Author Archives: Trade Man
Rumblings: GM meetings firing up rumors
• The New York Rangers have been on the lookout for a top-four, right-handed defenseman and a source told me Tuesday that the Blueshirts have interest in veteran Dan Boyle from the Sharks. There’s an obvious connection there, with Rangers head coach John Tortorella having coached Boyle in Tampa Bay when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Many GMs feel trade deadline too inflationary
NHL trade rumors: Flames like Matt Read, Senators looking for top-six forward
Elliotte Friedman brought up Philadelphia Flyers forward Matt Read in his 30 Thoughts column on Monday. With Read battling back from a rib injury, Friedman wrote about how teams respect the player’s toughness. Given that Philadelphia is looking for help on the back-end, Friedman stated without actually stating that any deal with the Calgary Flames for Jay Bouwmeester would likely include Read, via CBC.ca:
If Philly does any business with Calgary, know that Flames assistant GM John Weisbrod has chased Read for years.
Maple Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski in coach Randy Carlyle’s doghouse
For Randy Carlyle, the problems facing Mikhail Grabovski can’t be measured in numbers.
The struggling Maple Leafs centre found himself on the third line on Monday at practice, and though that could change before the Leafs entertain the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, it’s clear that Grabovski has some work to do to unleash himself from Carlyle’s doghouse.
And the quickest way for Grabovski to do that? Start putting forth a better effort.
Hainsey, Antropov: Too good to trade
Ron Hainsey’s play may have priced him right out of the trade market.
Hainsey has long been seen as a player Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff might peddle at the deadline, but a number of factors are beginning to make such a deal less likely.
To a slightly lesser degree, the same can be said for Nik Antropov.
Both veteran players are unrestricted free agents this summer and Cheveldayoff likely had plans to try and grab draft picks in exchange for both prior to the trade deadline.
Senators GM Bryan Murray says moving players by trade deadline going to be difficult
The problem is there’s more buyers than sellers. Only the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche are out of the playoff race. There’s other teams hanging on, but they might not be willing to accept the reality they won’t make it.
“I don’t know how you ever get a scorer in the NHL anymore, but if you can get a top-six forward it’s always the objective,” said Murray. “I haven’t identified anybody who is going to be moved.
“There’s only a couple of teams that are going to say today that they’re probably going to trade a couple of kids. (Teams) want to keep the best part of their core and then try to add to it as well. It certainly makes it difficult to make trades.”
Sharks may be looking to deal Dan Boyle and Martin Havlat
Sources around the NHL tell ESPN.com that Wilson has listened on several of his players. And he’s never been shy to act, one of the league’s more active traders over the past decade.
Boyle, 36, could possibly be on the move either before April 3 or this summer as part of that roster tweaking. He’s a name I’ve heard from other teams. He’s got one more season left on his deal that pays him $6.66 million.
Leafs interested in Ribero?
Corey Perry’s name is the name that has surfaced on talk surrounding the Leafs with regards to trade or off-season moves.
But another name making the rounds around the Leafs is Mike Ribeiro, a top-six centre.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Three things they can do to turn it around
Here’s a look at three ways they can break their slump and bolster their drive for a playoff berth:
Goaltending
Give James Reimer the task of leading the team over the remainder of the schedule.
Both Reimer and Ben Scrivens have improved this season. But the season is now at a desperate stage, and every team in the Eastern Conference seems to have elevated its game.
Time to trade?
Corey Perry’s name is the name that has surfaced on talk surrounding the Leafs with regards to trade or off-season moves.
But another name making the rounds around the Leafs is Mike Ribeiro, a top-six centre.
The Leafs are said to be interested in adding a centre and a top-four defenceman.
No more excuses
Toronto will be hard-pressed to hang onto a playoff berth if it allows defensive coverage lapses to continue.
They must prevent disasters like that four-goal second period Saturday night against Winnipeg. Good teams, playoff teams, manage those blips down to a goal or two at most. Toronto has to start looking like a playoff team defensively; it certainly has the offensive weapons to make a serious post-season bid.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2013/03/17/toronto_maple_leafs_three_things_they_can_do_to_turn_it_around.html
Red Wings trade talk: Ladislav Smid valued for his size, physical play, shot-blocking ability
Why the Red Wings might be interested in him: They are interested in him. He is one of the players they have been scouting. He would strengthen their top-four and bring some of the gritty qualities they lost when Brad Stuart left for San Jose. The Red Wings have nine defensemen, but they aren’t sure how long Kyle Quincey (fractured cheek bone) will be out or if Carlo Colaiacovo, out since Jan. 21 with a shoulder injury, can return and secure a spot in the lineup. The Oilers are hoping to re-sign Smid.
Umberger, Brassard, Prospal and Aucoin may be available
There’s a better possibility they’ll be sellers, even with the club — as of today — in the hunt.
The players most talked about will be the following:
Shero has never been shy to pull the trigger on significant deals
Shero claims the Pens will make a deal only if the right offer comes along, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation that Calgary’s Jarome Iginla, even at this point in his career, would be a nice fit in Pittsburgh — especially if he landed on Sidney Crosby’s wing.
Keep in mind that Shero has never been shy to pull the trigger on significant deals before. Among the players the Penguins GM has swapped for over the years — Marian Hossa and James Neal.
The Pens have now won eight consecutive games, thanks to a 3-0 victory over the Rangers on Saturday afternoon. Whatever happens in the next 17 days, we do know this: They won’t be sellers.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/03/16/clogged-standings-have-nhl-teams-wondering-if-theyre-buyers-or-sellers
Would Marty St. Louis ever leave the Lightning?
Would Marty St. Louis ever leave the Lightning? Would Steve Yzerman consider trading him?
Tho notion might not be as far-fetched as you think, and as the April 3 trade deadline gets closer — and if Tampa Bay completely loses its grasp on the playoff race — expect St. Louis and the general manager to at least have a conversation about it.
Leafs still in market for D upgrade and a big 2nd\3rd line centre
Lupul will take morning skate before official decision. Leafs still in market for D upgrade and a big 2nd3rd line centre. #TSN
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 15, 2013
Bruce Garrioch – Rumor roundup
Doug Wilson has been busy working the phones. The San Jose Sharks GM isn’t pleased with the club’s inconsistency and he’s open to all options. The club’s UFA’s — LW Ryane Clowe, C Michael Handzus and D Douglas Murray — are available and sources say Wilson “is in full panic mode.” Murray is being “shopped hard” but one team backed off because of concerns about his conditioning. League executives believe Wilson is frustrated but he often stirs up discussions then doesn’t deal. The Habs, Bruins and Penguins have interest in Clowe … Three names to watch in Winnipeg because they’re on the trade radar: LW Evander Kane, D Ron Hainsey and C Alexander Burmistov.
Are the Canucks looking at Derek Roy?
Even though it involved two separate transactions, the Dallas Stars essentially swapped out Mike Ribiero for Derek Roy last summer, shipping Ribiero to the Washington Capitals and then bringing Roy in from the Buffalo Sabres to essentially fill his role as the team’s No. 2 centre. Ribiero has 29 points in 26 games for the Capitals and is seven points ahead of Alex Ovechkin at the top of the team’s scoring race, while Roy has 15 points in 21 games for the Stars. Both are unrestricted free agents this coming summer and the speculation is that Dallas, a team burned by Brad Richards’s departure two years ago, will likely move Roy at the deadline if negotiations on a contract extension reach an impasse. The theory that Roy will land with the Vancouver Canucks as a rental makes a lot of sense, considering Vancouver’s needs for help down the middle, in Ryan Kesler’s absence …
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/duhatschek-jarome-iginla-to-the-kings-not-so-fast/article9827643/?page=2
Makes all kinds of sense for Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray to go after Corey Perry during off-season
Surely, there was more to Bryan Murray’s master plan than meets the eye.
When the Senators GM convinced owner Eugene Melnyk to keep him around for a rebuild three winters ago, he had to have whispered something to go along with “we’ll just dump salaries, make good draft picks and ride our promising young players.”
He must have also mentioned the name Corey Perry.
Canucks trade search
Sources around the league tell ESPN.com that Canucks GM Mike Gillis has been very active making phone calls over the past 7-10 days, checking in with nearly every team in the league to see if there’s any fit for a trade.
Andrew Gross: Rangers’ Marian Gaborik a poor fit
This marriage is surely leading to divorce.
Maybe not by the April 3 trade deadline, though there are plenty of whispers the Rangers are gauging the market’s interest in Marian Gaborik. Maybe not until this off-season. Or maybe not until the inconsistent scorer’s five-year, $37.5 million contract expires following the 2013-14 season, since a new deal seems implausible.
Flames try to put aside trade talk
If face-of-the-franchise Jarome Iginla is willing to accept a trade, or if he’s so frustrated that he’s actually thinking of asking for one, he wasn’t saying Wednesday.
Maybe white smoke will billow out of the Saddledome when Iginla has made up his mind whether he wants to negotiate a contract extension with the team or try for a championship ring elsewhere.
There are rumblings blueline workhorse Jay Bouwmeester, the NHL’s all-time leader in games played without a single skate in the post-season, could be asked to waive his own no-trade clause.
