There are still a few weeks until the NHL trade deadline, which takes place on March 7, but teams could start trading well before then.
The fight for a drafted team position in the East promises to be extremely tight and many teams will try to improve in order to have the last ticket for a place in the playoffs.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Periodwe should watch three teams in the coming weeks: the Blue Jackets, the Senators and the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs are not necessarily in a playoff race, already occupying first place in the Atlantic Division, but they will still certainly be buyers to give themselves a chance in the playoffs.
Pagnotta believes Toronto will try to get a good top-6 forward like Brock Nelson. The only problem is that Toronto will have to make other trades to make room for Nelson’s $6 million contract.
If the Leafs are unable to get their hands on Nelson, Pagnotta thinks the team could fall back on a depth player like Christian Dvorak.
In Ottawa, the Senators are also looking for a mid-line forward, but one who would stay long term. Ottawa is also reportedly looking for a top-4 defender.
Sens general manager Steve Staios confirmed he wants to make a move between now and the trade deadline, but he also doesn’t want to rush into a trade without thinking it through.
In the midst of a playoff race, the Senators want to improve without sacrificing their future.
In Columbus, the situation is very different. The Blue Jackets have plenty of room under the salary cap to maneuver with nearly $20 million free.
The Jackets especially want to try to extend the contracts of Mathieu Olivier and Ivan Provorov, who will both become unrestricted free agents at the end of this campaign. If the Jackets feel like they can’t get along with these players, they might try to send them elsewhere in order to get something out of them.
Pagnotta expects to see all three teams move in the coming weeks. We should be entitled to transactions by the end of January or the beginning of February.
In burst
– Wow!
– Interesting.
– It’s about time!
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