Hello and welcome to a Wednesday edition of NHL rumours! Teams are busy preparing for the trade deadline, which is less than a month away. Whispers are flying as players suffer injuries or increase their trade value with solid performances. Check-in frequently with Last Word on Hockey for the fastest news and best analysis. Today’s NHL rumours feature the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers.
NHL Rumours
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumour: Chris Johnston of Sportsnet relayed a comment from Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas regarding a willingness to trade a top prospect
Kyle Dubas, asked if he's willing to trade a top prospect before this deadline: "Yes."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 16, 2021
Analysis: The Leafs appear to be leaving nothing to chance this season. They have a sizeable lead in the North Division and a very good chance to make a deep postseason run. However, the front office clearly is willing to upgrade their lines if they can. Forward depth is probably the biggest area of need as the bottom-six isn’t the most outstanding group. There is an obvious weakness if the team wants to continue playing skaters like Jimmy Vesey regularly.
Toronto does have some very intriguing prospects if they indeed decided to flip someone for immediate firepower. For forwards, Rodion Amirov would be high on many teams’ lists of targets. Alternatively, Mikko Kokkonen or Topi Niemela also fit the bill among young defenders. The Maple Leafs would probably rather move someone further from the NHL and they certainly have the assets to do so. It helps to have 12 selections in the previous draft.
The money will be tight for the Canadian franchise no matter who the trade target is, but the quality of prospects in the Leafs’ system probably means that their trade partner could retain salary. With that in mind, it is not hard to see Taylor Hall or Sam Reinhart being serious targets. The Buffalo Sabres would love to get their hands on some of Toronto’s players and be aggressive with a rebuild. It’s likely just a matter of when the Leafs strike before the deadline, not if.
Boston Bruins
Rumour: Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic recently examined some teams, including Boston, who should make moves by the trade deadline.
Analysis: Boston has fallen behind in their division with only weeks left to make roster adjustments. The team’s signature “Perfection” line is among the league’s best, but they have almost no depth scoring outside of the occasional point from Jake Debrusk and Nick Ritchie. The blueline is especially lacklustre outside of Charlie McAvoy. They need more punch if they are going to make another Stanley Cup run with their current core.
There are a handful of defenders that the Bruins will likely target if they think the asking price isn’t too steep. Mattias Ekholm is easily the best player likely to change franchises in the near future, but Ryan Murray and Jamie Oleksiak are also popular names swirling about. They all offer varying amounts of production.
If Boston can’t afford the asking price for Ekholm, Oleksiak might be the next strongest choice. This is for two reasons. One, he wouldn’t be moving between teams in the same division, which can occasionally inflate the requested return. Second, his cap hit is lower than other left-handed defenders on the block. Oleksiak isn’t the most gifted offensive defenceman with just three goals and six points in 24 games this year, but he is a capable forechecker with above-average possession stats. His skillset seems like an obvious upgrade from Jarred Tinordi on the left side of Boston’s third defensive pairing. The Bruins are sure to be discussed frequently in any conversation about defenders on the move.
Philadelphia Flyers
Rumour: The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor recently reviewed what fans might expect for the Flyers prior to the deadline.
Analysis: The Flyers feel like they are in a similarly awkward position as Boston. They have fallen behind in the East division and while they are still capable of making the postseason, they need help to do so. They also don’t have tons of cap space, but they do have slightly more than Boston. Such a situation means we could see bidding wars with the Bruins as they try to outdo each other near the deadline.
That is because like the Bruins, Philadelphia does not have many impact blueliners outside of Ivan Provorov. Their next-highest scoring defender is Travis Sanheim with one goal and nine points in 25 games. That simply will not do even if the Flyers have more depth scoring from the top-nine. Someone like Ekholm or Oleksiak should be popular names for the Pennsylvania franchise.
It helps that Philadelphia has a better farm system than the Bruins when it comes to acquiring a talent like Ekholm from the Nashville Predators. Cam York and Morgan Frost should be off-limits, but someone like Wade Allison is a definite possibility. The Flyers should also consider one of the upcoming first-round picks despite the difficulty in scouting over the past year. This is a team with a very good core that won’t just give up when there is still half a season to play and a real shot at a postseason run.
That does it for this edition of NHL Rumours, stay tuned for another edition on Thursday.
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