By nearly all accounts, it's been a strange and ultimately slow NHL season where the trade market is concerned. Sure, a few big deals have come down. The Philadelphia Flyers shipped Vinny Lecavalier and Luke Schenn to the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks eventually gave up on both pieces acquired in the Patrick Sharp trade, and yeah, Ryan Johansen was finally dealt by the Columbus Blue Jackets. But trade news has mostly been slowed to a trickle, thanks in large part to the sagging Canadian dollar and a packed Western Conference wherein nearly every team thinks they've got a postseason shot.
But if the clog at the NHL trade spout is going to be flushed out ahead of the February deadline, it sure seems like there's a small handful of teams that will probably be ultimately responsible. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman appeared on Calgary's Sportsnet 960 on Monday and indicated, per Today's Slap Shot's transcription, that the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks are teams leading the pack where NHL trade conversations are concerned.
The Jets, of course, are dealing with a bundle of in-house issues, including the expiring contracts of captain Andrew Ladd and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba. Recent reports suggest that Big Buff is now garnering most of the team's attention and that Ladd has essentially priced himself out of the market.
The Wild, who aren't particularly happy with the current product that they're icing, "really would like to add," per Friedman. It sounds like Mike Yeo is in a pretty safe space at this point, but the remainder of the season could have significant impact on his future and the future of GM Chuck Fletcher. Jason Pominville's contract looks worse by the day and the young Wild forwards haven't shown much in the way of development, meaning it's anyone's guess as to what Fletcher and Co. are thinking of adding.
And the Anaheim Ducks, led by steady-handed GM Bob Murray, are a team that Friedman expects may "move a defenseman," once guys like Cam Fowler and Simon Despres come back healthy. Young players like Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen are either building blocks for the future in Anaheim, or ripe for the selling as Murray looks to up the offensive output from his group.
In the end, there will be movement ahead of the trade deadline on Feb. 29, it's just a matter of who winds up going where. The Jets, Wild and Ducks all have assets and clear needs. But with a team like the Hurricanes likely to fall out of contention and the Flames facing an uncertain future after a surprising playoff berth last year, the news is certain to come hot and heavy once February finally rolls around.
