As the NHL slowly pulls itself out of its holiday roster slumber, rumors about what players are on the trade block and who is potentially headed where have again begun to circulate.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca, in his most recent "30 Thoughts" column, notes the usual suspects - Boston, Detroit, St. Louis - but adds a couple new, interesting names to the trade rumor mix - the Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens.
What's the prize? None other than Arizona Coyotes centerman, Antoine Vermette.
"The Blackhawks do have talented young players/prospects and Vermette would be a perfect fit, a versatile forward who could flit around the lineup," Friedman writes.
Vermette, who broke out for two goals in a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, plays a strong two-way game. He's a faceoff maven and provides both penalty kill and power play prowess.
The Blackhawks have a deep forward group, but the addition of Vermette would truly solidify them as Cup contenders.
"As for the Canadiens, it fits Marc Bergevin's profile. Look at the UFAs he's traded for: Bryan Allen, Sergei Gonchar, Michael Ryder, Thomas Vanek and Mike Weaver. He pursued Raffi Torres in 2013, but said no when he didn't like the price."
For the Coyotes and Vermette, it now seems almost a foregone conclusion that the quality veteran forward won't be playing in the desert come March.
"Other clubs believe the decision is already made to trade Antoine Vermette, as the team is unwilling to meet his asking price (in the $6-million range)."
The only question that remains is: What team ponies up the picks, prospects - and potentially the contract - necessary to land the pending unrestricted free agent?
