NHL trade rumors: 3 teams who should trade for Joshua Ho-Sang

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, Joshua Ho-Sang has requested a trade from the New York Islanders. Which three teams would make the most sense for the former first-round pick?

The New York Islanders have a complicated relationship with Joshua Ho-Sang. They took a chance on the controversial forward in the 2014 NHL draft, drafting him in the first round. Ho-Sang has yet to stick full-time in the NHL. Earlier this week, the Islanders put him on waivers. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, he has requested a trade.

Despite clearing waivers, Ho-Snag could be a hot commodity. But why would anyone want to trade for someone if they were willing to pass on them when offered him for free? First of all, teams are often pushing the contract limit at the start of the season. To claim Ho-Sang on waivers, a team likely would have had to reshuffle their Opening Night roster or find a contract to get rid of.

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Secondly, Ho-Sang might actually have more value now that he’s cleared waivers than he did before. Had a team claimed him on waivers, they’d have no way to send him to the AHL without putting him on waivers, which would require them to risk losing him.

Because Ho-Sang has cleared waivers, a team that trades for him doesn’t have to worry about sending him to the AHL. They can do it without the risk of losing him on waivers. The Islanders likely won’t get much for him, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see multiple teams interested in Ho-Sang.

Which teams would make sense for the former first-round pick? He’s an enigma. Ho-Sang is talented, yet flawed. At worst, he’s a quality AHL player. Ho-Sang is still just 23 years old, so maybe there’s something more to his game. Here are three teams who should be calling the Islanders.

3. Edmonton Oilers

It would make all the sense in the world for the Edmonton Oilers to take a flyer on Ho-Sang. Their wings are among the least impressive in the NHL. The Oilers’ wings aren’t very skilled and adding someone like Ho-Sang will help bolster their depth.

Edmonton would be a great place for him to get the chance the Islanders never really gave him. It’s worth noting Ho-Sang has a history with Connor McDavid. The two forwards played midget hockey together on the Toronto Marlboros.

Ho-Sang would give the Oilers an element of offense that they desperately need. They rely quite a bit on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is coming off a career season. But other than those three, the Oilers lack skill, especially at wing. It would cost Edmonton virtually nothing to take a flyer on Ho-Sang.

2. Los Angeles Kings

Much like the Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings wing depth is quite shallow. They lack youth and depth at wing, which is how they wound up having one of the worst records in the NHL last season. Tyler Toffoli and Dustin Brown are decent right wings, but the former is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2019-20 season and the latter will soon be 35 years old.

The Kings need younger wings and Ho-Sang wouldn’t be a bad guy for them to take a chance on. He has struggled, but he still possesses top-nine forward potential and could very well pan out as a second-line wing.

Though the Kings have a fairly crowded right-wing group with Toffoli, Brown, Jeff Carter, and Trevor Lewis, Ho-Sang could be sent to the AHL and marinate there for a bit. Keep in mind Toffoli and Lewis are both free agents after this season, so the Kings will need to replace them. Assuming both get moved at the trade deadline, Ho-Sang would have a spot on the team.

1. Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators would make a ton of sense for Ho-Sang for several reasons. First of all, if he’s going to stay in the NHL, he’s going to need a team willing to be patient with him. There is no reason why the Senators, a tanking team, shouldn’t be patient with Ho-Sang. Ottawa can afford to let Ho-Sang work out the wrinkles in his game. That would be a far better use of their season than letting guys like Scott Sabourin and Mikkel Boedker get regular playing time.

Ho-Sang would also allow the Senators to send down Drake Batherson. He was very impressive in the AHL this season, but due to a lack of options at forward, he still made the team. Batherson struggled in training camp, preseason, and against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sending him down to the AHL would help him get back on track. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Senators send him down. Why not give his spot to someone who might be a part of the next good Senators team, like Ho-Sang?

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The ultimate goal of a rebuilding team is to acquire as many valuable and interesting assets as possible. Ho-Sang has struggled, but he has a higher ceiling than a lot of the players on their roster. It would cost them very little to trade for him. In a small sample size, Ho-Sang has been solid in the NHL.

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