The NHL’s Feb. 24 trade deadline is only a week away. We recently examined the leading buyers, so here’s a look at the top sellers as deadline day approaches.
Anaheim Ducks
Now in the second season of rebuilding, the Ducks are expected to peddle pending unrestricted free agents such as center Derek Grant, defenseman Michael Del Zotto, and perhaps backup goalie Ryan Miller. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported they’re willing to use their salary-cap space to take on a bad contract from another club provided good young assets are also included in the deal.
Detroit Red Wings
With the Wings stumbling through one of its worst seasons in franchise history, general manager Steve Yzerman has a lot of work to do. He’ll attempt to move pending UFAs like goaltender Jimmy Howard and blueliners Mike Green and Trevor Daley for draft picks but might not find much of a market for those fading veterans. Speedy center Andreas Athanasiou could be a better trade chip. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who might not have a long-term future in Motown.
Los Angeles Kings
Stuck at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Kings began their sell-off earlier this month by shipping goalie Jack Campbell and winger Kyle Clifford to Toronto. Winger Tyler Toffoli was traded to the Canucks last night. Defenseman Alec Martinez has been a fixture in the rumor mill. Martinez has a year remaining on his contract with an affordable $4-million annual average salary.
New Jersey Devils
A season that started with so much promise quickly became a nightmare for the Devils. They replaced their general manager and head coach and shipped out forwards Taylor Hall and Blake Coleman and defenseman Andy Greene. More moves could be coming soon. Pending UFAs like defensemen Sami Vatanen and winger Wayne Simmonds are trade candidates. Winger Kyle Palmieri is signed beyond this season, but he’s surfaced in recent media-driven trade chatter.
New York Rangers
With the trade deadline fast approaching, the Rangers must re-sign UFA winger Chris Kreider or shop him to the highest bidder. Their decision will affect the futures of restricted free agents Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome and Alexandar Georgiev, who all have arbitration rights this summer. If Kreider’s re-signed, they won’t have enough room to retain all those RFAs. One or two could be on the move.
San Jose Sharks
Their hopes for a Stanley Cup run this season quickly evaporated, leaving them floundering near the bottom of the Western Conference. GM Doug Wilson is expected to move pending UFA defenseman Brenden Dillon, and there’s also talk of shipping veterans Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to Cup contenders. Other trade chips include Checking-line forward Melker Karlsson and backup goalie Aaron Dell.