BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring a trade candidate from every NHL team!
Is Leon Draisaitl’s excellent two-way presence just a mirage? One Edmonton pundit says they may very well be, BLH says not so fast. Read about it here.
A new name in the rumor mill for Oilers fans! Check out who it is here.
Could Tyson Barrie be trade bait for the Oilers? Read about that here.
This is not the kind of news Edmonton Oilers fans will like.
NHL Rumors and Speculation
The Athletic asked the writers of all 31 teams who they thought is getting traded by the April 12th NHL trade deadline. Here’s the first 15 teams and later on today I’ll post the other 16!
- Anaheim Ducks: Adam Henrique
“The Ducks would have to retain half of Henrique’s contract to make it happen. Painful. But it can be beneficial. And Henrique at $2.9 million is appetizing to teams seeking secondary scoring help.” – Eric Stephens
BLH’s Candidate: Danton Heinen is who I’ll say here. Not a sexy name but he’s quick, hard-working, and on an expiring contract.
- Arizona Coyotes: Alex Goligoski
“He won’t command much in return — a late-round pick with the Coyotes likely retaining some salary.” – Scott Burnside
BLH’s Candidate: Antti Raanta. This is Arizona’s chance to shed salary and gather futures. There are teams out there who are actively shopping for help between the pipes and Raanta could be that help.
- Boston Bruins: Anders Bjork
“Another team might identify Bjork’s speed and agility as unappreciated assets that could be used higher in the lineup.” – Fluto Shinzawa
BLH’s Candidate: I could see the Bruins moving one of Zboril or Vaakanainen to grab an upgrade on their defense. Which they desperately need.
- Buffalo Sabres: Taylor Hall and Eric Staal
“Hall has a no-movement clause and Staal has a modified no-trade, but anywhere is better than Buffalo right now. There’s absolutely no incentive for the team or players to continue their relationship past the deadline.” – John Vogl
BLH’s Candidate: Brandon Montour. He’s on the wrong team and in the wrong system. He needs to head to a team that can insulate him and offer him ideal zone starts for his skill set.
- Calgary Flames: Sam Bennett
“In February, Bennett’s agent suggested that his client would like a change of scenery. The Flames could make this happen at the deadline — but only if the return is right.” – Hailey Salvian
BLH’s Candidate: I think Bennett will be a Sutter guy and that the new coach is going to ride Jacob Markstrom like he did Kiprusoff back in the day. So I’m going to suggest David Rittich.
- Carolina Hurricanes: Your new favorite prospect
” Well, they’ve got a few interesting prospects tearing it up in the AHL right now and a few lower-round picks they could sacrifice at the right cost. So, choose your own adventure.” – Sara Civian
BLH’s Candidate: Jake Gardiner. He’s still on the taxi squad… It’s been almost a week.
- Chicago Blackhawks: Mattias Janmark
“A versatile forward on an expiring deal who’s got nine goals while bouncing around the Blackhawks lineup, Janmark is the kind of sneaky role-player deadline acquisition that championship teams always seem to make.” – Mark Lazerus
BLH’s Candidate: I wonder about Nikita Zadorov. He’s an old school Russian tank with a ridiculous cannon-of-a-shot and he takes no prisoners. Just the kind of guy a GM might want on his team when the officiating relaxes even more in the post-season.
- Colorado Avalanche: J.T. Compher
“If the Avalanche make an addition, they will likely need to match contracts with another team to make the cap situation work. Compher’s contract could come in handy there.” – Peter Baugh
BLH’s Candidate: Tyson Jost was in the rumor mill a lot after the playoffs last year. I even remember some local media types suggesting a Jost/Puljujarvi trade… The Avs need an upgrade in net and I don’t think Jost alone would get you that, but him in a package might do it. Jost and Francouz to San Jose for Dubnyk? Does that make sense?
- Columbus Blue Jackets: David Savard
“Savard has been a very good playoff performer in Columbus, the kind of player who can take a toll on opponents over the course of a seven-game series. He’s a rugged, shutdown defender and an excellent penalty killer. Put him on most teams’ wish list right after Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm.” – Aaron Portzline
BLH’s Candidate: Max Domi. He’s had one helluva fall from grace, but he’s still young and there’s still a player there. That $5.3M/yr for another season could be a problem though.
- Dallas Stars: Blake Comeau
“It comes down to Andrew Cogliano or Blake Comeau for the Stars, two veteran depth forwards who are on expiring deals but Comeau is a bit cheaper so he should be easier to move.” – Saad Yousuf
BLH’s Candidate: Jamie Oleksiak. Was an absolute force in the playoffs last year. No doubt a team like the Penguins wouldn’t mind the upgrade given who’s running the team now.
- Detroit Red Wings: Luke Glendening
“Glendening is a playoff-style player — a matchup fourth-line center who’s tough to play against, wins key faceoffs and has long been relied on to kill penalties. The rebuilding Red Wings will likely draw interest in him from teams who need a highly respected, veteran center down the lineup.” – Max Bultman
BLH’s Candidate: Bobby Ryan. A great story he’s been in recent years, I think Steve Yzerman would be a good enough person to shop Ryan to a contender that needs some depth in scoring.
- Edmonton Oilers: Caleb Jones
“Edmonton’s last protected player might come down to the preference of coach Dave Tippett, who likes the shutdown potential of William Lagesson. That’s why I can see them trading Jones for value now, even if it’s a draft pick.” – Allan Mitchell
BLH’s Candidate: Kyle Turris. It hasn’t worked for him so far in Edmonton and if they could send him with a prospect to Vancouver for Brandon Sutter at 50% retained salary, I think they would.
- Florida Panthers: Brett Connolly
“On a team needing some depth scoring and secondary power play help Connolly could likely be had for a late-round pick.” – Scott Burnside
BLH’s Candidate: Draft picks and prospects! Connolly might not be in Quenneville’s good books now but he could be valuable in the post-season.
- Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick
“Quick has the most immediate value for a variety of reasons. He’s won a championship before — twice, in fact. He is athletic and ultra-competitive and, at 35, still moves well side-to-side.” – Lisa Dillman
BLH’s Candidate: If not Dustin Brown, Andreas Athanasiou. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure they’ll be sellers as they’re in the hunt for the final playoff spot. They could be buyers and in that case, they’ve got a plethora of good looking prospects like Akil Thomas they could use to help put them over the top.
- Minnesota Wild: Marcus Johansson
“He has missed 13 games in a row and 15 of the past 17 with an injury and the Wild have functioned well without him.” – Michael Russo
BLH’s Candidate: This team is rolling. If anything, maybe they’d deal Bjugstad or Bonino since they’re UFAs, but even then. Why fix something that isn’t broken. Maybe Bill Guerin’s first rounder will be in play?
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