NHL Trade Rumors Roundup: Bruins, Canadiens, Kings & Red Wings

With the trade deadline less than a month away, the rumors are in full swing despite no household names changing addresses just yet.  That hasn’t stopped plenty of speculation that clubs will look to move veteran players or those whose contracts are set to expire after this season.  As teams start to separate themselves and move into the playoff contenders from those who will fizzle away and be labeled as playoff pretenders, there could be plenty of moves made.  With that, let’s do a quick roundup on a handful teams and some of the latest news and notes surrounding their potential trades courtesy of TSN.ca.

Starting with the Boston Bruins, we posted earlier today that the Bruins are said to be scouting Ryan Clowe of the San Jose Sharks. Now, Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com feels the club needs to address their third line weaknesses, namely the lack of size and grit. While Clowe would be a terrific fit for the Bruins needs, Haggerty also drops names like Jarome Iginla of the Flames, Ryan Smyth of the Oilers and Brenden Morrow of the Dallas Stars.

Iginla isn’t a third line player and Smyth doesn’t necessarily bring the grit and physical play that Clowe or Morrow would.  The price tag on Iginla will be greater than any of the other three, making Clowe or Morrow the more logical choice.

Just as the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have one of the greatest rivlaries on the ice, they could soon be competing on the trade market as well.  According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com, the Habs feel they too need to address one of their needs, a top six forward.  LeBrun writes that Clowe could be a fit for the Canadiens and would make the perfect rental, given he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer.  It’s believed that the Sharks would settle for a high draft pick or two and as LeBrun notes, the Canadiens have three picks in the second round and two more in the third round and would undoubtedly look at moving a couple of them.

The Los Angeles Kings are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, aside from the Chicago Blackhawks.  The defending Stanley Cup Champions have found their game and have also found their way into a playoff position as of today.  While GM Dean Lombardi may not need to do a lot of tinkering with his roster, he does have the most coveted backup netminder in the game today in Jonathan Bernier.

LeBrun spoke with Lombardi and points out that LA may not be in a panic to move Bernier before the deadline but rather wait until the season is over.  Bernier is a restricted free agent this summer and LeBrun agrees that it makes little sense for the Kings to re-sign him as a backup to Jonathan Quick.  You can bet that as the deadline approaches, Bernier’s name will be involved in multiple rumors.  Whether or not the Kings move him is anyone’s guess.

Finally, in Detroit, the Red Wings are said to be looking at making some moves but would prefer to wait until closer to the April 3rd cutoff reports Ansar Khan of mlive.com.

Khan writes that the Wings, should they make a move, will likely go after a top-four defenseman and drops names like Ryan Whitney of the Oilers, the Flames Jay Bouwmeester, Mark Streit and Lubomir Visnovsky from the Islanders, Jets’ Ron Hainsey and Robyn Regehr of the Sabres.

Interestingly enough, the Wings are on the verge of having a plethora of blue liners once Carlo Colaiacovo returns from injury.  To indicate how crowded the blue line in Detroit has become, veteran Ian White is said to be a healthy scratch for the fifth straight game tonight.  Currently the Red Wings have eight healthy defenseman which is a dramatic turn around from when the year started and they were forced to sign free agent, Kent Huskins.

The club will have to move more than a couple of their current d-men if they wish to add the likes of a Whitney, Bouwmeester or others.

The best line I saw today about the trade activity that has yet to pick  up around the league came courtesy of Jimmy Murphy from ESPNBoston.com via Twitter.

Well said Mr. Murphy.  Let’s hope that bonfire is ignited soon.