With less than a week to go before the trade deadline speculation is at a high point. Though much of the league standings are muddied by parity, with only a handful of teams truly out of the playoff race, there are plenty of teams that are mulling over significant changes.
Let’s take a look at some of the latest intel from around the league in this week’s rumour roundup.
Are the Los Angeles Kings looking to deal Quinton Byfield?
Quinton Byfield is a surprise name on the market, a rare talent to be in such a position. At just 22-years-old, the 2020 second overall pick brings a blend of size, skill, experience, and potential as a centre. Things have come along more slowly for Byfield, who broke out as a legitimate second line option last season. To an extent his offensive totals have stagnated this season, but clearly there is still upside for more.
Amongst the team’s top forwards Byfield is the youngest, especially at centre where veterans Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault are the other options. The Los Angeles Kings are in an interesting spot, a decorated veteran group with an infusion of highly touted youth, now poised to extend a respectable streak of playoff appearances. Trading Byfield would be quite bold, not only upsetting the current lineup, but also diminishing the future at a key position.
To amplify matters, the Kings have not always had an easy time getting young players into the regular lineup quickly, in part because of their strong team-first defensive concepts. To an extent we might question how many points a player on the Kings could score in a season. Although Byfield’s production might not jump off the page, he is fourth on the team in scoring. He also has started to build a solid history of producing in the playoffs.
Naturally, the return for Byfield should be immense. Ultimately the Kings might be more tempted by the trade return than they are Byfield’s potential, the only reason they would even consider such a move. The Kings are looking to finally make it out of the first round, where they have had the misfortune of running into the Edmonton Oilers time and time again. The big bodied playmaker excels in the tough areas of the ice, especially in cycle situations. His line with Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere has taken off recently, making the timing of these rumours even more surprising. No doubt that many teams will be interested in acquiring Byfield, but we should expect that the Kings would be looking to improve their roster for this season with a deal.
St. Louis Blues looking for stability
The St. Louis Blues are not entirely out of the playoff race, but their hopes are faded. With Alex Steen slated to take over the GM role after this season, a shakeup seems more inevitable than ever. The Blues have a number of more established players that could be moved to help vault the team in a new direction. Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Binnington, and Colton Parayko all have term remaining on their deals, and the potential to jumpstart a new era for the team if traded.
The Blues have clearly avoided a full rebuild, preferring to maintain stability despite their talent waning in the years since their Stanley Cup triumph. At this point it should be clear that their core is not quite good enough, and some more drastic changes could be on the table. Schenn and Buchnevich have long been involved in trade rumours, while Binnington’s value might be elevated after his 4 Nations Face-off performance.
Still, the single greatest asset might be Parayko. A defensive minded right shot, Parayko is among the prototypes in his role, a role that is scarce throughout the league. Under current GM Doug Armstrong, the Blues have seemed to favour depth over top tier talents, evidenced by locking up players like Torey Krug and Justin Faulk while letting Alex Pietrangelo walk in free agency. Parayko might well be the single most valuable trade asset that the Blues have, and the best chance to drastically alter the future of the franchise.
Nashville Predators looking to build their prospect pool
The unconventional candour of GM Barry Trotz has been entertaining from a distance, this time publicly inviting his entire roster to inform him if they want to be traded. In essence, the entire roster is on the trade block, leading to open season speculation.
After an offseason of spending the Nashville Predators have fallen flat. The team has been able to build up their draft capital and prospect pool since Trotz took over as well, but one would think that the focus on the future will strengthen from this point. As much as attention will turn to some of the high profile veterans on the team as potential trade candidates, the Preds do have some depth options that might be in play as well. For one, the Oilers have been linked to fourth line centre Michael McCarron.
Marner and Rantanen approaching free agency
News of this summer’s upcoming free agent class has heated up, as it appears that both Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen are eager to hit the open market. It is not often that multiple top tier talents are available simultaneously. Combined with the rising salary cap, July 1 looks to kick off an interesting offseason for several reasons.
Quite simply, Marner and Rantanen have a chance to become the league’s highest paid players. A bidding war could ensue, leaving their current teams seeing a star player walk for nothing. On top of this, teams interested in making a big splash might miss out, a concept that could be devastating if they overextended themselves in their pursuits.
The rising cap, and the unprecedented multiseason projection announced by the league, would have reshaped the balance of power either way. Having a headline free agent class only expedites that outcome. Other high end UFAs like Brock Boeser and Brock Nelson might have to wait until Marner and Rantanen sign. The middle class might be squeezed yet again. Teams will have the opportunity to change their priorities, and the uncertainty could lead to a discrepancy of outcomes.
The power dynamics and status quo of the league will be challenged. Players and agents versus teams. Trade value versus cap value. The fallout could be akin to the Vegas expansion draft, or the implementation of the salary cap itself. In these periods teambuilding philosophies were altered, with some teams getting ahead of the curve while others fell into a slump after miscalculations.
As for the time being, the situation between the Carolina Hurricanes and Rantanen is confusing. Their swing and high end pending UFA always carried the risk that he might not re-sign. For the team to be surprised or panicking that Rantanen has not been extended seems a little strange, as does the concept of them trading him again before the deadline. The Hurricanes were commended for their aggressive tactic, as the team has been wanting for a high end talent like Rantanen to break through their playoff glass ceiling.
