Marc Methot is a top-four, stay-at-home, minute devouring blueliner currently dealing with a back injury that may no longer have a home once he returns to the Ottawa Senators lineup. He and the team have been mired in contract negotiations for some time, seemingly without any serious movement in either direction.
Now comes word, from Eklund of Hockeybuzz.com, that Methot's name is circulating in trade rumors and that the Senators may be entertaining the possibility of dealing him, with Los Angeles and, to a lesser extent, the Edmonton Oilers, leading the pack of interested suitors.
The Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings have serious interest in Marc Methot. I would say the Senators are dealing from quite the position of strength right here, and while it is possible that he re-signs in Ottawa, the easier path may be to make a move.
Methot is reportedly seeking a contract in the range of five years and $27.5 million, an AAV of $5.5 million - the same deal the Washington Capitals gave defenseman Brooks Orpik last summer - while Ottawa last offered a deal with an AAV of $4.7 million, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
He is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Last year, he logged the second-most minutes for the Senators and, while his possession numbers belie a slightly overrated player, a guy with his skill set would be highly valued by a number of teams across the league - teams like LA.
The Kings tend to play a notoriously stingy, gritty brand of hockey, but injuries, Slava Voynov's situation and a bit of sloppiness (though that's probably a direct result of missing Voynov and the increased minutes his absence has caused certain players like Drew Doughty to take on) have forced them to rely almost solely on their offense to lead them to victory recently.
Not surprisingly, the indefinitely suspended Voynov is reportedly available via trade once he returns to the lineup. His big contract and the league's decision to suspend him with pay has been a severely debilitating combination for the Kings this season.
As far as the Kings are concerned I have heard that Slava Voynov will be available upon his return and there is definitely a deal to be made between Ottawa and Los Angeles. The Senators have been talking to the Oilers for quite some time now, but the Oilers reluctance to trade Jordan Eberle remain steadfast.
With Edmonton reportedly dead set on not moving Eberle and the somewhat drastic cap situation in which the Kings find themselves, the time may be right for the consummation of a deal between the Senators and LA.
