the team has lost two of its best forwards to injury, including captain Logan Couture and all-star Tomas Hertl. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Sharks also don’t have their first-round pick, which they sent to Ottawa to acquire Erik Karlsson. Tough year.

Record

22-26-4, sixth in the Pacific Division.

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$2.97MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 49/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: SJ 2nd, PHI 3rd, OTT 5th, SJ 5th, PIT 7th, WAS 7th
2021: SJ 1st, SJ 3rd, SJ 4th, SJ 5th, SJ 6th, SJ 7th

Trade Chips

Perhaps the biggest trade chip for San Jose will be defenseman Brenden Dillon. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound blueliner is in the final year of his contract and is expected to hit unrestricted free agency and could demand a significant raise to his $3.27MM cap hit he currently has and is in high demand of teams needing defensive help. Dillon may not provide significant offense, but his physical nature is a plus for teams looking for a top-four d-man. While he has 13 points this season, Dillon also has 58 blocks and more importantly, has 159 hits, which could develop into a career high. Quite a few teams are likely to express interest from them including rival Vegas, where DeBoer might want Dillon to come back and play for him.

The team also has a couple of veteran leaders who could possibly be dealt. Both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau could be the perfect trade candidates for playoff teams, looking to bring in bottom-six talent at a low price. The 40-year-old Thornton ($2MM AAV) has just two goals this season and is showing his age, but his leadership could be invaluable for the right team. While he does have a no-movement clause, he didn’t reject the idea when asked if he’d be willing to waive that, suggesting he might if the right team comes calling. Marleau might even be the better bargain at the league minimum ($700K) without a no-trade clause. He has 10 goals in 48 games so far.

Five Players To Watch For: G Aaron Dell, D Brenden Dillon, F Melker Karlsson, F Patrick Marleau, F Joe Thornton

Team Needs

1) A First-Round Pick: It’s bad enough that the Sharks could end up giving a top lottery pick (in a good draft) to the Ottawa Senators. However, the team has moved quite a few of their draft picks and are rumored to be on the lookout for a first-round pick to replace the one they traded away. Whether that type of return is possible for what the team is looking to move seems unlikely, however.

2) Young talent: The Sharks hope is to retool quickly with a potential return to the playoffs as quickly as next year, considering the team has six players locked up to expensive long-term contracts for the next four years after this year and that doesn’t include Timo Meier or a new contract for Kevin Labanc. The team seems to lack young players in their prospect pool and even fewer who are ready to step into the lineup, so bringing in some talent that might be able to contribute immediately might be exactly what the team is looking for.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Doughty, Stastny, Ferland, Roussel

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Up until recently, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty hadn’t missed a game since the 2013-14 season. Suddenly, due to an undisclosed injury, Doughty will miss his third straight game on Sunday. However, Kings head coach Todd McLellan said the team hopes he will return on Tuesday against Washington, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times.

“We thought he might sneak in today, but not enough practice time with the break,” said McLellan. “Get tomorrow’s skate in and potentially one Monday before we fly out and then counting on him Tuesday.”

  • The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) breaks down the top trade chips of the Vegas Golden Knights as the team closes in on the trade deadline and notes that if Vegas opts to spend big once again like it has in the past two years of the team’s existence, then one name that might come up could be center Paul Stastny. The 34-year-old center has been a solid contributor with Vegas, but due to the fact the team has juggled him around the lineup, Stastny has struggled getting comfortable with any linemates as he has just 12 assists so far this year, which could be because he is one of the team’s top goal scorers at 15 already. However, with the development of Chandler Stephenson, the Golden Knights might actually be able to survive without him. Stastny has just one year remaining on the three-year deal he signed two summers ago at $6.5MM, although the veteran does have a 10-team no trade list.
  • The Vancouver Canucks seem a step closer to getting forward Micheal Ferland back from injury. The forward has been skating on his own the last few days and Sportsnet’s Joey Kenward reports that Ferland is expected to report to Utica of the AHL this coming week and is expected to practice with the team. The hope is that he might be ready to play in a game or two with the Comets before the Canucks bring him back up.
  • Sticking with the Canucks, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that despite having returned from an ACL tear in December, forward Antoine Roussel recently stated that playing on that knee hasn’t felt the same and he hasn’t been pleased with the way he’s been playing since returning, which isn’t surprising, considering the injury. “I had no legs for ten games,” Roussel said bluntly. “I was rusty, my pop wasn’t there and then you slowly get back there and I’m at game 22 now. So 12 games where I felt pretty decent, I’m just trying to build on that.” Roussel does feel that his game is finally rounding into form and his best hockey could be coming in the second-half of the season, which is just another thing going well for Vancouver.

Troy Brouwer Clears Waivers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Monday: Brouwer has cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL. Armstrong explained in the release that the veteran forward will take a few days to decide whether he will report to the minor league club.

Sunday: With the expected return of forward Sammy Blais, the St. Louis Blues have placed veteran forward Troy Brouwer on waivers, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle.

Coincidentally, it was after Blais underwent wrist surgery in November and was declared out at least 10 weeks, that the team brought in veterans Jamie McGinn and Brouwer on professional tryouts. McGinn was released from his PTO after a week, the team signed Brouwer to a one-year, two-way contract. Brouwer has mainly served as the team’s emergency backup, having appeared in 10 games this season and he has not made an appearance with the Blues since Dec. 18. He averaged just 9:56 in ATOI and scored one goal and 19 hits in those 10 games. The 34-year-old veteran hasn’t made an appearance in the AHL since playing five games in the 2008-09 season, having played 836 NHL games between the two.

Blais is expected to join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. While it’s not known if he’s ready to jump in the lineup, general manager Doug Armstrong said he’s close enough. “I would say that he’s skating well now and looking like he’s ready to go, and hopefully coming out of the break he’ll be _ if not available in Game 1, certainly available on our road trip,” Armstrong said.

Trade Candidate: Ilya Kovalchuk

at CDT | by 5 Comments

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.

There was plenty of anticipation when Ilya Kovalchuk announced he wanted to return to the NHL after five straight years in the KHL. The former star wanted another crack at a Stanley Cup title, but made the mistake of signing a contract with the Los Angeles Kings (a three-year, $18.75MM deal), who were hoping for one more title run. Between the team’s struggles and Kovalchuk’s inability to fit into the Kings’ lineup, he bottomed out this year, even being asked to sit out before finally being placed on unconditional waivers. However, the Montreal Canadiens rescued him where he has thrived eight short games.

Having revived his career with the Canadiens in just a short amount of time, Kovalchuk suddenly could become quite the trade chip who is quite inexpensive as he is under a minimum contract and might be a big win-win for general manager Marc Bergevin.

Contract

Once a free-agent, Kovalchuk was free to sign with anyone and anywhere, but his main goal was to sign with an NHL team and the Montreal Canadiens offered him that chance, signing him to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K.

2019-20

Kovalchuk’s numbers may look adequate when looking at his numbers with the Kings, but the veteran didn’t fit in with new head coach Todd McLellan and on Nov. 12, was informed that he would not be in the lineup for the “foreseeable future.” The veteran averaged just 15 minutes on the ice and often found himself on the fourth line when with the Kings. He was eventually placed on unconditional waivers, while Los Angeles is still responsible for the final year of his deal next season at $6.25MM.

The Montreal Canadiens, however, took a chance, signing the 36-year-old to a one-year deal to revive his career. And that he’s done, as he has four goals and eight points in eight games with the Canadiens and looking like the player that many expected when he signed with the Kings back in 2018.

Season Stats

TOTAL: 25 GP, 7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points, -7 rating, 12 PIMs, 57 shots, 16:45 ATOI, 51.5 CF%
L.A.: 17 GP, 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points, -10 rating, 12 PIMS, 35 shots, 15:25 ATOI, 49.3 CF%
MON: 8 GP, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, +3 rating, 0 PIMS, 22 shots, 19:36 ATOI, 55.2 CF%

Potential Suitors

The key reason that Kovalchuk might provide significant value isn’t just for his offensive prowess, but because he comes with a minimum salary, which could mean that top playoff teams with little to no cap room should easily be able to afford the 36-year-old.

That could leave several thoughts on where he might go, but one thought could be a trade to the New York Islanders. The Islanders have solid goaltending and a quality defense, but the rank 21st in the league in scoring and 19th in the league in power-play efficiency. Kovalchuk, who is well-known by general manager Lou Lamoriello (he signed him to the infamous 15-year, $100MM contract), could boost both those numbers as he could fit into the team’s lineup perfectly and even play a role on the team’s second power-play unit. The Boston Bruins could also be looking to add a cheap option to their top six, although the team does have some cap room to work with if needed.

In the west, teams such as Dallas and Edmonton could use Kovalchuk’s skills. Dallas could use another impact forward for their middle nine, while Edmonton is desperately in need of forwards and have little cap room to work with, making Kovalchuk an obvious option.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Much of whether Kovalchuk will be traded at the trade deadline will be determined by what Bergevin decides to do with him. The Canadiens seem to be a better team with him in the lineup and if Bergevin can convince Kovalchuk to sign an extension before the trade deadline, then Montreal might be better off holding onto him. However, if the team cannot find a way to lock him up or if other teams are offering significant assets that Bergevin can’t pass up, then the team will likely be better off trading him away and just remembering they signed him for almost nothing. Because the worst thing that could happen to Montreal is not trading him and then watching him leave at the end of the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Notes: Skinner, Gallagher, Drouin, Palmieri, Boqvist

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Buffalo Sabres got some good news as forward Jeff Skinner practiced with the team Sunday and is now considered day-to-day, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. Skinner suffered an upper-body injury in late December and was deemed to be out three to four weeks.

Skinner, however, had already been skating on his own before the all-star break and many had hoped he might be ready for Tuesday’s game against Ottawa. Head coach Ralph Krueger said that he hopes that Skinner will be available on Tuesday. Skinner has been a bit of a disappointment so far this year after signing an eight-year, $72MM contract in the offseason with just 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games, a far cry from his 40-goal season last year. If Skinner is ready to play Tuesday, Buffalo will have to activate him off of injured reserve.

  • Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said that while none of his injured trio are expected to play on Monday against the Washington Capitals, two of his players are close to returning, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. Forward Brendan Gallagher, who has missed nine of the team’s past 10 games with a head injury, still needs to be cleared by doctors, but Julien said he feels good and should be back in a few days. Jonathan Drouin is also supposed to be ready to return within the week, but Julien said he had no idea when that would be. Drouin has missed 31 straight games after having surgery on his wrist. Paul Byron is out “longer term.”
  • The New Jersey Devils are expecting to get back a key player as well as forward Kyle Palmieri returned to practice Sunday and is expected to play Monday against Ottawa, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Palmieri missed four games before the break and missed the All-Star Game as well, with a foot injury. The 28-year-old has 16 goals and 31 points in 44 games for the Devils.
  • Stein also adds that New Jersey Devils rookie forward Jesper Boqvist, who was assigned to the Binghamton Devils in the AHL before the break so he could continue playing while the team was off, will remain there for the time being to get some extra playing time. The 21-year-old has just four goals and no assists in 34 NHL games and has one goal in three games with Binghamton.

Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Edmonton Oilers.

After two disastrous seasons, there was little hope that the Oilers might be able to compete for a playoff spot, especially considering the fact that new general manager Ken Holland didn’t make major changes to the team. They added James Neal and brought in a few overseas players in hopes of filling in the holes in their middle six, but instead, the Oilers have risen to the challenge under new head coach Dave Tippetts, holding the top spot in the division at several points in the season and still remain near the top of a competitive Pacific Division.

Record

26-18-5, tied (with three other teams) for second in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.851MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd*, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2021: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, PIT 6th, EDM 7th

*- Calgary will receive Edmonton’s third-round pick as part of the Neal/Lucic swap if Neal scores 21 or more goals and Lucic has at least ten goals less than him at the end of the season.  Neal is currently at 19 so he will likely get to 21 while Lucic is at four goals.

Trade Chips

With a number of young defensemen already in Edmonton and several others not far off, the Oilers would love to unload a defenseman, preferably someone who has a big contract such as Adam Larsson or Kris Russell. Whether they can convince anyone to take either of those is a whole different question. The team does have a few other third-pairing options it could move, including William Lagesson and Keegan Lowe, but the team has made it clear that top prospects Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg are off the table in trade talks. Perhaps a team could pry away Dmitri Samorukov.

While the team many NHL options, Holland still has a full complement of draft picks, minus the team’s third-rounder, which is likely to change hands to Calgary. The team’s first-round pick could easily be in play for the right piece.

Five Players To Watch For: F Sam Gagner, D William Lagesson, D Adam Larsson, D Kris Russell, D William Lagesson, D Dmitri Samorukov

Team Needs

1) Scoring Help: The team still has holes in its top-nine. While the Oilers seem to have recently found some success on their second line with Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton still has holes on its first line and third line and could, without a doubt, use one more significant scoring piece at the trade deadline. While there was plenty of talk about acquiring Taylor Hall back in December, that was quite unrealistic considering their cap situation. However, there are a number of options that could interest them, including a third-line center on the market — Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He would fill a significant need on the third line or, if needed, could step into a top-six role on the wing. Another option would be adding Los Angeles’ Tyler Toffoli, whose name has been thrown around trade rumors quite a bit the last month or two. Toffoli might be a cheaper option, who could fill a top-nine role for the team and prove to be a better player than Alex Chiasson or Joakim Nygard.

2) Goaltending Depth: Yes, the team has Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith, but the 37-year-old Smith hasn’t been that consistent this season and often sees his second-half numbers decline. The team has already used Smith quite a bit this year (26 appearances) and could use a more impactful player that can be used in tandem with Koskinen. Smith currently has a 2.96 GAA and a .901 save percentage, numbers that could be replaced if they wanted to go out and acquire an Alexandar Georgiev or swap Smith for a more consistent option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New York Rangers Loan Lias Andersson To SHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers announced they have loaned suspended forward Lias Andersson to HV71 of the SHL. While the team had been looking for a potential trade partner for their disgruntled forward since he walked out on his AHL team on Dec. 21, the team has decided that allowing him to play overseas for now is the best case for his continued development and could drum up some interest before the trade deadline.

Despite being drafted seventh-overall back in 2017, Andersson hasn’t lived up to his billing, having scored just six points in 42 games with the Rangers in 2018-19 and got even less playing time this year. In 17 games with New York, Andersson played mostly on the fourth line, averaging just 9:33 per night, and tallied just one assist in that time. He was eventually assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack where he scored four goals and five points in 13 games, but was also seeing a decline in his playing time, which wasn’t going to help him return to the Rangers squad. Unhappy with his playing time and frustrated that he still wasn’t with the Rangers, Andersson choose to walk away from the team and demanded a trade, where the team responded by suspending him. He returned to his home country of Sweden not long after that.

Since then, Andersson has been in direct contact with Rangers team president John Davidson for the past few weeks and was rumored to be working out with a low-level team in Sweden. The 21-year-old should be quite familiar with HV71 as he played with the team for two years before he was drafted, scoring nine goals and 19 points as a 17-year-old in 2016-17.

With little trade value at the moment, the Rangers have to hope that Andersson can continue his development in the SHL and improve that value, although it would seem unlikely that all that can happen before the trade deadline. Being a seventh-overall pick, New York would expect a solid return for a 21-year-old player and aren’t likely to give the youngster away for less than that. If Andersson can become one of the team’s top players and put up some numbers over there, he could improve his stock and either opt to return to the team or give the team a better chance to trade him.

Eastern Notes: Georgiev, Kravtsov, Matthews, Green

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The New York Rangers have a lot going on as the trade deadline nears, but the team does know that with three goaltenders on the roster, they are going to be forced to move one by the deadline. In fact, unless something extraordinary happens, that goaltender will be Alexandar Georgiev.

However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that the Rangers shouldn’t even wait until the trade deadline to move Georgiev. The team needs to move him now while teams are still looking for goaltending as well as the fact that there is no reason to play three goalies at once. Veteran Henrik Lundqvist has played just once since Jan. 2, while Igor Shesterkin has proved his worth and both need regular playing time with Lundqvist there to help Shesterkin out.

One other issue is that Georgiev hasn’t been that good. Since Dec. 12, Georgiev has just a 4-5 record with a 3.78 GAA and a .882 save percentage. Brooks feels the team needs to get what it can now just in case he becomes untradeable in the near future and are forced to trade him for just a second or third-rounder.

  • Sticking with the Rangers, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that prospect Vitaly Kravtsov, the team’s 2018 first-round pick, has been developing nicely since the team convinced him to return from the KHL. Kravtsov has had a rough road this year, failing to make the NHL squad out of training camp, being sent to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, then opting to return to the KHL, where they demoted him to their junior league. “I think there was, one, disappointment from (being demoted by) the Rangers, and two, the uncertainty of what’s best,” said Hartford coach Kris Knoblauch. “I’m sure he was getting some direction about playing in Russia, and maybe Hartford wasn’t best. … But since he’s come back to us, his attitude has been outstanding. He’s worked really hard. He’s wanting to learn. He’s playing the right way. So we’re happy to have him.”
  • The Star’s Kevin McGran writes that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who skipped the All-Star Game due to a wrist injury, is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday for the team’s game against the Nashville Predators. Matthews didn’t miss any regular season games due to the injury and because he attended the all-star event in St. Louis, will not face the one-game suspension that many others opted for.
  • NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan suggests that Washington Capitals’ fans shouldn’t expect the Capitals to re-acquire former defenseman and current Detroit Red Wing Mike Green, who is on the trade block as the trade deadline approaches. The scribe writes that the Capitals are loaded in right-handed defensemen, so adding the right-handed Green wouldn’t make any sense for a team that needs a top-four left-hander.

Trade Candidate: Chris Kreider

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.

The New York Rangers find themselves in quite the dilemma as one of their top players for the last several years, Chris Kreider, finds himself ready to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, and the team has to decide what to do with him. As of now, most indications are that the Rangers and Kreider haven’t gotten very far in extension talks and the general belief is that New York intends to trade him at the trade deadline.

With the team in a rebuilding phase, it makes sense to move Kreider, but the team has made some progress in the last year. The team is just 11 points out of a playoff spot and a strong second-half could allow them to catapult them into the playoffs. However, the team is hardly ready to compete for a Stanley Cup and at age 28, signing Kreider to a seven or eight-year deal may also not be the greatest idea either. Despite the sentimental side of things, the team might be better off getting what they can.

Contract

Kreider is in the final year of a four-year, $18.5MM  contract that he signed back in 2016. He has a an AAV of $4.625MM and will hit unrestricted free agency in July. He does have a modified no-trade clause in which he has an 11-team no-trade list.

2019-20

Kreider has been a consistent goal scorer in New York for the past seven years and the 28-year-old has been no different this season. After a 28-goal campaign in 2018-19, Kreider is well on his way of duplicating that number once again. He currently has 17 goals and 32 points and should be in line for similar numbers from last year, if not better. However, he’s been even better over the past 20 games as Kreider has 11 goals in that span, along with 19 points, making his stock continue to rise as he has been playing close to a point-per-game player. He has been playing so well that many wonder if the Rangers would be losing too key of a player.

Season Stats

48 GP, 17 goals, 15 assists, 32 points, +1 rating, 58 PIMS, 117 shots, 17:43 ATOI, 47.4 CF%

Potential Suitors

Many teams will be looking to acquire a speedy power forward, who can score. The earliest suitor for Kreider goes back a ways as there were rumors that the Colorado Avalanche might be interested to bring Kreider in for a Stanley Cup run. However, that interest has supposedly slipped. The Montreal Canadiens have also expressed interest, but there are rumors that Kreider put all Canadian teams on his no-trade list.

In the East, the Rangers have a history making moves with the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline and this year is likely no different. Despite a dominant first line, the Bruins are still struggling to get quality offense from their second line and could use a veteran goal scorer who could step in and help anchor a group of forwards, including Jake Debrusk and Charlie Coyle. The team does have almost all of its picks, including its first-round picks in the next three drafts, so the have some key assets in which to acquire Kreider. The Bruins also have a bunch of young forwards that are NHL ready and could be another trade chip to use, including Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen as well as several forwards currently playing in Providence of the AHL.

Out West, there could be several teams interested in Kreider, but its rumored that the Dallas Stars might be looking for some goal scoring. The team is currently ranked 27th in goals scored and also acquired Mats Zuccarello from the Rangers last season. Despite being tight against the cap, Dallas does have the luxury of placing Martin Hanzal on LTIR, which could open up the needed space to bring in Kreider. The biggest concern, however, is that the team might be hesitant to move its first-round pick after having already traded their second-round (to Vegas for Marc Methot) and a third-rounder (to the Rangers for Zuccarello), which could leave without any picks until the fourth round at the draft. Even among prospects, Dallas might hesitate to trade their top prospects, which could make a match difficult, but not impossible.

Likelihood Of A Trade

With a key game-winning goal against the rival New York Islanders nine days ago, many have felt that moving Kreider would be a mistake as he is a major part to the team. However, the Rangers expect to have some cap issues in the coming seasons as the team has to sign several key players in the next couple of years to long-term deals, including Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, Alexandar Georgiev for next year, while others like Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil are both likely to expect big deals down the road. Throw in the $6.08MM cap hit that the team will get from Kevin Shattenkirk’s buyout next year, and there doesn’t look to be much money left available for Kreider, who is likely looking for a big payday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top