With the 2020 NHL trade deadline being less than one week away, the market is buzzing with NHL trade rumors. Here’s a look at what could happen.
The NHL trade deadline is on Monday, Feb. 24. Up until Sunday, there wasn’t much action. However, the New Jersey Devils opened up the gates by trading Andy Greene to the New York Islanders and Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings traded Tyler Toffoli to the Vancouver Canucks. These moves should get the NHL trade rumors flowing.
This is the time of year when fans want to see bold moves. Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets made everybody happy by pushing in all their chips to get Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel. Even though they fell short of the Stanley Cup, it was fun as heck to watch.
Will another team do the same this year? Perhaps not, but after seeing what Coleman fetched the Devils and what Toffoli got for the Kings, sellers are going to be pushing to make some big moves. And with several very close playoff races, maybe they’ll find some buyers willing to pay a significant price.
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Here are five bold predictions for the 2020 NHL trade deadline. Most of this stuff probably won’t happen. But it sure would be fun if they did.
5. The Devils Continue Their Fire Sale
It’s not a secret that the New Jersey Devils are rebuilding. They’ve already gotten impressive hauls for Andy Greene and Blake Coleman, but I don’t think they’re done. The Devils have several intriguing pieces left and they could emerge from the 2020 NHL trade deadline as one of the biggest winners.
Defenseman Sami Vatanen is likely a goner since his contract expires after this season. Despite his recent injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Devils manage to get a fourth first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by trading him. They’re also likely going to at least entertain offers for Kyle Palmieri, though I’m not sure if any team is going to be willing to match what ought to be a sky-high asking price.