National Post (National Edition)
Cap squeeze opens up new opportunities
CANADIAN NHL TEAMS HAVE NEEDS — HERE'S HOW THEY CAN FILL THEM
Connor McDavid needs someone to play with. Vancouver and Winnipeg need a top four defenceman, Calgary and Ottawa need a No. 1 goalie and Montreal needs size.
Normally, this would be a wish list for free agency. But with the salary cap flattened and so many teams looking to either save dollars or make cost-cutting improvements in a year where everyone lost money, the trade market is suddenly filled with top-end players that can dramatically impact a roster.
Need a winger? Patrik Laine is reportedly available. Want a defenceman? Oliver Ekman-Larsson could be yours. Looking for a goalie? Would you prefer Matt Murray or Tuukka Rask?
While the start of the free agency period does not begin until Oct. 9, the trade rumours have already begun. Here is a look at what the seven Canadian teams are looking at:
CALGARY FLAMES
The target: a No. 1 goalie.
The rumour: Forget about the Johnny Gaudreau rumours (for now). After goaltending more or less let them down again in the playoffs, the Flames need a tandem that they can trust in net. There will be a lot of options available to them in free agency, including Braden Holtby and Jacob Markstrom. But the goalie that GM Brad Treliving could be targeting is Boston's Tuukka Rask, who suddenly finds himself on the trading block after having left the bubble to be with his family in the second round. What it could cost: Don't expect Rask to come cheap. Even in a market flooded with goalies, the Bruins aren't just giving away a Vezina
Trophy winner for nothing. They'll want a defenceman back in return, namely Noah Hanifin, who was born in Boston and played for Boston College and could replace Torey Krug on the left side.
EDMONTON OILERS
The target: A winger to play with Connor McDavid.
The rumour: Andreas Athanasiou was supposed to be this player. But the speedy winger, who was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline, managed just one goal and one assist in 13 games in the regular season and post-season. No wonder word has leaked that the Oilers plan on trading him in order to free up money so they can bring back Taylor Hall from the Arizona Coyotes.
What it could cost: With McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combining for US$21 million, it seems a bit outlandish to think that Edmonton has the room for Hall — especially when the defence is already such a mess. Something would have to give. And that something could be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who could be headed to Arizona (along with his $6-million cap hit) for the negotiating rights to Hall.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
The target: A power forward
with size.
The rumour: It's not clear whether Montreal is on Alex Killorn's no-trade list, but the Tampa Bay Lightning winger is exactly the kind of player that the Canadiens should be targeting. And it's not just because he grew up in Montreal. The team needs size. Aside from the rail-thin Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia, no one in the top nine is taller than 6-feet. And with 5-foot-7 Cole Caufield waiting in the wings, the Habs are not getting any bigger. What it could cost: The Lightning is motivated to move Killorn's $4.45-million salary to free up cap space, but it's not like he's overpaid or won't have suitors lined up around the corner. However, the one thing that Tampa Bay needs is the one thing that Montreal has a ton of: draft picks, including three in the second round.
OTTAWA SENATORS
The target: A No. 1 goalie.
The rumour: While Toronto has been linked to Matt Murray, Ottawa seems like a more appropriate destination. The Senators, who are losing Craig Anderson to free agency, desperately need a No. 1 goalie. At the very least, they need someone to share the net with Anders Nilsson and mentor Marcus Hogberg and Filip Gustavsson. And Murray, who is only 26 years old and has won two Stanley Cups, fits that bill.
What it could cost: GM Pierre Dorion has already said that he “will look at possible trades of picks, but it has to make sense for us.” That means that the No. 3 and No. 5 picks are off the table.
But Ottawa also has the 28th pick, as well as four secondround selections. Package two of them together and it could land the Senators the kind of goalie required to get them into a playoff spot.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
The target: Cap space … and a goalie?
The rumour: Because Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas had Matt Murray when both were in the Ontario Hockey League, the rumours are that he could be heading to Toronto. The problem is that Murray is not an upgrade over the Leafs' current starter Frederik Andersen and he wouldn't necessarily save the team any money. That doesn't mean it won't happen. But the more pressing move is for Toronto to free up cap space so it can go after Alex Pietrangelo or Torey Krug in free agency.
What it could cost: Toronto shed $3.2 million last month when it traded Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh. But an additional $7 million probably needs to come off the books if the team plans on entering the bidding war for either Pietrangelo or Krug. There are two ways to do this: move Andreas Johnsson ($3.4 million) and Alex Kerfoot ($3.5 million) or trade William Nylander's $6.9-million cap hit.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
The target: A top four defenceman.
The rumour: It was a bit surprising that Vancouver is one of two teams currently being linked to Arizona's Oliver-Ekman-Larsson. For one, the team already has two left-shot defencemen (Quinn Hughes and Alex Edler) in its top four. And with a cap hit of $8.5-million, he has a price tag that would give the cap-strapped Canucks' accountant an ulcer. But if Vancouver can move out some dead weight — (cough) Loui (cough) Eriksson — then maybe it's worth doing.
What it could cost: Arizona, which traded away its firstround pick to acquire Taylor Hall and lost this year's second-round pick and next year's first-rounder for violating the league's combine testing policy, needs draft picks and prospects. Vancouver has a first-rounder acquired from Tampa Bay and a defence prospect in Olli Juolevi. But if the ask is Vasili Podkolzin, who was selected 10th overall in 2019, GM Jim Benning should hang up the phone and also block the number.
WINNIPEG JETS
The target: A top four defencemen
The rumour: Those Patrik Laine rumours just won't go away. Maybe it's because Kyle Connor has eclipsed Laine from a production standpoint or that Laine is going to want a lot of money once his two-year bridge contract expires in 2021. Either way, with the Jets looking for someone to replace the void left by Dustin Byfuglien, it looks like Winnipeg could be heading down the same dark road with Laine that Edmonton took with Taylor Hall.
What it could cost: Would you trade Laine to Anaheim for Adam Henrique and Josh Manson? How about for Columbus' shot-blocking specialist David Savard and Josh Anderson? Or, with the Red Wings looking for someone to put fans in the seats (when fans are allowed in the building), would you do it for Detroit's first-round prospect Moritz Seider?