Here’s a quick look at some of the trade targets that are still available today. I’ll be using TSN’s Trade Bait List as a reference.
Matt Duchene
He’s certainly one of the big trade pieces still out on the market. There is certainly a chance he gets dealt today, but not unless the Colorado Avalanche get the asking price they want. Preferably a young defenseman with legit NHL experience, a first round pick, and a good prospect. Teams trading for Duchene will be getting the remainder of this season as well as two more. This isn’t a rental situation hence the asking price being legitimately high. Colorado should wait until the draft if they don’t get a deal they want. Thomas Vanek
Vanek has had a great year offensively in Detroit. His 5v5 points per 60 is a ridiculous 2.80 this year which leads the team. Vanek is not fleet of foot so don’t expect him to zip around the ice, but his hands have been and always will be his strength. Historically speaking he is terrible defensively so when he is on the ice there will be shot attempts against your team. You are banking on his skills as an offensive generator to outweigh that. Detroit will be asking for a premium price as far as rentals go. Dmitiry Kulikov
Kulikov is a former 28 point defenseman, but that came all the way back in 2011-12 with the Florida Panthers. His sample in Buffalo this year has been incredibly underwhelming. He was injured very early on in the year when he was hit into an open bench door. His offensive and possession numbers are not very good. Teams targeting Kulikov will be desperate for defense depth, but they could probably choose their best AHL call up and get similar production. Save your assets.
Radim Vrbata The long time desert dog is having yet another good year in Arizona. His 2.15 points per 60 at even-strength is top line level despite playing on one of the worst teams in the league. He is also the third best player on Arizona in raw shot attempt percentage. He is an expiring UFA that is only making one million dollars. If you don’t want to pay a premium for Vanek, Vrbata would be a great cheaper alternative.
Curtis Lazar
If you are looking for a “skilled… forward that has the same points per 60 as Brooks Orpik and Chris Neil (0.77) the last three years then Lazar is your guy. Lazar only has 36 points in 176 career games. The fact is that his reputation has preceded his actual performance. He is not producing offense at an acceptable level and he isn’t exactly making up for it in other areas. The rumor is that the Senators have been offered a second round pick for his services which begs the question: Why is he still on this list? What are you waiting for Ottawa?! Teams shouldn’t pay a premium here.
Kyle Quincey
The Devils defender went for a first round pick a number of years back when the Detroit Red Wings acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche. It wasn’t great value then and it certainly won’t be now. Trading for Quincey would be acquiring defense “depth… for the sake of acquiring depth. Just because somebody has a lot of NHL games played doesn’t mean they’ll help your team. His ceiling is a bottom pairing defender right now.
Gabriel Landeskog
He’s the second half of the Colorado forwards who could be moved at the draft. He’s young, he’s signed long term, and he has at times shown to be a very effective player in the league. The downfall here is that the beginning of his career has looked better than his recent samples. Part of that could be attributed to playing on a dysfunctional Colorado team. He is a prime candidate that could use a fresh start and do well somewhere else. Like Duchene, Colorado does not need to be in a rush to trade the player at the deadline. If they don’t like the offers they can wait until the draft. This isn’t a rental situation.
Drew Stafford
It’s been a long time since he was a 30 goal scorer in Buffalo. The pending UFA hasn’t really had a season to remember. He only has four goals and 13 points in 40 games this year for Winnipeg. The low goal tally can partially be attributed to his low 5.9% shooting percentage. His career average is 10.9%. However, he is a drain on the possession front and without any production offensively it doesn’t make him very useful. Like the defensemen above, this would be for a team that is looking for “depth… hoping that the player magically finds their level of play from years past.
Valtteri Filppula
Filppula at one point was an incredibly smooth and gifted player who was strong offensively and on the possession front. He isn’t the player he was, but he can still give you middle nine production in both of those areas. This issue for Filppula is that he has another year left on his deal that will pay him 5M. That is a high cap hit for what he can provide these days.
Jaro Halak
It shouldn’t take a lot to acquire his services and he has a very good track record in the league. Thomas Greiss won the starting job in New York with his quality play leaving Halak without a starting position. That can happen to a lot of goalies. What is strange is that the Islanders have gone with a weird three goalie platoon leaving Halak with minimal playing time. Since being sent down to the AHL he has been great. Teams that are looking at Marc-Andre Fleury should be looking in Halak’s direction. Cheaper cap hit, similar term, and a track record that is no worse than The Flower.
Anthony Duclair
Duclair gained notoriety when he scored 20 goals last year for the Coyotes. A lot of that was driven by his 19% shooting percentage, but there is clearly some shooting skill involved. This year has been a terrible year for him. He hasn’t produced in the NHL or AHL. This reeks of a “change of scenery trade… where Arizona will try and find another team in a similar situation. Evander Kane
He is third in the NHL in even-strength goals this year with 19 trailing only Auston Matthews (24) and Sidney Crosby (20). He is red hot. Why would Buffalo be looking to move him? A combination of his off-ice behavior and the Sabres desperately needing a quality defenseman. Kane’s value will probably never be higher so if Buffalo can swing a deal for a quality defenseman they need to do it. Kane is not a rental. He has one more year remaining on his deal.
Jarome Iginla
There isn’t much tread left on these tires. He wants to be traded to a better team, but I’m just not sure how many of those teams he can help. Teams looking for scoring depth would be better suited targeting a player like PA Paranteau or even taking a chance on Jiri Hudler. Iginla is basically a power play specialist these days and even then he isn’t an impact guy anymore. His 5v5 points per 60 this year of 0.83 is woefully low. He’s had an amazing career, but contenders can do better.
Enjoy the day
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