The Calgary Flames told defenseman Kris Russell to pack his bags on Friday, according to Darren Dreger. The only question seems to be where the Flames will deal the 28-year-old defenseman. The trade market for defenseman isn't very deep and there are several potential landing spots for Russell.
The Pittsburgh Penguins wanted help on the back end, according to Dreger, but the Penguins took a gamble acquiring Justin Schultz from the Oilers on Saturday. The defensive problems on the Penguins back end might not be addressed with Schultz alone, but they are pushed up against the salary cap, and unless General Manager Jim Rutherford can free up some cap space, they might be done adding.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are willing to buy a rental player, according to Pierre LeBrun, and Russell fits the bill, but the Lighting are against the cap as well and unless General Manager Steve Yzerman can unload some salary, the Bolts might have to look elsewhere.
With two of the NHL's top three scorers in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, the Dallas Stars have had no problem putting the puck in the net. The Stars could however use some help on the back end and are looking for a defenseman, according to Taylor Baird. A shot blocker like Russell may be what the Stars need to make a deep Stanley Cup run.
The Boston Bruins are another team that could land Russell, and Dreger considers them to be the front-runners. Despite reports that the Bruins are looking to trade Loui Eriksson before the deadline, they are sitting in third place in the Atlantic division. If the club wants to lock up a playoff spot, adding Russell might be smart.
The market for Russell might hinge on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis. If Hamhuis decides to waive his no-trade clause he may be targeted ahead of Russell. However, as the deadline nears it seems less and less likely that Hamhuis will waive his NTC, according to The Providence. Russell might be the best defenseman available in a shallow pool of trade-eligible defenseman, and with a few teams looking to get deeper on the back end it's possible he will be traded on Monday.
