NHL Trade Rumors: Potential Expendable Trade Options in the Future
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Trade Rumors: Potential Expendable Trade Options in the Future Due to Emerging Young Prospects
Numerous players are still being bantered about in NHL trade rumors as we near closer to a new season. Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, and Winnipeg all have crowded creases and could be easier to trade after teams get a chance to evaluate their goaltending early in the season. Teams such as Anaheim, Minnesota, and NY Islanders have an overabundance of depth on the blue line, while others like Edmonton and San Jose could find themselves more than 13-men deep up front.
Once rosters begin to shape up in training camp (following the World Cup of Hockey), GMs will have a better idea of where they stand. We should realistically see some movement on the trade market prior to opening night in October.
Today’s focus will be a little different from typical NHL trade rumors. We wanted to look a little further down the road to speculate which players could become attractive trade targets in the next few years.
In a salary cap world where every dollar counts, an emerging young prospect can quickly put a quality veteran on the trade block. After all, why hand $5 or $6 million dollars to a player in their late 20s when you can fill his spot with a prospect on an entry-level deal? Whatever the reason may be, the cap system forces General Manager’s to make tough decisions at times, even if that means moving on from a player the team would otherwise prefer to keep.
Let’s take a look at some of those potential scenarios that could eventually force players to the trade block in the near future:
NHL Trade Rumors: Potential Future Expendable Trade Options
Tomas Tatar, Detroit Red Wings
If we attempt to project the future roster, both Evgeny Svechnikov and Dylan Sadowy possess top six potential on the left wing.
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We can assume that Henrik Zetterberg is entering the final stages of his career, leaving Justin Abdelkader and Tomas Tatar as the top LWers. Even if only one prospect reaches their potential, and the other amounts to nothing more than a third line left winger, it still leaves Detroit with an extra player.
Moving someone to their off-wing seems unlikely given that Gustav Nyquist and Anthony Mantha should be able to lock down the right side.
Tatar, 25, has one season remaining on his $2.75 million dollar/year contract before he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. After posting 56 points in 2014-15, followed up by 45 points this past season, the Slovakian winger will be seeking a big pay raise.
That money may be better spent elsewhere when you have talented prospects on entry-level deals.
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Colin Wilson, Nashville Predators
Selected 7th overall back in 2008, Wilson is now an eight-year veteran. It might be safe to say that Colin Wilson has fallen short of expectations so far in his career. His most productive campaign came back in 2014-15 with 20 goals (42 points). To be fair though, he was one of the Preds top players during their 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs run with 13 points in 14 games.
Wilson is listed as a center, but primarily plays the left wing. There’s certainly no room for him up the middle, and it won’t be long before he has extra competition at LW. Top prospect Kevin Fiala is expected to step up in 2016-17 and has sights set on a top six spot. Nashville also has Vladislav Kamenev, another talented LWer that could challenge for a roster spot in the near future. Include current roster names such as Viktor Arvidsson or Auston Watson for example, Colin Wilson could quickly become expendable.
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Rick Nash, New York Rangers
His name was bantered around in trade rumors early in the summer, and it’s beginning to look as though the speculation may come to fruition at some point.
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GM Jeff Gorton made several intriguing moves during the offseason that may suggest an early exit for star forward Rick Nash (before his deal expires at the end of 2017-18).
Between Chris Kreider, Jimmy Vesey, and Pavel Buchnevich, the Rangers will quickly figure out they have more than enough depth at left wing.
Carrying a $7.8 million dollar cap hit, Rick Nash has two years remaining on his eight-year deal. He will earn $8 million dollars in total salary this upcoming season, and is due $8.2 million dollars in total salary his final year in 2017-18.
Nash owns a no-trade clause in which he submits 12 teams that he cannot be traded to, although finding interested suitors shouldn’t be the issue. It will be a matter of how much salary New York is willing to retain in correlation with their asking price.
Don’t be surprised if this is a deal that becomes much easier to make in his final year in 2017-18.
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Kevin Klein, New York Rangers
Rangers fans might need to get comfortable with the idea that one of their left-handed defenseman will need to play on the right side permanently.
Top prospect Brady Skjei is expected to step up in 2016-17 and could log top four minutes immediately. Sitting ahead of Skjei on the depth chart for LHD is Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal.
If GM Jeff Gorton could keep Klein and move Girardi’s contract instead, that would be ideal, but we also need to remember the NY Rangers have several other promising defensive prospects in the mix as well. That $2.9 million dollars/year invested in Klein could be spent elsewhere if others are ready to contribute.
Michael Del Zotto, Philadelphia Flyers
The current roster is already loaded with left-handed shooting defenseman. It’s about to get a lot deeper with the additions of Ivan Provorov, Samuel Morin, and Travis Sanheim.
Del Zotto is set to become a UFA next summer, and should be looking for a pay raise from his current $3.875 million dollar cap hit. If even two of those prospects crack the NHL roster in 2016-17, Philly may need to consider salvaging something before they lose Michael Del Zotto for nothing.
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Honorable Mentions:
Tommy Wingels, San Jose Sharks
Prospects that could make Wingels expendable: Timo Meier, Nikolay Goldobin, Kevin Lebanc
Kevin Shattenkirk, St.Louis Blues
Prospect that could make Shattenkirk further expendable after Colton Parayko emergence: Jordan Schmaltz
Patrik Berglund, St.Louis Blues
Prospect that could make Berglund expendable: Ivan Barbashev
Matt Niskanen, Washington Capitals
Prospect that could make Niskanen expendable: Madison Bowey
Mathieu Perreault, Winnipeg Jets
Prospects that could make Perreault expendable: Marko Dano, Joel Armia, Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Brendan Lemieux, Nic Petan, Chase De Leo