Ten NHL players who could be dealt
Carolina was 23rd in goal scoring in 2017-18 and 22nd in goals-against average. That’s the short explanation for why Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell will lead the NHL in trade talks this summer.
“We’ve gone nine years without making the playoffs and we have guys that have been here five or six years and we just think it’s time for change for some players and the organization,” said Waddell, who added the GM role this offseason to his president title.
Waddell won’t be alone in trying to make bold trades: Arizona, the New York Islanders, Buffalo, San Jose, Chicago, St. Louis and Ottawa are said to be working the phones.
“We need to add a top-six forward, but the priority is a goaltender,” Waddell told USA TODAY.
Scott Darling had a poor season (3.18 GAA, .888 save percentage), and Cam Ward is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
“We are talking to a couple of teams about a trade,” Waddell said. “But no one is trading away their No. 1, so we are going to be in the same situation that we were in last year.”
That’s how they ended up with Darling last season. Carter Hutton is the top free agent in the marketplace if they decide to go that route.
Here are the top 10 players mentioned in the offseason trade market:
1. Defenseman Erik Karlsson, Senators: The Senators have said they will attempt to re-sign Karlsson, who will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but if progress is not made, logic dictates they will move him for a package of players and prospects.
2. Center Ryan O’Reilly, Sabres: The Sabres don’t seem fully committed to dealing O’Reilly, but they will listen to offers. He’s a gritty, consistent 50-point and
20-goal producer, a two-way center who can play different styles. O’Reilly is exactly the kind of player Arizona needs.
3. Left wing Max Pacioretty, Montreal: It feels as if Pacioretty would benefit from a change of scenery. He only had 17 goals last season, but he scored 30 or more in each of the four previous seasons. The Canadiens need a center and help on defense.
4. Goalie Philipp Grubauer, Washington: With three or four teams looking aggressively for a goalie, Grubauer has value. The Capitals also have top prospect Ilya Samsonov coming to North America from Russia. The Islanders and Hurricanes are interested.
5. Left wing Mike Hoffman, Senators: He has scored 22 or more goals for four consecutive seasons. The Blues, Flames, Coyotes and Sabres are among the teams that should be interested.
6. Left wing Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes: Half the teams in the NHL are looking for more goals, and Skinner has scored 89 over the past three seasons. The losers in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes will be calling about Skinner.
7. Defenseman Justin Faulk, Hurricanes: At 27, Faulk is a big-shot defenseman in the prime of his career. He has scored 56 goals over the past four seasons. Chicago, Detroit, Boston and the Canadiens are among teams that should be interested.
8. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, Flames: His value is high, and trading him could help the Flames improve an offense that ranked 27th. The Flames have some quality youngsters on defense in Rasmus Andersson, Adam Fox and Juuso Valimaki.
9. Left wing Max Domi, Coyotes: He is coming off a poor season (nine goals, 45 points), and the Coyotes must give up a skilled young player to land a center in a trade.
10. Defenseman Noah Hanifin, Hurricanes: The Hurricanes weren’t planning to move Hanifin, but enough teams have made quality offers that they might not be able to say no.