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Earlier today I posted a first list of seven potentially top 4-capable defenseman who might be available to the Canes via trade. The first list included James Wisniewski, Dennis Wideman, Alec Martinez, Andy Greene, Alexei Emelin, Tom Gilbert and Jared Spurgeon.
So adding to the first list, I also have:
Keith Yandle-New York Rangers Why he is/might be available: The Rangers who are pretty deep defensively already added him to bolster their blue and add a bit more offense for the playoffs. On paper it looked good. On the ice, results were much more mixed. Yandle had some struggles defensively in the playoffs, mostly played himself into a 3rd pairing/power play specialist role and even found his way into some skipped shifts and time in the press box in the playoffs. The Rangers were chugging along toward the President’s trophy before he arrived and have a strong core on the blue line. Yandle is not a need to patch together a top 4, so there is a decent chance he could be pried loose for a very modest return.
Financials: The financials are short-term but very favorable. He is signed for only 2015-16 but with Arizona still picking up much of his contract, he is incredibly cheap at only $2.6M.
What is the upside? He leans offense (sometimes maybe too much) and his struggles in an accountability and role-driven system in New York are documented above. But he is a veteran top 4 defenseman who brings a lot offensively and is not a crazy stretch to be averageish defensively (for a top 4). Is he the best all-around option available? No. But if the trade cost is reasonable, you cannot beat the $ cost which is important for the Canes, and he has exactly the skill set that could boost offense 5v5 by adding skating, puck-moving and creative playmaking to the 2nd defense pairing which has mostly been minus this skill set over the past two years.
What is the risk? The risk is that he just does not bring enough defense to defenseman kind of like the Rangers decided in the playoffs. But at only 1 year at a modest $2.8M price, I really think this deal is as risk-free as you can get. If it does not work, you just move forward and maybe still get a return for him at the trade deadline from a team looking to add a power play quarterback or offense.
Luke Schenn-Philadelphia Why he is/might be available: Philadelphia, somewhat like the Canes, is in the midst of trying to shuffle the deck to get better. Very few players on the Flyers would be untouchable right now and the team seems to be deeper (at least in terms of volume) on defense. Schenn would not be a castoff or pure dump like a few players on this list, but he is likely available in a player for player hockey trade.
Financials: Schenn is scheduled to earn $3.35M this year ($3.6M cap hit) and then become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The positive is that the Canes get a short trial run at a reasonable price which is low risk. The downside is that they would need to negotiate to keep him past the first year.
What is the upside? I would not say that Schenn has excelled in a top 4 role, but he has experience in this role and at 25 years old, he is just entering his prime. Could it be perfect timing to buy on a high pedigree defenseman who is just entering his prime. It could turn out like Erik Johnson. And he does bring good NHL size at 6-2, 229 pounds.
What is the risk? Despite the pedigree, projections and expectations, I am not sure he has really proven that he is a GOOD top 4 NHL defenseman on a good team that wins. I also put him a little bit in the category of Alexei Emelin who leans pretty heavily toward the stay-home variety and does not offer a ton in terms of moving the puck and generating offense. As a right shot #3/#4 type of player, he would seem to slot with Hainsey in a second pair which starts to look too much like the Hainsey/Bellemore combination that was good defensively but struggled to bring much offense.
Matthew Carle-Tampa Why is/might he be available? He is currently an expensive #5 (Hedman, Stralman, Coburn, Garrison) on a team that really does not need him and could use the cap/budget relief as they try to keep a good team together. Stamkos is first in line for a new contract, but $-wise the bigger challenge will be the young players on cheap contracts who get significant raises on their next deals over the next couple years.
Financials: He is signed for 3 years at $5.5M/year which is full price for a top 4 defenseman who has not recently really been a top 4 defenseman. Might Tampa be willing to eat a portion of his contract and take very little in trade return just to save the $? Maybe. When I rate options for just quality of play, Carle is not that exciting of an option, but as the trade value decreases to a minimum and his salary creeps down into the $4Mish range, he starts to look like a moderately price bridge to youth in the system.
What is the upside? He has fairly recently been a serviceable top 4 defenseman, is only 30 years old and (broken record) meets my “must skate… mantra. He is also another option who can bring offense and the ability to move the puck up the ice which per my comments above is key to improving 5v5 scoring. Finally, compared to expensive former top 4s , I am not sure his decline is as much his own doing as it is with others. Rather, he just got passed by a surging Hedman and Stralman and then the addition of Coburn.
What is the risk? While not crazy long, I think 3 years carries a little bit of risk especially if the Canes picked up the full $5.5M salary. And while he is not a full reclamation project, I think there is some risk that he does not rebound to a true top 4 level of play. The risk decreases somewhat if you force Tampa to eat part of the salary which seems reasonable for this deal.
Dion Phaneuf-Toronto Why is/might he be available? In the midst of the Leafs’ demise last season, he was one of the players (Kessel is the other) who seemed to have at it and have enough with the media, fans and just Toronto in general. Rumors were heavy and legitimate that he was being shopped at the trade deadline, but ultimately stayed in Toronto. The arrival of Babcock and whatever his opinion on the situation could change things, but it seems very possible that he is part of a clean sweep that starts the Leafs anew.
Financials: Phaneuf is signed for 6 more years with a cap hit of $7M and actual cost a tiny bit less. That is a big number obviously and too high, but is it really by that much. If you asked me if I could have Orpik, Niskanen or Phaneuf without regard to price, I would take Phaneuf. As unrestricted free agents in a pricey market last summer they went for $5.5M/year each. So I think Phaneuf’s contract is high by $1-2M and just maybe Toronto will either eat that amount or take an overpriced contract back in a deal aimed at moving on.
What is the upside? The upside is that a simple change of scenery and climbing out from under the Toronto media (who more or less stepped on him last season) could rejuvenate him. And on that note, I think the degree of rejuvenation required is not as much as some people think. I think the issue with Phaneuf is that he is really more like a #3ish defenseman and in a media pressure cooker is being overscrutinized because he has a deal and a role that say he must be a true #1. I think if you give him room to breathe and pair him with Justin Faulk that he could be good enough to be a solid #2 with a strong partner in Faulk.
What is the risk? The contract is the biggest risk. I figure any deal requires Toronto to keep some salary either in the form of paying part of Phaneuf’s deal or taking another bad contract back as part of the trade. But even if that happens, the 6 year term is long and takes Phaneuf to age 36 which is getting up there for a rugged player like him.
Kevin Bieksa-Vancouver Why is he available? Reports are the Vancouver wants to unload a defenseman this summer which seems to make some sense because right now their 5th highest paid defenseman (Sbisa) comes in at a pricey $3.6M. Best bets to be shopped seem to be veterans Bieksa and Hamhuis who are in the final year of their respective contracts.
Financials: For a short-term fix (only signed for one year), he could be about perfect. His cap hit is $4.6M which could limit the potential suitors for him. But again, cap hit is mostly irrelevant for the Canes, but his $2.5M salary fits real nicely.
What is the upside? His stock might not be as high as it was in his prime and he is 34 years old, but he is an experienced top 4 and would also bring a bit of snarl to the Canes blue line. As a right shot and probably not a top pairing guy at this stage of his career, he could slot next to Hainsey at a price that maybe still leaves budget to add someone else to play next to Faulk.
What is the risk? The risk is simply that he just is not really a top 4 defenseman at 34 years of age. But even that is a modest risk. With only one year on his contract, it can only hurt for one year and could also probably get a modest return trading him at the trade deadline to a team looking for veteran defensive depth.
If my count is right, that makes a dozen veteran top 4 potential defensemen who could likely be available, many for modest prices.
This week, sometime before draft weekend, I will put up a few potential trades for some of these players and also my ranking/preferences amongst them.
What say you Canes fans? Out of these twelve options, which two or three are most enticing? Do people agree that the trade market looks more promising than the free agent market for building out the defense?
Twitter=@CarolinaMatt63
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