How much player movement will there actually be?
Jim Biringer joined TSN Radio in Montreal earlier this week and we were asked if we could see less player movement than many expected given how tight the score was.
NHLRumors.com Transcripts
NHL Rumors: Which Free Agents Could Be Traded From the Seattle Kraken?
Host: “Jim, you look around the National Hockey League, and it’s ridiculously tight, and you’re stuck here with the Eastern Conference – the Devils at (42) points and the Maple Leafs at (39). So from the bottom to (tied for) second of the wild card is a good week. That’s the difference. Lots of teams between them, but still a good week. Does that mean I expect this pattern to continue between now and the trade deadline, we would, we expect as fans here less player movement than what we expected maybe a few weeks ago or a month ago?
Jim Biringer: “Yes. I mean, I would expect a little less player movement than we originally thought. I still think activity will increase because we still have that second quasi-deadline in the Olympic Break. And again, I believe there’s still some debate as to whether or not you can move players during the break, and unlike the roster freeze we have now where nothing can happen. Can they still trade and move during that period?
But I expect some things will improve. Do I expect a lot of movements? No, but I do expect trades, especially if teams, especially in the West, continue to decline. The East is just so tight, right? One week you might be at the top of one division. The following week you look at the outside, inside. Look at the Panthers. They have been near the bottom of the standings for almost the entire season, apart from the first period. There they come, and they get reinforcements back.
NHL Rumors: Los Angeles Kings Still Need Goals
And maybe that’s the deadline movement we’re seeing. Those are the acquisitions we see: own rentals, the players coming back from injuries and coming up with ways to free up cap space. New Jersey needs to do that to get Johnathan Kovacevic back in the lineup. They tried to get Quinn Hughes, but they just don’t have the cap space. They need to free up cap space to bring back their own players, and you just look at it again.
Brayden Schenn’s name is out there. Jordan Kyrou’s name is out there. Ryan O’Reilly, but again, he wants out, he needs to go. The same goes for Nazem Kadri in Calgary. Obviously you’re circling, Seattle. What other move will they have? Jamie Oleksiak, is he moved? Has a Jordan Eberle been moved? Guys who are UFA?
NHL Rumors: Do the St. Louis Blues Have Untouchable Players?
I think certain players are gone for good. But then again, if you’re Buffalo, we’ll take it back to them. Make these negotiations with Alex Tuch a little easier. Or he says, “Hey, you know what, maybe I’ll still go to free agency even though we’re on the run.”
The parity in the East, because of all the overtime games, makes me wonder if the move we all thought would happen might have to wait until the offseason.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumors overviews and hot topics from around the league. We also post some stuff Instagram.
#transactions