It’s Tuesday and the Last Word on Hockey is here with another dose of NHL trade rumours. We gather a group of three or four rumours and try to make sense of them. The NHL trade deadline is under a month away on February 25th, so these rumours will heat up as we get closer to the date. Today we are looking at the Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers, and New Jersey Devils.
NHL Trade Rumours
Anaheim Ducks
Rumour: NHL Trade Rumours starts off with a pair of rumours from Anaheim. Firstly, the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun mentioned the Ducks in his column yesterday. LeBrun said, “The Ducks, seem to be listening on a lot of their players. Watch out for GM Bob Murray, he won’t be afraid to let loose if the offers are fair. He wants to re-tool his roster big time.”
Analysis: The Ducks have been a busy team when it comes to talking this year. All season it has been rumoured Murray has been calling around. The Ducks have wanted to shake up their play style. They currently sit just outside of a playoff spot thanks to John Gibson. He is putting up one of the best years we have seen from a goalie in a long time.
The team, however, is really struggling. They have had a massive losing streak this season and have really found themselves falling after a hot start. Randy Carlyle still has a job despite his team playing horrifically. Some of this is because the team has been injured. The Ducks may look to change up their roster with a player for player swap. However, it seems unlikely they will be full on sellers.
Silfverberg
Rumour: Sticking with the Ducks, Jakob Silfverberg has been a common name in NHL Trade Rumours. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported Monday that the Ducks are working on re-signing the forward. However, will move him at the deadline if a deal can’t get done.
Analysis: The Ducks are in a weird middle currently. The core of the team is much too old to stay in lingo. However, they don’t appear bad enough to tank or good enough to contend. While the Ducks likely want to make playoffs and take a shot, this also signals they do not wish to lose assets for nothing. A contending team may just go for it and let Silfverberg walk this summer. But, the Ducks clearly want a return on him.
Once again, it seems unlikely this team will go on a fire sale. They have Gibson in his prime which makes it hard to tank. Maybe the Ducks look at flipping Silfverberg for a lesser player and a pick? Maybe they flip him for picks and move those picks to acquire someone else. The Ducks should be busy around the NHL Trade Deadline.
Florida Panthers
Rumour: NHL Trade Rumours has also been following the Columbus Blue Jackets closely this year. Today, it is the Panthers that look like they want to do business with the Jackets. It is rumoured that the Panthers may want to trade for Sergei Bobrovsky and attempt to sign him as well.
Panthers interested in dealing for Bobrovsky as prelude to enticing him to sign what would be an 8-year extension. Brassard would likely be part of package going to Columbus in return, we’re told.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 4, 2019
Analysis: The Panthers have been rumoured to be in on both Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin for weeks now. However, most thought it would be in free agency. This way they wouldn’t have to give up assets. But, if the Panthers truly feel they need to trade for him they just might.
The Panthers have James Reimer and Roberto Luongo also on the books currently. It may be possible to see Reimer go back the other way. He could be a backup and provide some competition for Joonas Korpisalo. As also mentioned, newly acquired Derick Brassard would also be going back the other way. Brassard is likely still a decent third line centre, maybe even a second line centre if he can find his game in the right system.
The Panthers will likely still have to throw in another pick or prospect here. However, it is very easy to see how a trade could work between these two teams. It will be something to keep an eye on in NHL Trade Rumours in the weeks to come.
New Jersey Devils
Rumour: Last but not least on NHL Trade Rumours, we have the Devils. The Devils have been reported to be open to trading Brian Boyle. This comes from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
.@PierreVLeBrun rumblings notebook: Ferland market cools down, Silfverberg talks, Panthers plans for Brassard and more: https://t.co/gzxJmYxi0R
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 4, 2019
Analysis: Boyle has been known to be a solid 4C option for years now. He has gone through a lot in the past bit. He was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2017. Despite this, Boyle continued to play hockey and has been effective in a depth role. With the Devils looking like they will be missing this season, they are open for trades.
Boyle has an eight-team no-trade clause. However, it is fair to expect most playoff contenders won’t be on that list. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and could be a really good pickup for a team looking for some depth. Boyle will be a cheapish option for teams looking to add some scoring and grit. He has 13 goals already this season. He has had 13 in his past three seasons as well.
