NHL Rumors: Defensmen Will Be Talk of Trade Market

The Trade Market Could Be Headlined By Defensemen

Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Power Play Segment on Monday, joining Steve Kouleas and Martin Biron, and was asked how active the trade market for defensemen will be.

** NHLRumors.com Transcription

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Martin Biron: “Dave looking at your site, which is awesome. TheFourthPeriod.com and the trade watch list, and there was a lot of defense. Noah Hanifin, Colton Parayko, Chris Tanev, Jakob Chychrun.  Is this the year of the defense, when it comes to potential acquisition at the trade deadline rental or hockey moves, whatever, but it’s just where we’re gonna see a lot of defensemen being on the move?”

Dave Pagnotta: “It looks like it certainly, I mean, in terms of quantity available and in terms of teams looking to buy and shore up their defensive core. Yeah, there are a lot of guys looking, a lot of teams looking to do that, and a lot of players that are out there that are available within the market for teams looking to make those types of additions. Likely see as the week’s progressed, a few more names, you know, kind of kind of creep up the ones leading the charge, still the same ones from the start of the season.

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Out in Calgary, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin are kind of leading the way. They have some depth-type defensemen also available to them, with Gilbert and Oesterle and a couple of others. But in terms of top-tier guys, yeah, those are the ones that are out there, and teams, you know, are always looking to add to their core.

Toronto, I mentioned Vancouver, already adding some Zadorov, but if they can add somebody else from a depth perspective they’d like to do that. You have different players that are on expiring deals. You have some guys like David Savard out of Montreal, who has another year left on his contract that will generate some interest as well and some teams that are looking to make some hockey moves as well with some younger players that are out there.

Adam Boqvist since the start of the season in Columbus. Philip Broberg is still out there and available with the Edmonton Oilers and other teams looking to make some types of moves and some complicated ones.

NHL Rumors: What the Chicago Blackhawks could do at that trade deadline

You mentioned Parayko, he’s had a full no-trade clause. He’s number three on our list. Torey Krug is also there as part of our bubble list. He has a full no-trade. But if the St. Louis Blues can make some type of impact type deal, those are two guys that, if they can convince them to waive their no-trade, it’s something that I believe Doug Armstrong and the Blues would like to do.

And of course, Jakob Chychrun again. So a lot of different pieces that are out there, especially on the D core.”