According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, one of the best in the business, it might make sense for Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman to target Roman Polak, currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at this year’s trade deadline.
From Friedman’s weekly ‘30 Thoughts' column:
Was thinking about Tampa GM Steve Yzerman’s comments about not liking the rental market. If he prefers a defenceman with term, Roman Polak might be the fit.
Yzerman is tight with Armstrong, who traded Polak to Toronto, and would get an honest appraisal. The Blues did not trade Polak because they disliked him, they traded him because, in a cap world, you have to make choices. He is not a perfect copy of Radko Gudas, who may be out for the year, but is from the same mold.
Some people may point to the fact that Toronto is bad as a reason to take a chance on Polak. I’d be more inclined to buy that argument if Polak wasn’t sitting near the bottom of the barrel on that Toronto squad. Cream rises to the top, even on the worst teams in hockey. If I’m Steve Yzerman, I’m thanking Friedman for the idea but politely passing.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.