Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Pekka Rinne only untouchables for Nashville
The Nashville Predators are off to a horrible start to the season, with a record of 10-14-0. Predators GM David Poile is considering making some big moves to shake up the team. Currently, Poile is listening to offer to every player apart from star defensemen and captain Roman Josi, great offensive defensemen Ryan Ellis, and goaltender Pekka Rinne, who has an NTC. Expect a big trade coming from Predators before the trade deadline next month, not including any of the “untouchables” they labeled.
The Bruins, Canadiens and Jets are possible destinations for D Matthis Ekholm
One of the most attractive players from the Nashville Predators is Matthis Ekholm, who is a great overall defenseman. Ekholm is on a very good contract, with two years left at $3.75 million and that is very affordable for contending teams such as the Bruins, Canadiens and Jets. The Bruins are looking to replace their injured defensemen with Ekholm who would be a big addition to the Bruins stacked roster. The Canadiens are a bit weak on the left side of their defense and Ekholm would instantly fix that. The Jets are a very strong team but the only thing they are lacking from being true contenders is defense. Ekholm would add offense and size to the Jets’ poor defense. The value of Ekholm is a first-round pick and a B level prospect
Red Wings looking to sell Bobby Ryan, Luke Glendening and Marc Staal at the deadline
The Detriot Red Wings are currently sitting second to last in the NHL with a record of 7-16-3. The Red Wings are still in a mix of a rebuild and are looking to acquire picks for their expiring contracts. Some expiring UFAs include Bobby Ryan, Luke Glendening and Marc Staal who would be useful players to contending teams. Glendening and Staal would be valued at around a fourth round pick. Bobby Ryan, who has a very strong start to the season, is valued at a second round pick.
Canucks and Ducks had talked about Virtanen & Heinen swap
Last week, news came about a potential Virtanen for Heinen trade between the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks and Canucks both sit second to last in their division and are looking to shake things up. Jake Virtanen last year was on pace for more than 20 goals and looked promising for the Canucks. However, this year Virtanen fell off a cliff and has three goals in 23 games. On the other hand, Danton Heinen is a decent bottom six player but only has six points in 19 games. Heinen is the better player right now but doesn’t have as much upside as Virtanen. Ducks forward Derek Grant who is also struggling was in trade talks as well. In the end, the trade fell apart due to cap issues.
Bruins, Maple Leafs, Penguins and Oilers all have interest in Ducks F Rickard Rakell
As mentioned before, the Ducks are looking to shake up the roster as they are playing poorly with a record of 7-12-6. Rickard Rakell is an interesting name in trade talks as he is a very skilled player, but is struggling on a bad Ducks team. Rakell is on a very reasonable and cheap contract of $3.8 million for the next two years. The Bruins are looking to add some secondary scoring on their roster with the addition of a player like Rakell. The Maple Leafs and Oilers both want to add a top 6 forward to their roster and Rakell would fit that role nicely. Jason Zucker suffered a big injury for the Penguins and will be out for a while. Rakell would be a great replacement for Zucker. Rakell’s value is around a first round pick and an A level prospect.