Not many people believed there would be a large quantity of trades during this particularly unique NHL season. That said, there have already been a handful of them with a three-team trade taking place just a few hours prior to writing this post. With more players on the move than anyone might have expected, it’s fair to wonder who else might be changing destinations.
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The expectation was that trades across the border would be challenging. There are some limitations and delays involved, but it hasn’t seemed to stop deals from going down. That’s good news for fans who like to see players moved and for the NHL who traditionally garners a lot of interest in their product around the NHL Trade Deadline.
Ken Campbell, Matt Larkin and Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News got together to talk about what names might be worth watching out for and they each came up with some interesting options.
Who Is Likely to Get Moved?
Each member of the panel was tasked with coming up with a name that fans should expect won’t finish the season where they started. All had different reasons for their predictions and each made sense from a number of viewpoints. Here were their respective responses:
Campbell: Bobby Ryan
Campbell started and chose Bobby Ryan of the Detroit Red Wings. He said, “I guess I’d have to go right now with a guy like Bobby Ryan who is on a very very cheap deal.” He adds that Ryan has been extremely productive and no one should be under the illusion that the Red Wings will actually contend for anything this year.
Campbell does admit that Ryan was attracted to the idea of working with Steve Yzerman and would be open to a long-term deal with the Red Wings. Still, it’s not likely in the best interest of the team to sign a long-term extension with Ryan, who if he is still producing, could return a decent pick if traded.
Kennedy: Darcy Kuemper
Kennedy pointed out that the Arizona Coyotes are off to a very rough start this season and called the team a club in transition with a new GM. Meanwhile, there’s been interest in potentially moving Kuemper in the past and he’s proven himself to a be a good goaltender who could help a team and get the Coyotes the first-round pick they no longer have.
Kennedy also suggested Clayton Keller is a name to watch. He could use a change of scenery.
Larkin: Taylor Hall
Larkin says Hall is an obvious pick and he doesn’t think Hall with the Buffalo Sabres is something that will last long-term. Larkin says the no-movement clause doesn’t mean a lot because Hall will take the opportunity to go to a contender.
If Hall moves, Larkin says it could open up a load of trade rumors that Jack Eichel could be moved as well. If true, that’s absolutely going to be the guy to watch next offseason.
What do you think? Are all of these good selections or do none of them make much sense? Big names moving during the season didn’t seem to come with the territory of a pandemic-focused season, but two of the biggest names in Patrik Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois moved. It’s difficult to rule out anything at this point.
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