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Hurricanes Acquire Vincent Trocheck

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The Hurricanes have added a core center as they have acquired Vincent Trocheck from the Panthers in exchange for centers Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark plus prospect defenseman Chase Priskie and center Eetu Luostarinen.

Trocheck looked like he was on his way to stardom two years ago when he put up 75 points in 82 games but his production has tapered off since then.  He had 34 points in 55 games last year and is on a similar pace this season with 36 in 55 contests although his ice time has dipped by nearly three minutes per night.

Nonetheless, there is cause for optimism that a change of scenery could help him rebound.  He will be likely slotting in behind Sebastian Aho on their depth chart which will push Jordan Staal into more of a checking role.  Trocheck should be around for a while as he is signed through 2021-22 at a $4.75MM cap hit.  He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2022 offseason.

As for Florida’s return, Haula is also a couple of years removed from a big offensive season that saw him put up 55 points in his first season in Vegas.  However, injuries have limited him since then.  This season, the pending unrestricted free agent has played in 41 games, picking up 11 points and 11 assists.  Haula carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.

Wallmark has emerged as a capable bottom-six player for the Hurricanes over the past two seasons and he has already set a new career-high in goals this season with 11 in 60 games.  The 24-year-old is eligible for restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility and is in line for a nice raise on his current league minimum $700K salary.

Priskie signed with Carolina this summer as a college free agent after not coming to terms with Washington who originally drafted him in the sixth round back in 2016.  He has been productive with AHL Charlotte, collecting 31 points in 56 games but has yet to have a chance to play at the NHL level.  The Panthers don’t have the defensive depth that the Hurricanes do so that opportunity may be coming soon enough.  The 23-year-old has one year left after this one on his entry-level deal with a $925K AAV.

As for Luostarinen, the 2017 second-round pick made his NHL debut with Carolina this season, picking up an assist in eight games.  He has spent the bulk of his first season in North America with the Checkers, picking up 25 points in 44 contests.

Carolina hasn’t shown much interest in rental players in recent years and this trade continues that trend.  In Trocheck, they land someone that they hope can be part of their core and aren’t parting with a top prospect or draft pick to get one.  It will be interesting to see if Florida holds onto all four pieces or if they will be flipping one or more of those in the coming hours.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal.

East Notes: Bogosian, Chabot, Brassard, Lightning, Red Wings

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After clearing unconditional waivers Saturday, the market for defenseman Zach Bogosian has become quite intense as teams are looking to pick up a veteran blueliner on the cheap with the trade deadline prices for rentals being extremely high at moment. In fact, three teams are currently the frontrunners for the veteran’s services, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes.

Carolina was already rumored to be looking for help on their blueline, but with the injury to Brett Pesce Saturday night in Toronto as well as the injury to Dougie Hamilton, the team is pushing even harder to add some depth. Pittsburgh is another candidate as they wait for the returns of Brian Dumoulin and John Marino. Arizona is a new candidate after the injury to Jakob Chychrun to an injury that looks to be serious.

Bogosian might serve as a band-aid for these teams, even though he has appeared in just 19 games this season.

  • The Ottawa Senators could breathe easier today when they learned that defenseman Thomas Chabot, who left Saturday night’s game with a lower-body injury, suffered just a minor injury, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Apparently the injury is just a bruise. The 23-year-old tried to test his knee during a TV timeout Saturday, but could not go on it. While Chabot’s offensive numbers have been down this season, five goals and 33 points in 62 games, the blueliner has logged a career-high in minutes at 25:43.
  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that New York Islanders forward Derick Brassard skated Sunday for the first time since suffering a samll fracture to his cheek after taking a puck to his head on Wednesday in Colorado. He is considered day-to-day, but has cleared concussion protocol, although he said that he is still dealing with some nausea. “I had a broken jaw so I had a plate [inserted],” Brassard said of a previous injury. “I got hit just above it. I’m lucky a little bit. When I was down, I thought my ear had split in half because of the pressure.”
  • With injuries to defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who already have been active before the trade deadline, could be looking to add to their defensive core, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required). Tampa Bay already moved a first-round pick and top prospect Nolan Foote to New Jersey for forward Blake Coleman. However, since there is no word yet on the severity of Cernak’s injury, it’s possible that general manager Julien BriseBois could add even more as he’s “always on the lookout for an opportunity to improve.”
  • MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Detroit Red Wings are holding out defenseman Mike Green and forward Andreas Athanasiou from Sunday’s game against Calgary. According to the Red Wings, they have both been scratched due to “asset management,” meaning both players are likely candidates to be traded by Monday.

West Notes: McDavid, Kuemper, Holland, Lehner, Samberg, Simmonds

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The Edmonton Oilers are getting back a familiar face in Connor McDavid as the team announced the star forward returns tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. That might be perfect timing with Edmonton barely holding onto third place by just one point, although they are also just one point away from second place. McDavid has missed six games with a quadriceps injury.

In fact, it looks like McDavid will be teamed with Sam Gagner and Alex Chiasson for Sunday’s game and is expected to join the power play. McDavid has 31 goals and 81 points through 55 games this year and should be able to add some extra offense for the Oilers for the team’s stretch run. The Oilers have gone 3-2-1 without their star player.

  • It looks like the Arizona Coyotes will get a significant boost to their team as well. The Coyotes announced they have recalled goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL from his conditioning stint. The netminder has been out with a lower-body injury since Dec. 19. He was close to a comeback several weeks ago, but suffered a setback. Kuemper played Saturday for Tucson, stopping 26 of 28 shots, and looks ready to join the Coyotes’ lineup. Kuemper was one of the top goaltenders in the league before his injury, posting a 15-8-2 record with a 2.17 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
  • NHL.com’s Tim Campbell writes that Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland isn’t interested in moving the team’s 2020 first-round pick just to add a piece to the team at the trade deadline. Edmonton is currently one point out of second place in the Pacific Division, but the GM is resistant to moving such a pick, considering the team is still building. “I’m hoping that we can compete for a playoff spot and more on an every-year basis,” said Holland. “You can’t be in the trading game every deadline, well maybe with secondary pieces, but you can’t trade first-round picks [every year].”
  • The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus reports that while the Chicago Blackhawks have discussed trading goaltender Robin Lehner to the Carolina Hurricanes after the team lost both their goaltenders Saturday night. However, the scribe adds that at this moment, Carolina considers Chicago’s asking price for the goaltender far too high. However, both teams will continue to talk up to the trade deadline on Monday.
  • In an interview with the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck, University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman and Winnipeg Jets’ 2017 second-rounder Dylan Samberg, said that he is focused on winning a third-straight NCAA championship. However, he also said, after that, he has every intention of joining the Winnipeg Jets after his season is complete. The Jets were hoping the 6-foot-4, 215-pound blueliner would sign with the team last summer where he would have likely played a significant role with Winnipeg this year. However, Sampson would like to help his school be the first to win three straight national titles. “They took a chance on me, they wanted me for a reason and I respect that,” said Samberg. “I respect the organization, they have a lot of great people, and it’s not that far from home, which is nice. I want to eventually get to the Jets.”
  • TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Vancouver Canucks are no longer in the running for New Jersey Devils forward Wayne Simmonds. There was a time that Vancouver was quite interesting in adding the veteran leader to their roster, but the team is evidently looking in a different direction.

Carolina Hurricanes Will Make Additions In Net

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4:43 p.m. — As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have recalled Forsberg and Nedeljkovic from Charlotte.

11:11 a.m. — Last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime event for the Carolina Hurricanes. The contest could not have gotten off to a worse start, with starter James Reimer being forced out of the game just six minutes in to the first period following a collision in net. Petr Mrazek entered the game in relief, but allowed a goal late in the period to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Things were looking up in the second frame following three Hurricanes goals, but then Mrazek was injured just over halfway through the period. This forced the team to turn to an emergency backup, 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres, an employee of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment who had not played in a competitive game for more than five years. Yet, Ayres got the job done, allowing only two goals in nearly half a game (with some help from the team allowing just ten shots) to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 win.

While this was of course a tremendous story, the reality now sets in that the Hurricanes are now down both of their NHL goaltenders without any timeline yet as to when they may return to action. The timing of this is poor, seeing as tomorrow is the final day to make a trade this season and there is no time to wait for an official word on Mrazek or Reimer. The team is also in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race and can’t afford to take a chance in goal and miss out on potential points.

For now, TSN’s Pierre LeBurn reports that the team plans to recall both Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers today. Fortunately, both netminders have seen plenty of ice time this season, spitting appearances 50/50, and have performed relatively well. If asked to take on some NHL starts, either one could fair well enough. Forsberg is a veteran of 45 NHL games, while Nedeljkovic has fared well in his two NHL appearances and was arguably the best goalie in the AHL last season.

However, if there is any suspicion that both Mrazek and Reimer could be out long term, it seems unlikely that Carolina would be comfortable fighting for a playoff spot and entering the postseason with only Forsberg and Nedeljkovic. For that reason, LeBrun adds that a number of teams have already reached out to the Hurricanes about moving a goalie and it seems likely that the team could make a move. In fact, the team was kicking the tires on adding another goalie even before these injuries, so many conversations have already been had. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the teams main focus is on Chicago Blackhawks’ keepers Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford, both impending free agents, while other rental options could include veterans Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, or Ryan Miller or available backups like Aaron Dell or Louis Domingue.

One way or another, the names in net are about to change for Carolina. Perhaps it will only be short-term while their current duo heal up or maybe it could be a major long-term addition for the rest of the season and a hopeful playoff run. With the team also needing a replacement on the blue line given the injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce and also rumored to be in on several big-name forwards, including the Rangers’ Chris Kreider, the next 27 hours should be very busy for the Hurricanes.

East Notes: Pageau, Hurricanes, Martinook, Palmieri, Eichel

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Earlier reports have the Ottawa Senators holding two of their top trade chips out of their lineup Saturday as the team have made both Tyler Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov healthy scratches. However, one player who isn’t going to be a healthy scratch Saturday is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is considered to be one of the top three trade candidates at the moment.

That could change, however, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Pageau and the Ottawa Senators are still negotiating a contract extension and the center will continue to play for the team. After failing to lock up any of their pending free agents last year at the trade deadline as they lost Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the team is hoping they can convince the 27-year-old to remain with the team. Pageau is having a career year with 24 goals and 40 points, both career highs. The team hopes to come to terms with the forward before being forced to move him on Monday.

  • Speaking of contract extensions, the New York Rangers are also in discussions with their top trade target, Chris Kreider, about a contract extension. However, there are plenty of teams that have been discussed that might be willing to pay big to bring Kreider aboard for their playoff run, including the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Carolina Hurricanes have also expressed interest in adding Kreider. The Hurricanes, who are still battling to even get into the playoffs (they are one point out of a playoff spot at the moment), do have one of the best prospect systems in the league and have the picks and prospects to make an enticing offer if they want.
  • Speaking of the Hurricanes, TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Carolina will get back forward Jordan Martinook tonight after being out since Feb. 4 with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has two goals and 11 points in 37 games with Carolina this season.
  • New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri isn’t worried about trade rumors. The 29-year-old has been traded before and understands how the trade deadline works, according to Abby Mastrocco of northjersey.com. “It’s just a lot of noise,” Palmieri said this week at Prudential Center. “It’s not something I can control. There are plenty of Twitter GMs out there but right now, I’m staying focused on the game and the guys in this room. Until someone tells me otherwise, that’s what my focus is on.” Palmieri could fetch the Devils quite a return if they are willing to move him. He has 22 goals and 42 points in 57 games for New Jersey, but more importantly has one more year on his contract after this one, which many teams might be attracted to.
  • Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel didn’t take any faceoffs during Saturday’s game and The Athletic’s John Vogl found a source who said that Eichel suffered a midsection ailment and the team didn’t want their star to bend over for faceoffs Saturday. It doesn’t look like the injury will keep him out of the lineup, however, as the 23-year-old still potted two goals Saturday against the Penguins in the 5-2 victory.

Tyson Barrie Drawing Interest As Deadline Nears

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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ season certainly hasn’t gone according to plan, creating plenty of speculation over some of their expiring assets. The team is in win-now mode, but Tyson Barrie in particular hasn’t quite fit in since coming over from the Colorado Avalanche and now is swirling around in trade rumors. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes have all shown some interest in the pending UFA defenseman.

Seravalli indicates that the Maple Leafs would not make a move without getting a defenseman back, even suggesting that a one-for-one deal with Calgary for T.J. Brodie was discussed. Any team acquiring Barrie could potentially sign him to a long-term deal, something that doesn’t appear to be in the works with the Maple Leafs.

Even though his point totals have skyrocketed after the coaching change in Toronto, Barrie still hasn’t been the ideal right-handed option that the Maple Leafs hoped for. His play on the defensive side of the puck hasn’t been good enough, and the team has struggled since he was forced into even more puck-moving responsibility when Morgan Rielly suffered his injury. That’s not to say that Barrie isn’t having a solid season offensively—his 33 points still ties him for 22nd among league defenders—or that he might not dominate in a more limited role elsewhere. His upside as an elite powerplay quarterback and near 60-point defenseman will obviously bring in plenty of suitors if the Maple Leafs really make him available.

Perhaps this was always considered an option, given how the Maple Leafs need more long-term stability on the blueline. Jake Muzzin is expected to be re-signed by the team and Justin Holl already has agreed to an extension, but that still leaves plenty of minutes up for grabs, especially on the right side. If the team is able to flip him into a defenseman with term, one can understand the process in selling a high-priced rental during a playoff chase.

Carolina Hurricanes Trade Julien Gauthier To New York Rangers

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The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers have decided to swap prospects, trading Julien Gauthier for Joey Keane. The Rangers will acquire the young forward in Gauthier, while Carolina adds another defensive option to their pipeline in Keane.

As we wrote yesterday, the Rangers’ biggest need as they move to the next phase in their rebuild was young forwards that are close to being NHL ready. That’s exactly what they’ve received in Gauthier, who is currently fourth in AHL scoring with 26 goals through 44 games after putting up 27 a year ago for the Charlotte Checkers. The 22-year old forward has size—6’4″ 227-lbs—and a nose for the net that made him the 21st overall pick in 2016. He has only seen five games in the NHL to this point, but the Rangers obviously believe he can make an impact at that level for their organization.

Their belief in Gauthier’s NHL upside must be real, because Keane has already shown in his first season of professional hockey that he is on the path to becoming an impact player. Selected 88th overall in 2018, Keane has eight goals and 30 points in 49 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack. He spent a day on the NHL roster last week, but so far hasn’t seen any action for the Rangers. Whether he’ll get into any for the Hurricanes right away isn’t clear, but the team had been looking for some more depth on defense after losing Dougie Hamilton for the season. The fact that he is still only 20 and has two more years on his entry-level contract only makes Keane more appealing to a team like Carolina who will need to spend every dollar wisely to compete in the tough Metropolitan Division.

Gauthier too has another year on his entry-level contract, something the Rangers can use as they try to really contend for the playoffs next season. The team already has a lot of cash allocated to names like Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba and Henrik Lundqvist, making the margins of the roster even more important. They have a number of young defensemen that hold similar value and upside to Keane, meaning they could deal from a position of strength to acquire a player like Gauthier.

Carolina To Host Its First Outdoor Game Next Season

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The Carolina Hurricanes will host its first-ever outdoor game on Feb. 20, 2021, for the 2020-21 Stadium Series which will be at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, the home of N.C. State’s football team. No opponent has been named as of yet, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen.

“We are thrilled to be bringing an outdoor game to Carolina, and in particular Raleigh,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the 2020 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche at Falcon Stadium at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Saturday. “It’s a testament to the great fan base that we’ve always known has been in the (Research) Triangle. It’s great to see the community reengage in the way they have over the last season. “(Hurricanes) attendance this year is up over 25 percent, and there’s no doubt that the fan base is passionate, connected, excited. And I think it’s a testament to the way the team’s playing, and to the efforts that (owner) Tom Dundon and the organization have put into hockey in the Triangle.”

Reports from NHL.com suggest that Carolina Hurricanes’ owner Tom Dundon has been relentless in his pursuit of an outdoor game for his team.

This will be the 12th NHL Stadium Series game and the 32nd regular season outdoor game. Now, only five teams remain who have yet to host a outdoor game, including the Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We’re very mindful of our experience on New Year’s Day in Dallas, where we had two so-called newer markets participating, and the reaction from the fans for both organizations was incredible,” Bettman said. “Unbelievable, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled. And we’re anticipating the same type of reaction as the Hurricanes host the next stadium series game.”

Initial reports that the opponent might be the rival Washington Capitals have been denied by the team Saturday, according to Washington Post’s Samantha Pell. While the opponent could be anyone, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wonders if it might be the Pittsburgh Penguins, although there are quite a few options for the Hurricanes, including both Florida teams. No word on when their opponent will be announced.

“It’s going to be cool,” Sebastian Aho said (via NHL.com’s Michael Smith). “I obviously haven’t had that experience yet, and it’s the first time here. That’s awesome. I’m sure the fans will be excited, and the whole Raleigh area will be buzzing.”

Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the trade deadline now less than two weeks 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 Carolina Hurricanes.

There was a time not too long ago when the Hurricanes were annually in a state of limbo at the deadline; close enough to the playoffs to consider buying, but far enough away that they never ended up making it. That’s the exact situation they find themselves in this year as well, sitting just outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Sure, Carolina has obvious talent and could potentially catch the several of the five Metropolitan teams ahead of them, but a bad week or two could also push them even further down the standings. Still, it appears as though they have at least one thing on their shopping list as the deadline approaches.

Record

32-19-3, sixth in the Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Hesitant buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.56MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 44/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: CAR 1st, TOR 1st*, CAR 2nd, NYR 2nd, CAR 3rd, BUF 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 7th, TOR 7th
2021: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th^, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, STL 7th

* – If Toronto’s first-round pick in 2020 is in the top-ten, the Maple Leafs will keep this selection and transfer their first-round choice (unprotected) in 2021 to Carolina as part of the Patrick Marleau trade.

^ –Vegas receives the 2021 5th round draft pick if Erik Haula is on the is on the Hurricanes’ roster past the 2019-20 season, and/or if Carolina trades Haula for one of the following: a player, multiple draft picks, or a draft pick in rounds 1 to 5. If no condition is met, no pick will be transferred.

Trade Chips

The first thing to note about the Hurricanes when assessing their trade deadline ammunition, is how many draft picks they have this year. The team has amassed six selections in the first three rounds that can be used to add to their roster, limiting the amount of talent they would need to move. That’s not to say there aren’t some players potentially on the block however.

Things start with Jake Gardiner, who hasn’t been a very good fit since coming over from Toronto through free agency. The high-risk, high-reward defender has looked better of late, but rumors emerged early on that the team may decide to move on and find a better fit. Trading a defenseman less than a calendar year after signing him wouldn’t be out of the question for the Hurricanes, who parted with Calvin de Haan after just one season in Carolina.

There is also the aforementioned Haula, who is on an expiring contract and has been a healthy scratch this season. The 28-year old missed most of the 2018-19 campaign due to injury but did have a 29-goal season in his first year with the Golden Knights just prior. There would be interest in Haula if was made available.

If they get involved in something big, there are also plenty of interesting prospects in the minor leagues for the Hurricanes to deal from. Ryan Suzuki, Eetu Luostarinen, Dominik Bokk, Julien Gauthier, Janne Kuokkanen and others are all interesting, but it is Jake Bean that perhaps would bring about the most intrigue. The 21-year old defenseman was picked 13th overall in 2016, has dominated in the minor leagues but has still yet to really get an opportunity at the NHL level. You can bet that teams will be asking about him in any trade talks.

Five Players To Watch For: F Erik Haula, D Jake Gardiner, D Jake Bean, F Julien Gauthier, F Janne Kuokkanen

Team Needs

1) Dougie’s Replacement: No, you’re likely not going to find a direct replacement for Dougie Hamilton, who was performing at a Norris Trophy level before he went down to injury. But his absence has only increased the chatter about a defensive change in Carolina. The team has been looking all season, though their needs may have changed a bit from a depth addition to an impact player.

2) Scoring Touch: Somehow, even though Carolina has been working to add to their offense for years, they still lack some real firepower up front. The team scores enough goals as a whole with 181 through the first 56 games—not including the five they currently have tonight—but only Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov have more than 15 on the year. Nino Niederreiter’s touch around the net has vanished, and Ryan Dzingel is on pace for just 12 goals after scoring 26 last year. Adding a true finisher up front would only make their attack more lethal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Wild, Rangers, Hurricanes

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After spending the first few months of the season obsessing over him, few want to see Taylor Hall’s name back in the rumor mill. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be likely. Even though the Arizona Coyotes have failed to improve since acquiring the star forward from the New Jersey Devils in December and are far from a lock for the playoffs this season, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed on tonight’s segment of “Insider Trading” that the Coyotes have no intention of flipping Hall before the deadline. Although holding on to the high-profile impending free agent is a risk, the team remains intent on re-signing Hall, with the full backing of new owner Alex Meruello. In fact, LeBrun reports that Meruello, GM John Chayka, and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, all recently met and are on the same page that Hall will not be dealt this season and that extension talks will begin once the Coyotes’ season has come to an end, whenever that is. LeBrun believes that Arizona’s ability and willingness to offer Hall and eight-year term on his next contract could tip the scales toward the former Hart Trophy winner staying in the desert.

  • TSN colleague Darren Dreger reports that even after trading away long-time forward Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday, new Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin may not be done dealing. Dreger states that the team is still listening to offers for young defenseman Matt Dumba, who has popped up in rumors over the last few weeks, as well as fellow rearguard Jonas Brodin. With that said, a trade of either skilled defender seems more likely to occur in the off-season, as Dreger believes the asking price for both would be a top-line center or a second-line center plus a pick or prospect. No contender will be in position to make a deal of that magnitude ahead of the trade deadline, but suitors could circle back this summer, perhaps even before free agency opens and the Wild have to make a decision on captain Mikko Koivu.
  • Another deal that could take place this summer is a resolution in the crowded net of the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev was the name suggested by many as being available for trade, but TSN’s Bob McKenzie does not see a deal happening this season. He reports that the Rangers continue to listen on Georgiev but are not actively shopping him and head coach David Quinn is content to carry three goalies and ride the hot hand. However, the best keeper of late has been Igor Shesterkin, not future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist. McKenzie wonders if Lundqvist will be content in New York moving forward if he is playing more of a backup role to Shesterkin or if he could ask for a trade this summer or perhaps even at the deadline.
  • The insiders wrapped up with LeBrun relaying word from sources around the league that the Carolina Hurricanes are openly offering a first-round pick in exchange for a top-four defenseman with term. The Hurricanes are owners of two top picks, their own and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ from the Patrick Marleau trade, and GM Don Waddell clearly feels that he could part with one of the two if it means landing long-term help. Even after trading Justin Faulk before the season, the Hurricanes are still considered one of the deeper blue line units in the NHL. Yet, they have been on the hunt for a Faulk replacement much of the year and that search was amplified by the injury to Dougie Hamilton. In that vein, LeBrun adds that the team has had talks on rentals Sami Vatanen of the Devils and Brenden Dillon of the Sharks as a short-term fix with Hamilton out, but owner Tom Dundon has encouraged Waddell to avoid rentals and target term if he is going to trade a first-rounder.

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