We could be in for a bumpy ride as trade talks are beginning to heat up around the NHL.
Here are some of the players who could be on the move soon.
Jake DeBrusk
Jake is by no means a super star caliber NHL player yet, his points production is already beginning to take a hit. This season he only has 6 points (3 goals 3 assists) in 18 games. Last season, Debrusk also struggled with point production, putting up only 14 points (5 goals 9 assists) in 41 games.
the 25-year-old has spent all 5 of his seasons in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, and has recently requested a trade from the team as confirmed by the Bruins GM.
As per Darren Dreger of TSN, more than 12 teams have contacted the Boston Bruins over acquiring the forward.
He listed in the group of teams the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, NY Rangers, Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues. He also believes the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators are involved in the trade discussion. The Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes have also been listed as possible options.
There is potential that Jake could get back to his 20-goal form again with a new club.
Carey Price
Price has yet to play a game this season, and there is a lot of speculation that he is going to be traded by the March 21 deadline or in the off-season.
Price had just returned to the ice for morning skate on Monday morning.
Rumors are swirling that he may not be a part of a rebuild that is planned under the new Executive VP Jeff Gorton, as per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Price was very tight with former GM Marc Bergevin. He is now 34-years-old, where will he fit in a rebuilding roster of youth and speed?
Price has already waived his no-trade-clause for the Seattle Kraken at the expansion draft back in the off-season, but was not selected. He currently has a full no-move clause. After this season, he still has 4-years with a salary cap hit at $10,500,000.
It is still unknown at this time which team is willing to take on this monster salary.
Evander Kane
Following a 21-game suspension, Kane just reported to the AHL affiliate San Jose Barracudas in an attempt to make a full return to an NHL roster, but the question still remains, who will take on Evander Kane's contract following all his allegations? We still really don't know.
Evander Kane has a cap-hit of $7,000,000 / year thru 2024-25 after he had signed a 7-year/$49M contract back in 2018-19.
The Sharks are willing to retain 50% of his salary to convince another team to take him.
There's no doubt Kane is a very talented elite NHL forward, but is his ego and locker room issues worth tackling for his on-ice talent?
Kane now confirms that he is fully vaccinated, after having submitted a fake vaccine card prior to the start of the season, which led to his suspension.
But the Sharks are in no rush to bring Kane back to the NHL despite the fact he was their most consistent performer last season with 22 goals and 27 assists in 56 games for his highest points per game rate of his career.
The Athletic reported over the summer that there was a rift between Kane and his teammates, many of whom don’t want him back on the team.
He recently hired a new agent Dan Milstein in hopes of finding a trade that will land him back on an NHL roster.
According to Elliotte Friedman, “From what I heard they’re doing to do this as a three-way, cause it’s very hard to fit Kane’s salary in on a straight-up deal unless you’re taking something back that you may not want.” He added while a guest on The Jeff Marek Show, "if a third team gets involved, the Sharks can retain 50% of his contract and the second team can retain another 50%, which would bring his cap hit down to $1.75 million per season."
Kane has a three-team trade-list, and it is believed Winnipeg is one of those teams.
We will be providing updates as any more information arises.
