Winnipeg Jets' GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has taken his time shopping veteran forward Andrew Ladd. It turns out he can afford to. With the NHL trade deadline a week away, Cheveldayoff has at least one offer for Ladd and five other teams interested, according to Gary Lawless.
Joining Anaheim in pursuit of Ladd, are Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Washington. All teams jockeying for playoff position looking to buy before the trade deadline. With so many potential suitors for Ladd, the current asking price is up to at least a prospect and a pick or even more, according to Lawless.
"You never know, with the interest this high, you might get more than a pick and a prospect. You might get a player too," one NHL executive said according to Lawless.
Ladd has a plethora of playoff experience, winning Stanley Cups with Carolina in 2006 and Chicago in 2010. Ladd's experience could be the integral piece for a team looking to make a deep playoff run. Ladd is on pace to score 20 times for the fifth straight season, but it's his ability to play a variety of roles that is likely drawing so much interest from across the league and driving up the trade value.
Contract talks between Ladd and the Jets broke down just before Christmas, with an offer in the neighborhood of six years and $36 million on the table, according to Sportsnet. After the Jets re-signed defensemen Dustin Byfuglien earlier this month, the writing appears to be on the wall for Ladd. And unless the Jets trade him at the deadline he will go to the highest bidder in the offseason.
Ladd's diverse skill set that mixes physicality, offensive ability and leadership would make him a good fit with his former team in Chicago; acquiring a player as versatile as Ladd could be the piece that puts the Blackhawks over the top in the NHL's Western Conference.
