Welcome everyone to CloudZeroSports’ first hockey article! Sorry I am late to the season but, seeing as the trade deadline is next Monday (April 12 at 3 pm EST), I thought it was the perfect time for an article about potential buyers and sellers. The biggest factor in searching for players that will most likely get moved are pending UFAs (unrestricted free agent), age, and performance so far this season.
Top 3 Buyers
- Florida Panthers – Currently on top of the Central Division (and the NHL) with 56 points in 39 points the Panthers are looking to be strong contenders for the Stanley Cup this season. However, due to the recent injury of Aaron Ekblad, who will be out for the season, they are going to be shopping for a defenseman. Missing Ekblad is going to create a huge hole in their defensive core because Ekblad had 22 points with 11 goals and 11 assists in 35 games played with an average of 25:05 time on ice. So the question is, with roughly $5.8 million in cap room who does Florida go with? Here are some of the players I believe they might go with in order from most likely to least likely-
a. Jon Merrill (Detroit Red Wings – $0.925 million cap hit, UFA at the end of the season)
b. Jamie Oleksiak (Dallas Stars – $2.137 million cap hit, UFA at the end of the season)
c. Sami Vatanen (New Jersey Devils, $2.0 million cap hit, UFA at the end of the season)
d. Dmitry Kulikov (New Jersey Devils, cap hit of $1.150 million and a UFA at the end of the season)
e. Mike Reilly (Ottawa Senators, $1.5 million cap hit, UFA at the end of the season)
f. Seth Jones (Columbus Blue Jackets, $5.4 million cap hit through 2022).
2. Boston Bruins – Boston currently sits at 4th place in the East and 5 points ahead of the 5th place team (the New York Rangers) so they will definitely be looking for a boost the secure that playoff spot and fill in some holes that injuries left. The Bruins top concern is 5 on 5 scoring and adding a top 6 forward. As of today (April 7th, 2021) the Bruins have 5 players on the IR (Injured Reserve list) which includes 2 defensemen (Brandon Carlo and John Moore), 2 goalies (Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak), and 1 forward (Ondrej Kase). Charlie McAvoy is considered day to day with his current injury, which puts Boston in need of at least one defenseman to make up for all the injuries because McAvoy and Moore lead the team in average time on ice and they’re both out. The Bruins might also look at a backup goalie because of the injuries they are facing there but, I believe they will focus on getting a goal scorer or defensive depth more. Also according to capfriendly.com the Bruins currently have roughly $5.7 million worth of cap room for the trade deadline. With all that being said let’s look at some options that might work out for them.
a. Trade with the New Jersey Devils for forward Kyle Palmieri and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. I’ve seen this trade rumored on the internet a lot and even as a Devils fan myself I like it. Both players are UFAs at the end of the season. Palmieri has 8 goals and 9 assists in 34 games played but is a proven goal scorer with 183 career goals. Dmitry Kulikov could be a solid defenseman for the Bruins with a +/- of -3 and an average time on ice of 19 minutes and 38 seconds for the Devils.
b. Probably the most common thought of this year’s trade deadline is “Where is Taylor Hall going?”, well, Boston might just be the answer. The former MVP should be thought of as just that, FORMER. This year Hall is not putting up the numbers we are used to seeing, with only scoring 2 goals. His season can be revamped with a change of scenery. The only problem I see with this move is Hall’s $8 million cap hit so the Bruins might need to look elsewhere.
c. If cap space wasn’t an issue for the bruins I could see them trying to make a trade for San Jose’s Evander Kane or Logan Couture. If I was Boston, I would stay away from these two because of their contracts but, Kane’s 16 goals in 38 games makes it tempting for the Bruins. Couture has 14 goals in 38 games but a horrible contract for Boston to take on.
NY Islanders – The Islanders find themselves being serious playoff contenders for the second year in the row, but unfortunately this year they lost Anders Lee for the season due to an injury. That being said I believe the Islanders are going to be in a similar market as the Bruins.
a. Unlike the Bruins I believe Ryan Dzingel might be the best fit for the Islanders. Dzingel has 6 goals in 14 games and might just give the Islanders that extra firepower to contend for the cup. This move would also work out because Dzingel has played with Jean-Gabriel Pageau who is currently on the Islanders so there would already be chemistry there.
b. Just like the Bruins, I feel like Kyle Palmieri would be the better choice over Taylor Hall, but I have a feeling whoever the Bruins do not get, the Toronto Maple Leafs or New York Islanders will get. (After writing this, it turns out my prediction is correct)
Top 3 Sellers
1. Buffalo Sabres – What looked like a possible promising season for Buffalo after acquiring Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, and Tobias Rieder has been nothing but a dumpster fire of a season. The Sabres sit at the bottom of the entire league thanks to an 18 game losing streak, which especially hurts because of the shortened season. The biggest and most obvious move that needs to happen is offloading Taylor Hall to a contender. However, this is going to be difficult because the once MVP has only 2 goals in 37 games with an $8 million cap hit that ends with him going to free agency this year. Tobias Rieder will be an UFA at the end of the season so I would also expect him to get moved by the deadline as well. Brandon Montour and Jake McCabe could also be trade candidates for the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2. Anaheim Ducks – After only winning 12 games out of their 40 played to date the Ducks should be looking to offload some players in return for picks and prospects. Rickard Rakell has 22 points (7 goals and 15 assists) in 36 games played and could be a depth option for teams like the Washington Capitals. Derek Grant is the only other forward I could imagine getting moved that would actually help a playoff team but, his contract expires in 2023 when he is 32 years old. In terms of defensemen for the Ducks, I think Jani Hakanpaa and Ben Hutton might get offers from defense-hungry teams like the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, or Florida Panthers.
3. Detroit Red Wings – At least they weren’t officially eliminated from the playoffs before the deadline this year, but it is another year that Detroit will be looking to offload some assets and prep for the draft. Defenseman Jon Merrill will probably be the easiest asset to move because of his small-cap hit ($0.925 million and is an UFA at the end of the season), having a +/- of +5 (the best of all Detroit defensemen), and only 12 penalty minutes in 35 games played. Patrik Nemeth will most likely also get moved with his +/- being -1 and having 39 games played this season. Nemeth’s cap hit is $3 million which could be difficult for certain playoff contenders to take on but, he is a UFA at the end of the season so, it wouldn’t be a huge hit to take on. On the other hand, Marc Staal and his $5.7 million cap hit would be a lot for some playoff teams to take on but, with him being an UFA at the end of the season the Red Wings will need to try and get someone to trade for him. In terms of forwards, Robby Fabbri and his nearly $3 million cap hit through 2022 might get moved within the week while no other Detroit Red Wings forward seems worthy of a move unless it is for 3rd or 4th line depth.
Well said!