NHL Trade Deadline: New Defense Market
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Trade Deadline: Defensive Market Loses Two Key Players
February 29th’s NHL trade deadline is now just 19 days away. We saw Winnipeg lock up their stud defender Dustin Byfuglien to a 5-year deal on Monday, followed by a surprise trade on Tuesday which saw Toronto’s captain Dion Phaneuf shipped to their rival Ottawa Senators in a 9-player trade.
Over the course of two days, the NHL’s defensive trade market lost two of its premier available options. With several teams still in need of help on the back-end, we can expect a few names to be further bantered around in trade rumors.
Let’s take a quick look at some of those players:
Anaheim Defenders Become Top Targets
Had you asked Ducks fans which defender would most likely be dealt at the beginning of 2015-16, the unanimous answer would’ve been Cam Fowler. Surprisingly, He’s (arguably) been Anaheim’s best defenseman this season. He’s quietly developing into a quality two-way defender. His team worst -11 doesn’t tell the whole story. Fowler has three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 39 games in 2015-16.
Sami Vatanen leads Ducks defense in scoring with six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 52 games. It was a slow-start to the season for Vatanen, but he’s once again showing us why he’s one of the NHL’s better offensive blueliners. Capable of 50+ points/year, Vatanen is an attractive option for any GM looking for a mobile puck-moving d-man.
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Why would Anaheim trade a defenseman?
It’s simple really – too many offensive defenders. Let’s face it, if you can be the lowest scoring team in the league with this defense core, a change is necessary. Especially considering the arrival of Shea Theodore. He had six points in 13 games with Anaheim – only to be sent back down to the AHL. This may be temporary, paving the way for a trade. He’s proven to be NHL ready. Sure, he’ll come back up and make his share of mistakes just as every young defenseman does. But, he may have more offensive upside than any other player on Anaheim’s back-end.
Rental Players/Pending UFA’s
John-Michael Liles, Carolina Hurricanes ($3.875 million dollar cap hit)
According to generalfanger, Liles carries a modified no-trade clause, but it may have been voided with the move to Carolina. He’s only got 12 points in 54 games, but logs between 18-22 minutes/night. He’s not the same player from his days in Colorado, but he’s still a very capable two-way defender that skates very well. The cap hit is a little pricy, but for a team looking to add depth down the stretch, Liles is an option.
Keith Yandle, New York Rangers ($2.625 million dollar cap hit)
Arguably the top defensive target with Phaneuf and Byfuglien no longer available. Rumors earlier in the season suggested that Keith Yandle had no interest in re-signing with the Rangers. This is a tough blow after sacrificing Anthony Duclair in hopes of a deep playoff run in 2014-15. Yandle’s extremely affordable cap hit makes him the most likely candidate from this list to be moved prior to/on February 29th’s NHL trade deadline.
Roman Polak, Toronto Maple Leafs ($2.75 million dollar cap hit)
Here’s another guy – like Yandle – who’s almost guaranteed to be moved before the NHL trade deadline. Polak is nothing more than a solid bottom pair defender that can fill in temporarily on a 2nd pairing. He’s an extremely physical, gritty d-man that plays with an edge. He plays with high intensity every night – he’s made for playoff hockey.
Dan Hamhuis, Vancouver Canucks ($4.5 million dollar cap hit)
He carries a no-trade clause (specific details unknown to generalfanager). A good relationship while it lasted, it’s time for the 33-year-old defenseman to move on with his NHL career as Vancouver looks to get younger. Hamhuis has missed significant time in 2015-16 due to injury after opening the season on the IR. He’s appeared in 29 games, posting four points. He can log 20+ minutes/night, and is more responsible defensively than any player on this list. There’s a very good chance he’s moved prior to the NHL trade deadline.
Odd-Man Out in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Wild boast one of the deepest defensive groups in the NHL. Realistically, they’d love to keep the group in-tact. Given Minnesota’s offensive struggles, it may not be possible. There’s only one problem. When you look at their roster, who do you trade?
Easy answer… Matt Dumba. Minnesota’s defensive group ranks as follows: Ryan Suter at the top. Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Jared Spurgeon (whichever order you prefer, they all do good things defensively), closed out by Matt Dumba. It’s not a knock on talent level. He’s 21-years-old, among a group of guys in their mid 20s and older. He’s still susceptible to making those mistakes we commonly see with young blueliners.
Next: NHL Trade Deadline: Available Players Chances of Being Moved
It’s simply a case of being the odd-man out in the group of four with enough trade value for significant return. There’s no guarantees that Minnesota trades him, but if they do – expect a trade to resemble the Ryan Johansen/Seth Jones deal. With an aging Mikko Koivu, and Mikael Granlund refusing the shoot the puck enough – Minnesota has a dire need for an impact player up the middle if they expect to make any noise in April.