Will they or won’t they? 20 players that could move on trade deadline day
It's trade deadline day!
Now, maybe you're not all that excited. That's understandable. With 10 trades happening in the two days prior, a lot has already happened. Several of the big names are off the board too, from Jarome Iginla, Jay Bouwmeester, Jaromir Jagr, Derek Roy.
But it's possible that this day could be a lot of fun. After all, 10 deals is a whole lot more than we saw in the days leading up to last year's deadline. Same with the year before. And furthermore, the prices for the abovementioned guys have all been pretty reasonable, which means that it may not be as much of a seller's market as we once thought. It's possible that Jay Feaster and Joe Nieuwendyk playing pushovers has helped to set a friendly market. That could mean some serious dealing.
Plus there are still a lot of names rumoured to be in play that haven't gone anywhere. Let's take a look at 20 of them:
Why he might be traded: Craig Anderson is back in practice and young Robin Lehner has shown well, so Bishop might be the odd man out in Ottawa.
Why he might not: The goalie market has a lot of names all of a sudden. Plus Anderson isn't back yet and the Senators look like a playoff team. They might decide to wait on a Bishop trade until later.
Why he might be traded: With the moves of Ryane Clowe and Douglas Murray, the Sharks are clearly willing to sell off a few pieces, and Boyle and his massive contract might be a good one to move.
Why he might not: The Sharks aren't really sellers in the traditional sense. They're moving expiring contracts, and Boyle has another year left. Plus, with the cap going down, they might have a hard time finding a taker for his $6.67M cap hit. Finally, look at him: he looks like a grump. Smile, Dan.
Why he might be traded: Gaborik is being paid a lot of money and he isn't exactly putting up the offensive numbers to match.
Why he might not: Gaborik is being paid a lot of money and he isn't exactly putting up the offensive numbers to match.
Why he might be traded: The Flames are having a fire sale!
Why he might not: Glencross has a no-movement clause, for one. For another, the Flames are reportedly seeking a prospect and a pick, although it's hard to believe Jay Feaster could hold out for a good package after seeing what Iginla got him.
Why he might be traded: A skilled player on an expiring contract playing for a bad team? Do I really need to explain this?
Why he might not: Rumours has it Hemsky's been dealing with an injury of some sort, which could make a move difficult. Plus the Oilers might still think they can make the playoffs.
Why he might be traded: The Flames are trying to trade him.
Why he might not: He said he won't report to another team if he's traded, although no one seemed to listen.
Why he might be traded: I think by now we all know he's asked to be traded, and he's got a "just in case" bag packed, so it's not like he'll be refusing to waive his no-trade clause.
Why he might not: He asked to be traded last summer and it hasn't happened yet. It seems hard. Maybe it's the contract. Maybe he's trying to steer a trade to a city that's not offering the right package.
Why he might be traded: The Hurricanes held McBain out of Tuesday night's game versus the Washington Capitals, which seems suspicious. His name has been included in packages, and as a right-side defenceman, he'd be attractive to a number of teams.
Why he might not: At 25 years old and with another year left at an affordable $1.8 million, we can't figure out why he'd be on the block in the first place.
Why he might be traded: He recently denied giving GM Darcy Regier an 8-team list of places he'd be willing to go, which means he definitely did exactly that.
Why he might not: The goalie trade market is suddenly quite crowded, and with Miller's cap hit, Regier might have an easier time finding a taker for him at the draft.
Why he might be traded: The Sabres are terrible, so they're selling. And Pominville is reported to have submitted a list of eight teams he will not accept a trade to, which is a good indication he's on the block.
Why he might not: It's going to take a great offer for Regier to move a player of Pominville's ilk, and likely a roster player. Thus far, the buyers have been unwilling to give away guys they're planning to use this year.
Why he might be traded: With Raymond's deal expiring at the end of the year, the Canucks might decide to make sure they get something back for a player they're probably going to lose.
Why he might not: While that's wise rationale, it's harder to rationalize when you could use him for a playoff run and you already have him.
Why he might be traded: The additions of Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold have left the Blues with a logjam on the backend, and shedding Redden's one-year deal could be the way to clear it up.
Why he might not: If the Blues got guys to replace him, it's hard to think another team would consider him the answer on their blueline. But stranger things have happened.
Why he might be traded: He's a centre, and those are in high demand right now. Furthermore, he's unrestricted at the end of the year and appears to want a lot of money.
Why he might not: The Capitals are two points out of first in the Southeast with games in hand. They might be looking to add, not subtract.
Why he might be traded: Did we mention the Sabres are bad? Because they're bad. And they're sellers. Stafford would be attractive to a lot of teams as a big depth option.
Why he might not: He has two years left ona deal that pays him $4M, which is problematic considering he's scored just 5 goals this season and appears to be in decline. With the cap coming down, most teams will want to spend $4M on players that are ostensibly good.
Why he might be traded: The Avalanche are sitting at the bottom of the West, and now might be a good time to sell off a few expendable assets. Statsny and his $6.6M cap hit for next season is one of those.
Why he might not: Did we mention his $6.6M cap hit? We did, right?
Why he might be traded: Extension talks between Streit and the Islanders have broken off, meaning he could be gone in the summer for nothing if they don't send him away now for something. A lot of teams would want the Isles' captain, who can provide scoring from the back end and quarterback a powerplay.
Why he might not: The Isles are one of the teams that wants him, especially since they're in the hunt for a playoff spot. They might take their chances in the hopes that he can help them now, and they can convince him to re-sign later.
Why he might be traded: If you're looking for veteran experience, look no further than Steve Sullivan and his 1000 NHL games. The pending UFA would be a good rental pickup for a number of teams.
Why he might not: The Coyotes are only two points out of a playoff spot. They might not be sellers.
Why he might be traded: Another pending UFA that could help a lot of playoff teams. Nevermind that he's been known for nasty hits. He's also the sort of skilled and mean player that teams only hate when he's on the other side.
Why he might not: Again, the Coyotes may not be sellers.
Why he might be traded: The Oilers aren't going to be needing him when the regular season ends and they stop playing, and Whitney is on an expiring deal. He could be a good rental for a club.
Why he might not: He's lost a step, and the Oilers might have a hard time unloading him unless they're willing to take a mid-level draft pick or equally mid-level prospect in return.
Why he might be traded: The Coyotes could stand to save a little money, and if Don Maloney thinks the club might be outside the playoff bubble at the end of the season, shedding Yandle's deal for a package of picks and prospects could be the way to go.
Why he might not: He'll be an expensive pickup, for one. Plus he scored two goals Tuesday night in the Coyotes' win over the Kings. If they think they'll be making a playoff push, he'd be good to have around.
