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7 Trades to Expect In The NHL As 2020 Begins

Here are seven NHL players we believe will be prime targets as 2020 gets underway and team are calling each other to make trades.

Brandon Saad

Friedman has also noted in his 31 Thoughts article that Brandon Saad is getting attention from teams and that once he’s recovered from his health/injury issues, there’s a potential he’s moved.

Friedman noted the Edmonton Oilers kicked tires but bowed out of the conversation citing a lack of interest in moving their draft picks and a non-desire to get tied up into big salary commitments. Any other team that inquires will have to be willing to overlook what the Oilers are not.

Saad could contribute being a player that has 19 points in 36 games for the Blackhawks this season and having produced 47 points in 80 games last season. That said, $6 million is a lot to invest in a player that could be losing a little steam. He’s been on a downward trend since leaving Columbus.

Either the Blackhawks will have to take salary back or retain salary in any potential deal.

Related: Kovalchuk Signs With Montreal Canadiens

Andreas Athanasiou

The Detroit Red Wings are almost certainly going to move Andreas Athansiou as part of their selling off of assets. Dead last in the NHL standing by a large margin, Athanasiou is on an expiring contract that will see him become a restricted free agent this summer. At his $3 million salary, he’s an effective enough scorer with speed that a team will offer Detroit something that makes a trade hard to refuse.

The relationship history between Athanasiou and the Red Wings hasn’t always been free of speed bumps either. MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman could be reaching a point where he’s frustrated with Athansiou’s inability to take the next step in his progression and dating all the way back to when Ken Holland was Detroit’s GM, Athanasiou has proven he’s willing to sit things out and jeopardize playing time.

Athansious clearly won’t be the only name the Red Wings move before the NHL Trade Deadline but he might be the highest-profiled from the roster — that is, unless you consider Mike Green high-profile at this stage in his career.

Related: Chris Kreider a Target of the Pittsburgh Penguins?

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