Every NHL Team’s Most Likely Offseason Trade Piece: [Part 3]

Part 3 of our look at every NHL teams most likely trade piece will focus on the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Some teams have already gotten busy in their respective offseasons but can more be expected?

Related: Canadiens Considered Different Goalie Before Trading For Jake Allen

Montreal Canadiens: Max Domi

There are a few options when it comes to Montreal but the name that continues to be near the top of everyone’s list is Max Domi. While there’s been talk that Phillip Danault might be moved because of his desire to play a bigger role and his contract is close to expiration, Domi’s status as a restricted free agent and the price tag he’s likely to command with arbitration rights make him the most likely option to be moved.

He stands to make a nice chunk of change but it doesn’t make sense for the Canadiens to heavily invest in a player that doesn’t have a defined role on the team. Is he a center? If so, he’ll need to play down the lineup. Is he a winger? He could be, but the Canadiens like him better in the middle.

The expectation is that he’ll be moved and with so many trades expected between now and the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, he should find a home with someone who has a spot where he might be able to shine.

Nashville Predators: Kyle Turris

He might not get traded, but there’s a good chance Kyle Turris is playing for a different team next season. A candidate for a buy out with the Nashville Predators, his production has been too inconsistent for a player making $6 million per season over the next four seasons.

In what is expected to be a stingy offseason where teams can’t take on bloated salaries, Turris stands out like sore thumb. How the Predators move him if they don’t want eight seasons of dead cap space is another question. If David Poile chooses to buy him out, the Predators would be carrying $2 million on the books until 2027-28. Ouch.

New Jersey Devils: Kyle Palmieri or Damon Severson

We had a hard time deciding on this one because the New Jersey Devils probably shouldn’t trade either player. But, there’s been talk about both Kyle Palmieri and Damon Severson potentially being moved.

For Palmieri, it’s about his contract and his value in a trade. Just 29, Palmieri has been excellent for an offensively-challenged Devils team. He’s reached or exceeded 24 goals and 44 points in five consecutive seasons and there’s certainly going to be a market for him at $4.65 million for one more season. In a way, he’s like a year-long rental for team that needs consistent offense.

As for Severson, Ray Ferraro of TSN noted he believed the franchise might have soured on the defenseman a little this past season. And, if the team puts him on the trade block, there will be teams that come calling. Ferraro called him highly underrated and suggested he could be one of the steals of the trade market this offseason.

Related: Have the Devils Soured on Defenseman Damon Severson?

New York Islanders: Nick Leddy

While the Islanders would prefer to move Andrew Ladd as his extremely painful $5.5 million dollar contract, the Islanders can free up the same space by moving defenseman Nick Leddy. Leddy will give the franchise a few more options in trade, even if there won’t be a lot of teams willing to take on his two more seasons.

But, the Islanders have a good d-man coming up the pipeline in Noah Dobson and they need to clear space to sign some hefty contracts. Matthew Barzal needs a new deal as does blueliner Ryan Pullock. Leddy is a piece the Islanders can spare as long as they can find a taker. That will be easier said than done.

New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist

Another player that is more likely to be bought out than traded is Henrik Lundqvist. Unless the Rangers move another one of their netminders, Lundqvist is the costly piece that doesn’t fit and we’ve already seen a few teams say goodbye to veterans who were wanting to retire in certain uniforms.

Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev are the goaltenders of the Rangers future and if the team wants to be players in free agency (which they almost always do), they need to free up cap space. If the team buys him out it will sting. He’ll count for $5.5 million against their cap next season.

Ottawa Senators: A Draft Pick

We’re taking the easy way out on this one as the Ottawa Senators have so many draft picks this offseason that it’s a good bet they move one of them. This is a time where teams with cap space and picks can really grab some interesting and useful pieces and the Senators may be better equipped to do this than anyone.

It will cost a lot to get one of their first-rounders but one has to assume they are listening to offers.

Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere

It will be intriguing to see if the Flyers can pull it off, but if the team can move defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, they’ll have tackled a feat that looked almost impossible. He’s got three seasons left at $4.5 million and while that’s not an incredible amount of money against a team’s cap, his lack of production isn’t making him an easy sell in a market where GM’s are holding onto their wallets.

It will take the Flyers retaining some salary and a team that is willing to give him another shot to get this done. Their hope will be that a new environment can help him get back to somewhere near his 65-point season in 2017-18. It’s not likely, but it’s not impossible he could rebound. After all, he’s only 27.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Matt Murray

What haven’t the Penguins done this offseason? The team already acquired Kasperi Kapanen and dumped their first-round pick, the sent Nick Bugstad away for pennies on the dollar. Thursday, they traded Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers. None of these moves were telegraphed before they happened but the one deal everyone seems to be waiting on is the one that will send goaltender Matt Murray somewhere else.

The hold up seems to be the asking price. It appears GM Jim Rutherford wants to recoup that first-round pick he gave up and teams aren’t jumping to help him out in that regard. The market is far too flooded with good goalies to give up a valuable asset for a player you need to sign at a pretty hefty contract.

At some point, the Penguins will need to take what they can get on the player.

Next: Patric Hornqvist Traded Officially, Panthers Add Sceviour to Deal