NHL Trade Rumors August 9

The Devils, Rangers & Islanders are in the running for St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. – The Fourth Period

Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko is one of the most interesting players on the trade market, considered a high risk, high-reward player. From 2014-15 to 2018-19, Tarasenko was one of the best players in the league, putting up 30+ goals and 60+ points in each season. But since then, Tarasenko has dealt with injuries, causing him to miss the majority of the last two seasons. If Tarasenko can stay healthy and return back to his prime form, it would be a steal for the team that gets him but if he continues to have injury problems, it will be a major letdown. The three teams that have expressed the most interest in Tarasenko are the Devils, Rangers and Islanders: The Devils are trying to add another sniper next to Jack Hughes, the Islanders are attempting to add some more star power to the offense, and the Rangers want to replace Pavel Buchnevich by getting Tarasenko.

The Flames, Wild, Sharks, Rangers & Canadiens have been linked to Coyotes center Christian Dvorak. – Elliotte Friedman

The Coyotes have made it a mission to trade players and acquire as many picks as possible to start their rebuild. They have done a great job so far, acquiring seven picks in the first two rounds next year, and could add even more to that pile by trading Christian Dvorak. Dvorak is a solid middle-six center that is locked up for the next 4 years at $4.45M and scores around a 30-40 point pace every season. Dvorak would be a big addition to a team that needs a solid center signed to a good contract. The Rangers, Wild and Canadiens could all use Dvorak to upgrade their weak center position while the Flames and Sharks would use Dvorak as a replacement when they trade one of their centers. Dvorak is gaining a ton of interest on the market and could get a huge return based on the amount of teams interested.

The Penguins, Islanders, Oilers, Golden Knights, Bruins and Wild have been linked to Coyotes winger Phil Kessel – The Fourth Period

Just like with Dvorak, the Coyotes are looking to trade Phil Kessel for picks and prospects. It was recently reported that Kessel had requested a trade from Arizona prior to the season and now could be the perfect time to trade him. Kessel has one year remaining on his contract, with a cap hit of $6.8M. Kessel’s prime days are behind him but he is still a solid veteran top 6 winger that can score. Last season, he had a great year with 43 points in 56 games, showing that he can still produce at a high level. There are a handful of teams interested in Kessel including the Penguins, Islanders, Oilers, Golden Knights, Bruins and Wild. The Penguins, Islanders, and Oilers are all interested in Kessel for his scoring abilities while the Golden Knights, Bruins, and Wild would like to add veteran depth to their wings. 

The Chicago Blackhawks could look to trade Dylan Strome, Calvin De Haan and Malcolm Subban. – Ben Pope

The Blackhawks made some big moves this offseason and because of that, they are looking to unload players they no longer need. The first name on the list is Dylan Strome, who is a young center that was picked 3rd overall in 2015 but hasn’t reached his potential yet. With the return of Jonathan Toews on the roster, Strome falls out of the top 6 and would not have a significant impact on the Blackhawks. Calvin de Haan is a decent top 4 defenseman but his services wouldn’t be needed in Chicago with the additions of Seth Jones, Jake McCabe, and Caleb Jones. Lastly, Malcolm Subban is now the third string goalie with the arrival of Marc-Andre Fleury.