It sure seems like the NHL draft is the new trade deadline!
2 blockbuster deals were completed that rocked the hockey world today; one of which was Jeff Carter being dealt to Columbus; while the other seeing top prospect Brayden Schenn and rising star Wayne Simmonds traded from LA to Philadelphia in exchange for Mike Richards. While those are monster deals, the most plugged in hockey insiders all agree that this is only just the beginning. All 30 general managers are actively working the phones trying to get deals done, whether it is with pending free agents attempting to sign them, or with fellow GMs attempting to complete trades.
Here is collection of all the latest news, rumors and speculation by team.
Anaheim: Ducks are expecting to hear from Teemu Selanne by July 1 if he intends on returning for another year.
Boston: Peter Chiarelli is meeting with the agents for Tomas Kaberle and Michael Ryder to see if they can work out contract extensions. Bruins are also hoping to get Brad Marchand locked up to a long-term deal in the very near future.
Buffalo: As reported by TSN, the Sabres have a trade in place to acquire Robyn Regehr from Calgary. They are expecting his decision tomorrow. They are also in the market for a #2 center.
Calgary: The Flames have been busy with the Regehr/Buffalo trade, trying to re-sign Alex Tanguay before he becomes a UFA and they are also in the hunt for Ryan Smyth out of LA.
Carolina: It is no secret that GM Jim Rutherford is actively searching for a top 4 defenseman to replace Joni Pitkanen. They are also still holding out hope that they can re-sign Erik Cole and Chad Larose, but that won’t be until after July 1.
Chicago: There are rumors floating around that RFA Troy Brouwer is available for trade.
Colorado: The Avalanche are looking for a #1 goaltender, and have put the #11 overall pick in play to try to do just that. Targets include Jonathan Bernier and Cory Schneider. They are also rumored to be shopping Paul Stastny, especially considering the lack of #1 centers on the market.
Columbus: Following the blockbuster deal to acquire Jeff Carter, the Columbus Blue Jackets are not done dealing. They are looking for immediate help on the blueline, and could dangle Derrick Brassard as trade bait if the right deal becomes available. Some reports have Columbus interested in Edmonton’s Tom Gilbert. A buyout of Mike Commodore is imminent as well.
Dallas: The Stars tried to move Brad Richards but he refused to waive his no trade clause. It seems like Dallas will be relatively quiet, other than the potential re-signing of RW Jamie Langenbrunner.
Detroit: It seems like the Red Wings will wait to see who is available on July 1 before making a blockbuster trade for a defenseman. Jaromir Jagr remains a target of theirs but they are battling with Pittsburgh for him; and Jiri Hudler’s name remains on the trade block.
Edmonton: There are a lot of things cooking in Edmonton. Florida is trying to acquire the #1 overall pick in exchange for the #3 pick; they are shopping Tom Gilbert with Columbus showing some interest; they are in the running for Ryan Smyth; and TSN had Ales Hemsky’s name on their list of top 5 available players. They are also desperately trying to trade Sheldon Souray and will buy him out if they can’t.
Florida: Dale Tallon is expected to be active, as per usual. He is trying to acquire the #1 overall pick from Edmonton to draft Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He is also in negotiations with UFA goaltender Tomas Vokoun, although barring a major breakthrough; Vokoun is expected to test the free agent market. With Mike Richards and Jeff Carter getting traded, it’s highly likely that interest in Stephen Weiss picks up around the league.
Los Angeles: The Kings made a huge splash by acquiring Mike Richards, but like Columbus, they too are not done. They are listening to offers for Jonathan Bernier, a Ryan Smyth deal to Calgary or Edmonton is imminent, and then they will need to acquire a LW to replace him. Pure speculation, but Ryan Malone out of Tampa Bay could be a fit.
Minnesota: The Wild are hosting the draft, so you know they will want to make some kind of splash. One player definitely in play is Brent Burns (a personal favorite of mine), with the Devils rumored to have shown a lot of interest. They are also expected to either trade Cam Barker in a salary dump move or buy him out by June 30.
Montreal: Pierre Gauthier has been very busy, most recently re-signing Andrei Markov to a 3-year deal. Gauthier is working on deals for defensemen Josh Gorges and Yannick Weber, and is planning on sending a 1-year offer to Roman Hamrlik (not sure why!). RFA Benoit Pouliot will in all likelihood be traded in the next 2 days, or the organization will not tender a qualifying offer and let him walk.
Nashville: The Predators filed for arbitration with Shea Weber to prevent offer sheets, and the 2 sides are working on a deal. David Poile is also trying to re-sign Marcel Goc, while Joel Ward will be testing the free agent market on July 1. Poile did acknowledge that teams were offering him first round picks for some of his young players.
New Jersey: It seems absurd, but Zach Parise trade rumors keep popping up. If this is true, you can bet that Brian Burke will be all over that. The Devils are also looking to re-sign Johan Hedberg to backup Brodeur; are talking to the Wild about Brent Burns and are also looking to dump a high-salaried player or 2, like Brian Rolston and/or Dainius Zubrus.
New York Islanders: If the Islanders do keep the #5 overall pick, the most likely selection is defenseman Dougie Hamilton. They will also shop Evgeni Nabokov to a team needing a backup goalie, although they may want to make sure he will agree to play for whatever team it is.
New York Rangers: The Rangers will be active this offseason, just not yet. It is well known that they will be making a big play for Brad Richards on July 1. Also; Matt Gilroy is not expected to be retained; they will look to sign a veteran free agent defenseman; and it is not clear how it will be done (trade/buyout), but both Chris Drury and Wojtek Wolski will not be back with the team at the start of the 2011-12 season. Drury, of course, is injured right now so he can’t be bought out in this June 15-30 buyout period. The Rangers are also close to re-signing Ruslan Fedotenko.
Ottawa: Other than the anticipated unloading of Filip Kuba either by buyout or trade, there is not much brewing in Ottawa. Bryan Murray even came out and said that Jason Spezza will not be moved, which virtually eliminates any possibility of a monster deal. This is entirely speculation but I could see Milan Michalek, Chris Neil and potentially Sergei Gonchar being shopped at some point this offseason.
Philadelphia: I don’t think anyone can project what the Flyers are going to do anymore! All I will say is if they wish to shake up/improve their team some more; they do have some good trade bait such as the #8 overall pick, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Carle & Braydon Coburn on expiring contracts and Kris Versteeg. I would be shocked if Ville Leino doesn’t re-sign with the Flyers by June 30. If I were a betting man, my money would also be on Philly letting Dan Carcillo walk.
Phoenix: With ownership and financial issues, it is doubtful that the Coyotes will be major players this summer. They will have to add some salaries via trade, and will simply have to focus on re-signing their own players. GM Don Maloney is in search for a goalie, but with these restrictions, he will have to be creative in how he goes about acquiring one.
Pittsburgh: The Penguins are going to be one of the more aggressive teams this summer, despite only having $8 million in cap space to work with. They are in talks with Jaromir Jagr and could sign him to a 1-year deal; and they are also monitoring the trade market very carefully. I wouldn’t be surprised to see any or all of Chris Kunitz, Brooks Orpik, Tyler Kennedy and Matt Niskanen dealt at some point.
San Jose: Devin Setoguchi signed a 3-year extension a few hours ago; meaning San Jose now has 6 forwards making $3M or more. With only $9M in cap space for 7 roster spots, and with the Sharks in need of help on the backend, it is very possible that one of Ryan Clowe/Joe Pavelski could be dealt for a defenseman. It hasn’t been rumored, but perhaps San Jose would look to see if a team would be willing to take $2 million dollar backup goaltender Antero Niittymaki off their hands.
St. Louis: The biggest question mark right now in St. Louis is what will happen with TJ Oshie. There are some reports that suggest there is no way he will be traded, and some that suggest the Blues have put out feelers (Ottawa being one of them) to see what they can get for him in a trade. Remember; there were some issues with the Blues organization and Oshie late last season, and they are certainly not averse to trading high-end players (see: Erik Johnson). Andy Strickland reported earlier that Matt D’Agostini is close to signing a 1-year deal, worth approximately $1.7M.
Tampa Bay: Steve Yzerman is busy trying to keep his team together, which includes contract negotiations with Steven Stamkos (he’s not going anywhere!), Ted Purcell, Eric Brewer and Dwayne Roloson. UFA Sean Bergenheim will not be signing a contract with Tampa Bay until he sees what’s out there on July 1. In anticipation of a long term/expensive deal with Stamkos, Ryan Malone and his $4.5M contract with 4 years left is being shopped around.
Toronto: You don’t have to be an insider to know that Brian Burke is about to do something big. He missed on Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, and Brad Richards refused to waive his no movement clause. Perhaps it will be Paul Stastny or on a smaller scale Stephen Weiss, but Burke will be looking anywhere and everywhere for a #1 center.
Vancouver: The plan in Vancouver seems to be to let Ehrhoff test free agency while they try to get Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo signed to contract extensions. While nothing is documented as far as rumors go, you can bet that Mike Gillis will try to find a taker for Keith Ballard and his enormous contract. There will be plenty of offers for goaltender Cory Schneider, and depending on their confidence in Luongo, perhaps they move him for some depth up front.
Washington: The Caps could be one of the more intriguing teams to monitor this summer. In goal, with Neuvirth and Holtby under contract, Semyon Varlamov looks to be the odd man out; he could bolt to the KHL or perhaps be traded to a team looking for a goalie. On defense, they have 7 D signed, RFA Karl Alzner and top prospect Dmitri Orlov. There are some Mike Green rumors but I would think they would trade Tom Poti or Jeff Schultz before they traded Green. You never know! Up front, you can be sure there will be a ton of Alexander Semin rumors, but who knows what the Caps can land for an inconsistent scorer with an expiring contract.
Winnipeg: The Zach Bogosian rumors are still out there, but have quieted a bit since the organization moved and changed their GM and coach. Plenty of teams would be jumping at the opportunity to land him though. It is expected that team captain Andrew Ladd will be signed to a contract extension in the very near future.
