2016 NHL Trade Deadline: 25 Hypothetical Trades
By Ryan Ritchie
2016 NHL Trade Deadline: Hypothetical Trades (20-16)
20. Toronto Trades F P.A. Parenteau and D Roman Polak to Chicago in exchange for F Kyle Baun and 2016 1st Round Draft Pick
Chicago’s hoping to add more of an impact left winger to play alongside Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. There’s no guarantee they’re willing to pay the asking price to obtain one of those guys. Plenty of second-tier options that can help down the stretch – Toronto’s P.A. Parenteau comes to mind. Perhaps he doesn’t fit on that top-line, but he would add depth even in a third line capacity. Roman Polak is a perfect fit for what Chicago would love to add in an attempt to capture back-to-back Stanley Cup’s. He plays with a gritty edge, and playoff-like intensity that would fit in nicely on the bottom pair.
If Toronto can fetch a 1st round draft pick for Parenteau and Polak, anything else involved is simply a throw-in. The Baun name has deeply seeded roots in the Maple Leafs organization with Kyle’s distant relative being Leafs great Bobby Baun. There’s no guarantees he’ll ever be a full-time NHL’er – but he’d certainly have a better chance/more opportunities of having an impact on Toronto’s roster.
19. Vancouver Trades D Dan Hamhuis VAN and F Alex Burrows to Dallas in exchange for D Stephen Johns and 2016 1st Round Draft Pick
Latest rumors suggest Vancouver is yet to approach Dan Hamhuis about waiving his no-trade clause. The Canucks are moving in a younger direction – so there’s a possibility of him being moved before February 29th. Burrows would also need to waive his no-trade for this to work, but one would imagine that both veterans might be interested in joining a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Both Hamhuis and Burrows are experienced players that fill two holes in the Dallas’ roster down the stretch. This is the type of move Jim Nill needs to make if he believes his team can win now.
Johns was originally acquired from Chicago last summer in the Patrick Sharp deal. He’s a promising young blueliner that’s near NHL ready. He could presumably step into Vancouver lineup in 2016-17. The Canucks should be stockpiling draft picks to help strengthen their prospect pool – that’s likely the main target when moving veteran pieces out.
18. Philadelphia Trades F Sam Gagner, F Matt Read, and D Nick Schultz to Los Angeles in exchange for F Adrian Kempe, F Michael Mersch, and 2017 1st Round Draft Pick
Philadelphia’s biggest overall weakness depth-wise from a positional standpoint is left winger. They’ve gotten away with plugging natural centers up the left side – but that only works for so long.
Both Kempe and Mersch are left-wingers. Mersch is closer to being NHL ready – but might be nothing more than a bottom six forward. Kempe is the Kings top prospect who shined at this year’s World Juniors with his strong skating and excellent two-way play. He’s got top six potential – the trick is convincing Los Angeles to trade him.
You’re rolling the dice with Sam Gagner. He’s proven a productive forward in the past, but struggles with consistency. Strictly a rental that could be signed to a new contract – why not roll the dice on a player with his skill-set? Matt Read is perhaps the most important piece in this deal. He’s long been one of the NHL’s most productive 3rd line right winger’s – with top six capabilities. He’s never had a long enough opportunity to prove he can be that player. If you’re looking for a replacement for Marian Gaborik, he’s a guy with some term at a very affordable cap hit. Nick Schultz is a 33-year-old veteran that would fill a need on the Kings blueline. He has a bit of term left on his contract as well – but again, very affordable cap hit.
17. Calgary Trades F David Jones to Florida in exchange for F Jayce Hawryluk and 2016 2nd/or 3rd Round Draft Pick
By all indications, Calgary would prefer to sign David Jones to a new contract. Keeping him isn’t a necessity – they could live without him. His $4 million dollar cap hit is slightly north of what he’s worth, and he’ll likely seek similar money in the summer. If Florida can add an impact piece without sacrificing too much, that’d be ideal. For a franchise whose revenue can be greatly impacted by playoff success, the saying “gotta spend money to make money” comes to mind.
Hawryluk seems to be an ideal fit for Calgary. He’s a WHL forward that survived until the last cuts of Team Canada’s World Junior squad. Hawryluk is a smart, offensively gifted center. The Panthers also own Minnesota’s 2016 3rd round pick, making the 2nd, or either of the two 3rd’s an option.
16. Carolina Trades D John-Michael Liles and F Kris Versteeg to Los Angeles in exchange for Michael Mersch and 2017 conditional 1st Round Draft Pick
If Ron Francis is able to acquire a 1st round draft pick in exchange for pending free agents Versteeg and Liles, he needs to pull the trigger. John-Michael Liles had some of his best NHL years playing in the Western Conference (for Colorado). He’s a little undersized for a defenseman, but skates extremely well – a solid puck-moving blueliner. He can log big minutes, and is an immediate upgrade on several of the Kings players on the back-end. A streaky player, Chicago was almost ready to give this guy away for nothing at the start of 2015-16. He’s proven an extremely productive player in the past, and has the experience to fit in with Los Angeles.
At 6’2 198lbs, Mersch was originally taken 113th overall back in 2011. As mentioned in another trade, Mersch is near NHL ready – but may be nothing more than a bottom six forward. In comparison to the main piece (the draft pick), Mersch is more a throw-in to help equal out trade value. Carolina already acquired the Kings 2016 1st rounder in 2014-15 when Los Angeles was looking to add to their blueline with Andrej Sekera. It didn’t work out as hoped last season, but the Kings are in better shape to make a deep run at this point than where they stood at this time last year.
Next: 15-11