The annual NHL edition freeze of trade during the holidays begins at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 19 and will end at 12:01 a.m. on December 28. That gives general managers looking to bolster their rosters about two weeks to make moves in the trade market.
This could explain the recent upswing in commercial activity. With only four exchanges taking place between October 8 and November 8, three offers occurred between November 26 and 30, with the Vancouver Canucks involved in two of them.
On November 28, the Canucks sent winger Anthony Beauvillier to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick. By getting rid of Beauviller Cap reaches $4.2 millionthe Canucks had the option to acquire defenseman Nikita Zadorov and his Cap reaches $3.8 million from the Calgary Flames two days later in exchange for two draft picks.
The Flames dealing Zadorov has sparked trade speculation about their pending free agent defensemen such as Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. Speaking of defensemen, the Nashville Predators might be ready to part ways with Tyson Barrie.
What value should we give to all these conjectures? We’ll put them to the test by looking at the five most notable trade rumors from the past week.
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The San Jose Sharks were among the busiest clubs on the trade market in 2023 with 17 professions. These included two of the biggest trades of the year, with Erik Karlsson being sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Timo Meier being sent to the New Jersey Devils.
With the Sharks sitting in last place overall, general manager Mike Grier could turn into a seller again this season. December 2, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said the Sharks have indicated they are willing to listen to offers for their defensemen. He expects Mario Ferraro to attract a lot of interest given his age (25) and affordable contract.
The Sharks also have several notable players eligible to become unrestricted free agents next summer, which they could also sell before the March 8 trade deadline. They include forwards Anthony Duclair, Mike Hoffman, Kevin Labanc and Alexander Barabanov as well as goalie Kaapo Kähkönen.
Lizz Child of San Jose Hockey Now observed that Duclair, Kähkönen and Barabonov were included in The Athletic’s recent ranking of their top 25 trade candidates. She also noted that Hoffman and Labanc were among Daily Faceoff’s top business targets.
BS counter: no BS
Friedman doesn’t think Ferraro is out. Still, it might take a big offer to tempt the Sharks. For the rest, Grier will be ready to listen to offers that will bring him the best returns and help him build the club’s foundations.
The Montreal Canadiens have been carrying goalies Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau since the start of the season. Primeau is no longer exempt from waivers and management does not want to risk losing him if they try to send him back to its AHL subsidiary in Laval, Quebec.
How the Canadiens might handle their crowded field generated enough trade speculation about Montembeault and Allen that they ended up on our December list. Large trading block board. However, Montembeault’s future in Montreal seemed assured when he signed a three-year extension on December 1, with an average annual value of $3.2 million.
Following the signing of Montembeault, Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now thoughtful how the Canadiens could solve their goaltending problem. One option would be to put Primeau on waivers and hope no other club takes him, while another option would trade Allen.
Dumont also suggested trading Montembeault. The 27-year-old goalkeeper could prove more attractive to rival clubs now that he has an affordable contract extension.
BS Meter: it’s BS
A team could make the Canadian an irresistible trade offer for Montembeault. However, it appears they re-signed him because he has become a reliable starting goaltender. Signing him to a cost-effective, short-term deal ensures invaluable cost certainty as they continue to rebuild their roster and bring much-needed stability between the pipes.
With three regular defensemen sidelined, the Toronto Maple Leafs need help on their blue line. John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren were recently placed in long-term injury reserve with no timetable for their return. On November 30, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe announcement that Mark Giordano is week to week with a broken finger.
December 2, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the Leafs attempted to acquire defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames. However, the deal fell through because the two clubs could not agree on how much player salaries the Flames would keep. Zadorov was then traded to the Vancouver Canucks.
Friedman still believes the Leafs could be interested in Tanev given their need for a right-handed defenseman. However, the 33-year-old rearguard wears a Cap reaches $4.5 million for this season and is expected to become an unrestricted free agent next July.
Friday, Friedman request if the Leafs pursued a rental player in the playoffs. However, he thought they would be “pretty confident” in retaining the Toronto native, noting that Leafs general manager Brad Treliving signed Tanev to his current contract while he was GM of the Flames.
BS counter: no BS
There is no guarantee the Leafs will land Tanev. However, if Klingberg ends up having end of season operation for his current injury, this would ensure he remains on LTIR. This would mean they would have enough cap flexibility to take on most, if not all, of Tanev’s cap hit.
In the last season of his three year contract With an average annual value of $4.5 million, Tyson Barrie will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July. However, the 32-year-old defenseman could part ways with the Nashville Predators sooner than that.
December 2, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the Predators gave Barrie and his agent permission to talk with other teams about a possible trade. He was also left out of Saturday’s Predators game against the New York Rangers.
During his 13 seasons in the NHL, Barrie has exceeded 40 points seven times, including reaching 55 points in 2022-2023, split between Nashville and his former club, the Edmonton Oilers. This season, however, he managed just nine points in 22 games with the retooling Predators.
The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode believes Barrie has become consumable for the Predators, with promising Spencer Stastney getting more playing time on their blue line. Michael Gallagher of Nashville Hockey Now suggested the Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs (another former Barrie club), New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders as trade destinations.
BS counter: no BS
The Predators are a team in transition having already let go of expensive veterans such as Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene. via exchanges and buyouts. Given Barrie’s impending free agent status, he doesn’t seem to fit their long-term plans. If he and his agent can find a suitable business destination, it could suit everyone involved.
The Calgary Flames traded Nikita Zadorov on November 30 to the Vancouver Canucks, intensifying speculation about who else they might get on the trading block. The focus remains on pending unrestricted free agents, such as center Elias Lindholm and defensemen Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin.
Hanifin has regularly appeared in rumors since the summer as a trade candidate. He dominated our December NHL Large trading block board as speculation continues to swirl over the 26-year-old defenseman, who carries a $4.9 million cap hit for this season as well as an eight-team no-trade list.
November 30, Pierre LeBrun of TSN said the Flames and Hanifin were close to securing an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.5 million. However, they withdrew the offer when the defender indicated he wanted to see the club’s performance for the remainder of the season.
LeBrun believes a sign-and-trade scenario could be possible for Hanifin. On December 1, Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now quoted an NHL source speculating that the Boston Bruins might be willing to make that move if it comes to fruition. Murphy noted that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney could have attempted to acquire Zadorov and could shift his focus back to Hanifin.
BS Meter: It’s BS, at least for this season.
The Bruins could afford a new contract for Hanifin starting next season when they have a projected $26.8 million. in salary cap space. However, they are squeezed by the $83.5 million cap hit for this season. Unless they can reduce his salary or convince the Flames to accept a comparable salary in return, they won’t be able to afford Hanifin’s contract for this season.
Statistics via NHL.com with salary information via Compatible with caps.
