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Hopefully the trade market starts picking up soon
Sportsnet: Frank Seravalli on when the trade market could heat up.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“I hope soon Ken. I got to tell you, in covering the NHL for 15 years, I can’t remember a December as quiet as this one.
And since we’re sliding into Festivus, you know the holiday for the rest of us, I’d like to air a little grievance in that he NHL needs to get this cap moving forward in a positive direction next season.
The third straight year of a flat cap, frozen cap environment has really hindered transactions and I’m hoping that as we turn the calendar into 2023, that things begin to pick up in January.
But I’m not holding my breath as so many teams in the league, two-thirds of them are pretty much operating exactly at the cap.
The Maple Leafs shouldn’t shy away from moving their first-round pick or top prospects
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: The Toronto Malpe Leafs gave a first-round pick in 2021 for Nick Foligno, and two seconds and a third last year for Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell, and they’ll need to make another bold move before this trade deadline.
They didn’t want to give up a first-round pick or a top prospect last year, but the should consider it this year. They could use a left winger to play on their second-line, or another center.
Forwards who could be on the move include Bo Horvat, Ryan O’Reilly, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Tyler Bertuzzi, Vladimir Tarasenko, Timo Meier, Ivan Barbashev and Gustav Nyquist.
If they want to add a defenseman, options include Jakob Chychrun, John Klingberg, Shayne Gostisbehere, Vladislav Gavrikov and Luke Schenn.
For the right deal they should consider moving their first-round pick, Nick Robertson and Matthew Knies.