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The start of NHL training camps
and preseason is over a month away. We’ve reached the stage in the
offseason where trade activity has dropped off from July’s frantic pace.
Business could pick up in the trade
market once training camp begins in September and leading up to the start of
the regular season in October. Teams sitting over the $82.5 million
salary cap could make cost-cutting moves to become cap compliant.
Others could make deals hoping to fine-tune their rosters before the
schedule begins.
As the regular season progresses, there
will be clubs looking to make moves to bolster their rosters to reach
the playoffs. Meanwhile, non-contenders will look to peddle pending free
agents who no longer fit into their plans beyond 2022-23.
Some of those moves could involve
players on non-playoff teams interested in playing for a Stanley Cup
contender. Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks could fall into that
category. Others might involve players intent on signing elsewhere when
their contracts expire within the next year or two.
Here are five NHL stars who could ask
to be traded during the coming season. You can express your views on
this topic in the comments section below.
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For the past six seasons, Tyler
Bertuzzi has been part of the Detroit Red Wings’ long rebuilding
process. To date, the 27-year-old winger has yet to skate in a single
Stanley Cup playoff game.
Bertuzzi has been among the few
reliable scorers on the offensively anemic Wings through most of his
tenure. He tallied 21 goals in 2018-19 and 2019-20, missed all but
nine games to back surgery during the COVID-shortened 2020-21
campaign, and roared back with a career-best 30 goals and 62 points
in 68 games last season.
Entering the final season of his
two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.75 million,
Bertuzzi will be eligible for unrestricted free agent status next
summer. Wings general manager Steve Yzerman could shop the winger if
the two sides are unable to reach an agreement on a contract
extension before the trade deadline.
Bertuzzi could also force the issue by
requesting a trade. Six seasons without a taste of playoff action
could become a source of frustration for him. If he knows he’s not
going to re-sign with the Wings or if contract talks stall, he could
ask to be shopped before deadline day. A lack of a no-trade clause in
Bertuzzi’s contract could also make him easy to move.
So far all’s quiet regarding any
potential contract discussions between Bertuzzi and the Wings.
Nevertheless, his situation could be worth watching over the course
of the season.
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Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images
Unlike others on this list, Pierre-Luc
Dubois isn’t an unrestricted free agent next summer. The 24-year-old
Winnipeg Jets center signed a one-year, $6 million contract last
month, meaning he’ll once again become a restricted free agent with
arbitration rights at season’s end.
Dubois will also be a year away from
UFA eligibility next summer. He became the subject of trade rumors
last month linking him to the Montreal Canadiens. Dubois sought to
minimize that chatter during his Zoom media conference announcing his
recent contract signing, insisting he hasn’t requested a trade nor
that thought entered his mind.
The rumors have died down since Dubois’
remarks. He’s acknowledged he’ll face the same situation next summer
as an RFA but insists his focus for the coming season is on helping
the Jets reach the playoffs.
Given Dubois’ RFA status next summer,
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff wouldn’t be under pressure to
move him. That could change, however, if the young center remains
unwilling to ink a long-term contract.
Dubois could surface again in the rumor
mill, especially if the club should end up struggling to reach the
playoffs. If he feels his long-term future isn’t in Winnipeg, he
could ask to be shopped before the trade deadline.
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Icon Sportswire
Vladimir Tarasenko made headlines last
summer when it was revealed he requested a trade from the St. Louis
Blues. Despite being a fixture in the offseason rumor mill, he was
still in the Blues lineup when last season began.
Tarasenko’s request wasn’t a
distraction for him or the Blues. He enjoyed a career-best 82-point
performance, helping the club reach the second round of the 2022
Stanley Cup playoffs before falling to the Colorado Avalanche.
Following the playoffs, Blues general
manager Doug Armstrong told reporters he wasn’t concerned about Tarasenko
returning in 2022-23. However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli
reported on July 8 that the 30-year-old winger hadn’t rescinded his
trade request.
Armstrong isn’t facing pressure to
honor that request before the start of the season. Tarasenko is
slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but the
Blues GM will likely retain the scoring winger for another
run at the Stanley Cup and let him depart via free agency in July.
Tarasenko isn’t going anywhere this season if the Blues remain a playoff contender. Should they
struggle to remain in the postseason hunt, however, the veteran
scorer could remind Armstrong of his request before the trade
deadline. By that point, the Blues GM could be willing to entertain
offers.
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Entering the final seasons of their
contracts, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews’ tenure with the Chicago
Blackhawks could be coming to an end. With the club rebuilding, Kane
and/or Toews could ask to be moved before the 2023 trade deadline.
It won’t be an easy decision. The
Athletic’s Scott Powers reports neither player really wants to leave
Chicago and the only NHL team they’ve ever played for. They haven’t
approached general manager Kyle Davidson yet about a trade nor has he
asked them to waive their no-movement clauses. Powers indicated
they’ll both be allowed to determine their futures.
Both players could wait and see how the
coming season pans out. Nevertheless, it’s possible one or both will
ask Davidson for a trade to a playoff contender before the deadline.
On July 26, Toews told Powers’
colleague Mark Lazerus that the thought of a five-plus year rebuild
wasn’t appealing to him. The 34-year-old center called the
steady turnover of players from the Blackhawks in recent years “really, really draining” and “exhausting”.
Lazerus later tweeted that Toews wasn’t complaining but merely
being honest about the situation.
Kane, meanwhile, was the subject of
frequent trade gossip last month. The New York Post‘s Larry Brooks
felt the Rangers should pursue him at the trade deadline. The Edmonton Journal‘s David
Staples cited oddsmakers linking the 33-year-old winger to the
Oilers. A rumor claiming the Dallas Stars were in trade talks for Kane was
dismissed as unfounded.
Both players carry an annual salary-cap hit of $10.5
million. They’re each earning $6.9 million in actual salary this season but $4
million has already been paid by the Blackhawks as signing bonuses.
While their remaining $2.9 million salary is quite affordable, the
Blackhawks would have to retain up to half of their cap hit to
facilitate trading them.
Despite their contracts, Kane and Toews
could still draw considerable interest around the league among
playoff contenders if they hit the trade block. While their loyalty
to the Blackhawks is understandable, another year of plugging away for a non-contender could finally prompt one or both to ask for a chance to
join a contender.