The 2016-17 trade deadline has the potential to be relatively quiet. General managers around the NHL are still trying to decide whether to buy or sell.
One complicating factor this year is the expansion draft in June, which will provide players for the league’s new franchise in Las Vegas. Other teams are trying to figure out how, and whether, to protect their players — or if it would be best to trade some assets now. With the March 1 deadline approaching, it appears most GMs are leaning toward staying the course. Here are four players, however, who could be on the move.
The future Hall of Famer is nearing the end of his career. The 39-year-old is in his 20th season and has yet to win a Stanley Cup championship. Iginla is the type of player — and person — who deserves to hoist the Cup over his head before he retires.
He and Avalanche GM Joe Sakic have discussed the possibility of a trade, and Iginla would welcome a deal to a contender. At this point in his career, he could help on the power play and would be a solid third- or fourth-line guy. Iginla’s voice in the dressing room would also be priceless during the stretch run.
“There will be some interest,” one NHL GM said. “He still moves OK. There won’t be a lot of sellers, so there won’t be many players available, but he will be one of them.”
A few possible landing spots for Iginla are the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens. He could be a solid fit with Edmonton, and Iginla has a history with Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli dating back to their days together with the Boston Bruins. Of course, it would drive Calgary Flames fans crazy if Iginla won a Cup in Edmonton. The Canadiens should go all-in and add Iginla to the mix because Montreal isn’t too far away from winning a championship. Even if it’s not this season, the Canadiens could sign the pending unrestricted free agent to a cheap one-year deal for the 2017-18 season.
Iginla recently told ESPN.com that he hasn’t decided when he’ll retire, but he admitted that he’s holding out hope of winning a Cup first.
“Yeah, [that’s] part of it, because every year you play, you have a chance to win,” he said. “I’d obviously still like to win and compete for it. But I’ve been very fortunate and gotten to play a long time. I’ve had a ton of fun — played with great players, played in great situations and been fortunate to score goals. So there are lots of things I’m thankful for. In a perfect world, yeah, I’d love to win in one of my last years, or my last year, but we’ll see.”
Many so-called experts, including myself, thought this would be the season the Lightning won a Cup. Well, that doesn’t appear likely now, as Tampa Bay is among the cellar dwellers in the Eastern Conference. Bishop will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and with the development of fellow Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, it’s likely that Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman will move Bishop. Teams that could use his services right now include the Flames, Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues.
At this point, the Flames would be the perfect landing spot because Bishop could help Calgary down the stretch as it vies for a postseason berth.
“Teams worry about his injuries,” said a Western Conference evaluator. “He looks checked out in Tampa. It’s probably tough mentally knowing you’re not wanted.”
The likelihood of the Flames — or any team, really — acquiring Bishop would hinge on their ability to sign the 30-year-old to a long-term deal.
His name has been churning through the rumor mill since last summer. The Blues are trying to remain in the playoff hunt, so a decision on whether to move a high-end defenseman will be a difficult one for St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong.
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Chicago GM Stan Bowman isn’t likely to be a dealer at the trade deadline — at least not at the level Blackhawks fans are used to, says Pierre LeBrun, who suggests some smaller targets.
The Capitals are clearly the league’s one true powerhouse team. Will the bye week help or hurt Washington? Meanwhile, the Blackhawks keep soaring, and the Canadiens are suddenly in free fall.
Jarome Iginla, a former scoring champion and current Colorado Avalanche veteran, is 39 and mulling his next career move. But he’s loving what he’s seeing in today’s younger players.
The Bruins and New York Rangers could be in the mix for the 28-year-old pending free agent. Bruins GM Don Sweeney said recently that if he makes a deal at the deadline, he doesn’t want it to be for a rental. He would rather have a player to whom Boston can commit for the longer term. Shattenkirk will earn $6 million-plus per season with his next contract. He currently doesn’t have a no-trade clause and understands the situation.
“My whole mentality is that when it happens, it happens,” he told reporters in Toronto recently. “I can’t control when or where it’s going to be. I have to focus on my everyday responsibilities here. Looking at Twitter, that’s not going to help me by any means. It’s not going to be good for me.”
The Bruins need a top-end defenseman, and Shattenkirk, who played at Boston University, could be a solid fit. The asking price, however, could be too steep for Sweeney’s liking.
The 26-year-old forward could be a major trading chip at the deadline. Sakic and two members of Colorado’s scouting staff attended the Bruins-Canadiens game Sunday night. The Chicago Blackhawks could use his services, but GMs don’t always like to trade within the division. Montreal and Los Angeles could also be landing spots for Duchene.
Duchene’s versatility is intriguing, but he is better on the wing than at center. “He’s highly skilled,” said an NHL coach. “He will go into traffic to score and has great hands around the net. He can flat-out fly.”
Duchene, who was Colorado’s first-round pick (No. 3 overall) in 2009, has 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points in 48 games. He also has a cap hit of $6 million, so teams with salary constraints would have to get creative.
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