Frank Seravalli of TSN: TSN’s top 15 NHL trade bait board.
1. William Nylander – Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Kevin Hayes – New York Rangers
3. Mats Zuccarello – New York Rangers
4. Alec Martinez – Los Angeles Kings
5. Gustav Nyquist – Detroit Red Wings
6. Tanner Pearson – Los Angeles Kings
7. Sergei Bobrovsky – Columbus Blue Jackets
8. Brett Pesce – Carolina Hurricanes
9. Tyler Myers – Winnipeg Jets
10. Artemi Panarin – Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Vladimir Namestnikov – New York Rangers
12. Charles Hudon – Montreal Canadiens
13. Zack Kassian – Edmonton Oilers
14. Kyle Clifford – Los Angeles Kings
15. Wayne Simmonds – Philadelphia Flyers
Chris Nichols of Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger was on TSN 1290 and was asked about Frank Seravalli’s trade bait board.
“The sense that I get from L.A. – now, this is going back a week or so ago and I specifically asked about Martinez – the feedback I got back was, ‘Not yet.’”
Dreger notes that teams never want to make trades when they are in “a position of weakness.” There would be lots of interest in Martinez but the value isn’t as high as what GM Rob Blake may like.
“But that’s part of the heavy lifting of being a GM. Blake has got to assess his situation, coaching included – and now that Quick is out for an extended and indefinite period of time – and decide whether or not a trade is enough to inject some life into this group, or just sit pat and see how it goes.”
Nichols adds that Martinez has two years left on his contract at a $4 million cap hit.
Dreger says that there has been some interest in New York Rangers forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes, and at some point, the Rangers are going to be active.
“I think the New York Rangers, they want to go about this in a patient but kind of a kick-start rebuild, if you will. That New York market attracts a lot of players. You can’t be in a rebuild mode if all of the sudden we get through the year, things stay the way they are with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Artemi Panarin all of the sudden decides he’s going into free agency, and he ends up a New York Ranger. Well, you’re not rebuilding when you’re signing a piece like that.”