NHL trade rumors: One player each team should trade
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins – David Backes
The Boston Bruins recently placed David Backes on waivers. This could be the beginning of the end of his tenure in Boston. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bruins attempt to trade Backes to create some cap space. While he has an eight-team no-trade list, it’s worth noting he’s only due $4 million of salary despite having a $6 million cap hit for next season. That might be appealing to certain teams.
Buffalo Sabres – Zach Bogosian
Trading Zach Bogosian would make a lot of sense for the Buffalo Sabres. While trading Evan Rodrigues would too, trading Bogosian would provide a larger impact for the Sabres. It would help clear up their current logjam on the blueline and it would let them get at least something for a player they probably don’t want to bring back. But more importantly, it would give Lawrence Pilut a spot in the NHL. However, his $5.42 million cap hit will be hard to get rid of.
Detroit Red Wings – Luke Glendening
The Detroit Red Wings have been trying to trade Luke Glendening for a while. While he hasn’t done much to help his trade value with just nine points, the Red Wings might be able to create some interest in him if they’re willing to retain half of his $1.8 million cap hit. Glendening is far more reasonable with a $900,000 cap hit.
Florida Panthers – Mark Pysyk
It will be interesting to see how the Florida Panthers approach the trade deadline. If they’re contenders, they’ll likely try to add something to their blueline. But if the Panthers start slumping, they might be open to moving players like Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadonov. Regardless of what they want to do, parting ways with Mark Pysyk would make sense.
Montreal Canadiens – Tomas Tatar
The Montreal Canadiens are likely going to be sellers at the trade deadline unless things improve. I’m not saying they should trade Tomas Tatar, but there’s no reason they shouldn’t listen to offers. The Canadiens would be wise to set the price tag sky high on him and see if they get the kind of offer it would take to move Tatar, who has 43 points in 50 games. His $4.8 million cap hit is quite reasonable too.
Ottawa Senators – Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a fan favorite. It will be very tough for the Ottawa Senators to let him go. However, extension talks haven’t progressed much with him and he becomes a free agent on July 1. This means Pageau will likely be traded. He could fetch the Senators a very nice haul, one that might even net them a third first-round pick in 2020.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Cedric Paquette
The Tampa Bay Lightning are finally looking like the juggernaut everyone thought they would be, so they’re in pretty good shape. However, they should be open to clearing some cap space because they need to re-sign Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak, who are all restricted free agents this offseason. Cedric Paquette would make sense, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they listen to offers for players like Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Andreas Johnsson
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to move someone to help them get what they need. Andreas Johnsson makes the most sense. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a mighty fine player. However, Johnsson’s skill set, while valuable, is a bit redundant on the Maple Leafs. He would make more sense to trade than, say, Kasperi Kapanen or Alex Kerfoot.