The NHL trade deadline is now less than two weeks away, and plenty of teams are looking to improve, add depth, or trade away players for picks. There are alot of players who could be on the move, so I’m sitting down to take a look at the rumor mill.
I’m going to give you the inside scoop on a few players who have been wanting to move or teams that are trying to add significant pieces.
Marc-Andre Fleury
This is the name everybody is looking at. The former Penguin has three Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh and led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final. Since landing in Chicago things haven’t gone so smoothly, but Fleury is only looking to move to a contender.
When relocating to Chicago, the Blackhawks GM promised Fleury he would only trade him if he had the goaltenders explicit consent. Therefore, if Fleury wants to stay in Chicago, he’ll stay in Chicago.
Fleury had to move his whole family to Chicago, and unless he is going to a contender like Washington or Toronto, I don’t see him leaving in the middle of the year. It’s more likely that he finishes the year in Chicago and signs somewhere else next year after a long offseason to move his family.
Mark Giordano
Giordano was the talk of the town last year after the Calgary Flames left him to be grabbed by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Giordano had played 949 games for the Flames and was their captain before they exposed him in the expansion draft.
Now Giordano is looking for a way out of Seattle. The Kraken probably could’ve guessed this after the surprise of him even being exposed, but Seattle will look to get some goods in return for the star defenseman.
The likelihood is that Giordano will only leave Seattle for a team making a run. Teams that I feel would be a great fit for Giordano include New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, or Edmonton Oilers.
Personally I would kill to see Giordano playing alongside either Connor Mcdavid or Alexander Ovechkin. Either of those power plays would instantly go to top 5 in the league.
Also, The Florida Panthers have seemingly been shopping for a veteran defenseman recently. If they can make it worth Seattle’s while, Florida could add to their already magnificent roster.
Filip Forsberg
Forsberg ended up in Nashville as a result of a trade back in 2012 that Capitals fans may recall as an absolute screwjob. Washington ended up receiving a washed up Martin Erat and a young Michael Latta who never panned out.
Nashville was lucky to get Forsberg from Washington, and he’s been such an integral part of the Predators success over the past ten years. Now he may be going somewhere else.
The Predators have announced that they are actively shopping Forsberg. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re trading him, but it does mean they’re open to the idea. Forsberg was not aware of this, and neither was his agent.
However, I believe at the end of the day Forsberg will remain in Nashville. They need him if they expect to make a playoff push, and I expect him to sign somewhere else this summer as a free agent. Good fits for him might include Minnesota, Calgary, or Pittsburgh.
Patrik Laine
Many people thought Patrik Laine wouldn’t last long in Winnipeg. He was plagued with injuries and bad habits throughout his first season, and many thought Winnipeg should bail on him.
Winnipeg drafted him 2nd overall in 2016, and he’s just now starting to hit his stride. Columbus is attempting to make a run for the playoffs, but I don’t expect it to happen.
Columbus will either hold on to Laine until the summer, or will trade him away for a big name. Laine is starting to come into his own which will raise his trade value.
That being said, I don’t expect him to leave right now. He’s starting to make his mark and Columbus shouldn’t be willing to trade him after waiting for him to develop all this time. I expect him to stay in Columbus.
