TRADE DEADLINE DAY
James Duthie....................Pierre McGuire
Bob McKenzie....................Darren Dreger
Duthie: It's an unofficial holiday here in Canada as TradeCentre kicks off here in Canada. Hello everyone I am James Duthie along side Pierre McGuire, Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger as we keep you up to date on all the transactions going on today in the NHL. So far, the trades have been quiet in the NHL, but we are not expecting that to last much longer as teams sell off assets and others are buyers. But before we get to who is buying and selling, we need to see who is up for sale, and Pierre, it seems like we have a good crop this year.
McGuire: A good crop is right as there seems to be a lot of depth this year in what other teams are willing to part with and what they are looking for in return.
McKenzie: But there is also some experience out there as well, and those are the players that could see a lot of movement today with the deadline approaching.
Dreger: And there are a lot of teams who do have some cap space to play with and could see some higher valued players being moved today.
Duthie: So who should we be looking out for today to be moving to another city today?
McGuire: This year there seems to be a lot of centre men who could see movement. Saku Koviu looks to be on the move from the Ducks today, as well as Nik Antropov from Atltanta and Brad Richards from Dallas. Antropov has 21 goals and 41 assists this season, and could be a quality starting centre or second line for any team needing added depth. He comes with a $4.65M price tag over three years, so that in its self is something teams will look at. In this case, Brad Richards coming in a $7.80M and in his final year could be looked at more with teams that have cap space for him.
McKenzie: And Richards does bring the experience that an Antropov or Koviu may not have. He won the cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, so he knows what it takes in the playoffs. Also someone like Adam Foote can bring that experience to the blue line or an Eric Brewer who hasn’t seen much playoff action, but could be a solid lift on defence for any team looking to buy up.
Dreger: And then of course there are the big names this year. The Detroit Red Wings have put out feelers of Henrik Zetterberg and to a less extent Pavel Datsyuk. Both have 7 and 4 years remaining on their $6.00M plus contracts, but with their production lacking this season, they could find new homes. Scott Hartnell is another player with a three year deal that is being put out there for teams, as is Dustin Penner. So if teams are willing to take on extra cap over a few years, these types of players are going to be available.
Duthie: So we have the names that might be on the move today, how about where they will be heading?
McGuire: It will be interesting to see what happens in the West. St. Louis is a point out of the playoffs behind San Jose and could some of these offensive players to make it over the hump and into the playoffs. In the same regard, a lot of quality defence men are available and it could be what the Sharks need to secure that spot. The Sharks only have a small space for cap of just over a million, where as the Blues have 8 million, so I can see the Blues being involved today.
McKenzie: I fully expect to see Tampa Bay looking today. They are first in the league with goals for, but rank one of the highest in goals allowed. With $11M in cap space, I fully expect them to make a move on defence today, but with Steven Stamkos and Simon Gagne’s contracts up this season and the team wanting to sign both, I don’t see them taking on any more cap then needed, or any more years.
Dreger: I also expect to see movement from Washington, New Jersey and Calgary to finish loading up their line up for their playoffs push. Offence and defence will help in any case.
Duthie: So it should be an interesting day here as we await transactions to come through. Here are our top ten of players we think will be on the move today.
Nik Antropov (ATL).......... Brad Richards (DAL)
Adam Foote (COL).......... Dustin Penner (EDM)
Scott Hannan (COL).......... Andrew Ladd (ATL)
Scott Hartnell (PHI).......... Saku Koivu (ANA)
Francois Beauchemin (TOR).......... Henrik Zetterberg (DET)
Adam Foote (COL).......... Dustin Penner (EDM)
Scott Hannan (COL).......... Andrew Ladd (ATL)
Scott Hartnell (PHI).......... Saku Koivu (ANA)
Francois Beauchemin (TOR).......... Henrik Zetterberg (DET)
