Maple Leafs’ Justin Holl cracks Chris Johnston’s decimated NHL trade board
Holl #Holl
All convention went out the window when an earthquake of transactions got triggered during this wild NHL trade deadline period.
Franchise legends were unceremoniously shipped out the door. Popular dressing room players on good teams, too. And we’ve seen a spree of first-round picks traded (and in some cases traded again).
So what drama remains in the final hours before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline?
The swirl of activity over the last week has decimated CJ’s Trade Deadline Big Board. Virtually all of the top names are already wearing new sweaters, leaving the remaining shoppers with less than normal to choose from.
Here’s a look at those still in play (with contract status from PuckPedia.com):
Age: 33 | Position: LW
Contract status: $7-million (U.S.) cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: There has been considerable interest in JVR with so many of the front-line forwards already traded. Vegas, Minnesota, Winnipeg and Calgary are all possible landing spots. The Flyers would love to get a second-round pick back for the veteran winger but may have to settle for less while also retaining a portion of his cap hit.
Age: 30 | Position: RD
Contract status: $7-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: Klingberg was essentially signed to a one-year contract last summer by the rebuilding Ducks with the idea of being traded now. They’d like to get a second-round pick for the puck-moving defenceman. Klingberg has had a tough season in Anaheim, but his strong pedigree still makes him an asset.
Age: 25 | Position: RW
Contract status: $6.65-million cap hit through 2024-25
CJ’s take: The Canucks are trying hard to find him a new home. It helps that Boeser has played well since Rick Tocchet took over as head coach, but the team’s reluctance to eat salary has made the transaction tougher to make. Should the Canucks decide to retain, a move to Minnesota makes a lot of sense.
Age: 27 | Position: C/LW
Contract status: $3-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: As Chicago strips its roster down to bare bones, it has been left with an interesting decision on Domi. He’s performed well as the team’s No. 1 centre this season – scoring above a 65-point pace — and would love to stay around for the rebuild. So, do they sign him to an extension now or trade him away and try to lure him back on July 1? He certainly has trade value.
Age: 29 | Position: LD
Contract status: $3.5-million cap hit through 2023-24
CJ’s take: There has been strong interest in the veteran defenceman, who is on the verge of returning from a lower back injury. The Canadiens don’t feel pressure to trade Edmundson now since there’s still another season remaining on his contract, but will move him if they get a return that makes sense.
Age: 34 | Position: G
Contract status: $2.25-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: A low-cost rental for those seeking some goaltending depth. Reimer is an easygoing veteran of nearly 500 NHL games and could be a good insurance policy for a playoff-bound team.
Age: 30 | Position: LW
Contract status: $1.5-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: A cost-controlled bottom-six forward with Stanley Cup pedigree. Expect him to follow Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and Lars Eller out of Washington as the Capitals retool on the fly.
Age: 23 | Position: RW/LW
Contract status: $1.825-million cap hit through 2024-25
The Red Wings pivoted to sellers when they saw where the prices were going on players and added two extra first-round picks with the Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Hronek trades. The price won’t be so high here. Zadina is still looking to establish himself as a NHLer but he’s young and still under team control for those in the market.
Age: 30 | Position: LD
Contract status: $2.25-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: The acquisition cost won’t be high on a veteran depth defenceman with plenty of playoff experience. He’s being held out of Anaheim’s lineup with the expectation of a trade to a playoff-bound club.
Age: 30 | Position: LW
Contract status: $1.25-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: San Jose acquired him at 50 per cent of his cap hit on Wednesday night and could flip him again with even more salary retention. Namestnikov is well-travelled, but could be a value buy for one of several teams with limited cap space to manoeuvre.
Age: 28 | Position: C
Contract status: $6.375-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: A memo distributed to the NHL’s 32 general managers this week hurt the market on a player like Monahan since it discouraged teams from trading for injured players with the intent of stashing them on LTIR until the playoffs. He hasn’t played since December because of a lower-body injury. That derailed what had been a strong start to the year with the Habs.
Age: 31 | Position: RD
Contract status: $2-million cap hit, pending UFA
CJ’s take: If the Leafs decide to make another addition they’ll likely have to clear out salary and Holl could be the odd man out. The team currently has nine defencemen on its NHL roster and he’s a pending UFA. However, his play has come on as this season has worn on – so it’s no guarantee he’s moved.
Age: 29 | Position: C
Contract status: $5.25-million cap hit this season, then $8-million through 2029-30
CJ’s take: We know for certain that the Canucks have had conversations about trading Miller just months after signing him to a seven-year contract extension. He’s got a no-movement clause kicking in on July 1. But can they actually move this big of a contractual commitment in-season without retaining salary? The odds seem low, but it’s been a crazy deadline period so it can’t be ruled out entirely.
Chris Johnston writes about sports for NorthStar Bets. NorthStar Bets is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns Torstar, the Star’s parent company. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterchrisSHARE:
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