Insider’s Cryptic Comments: Pre-Olympic Freeze Trades Set to Be Announced?

Based on the timing of NHL insider Darren Dreger’s recent comments, it seems like there are a handful of NHL trades that will be announced almost as soon as the Olympic break comes to an end. Deals that were reportedly discussed before or during the break just need to be made official. In other words, it could be a busy 24 to 48 hours once the NHL roster freeze lifts.

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Dreger noted on TSN’s First Up, “I don’t have this rock solid, but there is a sense that maybe there are deals that were more or less agreed to, not finalized but agreed to in terms of the level of negotiating, prior to the start of the Olympic roster freeze.”

For the most part, this is little more than word salad that doesn’t really offer anything concrete. At best, he’s saying that there are trades so far along that the two sides working on them simply couldn’t announce them while the NHL stuck everyone with a freeze.

But who is Dreger talking about?

Taking a Wild Stab At Some Possibly Close Trades

Based on our previous reports over the past few weeks, and drawing from current rumors around sellers like the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets, here are a handful of plausible trades that fit the bill.

Evander Kane from the Vancouver Canucks to the Colorado Avalanche: Colorado has been rumored as a team ready to make a move. Some believe they’ve been poking around the market for playoff toughness. If so, Kane fits the bill. Talks could have aligned before the freeze, with Vancouver open to moving him amid their slide. As for the return, it’s not a lot.

Dougie Hamilton from the New Jersey Devils to the San Jose Sharks: The Devils are eyeing a “hockey trade” to shake up their room, and Hamilton has been a hot name in the rumor mill. The San Jose Sharks were interested some time ago, but Hamilton wouldn’t go there because the Sharks were not a good team. That’s not the case now, especially with Macklin Celebrini being a magnet for solid NHL players.

Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames to the Minnesota Wild: Nazem Kadri is reportedly open to a move. The Flames are retooling. Meanwhile, the Wild are looking to bolster their center depth after trading away Marco Rossi in the Quinn Hughes deal. There are other teams likely to be in the mix on Kadri, but this could be an interesting fit.

Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues to the Boston Bruins: The Blues are in sell mode with high asks on their blueliners, but Boston has been circling Faulk to upgrade their blue line. This could be one of those “near-perfect” deals after the Bruins failed to acquire Rasmus Andersson.

Logan Stanley from the Winnipeg Jets to the Detroit Red Wings: Winnipeg’s uneven season has them considering changes, and Stanley’s name is out there as a pending UFA. Detroit-Winnipeg matchups have been rumored. This could be a fitting depth move agreed upon before the freeze. Steve Yzerman has something up his sleeve. We just don’t know what it is.

Next: NHL Trade Watch: Rangers Retool, Predators Deadline Plans & Canucks’ Fire Sale