The Boston Bruins seem to be a part of just about every NHL trade rumor these days. The Pittsburgh Penguins have only popped up in a few.
Now, we may finally have some rumor overlap between the two Eastern Conference franchises in the form of Arizona Coyotes center, Antoine Vermette.
According to a recent report, both the Bruins and Penguins have shown interest in acquiring Vermette.
"But in saying that, because of the interest in him - Boston is believed to have interest in him. Pittsburgh's believed to have interest. There's two pretty powerful teams in the Eastern Conference," said TSN Insider Darren Dreger on a recent episode of Edmonton's TSN 1260, as transcribed by NicholsOnHockey.com.
Vermette's current deal carries a cap hit of $3.75 million. That'll be tough to handle for the Bruins - they've only got $1.775 million in space at the moment - and even more difficult for the Penguins, who have less than $200,000 in space.
A Vermette deal for either team would be dependent on first creating cap room in some manner.
As for the potential sellers in this hypothetical transaction, Dreger noted that the Coyotes and general manager Don Maloney might be better off doing their best to build a bidding war and waiting until closer to the deadline to make the move.
"Maybe Maloney is better to hold on a little bit and see how things go and get closer to the trade deadline. He's got an asking price in mind, and it sounds like it's a young prospect and a roster player. And if he gets that right combination from a team willing to make that deal, then maybe he makes the deal."
As we edge closer to the trade deadline, it seems more of a question of 'when' and not 'if' Vermette will find himself playing elsewhere in the latter portion of the season.
"I know leading up to the roster freeze last Friday that Maloney had let it be known to a number of general managers that things were heating up as far as Antoine Vermette is concerned," Dreger said. "There are other pieces there in Arizona that I'm sure that he's have to listen to and will likely move. Any pending unrestricted free agent is obviously free game in that regard. But Vermette has drawn quite a bit of attention. I'd be surprised if he didn't go relatively early, or among the first to go."
Vermette, 8-13-21, is a high quality two-way player with a strong locker room presence and some offensive skill. While he may not be the flashiest signing, he's the type of player that every Stanley Cup contender needs and eventually comes to depend on in the playoffs toughest moments.
